CULPEPER'S COMPLETE HERBAL

SOW-THISTLE TREE

Description. This grows sometimes to more than a yard high. The stalk is tender, hollow, of a yellowish green; and so are the leaves, which, when pressed or broken, run with milk. The flowers are large, and of an orange yellow.

Place. This is a biennial; a tall spreading plant; frequent in the corn-fields, where the soil is moist and clayey; a very troublesome weed to farmers.

Time. It blows in August.

Government and virtues. Venus governs this plant. Its virtues lie chiefly in its milky juice; which is of great value in cases of difficulty of hearing, either from accidental stoppage, or from the gout or advanced years, in all which cases it seldom fails of success; and if it happens not to succeed, the failure may undoubtedly attributed to venereal complaints. To four spoonfuls of the juice of the leaves and upper stalks produced in a marble mortar, add two of sallad-oil, and one tea-spoonful of salt; shake the whole together, and put some cotton dipped in this composition into the ears, and you may reasonably expect a good degree of recovery.