Chapter 1

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Complete Herbal This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: The Complete Herbal Author: Nicholas Culpeper Release date: July 24, 2015 [eBook #49513] Most recently updated: October 24, 2024 Language: English Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/49513 Credits: Produced by Chris Curnow, Emmy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) In loving memory of Poppy Curnow, who loved her herb garden. *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COMPLETE HERBAL *** [Transcriber's Note: As with any medicinal work first published in the 1600s and rewritten countless times, it should go without saying to not attempt these recipes. Just in case, the transcriber has now said it. Also, many and varied were the printing and publishing anomalies, for a more complete explanation, see the extensive notes collected at the end of this text.] [Illustration: NICHOLAS CULPEPER, M.D. Author of the Family Herbal.] [Illustration: RED LION HOUSE, SPITALFIELDS IN WHICH CULPEPER LIVED, STUDIED AND DIED] THE COMPLETE HERBAL; TO WHICH IS NOW ADDED, UPWARDS OF ONE HUNDRED ADDITIONAL HERBS, WITH A DISPLAY OF THEIR Medicinal and Occult Qualities PHYSICALLY APPLIED TO THE CURE OF ALL DISORDERS INCIDENT TO MANKIND: TO WHICH ARE NOW FIRST ANNEXED, THE ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED, AND KEY TO PHYSIC. WITH RULES FOR COMPOUNDING MEDICINE ACCORDING TO THE TRUE SYSTEM OF NATURE. FORMING A COMPLETE FAMILY DISPENSATORY AND NATURAL SYSTEM OF PHYSIC. ———————————— BY NICHOLAS CULPEPER, M.D. ———————————— TO WHICH IS ALSO ADDED, UPWARDS OF FIFTY CHOICE RECEIPTS, SELECTED FROM THE AUTHOR’S LAST LEGACY TO HIS WIFE. A NEW EDITION, WITH A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL DISEASES TO WHICH THE HUMAN BODY IS LIABLE, AND A GENERAL INDEX. _Illustrated by Engravings of numerous British Herbs and Plants, correctly coloured from nature._ ——————— “The Lord hath created Medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them.”—_Ecc._ xxxviii. 4. ——————— LONDON: THOMAS KELLY, 17, PATERNOSTER ROW. ——— MDCCCL. LONDON; A. CROSS, PRINTER, 89, PAUL STREET, FINSBURY. [Transcriber's Notes: All plates were done by: THOMAS KELLY, LONDON] PLATE 1. Alexander Agrimony Alkanet Allheal Amara Dulcis _or_ Bitter Sweet Amaranthus Adder's Tongue Angelica Alehoof _or_ Ground Ivy PLATE 2. Garden Arrach Avens Ars smart Basil Archangel Beets Yellow Bedstraw White Bedstraw Water Betony PLATE 3. Bird’s Foot Bishop’s Weed Bistort _or_ Snakeweed White Briony Borage Brooklime Bucks-horn Plantain Brank Ursine Blue Bottle PLATE 4. Burdock Butter-bur Wall Bugloss Bugle Camomile Carraway Centaury Wild Carrot Celandine PLATE 5. Chervill Comfry Cleavers Coltsfoot Crabs Claws _or_ Fresh water Soldier Cowslip Columbine Shrub Cinquefoil Costmary PLATE 6. Crowfoot Cuckow Point Water Cress Cudweed Crosswort Dill Dandelion Daisy Devils Bit PLATE 7. Eringo Eyebright Elecampane Dock Dragons Dog’s Grass Dropwort Dove’s Foot Bloody Dock PLATE 8. Foxglove Flower-de-luce Figwort Fleawort Fumitory Fluellin Fennel Flaxweed Feverfew PLATE 9. Wall Hawkweed. Hart’s Tongue. Mouse-ear Hawkweed. Gentian. Golden Rod. Galingal. Clove Gilliflower. Groundsel. Germander. PLATE 10. Longrooted Hawkweed Hearts Ease Hounds Tongue Herb Robert Marsh Pennywort White Horehound Henbane Truelove Hemlock PLATE 11. Knapweed Lady’s Mantle Ladysmock Sea Lavender Water Lily Liquorice Loosestrife or Willowherb Liver Wort Lily of the Valley PLATE 12. Lovage Lungwort Loosestrife _or_ Wood Willow-herb Maidenhair Field Madder Marsh Mallow Marigold Melilot Masterwort PLATE 13. Mouse Ear Moon-wort Field Mouse Ear Yellow Money-wort Black Mullein Mother-wort Mug-wort White Mullein White Mustard PLATE 14. Black Mustard Common Nightshade Deadly Nightshade Nep Nailwort Orpine Cow Parsnip Rock Parsley Wild Parsnip PLATE 15. Pellitory of the Wall Periwinkle Pepper-wort Pimpernel Plantain Polypody White Poppy Corn Rose Poppy Primrose PLATE 16. Privet Queen of the Meadow Meadow Rue Cress Rocket Rattle Grass Rocket Cress Ragwort Rapture Wort Saffron PLATE 17. Meadow Saxifrage Great Sanicle Samphire Garden Scurvygrass Scabious Shepherd’s Purse Saracen’s Confound Self-heal Burnet Saxifrage PLATE 18. Yellow Succory Solomon’s Seal Wild Succory Spignel Wood Sorrel Common Sorrel Smallage Sow Thistle Tansy PLATE 19. Treacle Mustard Tustan Thorough Wax Tooth-wort Trefoil Tormentil Lady’s Thistle Wild Teazle Cotton Thistle PLATE 20. Vervain Valerian Viper’s Bugloss Woad Woodbine Wall Flower Wormwood Sea Wormwood Yarrow CULPEPER’S ORIGINAL EPISTLE TO THE READER. TAKE Notice, That in this Edition I have made very many Additions to every sheet in the book: and, also, that those books of mine that are printed of that Letter the