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Of Birthwoorts

The Description.

LOng Birthwoort hath many small long slender stalkes creeping upon the ground, tangling one with another very intricately, beset with round leaves not much unlike Sow-bread or Ivie, but larger, of a light or overworne green colour, and of a grievous or lothsome smell and savour: among which come forth long hollow floures, not much unlike the flours of Aron, but without any pestell or clapper in the same; of a darke purple colour: after which follow small fruit like unto little peares, containing triangled seeds of a blackish colour. The root is long, thicke, of the colour of box, of a strong savour and bitter taste. (Dagger) 6 Clusius figures and describes another smal Pistolochia, by the name of Pistolochia Cretica, to which I thought good to adde the Epithit Virginiana also, for that the much admired Snakeweed of Virginia seems no otherwise to differ from it than an inhabitant of Candy from one of the Virginians, which none I think wil say to differ in specie.

The Place.

Pliny sheweth, That the Birthworts grow in fat and Champian places: The fields of Spaine are full of these Birthworts: they are also found in Italy and Narbone or Languedoc a country of France They grow all in my garden. The Time.

They floure in May, June, and July.

The Vertues.

Dioscorides writeth, That a dram weight of long Birthwort drunke with wine and so applied, is good against serpents and deadly things. The round Aristolochia doth beautifie, clense, and fasten the teeth, if they be often fretted or rubbed with the pouder thereof. (Dagger) The root of the Virginian Pistolochia, which is of a strong and aromatick sent, is a singular and much used antidote against the bite of the Rattle-snake, or rather Adder or Viper, whose bite is very deadly; and therefore by the providence of the Creator hee hath upon his taile a skinny dry substance parted into cels, which contain some loose hard dry bodies that rattle in them (as if one should put little stones or pease into a stiffe and very dry bladder) that so he may by this noise give warning of his approach, the better to be avoided: but if any be bitten, they know nor stand in need of no better antidote than this root, which they chew and apply to the wound, & also swallow some of it downe, by which means they quickly overcome the malignitie of this poisonous bite, which otherwise in a very short time would prove deadly. (Dagger)