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INFORMATION FROM CULPEPER

Nicholas Culpeper was born in London in 1616. He studied in Cambridge and became apprenticed to an apothecary. He moved back to London and established a pharmacy at the Halfway House in Spitalfields. He went on to publish A Complete Herbal and English Physician Enlarged and The English Physician and Family Dispensary. Culpeper died in 1654 at the age of 38.

Sweet Basil	Being applied to the place bitten by venomous beasts, or stung by a wasp or hornet,it speedily draws the poison to it. Every like draws his like. Being laid to rot in horse dung, it will breed venomous beasts. It expelleth both birth and after birth; and as it helps the deficiency of Venus in one kind, so it spoils all her actions in another. I dare write no more of it.
Borage	The leaves or roots are to very good purpose used in putrid and pestilential fevers, to defend the heart and help to resist and expel the poison or the venom of other creatures. The juice made into a syrup and mixed with fumitory, to cool, cleanse, and temper the blood, whereby it helpeth the itch, ringworms, and tetters, or other spreading scabs or sores.
Chervil	The garden Chervil being eaten, doth moderately warm the stomach, and is a certain remedy to dissolve congealed or clotted blood in the body, or that which is clotted by bruises, falls etc. It is a good help provoke urine, or expel the stone in the kidneys.
Chives	If they be eaten raw, they send up very hurtful vapours to the brain, causing troublesome sleep, and spoiling the eye-sight; yet of them, prepared by the art of the alchymist, may be made an excellent remedy for the stoppage of urine.
Clary Sage	The mucilage of the seed made with waters, and applied to tumours, or swellings, disperseth and taketh them away; as also draweth forth splinters, thorns, or other things gotten into the flesh. The powder of the dried root put into the nose, provoketh sneezing, and thereby purgeth the head and brain of much rheum and corruption.
Dill	The seed is of more use than the leaves, and more effectual to digest raw and vicious humours, and is used in medicines that serve to expel wind, and the pains proceeding therefrom. The seed being roasted or fried, and used in oils drieth up all moist ulcers.
Feverfew	The distilled water takes away freckles, and other spots and deformities in the face. The herb bruised and heated on a tile, with some wine to moisten it, or fried with a little wine and oil in a frying pan, and applied warm outwardly to the places, helps the wind and colic in the lower part of the belly. It is an especial remedy against opium taken too liberally.
Flat leaf Parsley	The distilled water of parsley is a familiar medicine with nurses to give their children when they are troubled with wind in the stomach or belly, which they call the frets; The leaves of parsley being fried with butter, and applied to women's breasts that are hard through the curdling of their milk, it abates the hardness quickly, and also takes away the black or blue marks coming of bruises or falls.
French Sorrel	It is prevalent in all hot diseases, to cool any inflammation and heat of blood in agues, pestilential or choleric, or sickness and fainting, arising from heat, and to refresh the overspent spirits with the violence of furious or fiery fits of agues; for it resists the putrefaction of the blood, kills worms, and is a cordial to the heart.
Heartsease	A strong decoction of the herb and flowers is an excellent cure for the venereal disorder, being an approved anti-venereal; it is also good for the convulsions in children, falling sickness, inflammations of the lungs and breast, pleurisy, scabs, itch etc.
Hyssop	The hot vapours of the decoction, taken by a funnel in at the ears, easeth the inflammations and singing noise of them; bruised and mixed with salt, honey, and cummin-seed, it is a good remedy for the stinging of serpents; the head being anointed with the oil thereof, it killeth the lice, and allayeth the itching of the same.
Lemon Balm	Let a syrup made of the juice and sugar be kept in every gentlewomans house, to relieve the weak stomachs and sick bodies of their poor sickly neighbours. It causes the mind and heart to become merry, and reviveth the heart, faintings, and swoonings, especially of such who are overtaken in sleep, and driveth away all troublesome cares arising from melancholy or black choler.
Pot Marigold	The juice of marigold leaves mixed with vinegar, and any hot swellings bathed with it, instantly giveth ease and assuageth it. A plaister made with the dry flowers in powder, hog's grease, turpentine, and rosin, applied to the breast, strengthens and succours the heart infinitely in fevers, whether pestilential or not pestilential.
Marshmallow	The leaves are used to loosen the belly gently, and in decoctions for clysters to ease all pains of the body, opening the strait passages, and making them slippery, whereby the stone may descend the more easily, and without pain, out of the reins, kidneys, and bladder, and to ease the torturing pains thereof.
Salad Burnet	It is a friend to the heart, liver, and other principal parts of a man's body; two or three of the stalks with leaves put into a cup of wine, especially claret, are known to quicken the spirits, refresh and cheer the heart, and drive away melancholy. It is a special help to defend the heart from noisome vapours, and from infection of the pestilence.
Sage	A decoction of the leaves and branches of sage made and drank, provokes urine, brings down women's courses, and causes the hair to become black. It stays the bleeding of wounds, and cleanses foul ulcers or sores. The said decoction made in wine, takes away the itching of the testicles, if they be bathed therewith.
Winter Savory	It cures tough phlegm in the chest and lungs, and helps to expectorate it the more easily; quickens the dull spirits in the lethargy, the juice thereof being snuffed up into the nostrils. The juice dropped into the eyes, clears a dull sight, if it proceed of thin cold humours distilled from th brain.
St Johns Wort	It is a singular wound herb; boiled in wine and drank, it healeth inward inward hurts or bruises; made into an ointment, it opens obstructions, dissolves swellings, and closes up the lips of the wounds.The decoction of the herb and flowers, especially of the seed, being drunk in wine, with the juice of knot grass, helpeth all manor of vomiting and spitting of blood, is good for those that are bitten or stung by any venomous creature.
Sweet Marjoram	It is an excellent remedy for the brain, and other parts of the body and mind. The decoction thereof being drank, helpeth all diseases of the chest, which hinder the freeness of breathing, and is also profitable for the obstructions of the liver and spleen. The powder thereof snuffed up into the nose, provoketh sneezing, and thereby purgeth the brain; and chewed in the mouth, draweth forth much phlegm.
Thyme	It is a noble strengthener of the lungs, it purges the body of phlegm and is an excellent remedy for shortness of breath. It kills worms in the belly. An ointment made of it takes away hot swellings and warts, helps sciatica and dulness of sight, and takes away pains and hardness of the spleen; it is excellent for those that are troubled with the gout ; as also to anoint the testicles that are swelled.