General Hftory of DRUG C$.

This Root ftands in the fonts call it the Mad Nip; which, if they hap-

jl <■-.... . L __ ,-------,_, pen to eat thro' Inadvertence, u makes them

frantick, and fomenmes they run the Rifqueof Death it felf.- But being dry'd, it is offome Ufe in Phyfick, efpecialiy the greatCompofitions.

The Sieur Mulhutin Seb,lie, one of the modfamous Herbanfts at Paris for many Yearsaffur'd me that the true Wild Turnip was'the Brian/, and that the Seed which was con-tain'd in the little dry'd Berr.es, was what wasput into the Compofition of the Venice-Treacle.Some will have it that the Briony was an ex-cellent Remedy to cure the Biting of Serpents,and other venemous Creatures. This 'be redue'd into a Flower or Meal,dry'd, as Almond Powder.

3°

of St. Domingo.

Eirth, lending forth Stalks that bear thinflender Leaves like a Heart, of a whitifliGreen, after which grow little Berries, whichare green at firft, and turn red by Degreesas they ripen. The Mechoacan is a windingCreeper, and differs little from Briony, onlyin the Figure of the Leaves and in Tafte, forthe Root cut and dry'd cannot be diftinguiih'dfrom that of the Briony, but that the Mechoa-can is of a Tafte and Smell that is almoft in-iipid, whereas the Briony has an intolerableBitternefs. We chufe the faireft Pieces of theMechoacan that are white within and withcur,dry and ponderous, of an almoft infipidTafte, and throw aiide that which is dirty,lean, thin and parch'd, and take Care therebe no Briony mix'd among ir.

The Mechoacan being pcuder'd fine, is agentle Purgative, and may be given in dou-ble the Quantity to Jalap, becaufe it a<5ts notwith that Violence, and therefore may beadminiftred both to Old or Young with Safe-ty in Cachexia's, Scurvies, Jaundice or Ob-ftructions, in Powder with any proper Liquor,or infus'd in Wine. It is a good Hydragogue,purging warry Humours from all Parts ofthe Body, chiefly from the Head, Nerves,Breaft, and Lungs ; it prevails againft Ca-tarrhs, and the Venereal Dileale, purgesSlime from the Stomach, and is good to begiven to Children againft the Rickets, KingsEvil, running Scabs, and fcald Heads. Youmay make a compound Extract of it thus,Take Mechoacan three Ounces, Ginger two,white Turbith one, Polipody of the Oakhalf an Ounce, make an Extract with Spiritof Wine, after due D geftion, decant orftrain it eff clear, and add two Drams ofManna, Spirit of Vitriol five Drops, Oil ofCinamon three, mix and make an Extract,whereof from half a Scruple to a Scruple, isa good Dofe.

Of Briony, or the Wild Vine.

rmywhen

Of Briony, or the Black. Vine.

There is yet another kind of Briony, call'dthe Black, Vine, which fome have given theName of our Lady's Seal. But as we neverfclleither of thefc two Sorts of Roots, I did notthink it requifite to give >ou the Figures ofthem, and make a long Difcourfe upon them :But I ihall inform you that the Root of thisBlack Briony, apply'd frelli upon Coniufionsor Wounds, ftops the Bleeding, and healsthe Part ; Co that it has obtain'd the Nameof the ffbund-Hpot.

Mechoacan, or Rliabarbarum Al-bum Indicum, is a white light Root, Lemery.which we have brought to us cutin Pieces, and dry'd, from New Spain, andother Parts of America. This Plant is a Spe-cies of the Winding Briony, which Mr. Toitme-fort calls Brionia Americana repens folio an-gidofo, the creeping Briony of America, witha pointed Leaf, which is large, thin, andwhititti. The Flowers produce no Fruit,but fome finall green Berries, whirh growredder as they ripen • they contain i thema fharp pointed Seed, but are of no Ule inPhyfick, nor any other Part but the Root.

7. Of Turbith.

The Briony, or Wild Vine, is a Plant, ifit had been fufficiently known, that wou'd

have been fruulefs to have (poke of ; but TP H E Turbith, which the Latinsmany Authors make mention of it, as plen- call Turpethum, is the Root of Pomet.

tiful in every Hedge in the Country, but a Plant creeping the length of other

rarely to be found in our Gardens. The Trees: The Leaves and Flowers of it are

Root of this Plant is fo violent, that the Pea- like riufe of Marfli-mallows ; it runs upon

the