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Of Valerian, or Setwall

The Description.

I THe tame or garden Valerian hath his first leaves long, broad, smooth, greene, and undivided; and the leaves upon the stalkes greater, longer, and deepely gashed on either side, like the leaves of the greater Parsenep, but yet lesser: the stalke is above a cubit high, smooth, and hollow, with certaine joynts farre distant one from another: out of which joynts grow forth a couple of leaves, and in the tops of the stalkes upon spokie rundles stand floures heaped together, which are small, opening themselves out of a long little narrow necke, of colour whitish, and sometimes withall of a light red: the root is an inch thicke, growing aslope, fastned on the upper part of the earth by a multitude of strings, the most part of it standing out of the ground, of a pleasant sweet smell when it is broken. The Place.

The first and likewise the Greeke Valerian are planted in gardens; the wilde ones are found in moist places hard to rivers sides, ditches, and watery pits; yet the greater of these is brought into gardens where it flourisheth, but the lesser hardly prospereth.

The Time.

These floure in May, June, and July, and most of the Summer moneths. The Names.

Generally the Valerians are called by one name, in Latine, Valeriana: in shoppes also Phu, which for the most part is meant by the garden Valerian: in English, Valerian, Capons taile, and Setwall; but unproperly, for that name belongeth to Zedoaria, which is not Valerian.

The Vertues.

The dry root is put into counterpoysons and medicines preservative against the pestilence, as are treacles, mithridates, and such like: whereupon it hath been had (and is to this day among the poore people of our Northerne parts) in such veneration amongst them, that no broths, pottage or physicall meats are worth any thing, if Setwall were not at an end: whereupon some woman Poet or other hath made these verses.

They that will have their heale, Must put Setwall in their keale. It is used generally in sleight cuts, wounds, and small hurts.