Amaranthus |
AMARANTHUS AMARANTHUS HYBRIDUS (=A.HYPOCHONDRIACUS) I wonder in my heart how the virtue of herbs came at first to be known, if not by their signatures. The moderns have them from the writings of the ancients; the ancients had no writings to have them from. Amaranth is also called Flower-gentle, Flower-velure, Floramor, Velvet- flower and Prince's Feather. It runneth up with a stalk which is streaked and somewhat reddish towards the root. It has long, broad reddish-green leaves and flowers which are more like tufts, very beautiful to behold. Where to find it: A garden plant, commonly known as Love Lies Bleeding. Flowering time: Continues in flower from late summer till the frost nips it. Astrology: It is under the dominion of Saturn and is, an excellent qualifier of the unruly actions and passions of Venus, though Mars should also join with her. Medicinal virtues: The flowers, dried and beaten into powder, stop the terms in women. The flowers stop all fluxes of blood, whether in man or woman, bleeding either at the nose or wound. There is also a sort of Amaranthus that bears a white flower, which stops the whites in women, and the running of the reins in men, and is a most gallant anti-venereal, and a singular remedy for the French pox. Modern uses: Classified today as an astringent and used to check diarrhoea, dysentery and rectal bleeding. Also used for treating heavy menstrual periods. The flowering herb is used for these purposes in the form of a decoction - 1 oz (28 g) of herb to 1 Pt (568 ml) of boiling water - in doses of 2 fl Oz (56 ml). The same can he used as a mouthwash for ulcerated conditions, and as a vaginal injection for leucorrhoea. |