Important: Safety Warning
This page describes preparations historically taken to end pregnancy or "bring on the menses." These substances do not work as claimed and are seriously toxic; their use has caused poisoning and death.
In addition, this page prescribes plants as medicine according to pre-modern medical theory. Several of the plants named are toxic, correct identification is difficult, and the doses given have no scientific basis. Do not ingest or apply any preparation described here.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Brooklime
Name. It is also called water-pimpernel.
Description. It riseth from a creeping root, that shooteth forth strings at every joint as it runneth; it hath divers and sundry green stalks, round, deep, green, and thick leaves set by couples thereon; from the bottom whereof shoot forth long footstalks, with sundry small blue flowers on them, that consist of five small round-pointed leaves each.
There is another sort nothing differing from the former, but that it is larger, and the flowers of a paler blue colour.
Place. They sometimes grow in small standing waters, but generally near water-cresses, and are sometimes sold for them in the markets. Time. They flower in June and July, giving seed the month after. Government and Virtues. It is a hot and biting martial plant: brooklime and water-cresses are generally used together in diet-drinks, with other things serving to purge the blood and body from ill-humours that would destroy health, and are helpful for the scurvy: they do also provoke urine, and help to break the stone and pass it away; they provoke women's courses, and expel the dead child. Being fried with butter and vinegar, and applied warm, it helpeth all manner of tumours, swellings, and inflammations. Such drinks ought to be made of sundry herbs according to the malady offending. I shall give a plain and easy rule for that purpose at the latter end of this book.