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MUSHROOM (Garden) AGARICUS CAMPESTRIS Inwardly, they are unwholesome, and unfit for the strongest constitutions. This is an edible Mushroom with a soft white head and a grey or flesh colour underneath. The head is expanded almost flat, forming a large flap. It has an agreeable smell. Where to find it: It grows on dung or putrefied earth, but is also cultivated in gardens. Flowering time: The mushroom has no flowers or leaves, but it can be grown all year round. Astrology: Mushrooms are under Mercury in Aries. Medicinal virtues: The Mushroom is roasted and made into a poultice or boiled with White Lily roots and Linseed in milk. It is used as an application to boils and abscesses and ripens them better than any preparation that can be made. The poultices are also of service against quinsies and inflammatory swellings. Modern uses: Mushrooms and Toadstools are not used by modern medical herbalists but some varieties are used by homoeopaths, including the Poison Mushroom (Agaricus emeticus), Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) and Death Cap (Amanita phalloides), all of which are poisonous if eaten. |