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.
Smallage
Description. The roots of smallage are about a finger thick, wrinkled, and sinking deep in the earth, of a white colour, from which spring many winged leaves, somewhat resembling parsley, but are larger, of a yellower colour, each single leaf being somewhat three-square; the stalks grow to be two or three feet high, smooth channelled, rather angular, and very much branched; at the division of the branches come forth umbels of small yellowish flowers, followed by seeds less than parsley-seed, paler and hotter. The whole plant is of a strong ungrateful flavour.
Place. It grows in marshy watery places.
Time. It flowers and ripens the seed in the summer months. Government and virtues. Like carrots and carraway, it is under Mercury. The roots are diuretic, very good for the stoppage of urine, and the stone and gravel; they open obstructions of the liver and spleen; help the dropsy and jaundice; and remove female obstructions. The leaves are of the same nature, and are one of the herbs which are eaten in the spring, to sweeten and purify the blood, and help the scurvy; the seed is hot and carminative, and is one of the four lesser hot seeds, as the root is one of the five opening roots. The roots, leaves, and seed, are used.
The only officinal preparation taking its name from smallage, is the unguentum ex apio.