Of Henbane
The Description. 1 THe common'blacke Henbane hath great and soft stalkes, leaves very broad, soft, and woolly, somewhat jagged, especially those that grow neere to the ground, and those that grow upon the stalke, narrower, smaller, and sharper, the floures are bell-fashion, of a feint yellowish white, and browne within towards the bottome: when the floures are gone, there come hard knobby husks like small cups or boxes, wherein are small brown seeds. The Place.
Blacke Henbane grows almost every where by highways, in the borders of fields about dunghils and untoiled places: the white Henbane is not found but in the gardens of those that love physicall plants: the which groweth in my garden, and doth sow it selfe from yeare to yeare.
The Time.
They spring out of the ground in May, bring forth their floures in August, and the seed is ripe in October.
The Vertues.
Henbane causeth drowsinesse, and mitigateth all kinde of paine: it is good against hot & sharp distillations of the eyes and other parts. The leaves stamped with the ointment Populeon, made of Poplar buds, asswageth the pain of the gout.
To wash the feet in the decoction of Henbane causeth sleepe; and also the often smelling to the floures.
The leaves, seed, and juice taken inwardly cause an unquiet sleep like unto the sleepe of drunkennesse, which continueth long, and is deadly to the party. The seed of white Henbane is good against the cough. The root boiled with vinegre, & the same holden hot in the mouth, easeth the pain of the teeth. The seed is used by Mountibank tooth-drawers which run about the country, to cause worms come forth of the teeth, by burning it in a chafing dish of coles, the party holding his mouth over the fume thereof: but some crafty companions to gain mony convey small lute-strings into the water, persuading the patient, that those small creepers came out of his mouth or other parts which he intended to ease.