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.
Savine
Description. Savine is an evergreen shrubby tree that seldom grows very tall, having the branches set close together, cloathed with narrow, short, somewhat prickly leaves, almost resembling cypress, of a very strong smell: among these, after the tree is old, and has stood long in a place, grow small mossy greenish flowers, which are succeeded by small flattish berries, less than those of juniper, of the same blackish blue colour.
Place. Though not known to grow naturally in England, it is planted in gardens, where it seldom produces fruit, and has therefore generally been reputed barren.
Government and virtues. It is under the dominion of Mars. being hot and dry in the third degree; and being of exceeding clean parts, is of a very digesting quality. It is hot and dry, opening and attenuating, and a powerful provoker of the catamenia, causing abortion and expelling the birth; it is very good to destroy worms in children. Mr. Ray commends the juice of it mixed with milk, and sweetened with sugar, as an excellent medicine for that purpose; beaten into a cataplasm with hog's lard, it cure children's scabby heads, It is a most powerful detersive, and has so violent an effect upon the uterine passages if used imprudently, that wicked women have employed it to very ill purposes. It is a very fine opener of obstructions of any kind, whence in compositions for the jaundice, dropsy, scurvy, rheumatism, &c. it makes a very useful ingredient. It is also an enemy to worms, and its chymical oil rubbed upon and about the naval of children, has often a wonderful effect in expelling them. It deserves the regard of surgeons, as it is a very potent scourer and cleanser of old sordid stinking ulcers, whether used in lotions, fomentations, ointments, or even the powder only mixt with honey.