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Shepherd's Purse

It is called Whoreman's Permacety, Shepherd's Scrip, Shepherd's Pounce, Toywort, Pickpurse, and Casewort.

Description. The root is small, white, and perishes every year. The leaves are small and long, of a pale green colour, and deeply cut in on both sides, among which spring up a stalk which is small and round, containing small leaves upon it even to the top. The flowers are white and very small: afterr which come the little cases which hold the seed, which are flat, almost in the form of a heart.

Place. They are frequent in this country, almost by every path-side. Time. They flower almost all the summer long; nay, some of them are so fruitful, that they flower twice a year.

Government and virtues. It is under the dominion of Saturn, and of a cold, dry, and binding nature, like to him. It helps all fluxes of blood, either caused by inward or outward wounds; so also the flux of the belly, and bloody-flux, spitting and voiding of blood, and stops the terms in women; being bound to the wrists of the hands, and the soles of the feet, it helps the yellow-jaundice. The herb being made into a poultice, helps inflammations and St. Anthony's fire. The juice being dropped into the ears, heals the pains, noise and matterings thereof. A good ointment may be made of it for all wounds, especially wounds in the head.

This plant is a remarkable instance of the truth of an observation which there is too frequently room to make, namely, that Providence has made the most useful things most common, and for that reason we neglect them: few plants possess greater virtues than this, and yet it is utterly disregarded.