small Bibles are printed with, are very falsely printed: there being twenty or thirty gross mistakes in every sheet, many of them such as are exceedingly dangerous to such as shall venture to use them: And therefore I do warn the Public of them: I can do no more at present; only take notice of these Directions by which you shall be sure to know the _True one_ from the _False_. _The first Direction._—The true one hath this Title over the head of every Book, THE COMPLETE HERBAL AND ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ENLARGED. The small Counterfeit ones have only this Title, THE ENGLISH PHYSICIAN. _The second Direction._—The true one hath these words, GOVERNMENT AND VIRTUES, following the time of the Plants flowering, &c. The counterfeit small ones have these words, VIRTUES AND USE, following the time of the Plants flowering. _The third Direction._—The true one is of a larger Letter than the counterfeit ones, which are in _Twelves_, &c., of the Letter small Bibles used to be printed on. I shall now speak something of the book itself. All other Authors that have written of the nature of Herbs, give not a bit of reason why such an Herb was appropriated to such a part of the body, nor why it cured such a disease. Truly my own body being sickly, brought me easily into a capacity, to know that health was the greatest of all earthly blessings, and truly he was never sick that doth not believe it. Then I considered that all medicines were compounded of Herbs, Roots, Flowers, Seeds, &c., and this first set me to work in studying the nature of simples, most of which I knew by sight before; and indeed all the Authors I could read gave me but little satisfaction in this particular, or none at all. I cannot build my faith upon Authors’ words, nor believe a thing because they say it, and could wish every body were of my mind in this,—to labour to be able to give a reason for every thing they say or do. They say Reason makes a man differ from a Beast; if that be true, pray what are they that, instead of reason for their judgment, quote old Authors? Perhaps their authors knew a reason for what they wrote, perhaps they did not; what is that to us? Do we know it? Truly in writing this work first, to satisfy myself, I drew out all the virtues of the vulgar or common Herbs, Plants, and Trees, &c., out of the best or most approved authors I had, or could get; and having done so, I set myself to study the reason of them. I knew well enough the whole world, and every thing in it, was formed of a composition of contrary elements, and in such a harmony as must needs show the wisdom and power of a great God. I knew as well this Creation, though thus composed of contraries, was one united body, and man an epitome of it: I knew those various affections in man, in respect of sickness and health, were caused naturally (though God may have other ends best known to himself) by the various operations of the Microcosm; and I could not be ignorant, that as the cause is, so must the cure be; and therefore he that would know the reason of the operation of the Herbs, must look up as high as the Stars, astrologically. I always found the disease vary according to the various motions of the Stars; and this is enough, one would think, to teach a man by the effect where the cause lies. Then to find out the reason of the operation of Herbs, Plants, &c., by the Stars went I; and herein I could find but few authors, but those as full of nonsense and contradiction as an egg is full of meat. This not being pleasing, and less profitable to me, I consulted with my two brothers, DR. REASON and DR. EXPERIENCE, and took a voyage to visit my mother NATURE, by whose advice, together with the help of DR. DILIGENCE, I at last obtained my desire; and, being warned by MR. HONESTY, a stranger in our days, to publish it to the world, I have done it. But you will say, _What need I have written on this Subject, seeing so many famous and learned men have written so much of it in the English Tongue, much more than I have done?_ To this I answer, neither GERRARD nor PARKINSON, or any that ever wrote in the like nature, ever gave one wise reason for what they wrote, and so did nothing else but train up young novices in Physic in the School of tradition, and teach them just as a parrot is taught to speak; an Author says so, therefore it is true; and if all that Authors say be true, why do they contradict one another? But in mine, if you view it with the eye of reason, you shall see a reason for everything that is written, whereby you may find the very ground and foundation of Physic; you may know what you do, and wherefore you do it; and this shall call me Father, it being (that I know of) never done in the world before. I have now but two things to write, and then I have done.