Centaury |
CENTAURY CENTAURIUM ERYTHRAEA (= ERYTHRAEA CENTAURIUM) The herb is so safe you cannot fail in the using of it. It is very wholesome, but not very toothsome. It grows about a foot (30 cm) high, branching at the top into many sprigs. The flowers are of a red colour, consisting of five or six small leaves rather like those of Stjohn's Wort. The whole plant has a bitter taste. Where to find it: In fields, pastures and woods. Flowering time. Midsummer. Astrology: They are under the dominion of the Sun. The flowers open and shut as the Sun either showeth or hideth his face. Medicinal virtues: The herb boiled and drunk helpeth the sciatica. It openeth obstructions of the liver, gall and spleen. It helpeth jaundice and easeth pains in the sides and hardness of the spleen. Used outwardly it has very good effect in agues. It helpeth those with the dropsy, or the green sickness, and killeth worms in the belly. A decoction of the tops with the leaves and flowers is good against the colic, helps bring down women's courses and void the dead birth and also eases the pains of the mother. It is effectual in all pains of the joints, such as the gout, cramps or convulsions. The juice with a little honey clears the eyes from dimness, mist and clouds that offend or hinder the sight. The decoction dropped into the ears cleanseth them from worms, foul ulcers and spreading scabs of the head. Washing with the decoction taketh away all freckles, spots and marks in the skin. Modern uses: Centaury is used as a general tonic and as an anti-dyspeptic. The whole herb or just the leaves may be used. An infusion is the best way to take it as all its properties are soluble in water. The infusion given warm in doses Of 2 fl OZ (56 ml) before meals will help to allay biliousness. When there is jaundice, Centaury is combined with Dandelion root in equal parts and given by decoction in tablespoonful doses two or three times a day. |