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Of Wilde Marjerome

The Description. 1 BAstard Marjerome of Candy hath many threddy roots; from which rise up divers weake and feeble branches trailing upon the ground, set with faire greene leaves, not unlike those of Penny Royall, but broader and shorter: at the top of those branches stand scalie or chaffie eares of a purple colour. The whole plant is of a most pleasant sweet smell. The root endured in my garden and the leaves also greene all this Winter long, 1597. although it hath beene said that it doth perish at the first frost, as sweet Marjerome doth. 2 English wilde Marjerome is exceedingly well knowne to all, to have long, stiffe, and hard stalkes of two cubits high, set with leaves like those of sweet Marjerome, but broader and greater, of a russet greene colour, on the top of the branches stand tufts of purple floures, composed of many small ones set together very closely umbell fashion.

The Names.

Bastard Marjerome is called in shops, Origanum Hispanicum, Spanish Organy. The Vertues.

Organy given in wine is a remedy against the bitings, and stingings of venomous beasts, and cureth them that have drunke Opium, or the juyce of blacke Poppy, or hemlockes, especially if it be given with wine and raisons of the sunne.

It is profitably used in a looch, or a medicine to be licked, against the old cough and the stuffing of the lungs.

The juyce mixed with a little milke, being poured into the eares, mitigateth the paines thereof.

The same mixed with the oile of Ireos, or the roots of the white Florentine floure-de-luce, and drawne up into the nosthrils, draweth downe water and flegme: the herbe strowed upon the ground driveth away serpents. These plants are easie to be taken in potions, and therefore to good purpose they may be used and ministred unto such as cannot brooke their meate, and to such as have a sowre squamish and watery stomacke, as also against the swouning of the heart.