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EVEWEED or DOUBLE ROCKET HESPERIS MATRONALIS Some eat it with bread and butter on account of its taste, which resembles Garlic. Better known these days as Dame's Violet, this plant grows with a round, upright firm stalk, but the top of it usually droops. The leaves are dented along the edges and sharp at the point. The flowers are large, sometimes white and blue, or pinkish-purple. . Where to find it. In scattered places where it has escaped from the garden. It naturalises itself in meadows and hedgerows. Flowering time: Late spring to midsummer. Astrology: A plant of Mars. Medicinal virtues: It is accounted a good wound herb. Its juice, taken a spoonful at a time, is excellent against obstructions of the viscera. It works by the urine. In some places it is a constant ingredient in clysters. Modern uses: The plant is edible and should be used before flowering. For medicinal purposes the whole plant is collected when it is in flower, dried and powdered. Doses Of 15-30 grains (1--2 g) were administered in water to prevent scurvy. A larger dose is emetic and can he used to replace ipecacuanha. One of the reasons for including emetics in medicines is to prevent the patient from taking an overdose. Another is to clear the stomach of mucus by inducing vomiting. It is not a popular remedy these days and is not generally available from herbalists. |