Description. Our common groundsel hath a round green and somewhat brownish stalk, spreading toward the top into branches, set with long and somewhat narrow green leaves, cut in on the edges, somewhat like the oak leaves, but lesser and round at the end. At the tops of the branches stand many small green heads, out of which grow many small, yellow threads or thumbs, which are the flowers, and continue many days blown in that manner, before it pass away into down, and with the seed, is carried away in the wind. The root is small and thready, and soon perisheth, and as soon riseth again of its own sowing, so that it may be seen many months in the year, both green and in flower, and seed; for it will spring and seed twice in a year at least, if it be suffered in a garden.
Place. This groweth almost every where, as well on tops of walls, as at the foot, amongst rubbish and untilled grounds, but especially in gardens.
Time. It flowereth, as is said before, almost in every month throughout the year.
Government and virtues. This herb is Venus's mistres piece, and is as gallant and universal a medicine for all diseases coming of heat, in what part of the body soever they be as the sun shines upon; it is very safe and friendly to the body of man; yet causeth vomiting if the stomach be afflicted; if not, purging; and it doth it with more gentleness than can be expected: it is moist, and something cold withal, thereby causing expulsion, and repressing the heat caused by the motion of the internal parts in purges and vomits. Lay by our learned receipts, ake so much sena, so much scammony, so much colocynthis, so much infusion of crocus metallorum.&c.; this herb alone served in a syrup, in a distilled water, or in an ointment, shall do the deed for you in all hot diseases, and shall do it, 1. Safely, 2. Speedily.
The decoction of the herb (saith Dioscorides) made with wine, and drank, helpeth the pains of the stomach, proceeding of cholor, (which it may well do by a vomit) as daily experience sheweth. The juice thereof taken in drink, or the decoction of it in ale, gently performeth the same. It is good against the jaundice and falling sickness, being taken in wine; as also against difficulty of making water. It provokes urine, expelleth gravel in the reins or kidneys, a dram thereof given in oxymel, after some walking or stirring of the body. It helpeth also the sciatica, griping of the belly, the cholic, defects of the liver, and provoketh women's courses. The fresh herb boiled, and made into a poultice, applied to the breasts of women that are swollen with pain and heat, as also the privy parts of man or woman, the seat or fundament, or the arteries, joints, and sinews, when they are inflamed and swollen, doth much ease them; and used with some salt, helpeth to dissolve knots or kernels in any part of the body. The juice of the herb, or (as Dioscorides saith) the leaves and flowers, with some fine frankincense in powder, used in wounds of the body, nerves, or sinews, doth singularly help to heal them. The distilled water of the herb performeth well all the aforesaid cures, but especially for inflammations or watering of the eyes, by reason of the defluction of rheum into them.