CULPEPER'S COMPLETE HERBAL

GREENLAND SCURVY GRASS

Description. This does not grow so large as the common Dutch scurvy-grass, which is most known, and frequent in gardens, which has fresh, green, and almost round leaves rising from the root, not so thick as the former, yet in some rich ground, very large, even twice as big as in others, not dented about the edges, or hollow in the middle, standing on a long foot-stalk; from among these rise long slender stalks, with white flowers at the tops of them, which turn into small pods, and smaller brownish seed than the former. The root is white, small, and thready. The taste is nothing salt at all; it has a hot, aromatical, spicy taste.

Place. It grows in gardens mostly.

Time. It flowers in April and May.

Government and virtues. They are all herbs of Jupiter. Scurvy grass abounds with fine volatile parts, and therefore the herb infused, or the juice expressed, is more prevalent than a decoction, the volatile parts flying away in the boiling: this is accounted a specific remedy against the scurvy, cleansing and purifying the juices of the body from the bad effects of that distemper, and clearing the skin from scabs, pimples, and foul eruptions. Officinal preparations are the simple water, the spirit, and a conserve.