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CHERVIL MYRRHISODORATA It is so harmless you cannot use it amiss. It grows like the Great Hemlock, having large spreading leaves, but of a fresher green colour and tasting as sweet as Aniseed. At the tops of the branched stalks there are urnbels or tufts of white flowers. It is also known as Sweet Cicely. Where to find it: A common garden plant, but prefers mountain pastures and hilly districts. Flowering time: Early to midsummer. Astrology: Under the dominion of Jupiter. Medicinal virtues. The roots boiled and eaten with oil and vinegar, or without oil, warms old and cold stomachs oppressed with wind and phlegm, or those that have the phthisis or consumption of the lungs. Drunk with wine the same is a preservation from the plague. It provoketh women's courses and expelleth the afterbirth, procureth an appetite and expelleth wind. The juice is good to heal ulcers of the head and face and the candied roots are held as effectual as Angelica to preserve from infection in the time of a plague and to warm and comfort a cold weak stomach. Modern uses: Both the root and the herb are used for their anti-flatulent effects. It is also expectorant and therefore of use in productive coughs. The roots are antiseptic which bears out their use in the time of the plague. Some herbalists recommend it for the treatment of high blood pressure. The fresh roots can be eaten. The dried roots are given by decoction in doses of 4-6 fl oz (114-170 ml). The herb is administered as an infusion which is given freely. This has a reputation for preventing and treating anaemia in teenage girls. There are several plants bearing the name Chervil, but with different botanical names, and some are poisonous. The plant may be confused with Hemlock by the unwary. |
