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ALEXANDERS
SMYRNIUM OLUSATRUM It warmeth a cold stomach and openeth a stoppage to the liver and spleen. It is also called Horse Parsley, Wild Parsley and the Black Pot-herb. Similar to Wild Angelica, it is sometimes mistaken for it by collectors. It is a biennial growing to about four feet (1.2 m) high and producing yellowish- green flowers. Where to find it: It is usually cultivated in gardens, but prefers coastal regions. Flowering time: Early to midsummer. The seed is ripe in late summer, and is almost black, hence the name Black Pot-herb. Astrology: It is a herb of Jupiter and therefore friendly to nature. Medicinal virtues: It is good to move women's courses, to expel the afterbirth, to break wind, to provoke urine, and helpeth the strangury. These things the seeds will do likewise. Boiled in wine or bruised and taken in wine the herb or seeds are effectual in the biting of serpents. Modern uses: This herb is not used by professional herbalists at the present time; other remedies for flatulence, such as Fennel and Aniseed, are more popular. |
