Home › Contents › Of Thornie Apples

Of Thornie Apples

The Description. 1 THe stalkes of Thorny-apples are oftentimes above a cubit and a halfe high, seldome higher, an inch thicke, upright and straight, having very few branches, sometimes none at all, but one upright stemme; whereupon doe grow leaves smooth and even, little or nothing indented about the edges, longer and broader than the leaves of Nightshade, or of the mad Apples. The floures come forth of long toothed cups, great, white, of the forme of a bell, or like the floures of the great Withwinde that rampeth in hedges; but altogether greater and wider in the mouth, sharpe cornered at the brimmes, with certaine white chives or threds in the middest, of a strong ponticke savour, offending the head when it is smelled unto: in the place of the floure commeth up round fruit full of short and blunt prickles of the bignesse of a green Wallnut when it is at the biggest, in which are the seeds of the bignesse of tares or of the seed of Mandrakes, and of the same forme. The herbe it selfe is of a strong savor, and doth stuffe the head, and causeth drowsinesse. The root is small and threddy. 2 There is another kinde hereof altogether greater than the former, whose seeds I received of the right honourable the Lord Edward Zouch; which he brought from Constantinople, and of his liberalitie did bestow them upon me, as also many other rare and strange seeds; and it is that Thorn-apple that I have dispersed through this land, whereof at this present I have great use in Surgery; as well in burnings and scaldings, as also in virulent and maligne ulcers, apostumes, and such like. The which plant hath a very great stalke in fertile ground, bigger then a mans arme, smooth and greene of colour, which a little above the ground divideth it selfe into sundry branches or armes in manner of an hedge tree; whereupon are placed many great leaves cut and indented deepely about the edges, with many uneven sharpe corners: among these leaves come white round floures made of one piece in manner of a bell, shutting it selfe up close toward night, as doe the floures of the great Binde-weed, whereunto it is very like, of a sweet smell, but so strong, that it offends the sences. The fruit followeth round, sometimes of the fashion of an egge, set about on every part with most sharpe prickles; wherein is contained very much seed of the bignesse of tares, and of the same fashion. The root is thicke, made of great and small strings: this plant is sowen, beareth his fruit, and perisheth the same yeare.

The Place. 1 This plant is rare and strange as yet in England: I received seeds thereof from John Robin of Paris, an excellent Herbarist; which do grow and bare floures, but perished before the fruit came to ripenesse. The Time.

The first is to be sowne in a bed of horse-dung, as we do Cu-cumbers and Muske-melons.

The other may be sowne in March and Aprill, as other seeds are. The Names.

Anguillara suspected it to be Hippomanes which Theocritus mentioned, wherewith in his second Eclog he sheweth that horses are made mad: for Cratevas, whom Theocritus his Scholiast doth cite, writeth, That the plant of Hippomanes hath a fruit full of prickles, as hath the fruit of wild Cucumber. In English it may be called Thorn-Apple, or the Apple of Peru.

Dagger The words of Theocritus are in English:

Hippomanes 'mongst th' Arcadians springs, by which ev'n all The Colts and agile Mares in mountaines mad do fall.

There is no plant at this day known, in mine opinion, whereunto Cratevas his description may more fitly be referred, than to the Papaver spinosum, or Ficus infernalis, which we shall hereafter describe. Dagger The Vertues.

The juice of Thorn-apples boiled with hogs grease to the form of an unguent or salve, cures all inflammations whatsoever, all manner of burnings or scaldings, as well of fire, water, boiling lead, gun-pouder, as that which comes by lightning, and that in very short time, as my selfe have found by my daily practise, to my great credit and profit. The first experience came from Colchester, where Mistresse Lobel a merchants wife there being most grievously burned by lightning, and not finding ease or cure in any other thing, by this found helpe and was perfectly cured when all hope was past, by the report of Mr William Ram publique Notarie of the said towne.

The leaves stamped small and boiled with oile Olive untill the herbs be as it were burnt, then strained and set to the fire again, with some wax, rosin, and a little turpentine, and made into a salve, doth most speedily cure new and fresh wounds.