Fig. 1450. Clown's All-Heal.

The Description.

            1. Clown's All-Heal, or the Husbandman's Woundwort, hath long slender square stalks of the height of two cubits, furrowed or chamfered along the same as it were with small gutters, and somewhat rough or hairy: whereupon are set by couples one opposite to another, long rough leaves somewhat narrow, bluntly indented about the edges like the teeth of a saw, of the form of the leaves of Spearmint, and of an overworn green colour: at the top of the stalks grow the flowers spike fashion, of a purple colour mixed with some few spots of white, in form like to little hoods. The root consisteth of many small thready strings, whereunto are annexed or tied divers knobby or tuberous lumps, of a white colour tending to yellowness: all the whole plant is of an unpleasant savour like Stachys or Stinking Horehound. The root in the winter time and the beginning of the spring is somewhat knobby, tuberous, and jointed, which after the stalks grow up become flaccid and hollow, and so the old ones decay, and then it putteth forth new ones.

The Place.

            It groweth in moist meadows by the sides of ditches, and likewise in fertile fields that are somewhat moist, almost everywhere; especially in Kent about Southfleet, near to Gravesend, and likewise in the meadows by Lambeth near London.

The Time.

            It flowereth in August, and bringeth his seed to perfection in the end of September.

The Names.

            This plant by Gesner was called Stachys palustris, and Betonica fœtida, and thought to be of the kind of Herba Iudaica, or Sideriti; to which indeed I should; and Thalius hath referred it, calling it Sideritis 1. gravis odoris: Cæsalpinus calls it Tertiola; and gives this reason, quod tertianas sanet, because it cures tertians. Tabernamontanus called it Stachys aquatica.

The Temperature.

            This plant is hot in the seeond degree, and dry in the first.

The Virtues.

            A. The leaves hereof stamped with Axungia or hog's grease, and applied unto green wounds in manner of a poultice, healeth them in short time, and in such absolute manner, that it is hard for any that have not had the experience thereof to believe: for being in Kent about a patient, it chanced that a poor man in mowing of peas did cut his leg with a scythe, wherein he made a wound to the bones, and withal very large and wide, and also with great effusion of blood; the poor man crept unto this herb, which he bruised with his hands, and tied a great quantity of it unto the wound with a piece of his shirt, which presently stanched the bleeding, and ceased the pain, insomuch that the poor man presently went to his day's work again, and so did from day to day, without resting one day until he was perfectly whole, which was accomplished in a few days, by this herb stamped with a little hog's grease, and so laid upon in manner of a poultice, which did as it were glue or solder the lips of the wound together, and heal it according to the first intention, as we term it, that is, without drawing or bringing the wound to suppuration or matter; which was fully performed in seven days, that would have required forty days with balsam itself. I saw the wound, and offered to heal the same for charity; which he refused, saying I could not heal it so well as himself: a clownish answer I confess, without any thanks for my goodwill; whereupon I have named it Clown's Woundwort, as aforesaid. Since which time myself have cured many grievous wounds, and some mortal, with the same herb; one for example done upon a gentleman of Gray's Inn in Holborn, Mr. Edmund Cartwright, who was thrust into the lungs, the wound entering in at the lower part of the thorax, or the breast-blade, even through that cartilaginous substance called mucronata cartilago, insomuch that from day to day the frothing and puffing of the lungs did spew forth of the wound such excrements as it was possessed of; besides the gentleman was most dangerously vexed with a double quotidian fever; whom by God's permission I perfectly cured in very short time, and with this clown's experiment, and some of my foreknown helps, which were as followeth.

            B. First I framed a slight unguent hereof thus: I took four handfuls of the herb stamped, and put them into a pan, whereunto I added four ounces of barrow's grease, half a pint of oil Olive, wax three ounces, which I boiled unto the consumption of the juice (which is known when the stuff doth not bubble at all) then did I strain it, putting it to the fire again, adding thereto two ounces of turpentine, the which I suffered to boil a little, reserving the same for my use.

            C. The which I warmed in a saucer, dipping therein small soft tents, which I put into the wound, defending the parts adjoining with a plaster of Calcitheos, relented with oil of roses: which manner of dressing and preserving I did even until the wound was perfectly whole: notwithstanding once in a day I gave him two spoonfuls of this decotion following.

            D. I took a quart of good claret wine, wherein I boiled an handful of the leaves of Solidago saracenica, or Saracen's Confound, and four ounces of honey, whereof I gave him in the morning two spoonfuls to drink in a small draught of wine tempered with a little sugar.

            E. In like manner I cured a shoe-maker's servant in Holborn, who intended to destroy himself for causes known unto many now living: but I deemed it better to cover the fault, than to put the same in print, which might move such a graceless fellow to attempt the like: his attempt was thus; First, he gave himself a most mortal wound in the throat, in such sort, that when I gave him drink it came forth at the wound, which likewise did blow out the candle: another deep and grievous wound in the breast with the said dagger, and also two others in Abdomine or the nether belly, so that the Zirbus or fat, commonly called the caul, issued forth, with the guts likewise: the which mortal wounds, by God's permission, and the virtues of this herb, I perfectly cured within twenty days: for the which the name of God be praised.