Family Herbal - Electric Scotland

152 FAMILY HERBAL.
beauty, but not without its virtues. The root
creeps about the surface, like that of the common
flower cle luce. The leaves are a foot
long-, nar-
row, and sharp-pointed, and of a strong and very
peculiar smell. The stalks are round, firm., upright,
and of a bluish green. The flowers are like
those of the common flower de luce, but smaller,
and of a very dull colour. There is a little purple
in the upper part of the flower, and there are some
veins and streaks in the lower ; hut the rest is of a
dull dead hue, between grey
have a faint and had smell.
and brown, and they
The juice
of the root promotes
menses. The dried root, in powder
urine, and the
or infusion, is
good against all hysteric disorders, faintings, and
the fresh root is said to be an
pains. Outwardly,
excellent remedy for scrophulous swellings ;
we must take upon trust.
Glasswort. Kali.
but this
A common wild plant, on the sea coasts of
many parts of Europe, but not a native of our
country. It is called cochleated kali, from the
form of its seed-vessels, which are twisted in the
manner of a snail's shell. It grows to a foot and a
half in , height. The stalk is round, thick, fleshy,
and brittle. The leaves are few, and they stand
and blunted at the
irregularly ; they are oblong,
ends, and of a bluish green colour. The flowers
are small, inconsiderable, and yellow.
The juice of the fresh plant is said to be an
excellent diuretic ; but we have no opportunities
of knowing its virtues here. Some say the seed-
vessels have the same virtue, and give them in infusion,
but we have better remedies of the same
kind, of our own growth. The whole plant
it