CULPEPER'S COMPLETE HERBAL

LESSER CELANDINE

Description. This celandine, or more properly pilewort or fog-wort, spreads many round pale green leaves set on weak and trailing branches, which lie upon the ground, and are flat, smooth, and somewhat shining, and in some places, though seldom, marked with black spots; each standing on a long foot-stalk, among which rise small yellow flowers, consisting of nine or ten small narrow leaves, upon slender foot-stalks, very like unto crows-foot, whereunto the seed also is not dissimilar, being many small kernels like a grain of corn, sometimes twice as long as others, of a whitish colour, with some fibres at the end of them.

Place. It grows for the most part in moist corners of fields, and places that are near water-sides; yet will abide in drier ground if they be a little shady.

Time. It flowers betimes about March or April, is quite gone by May; so that it cannot be found till it spring again.

Government and virtues. It is under the dominion of Mars; and behold here another verification of the learning of the ancients, viz . that the virtue of an herb may be known by its signature, as plainly appears in this; for if you dig up the root of it, you shall perceive the exact image of the disease which they commonly call the piles. It is certain by good experience, that the decoction of the leaves and roots does wonderfully help piles and hæmorrhoids, also kernels by the ear and throat, called the king's evil, or any other hard whens or tumours.

Here is another secret for my countrymen and women, a couple of them together; pilewort made into an oil, ointment or plaister, readily cures both the piles, or hæmorrhoids, and the king's evil: the very herb borne about one's body next the skin, helps in such diseases, though it never touch the place grieved: let poor people make much of it for those uses; with this I cured my own daughter of the king's-evil, broke the sore, drew out a quarter of a pint of corruption, and healed without any scar at all in a week's time.