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Greek Valerian

Description. The root of the Greek Valerian is about a finger thick, of a brown colour, growing not in the earth, but spreading itself across with many large white strings on each side, which makes the root appear like a large scolopendra, or caterpillar, with many long feet, of a very strong smell, especially when dry: it shoots out several hollow channelled stalks, two or three feet high, having the lower leaves long and round-pointed, some whole, and others cut in, resembling those of seabious, but that they are smooth; the leaves which grow on the stalks are also much more cut in. The stalks are divided towards the top into several branches, having at each divarication a long narrow leaf, and at the ends grow the flowers in a kind of umbels, each flower being a small, long, narrow tube, divided at the top into five segments, with as many apices, of a white colour; they stand on the rudiments of the seed, which, when they are fallen, grow larger, being longish, and striated with a downy top.

Place. It is usually planted in gardens, though it grows wild in the Alpine countries, and is found in some parts of Yorkshire.

Government and virtues. It is under Mercury, and is alexipharmic, sudorific, and cephalic, and accounted useful in malignant fevers, and pestilential distempers; it helps in nervous complaints, head-achs, trembling, palpitations of the heart, vapours, and all that train of miserable disorders, included under the name of nervous. It is also good in hysteric cases; and epilepsies have been cured by the use only of this herb.