Of Purflane.
The kindes.
There be diuers sortes or kindes of Purflane; one of the garden, and another wilde: and also two of the sea; one phisicall, the other a bastard kinde. | 1 Portulaca domestica. | 2 Portulaca syluestris. | | :--- | :--- | | Garden Purflane. | Wilde Purflane. |
The description.
The stalkes of the great Purflane be round, thicke, somewhat red, full of iuice, smooth, glittering, and parted into certaine branches trailing vpon the ground: the leaues be an inch long, something brode, thicke, fat, glib, somewhat greene, whiter on the neather side: the flowers are little, of a faint yellow, and growe out at the bottome of the leaues. After them springeth vp a little huske of a greene colour, of the bignes almost of halfe a barly corne, in which is small blacke seede: the roote hath many strings. 2 The other is lesser, and hath like stalkes, but smaller, and it spreadeth on the ground: the leaves be like the former in fashion, smoothnes, and thicknes, but far lesser.
The place.
The former is fitly sowen in gardens, and in the waies and alleis thereof being digged & dunged; it delighteth to growe in a fruitfull and fat soile not drie. The other commeth up of his owne accord in alleis of gardens and vineyardes, and oftentimes upon rocks: this also is delighted with waterie places being once sowen, if it be let alone till the seede be ripe it doth easily spring up afresh for certaine yeeres after.
The time.
It may be sowen in March or Aprill; it flourisheth and is greene in June, and afterwardes even untill winter.
The names.
Purstane is called in Greeke ἀνδράχνη: in Latine Portulaca: in high Dutch Burkelkraut: in French Poupier: in Italian Procacchia: in Spanish Verdolagas: in English Purstane and Porcelaine.
The temperature.
Purstane is cold, and that in the third degree, and moist in the second: but wilde Purstane is not so moist.
The vertues.
Rawe Purstane is much used in sallads with oile, salt, and vineger: it cooleth an hot stomack, and provoketh appetite; but the nourishment which commeth hereof is little, bad, colde, grosse, and moist: being chewed it is good for teeth that are set on edge or astonied; the juice doth the same being held in the mouth, and also the distilled water. Purstane is likewise commended against woormes in yoong children, and is singular good especially if an ague be joined: for it both allaies the over much heate, and killeth the woormes: which thing is done through the saltnes mixed therewith, which is not onely an enimie to woormes, but also to putrefactions. The leaves of Purstane either rawe or boiled, and eaten as sallads, are good for those that have great heate in their stomacks and inward partes, and doth coole and temper the inflamed blood. The same taken in like manner is good for the bladder and kidneies, and allaieth the outragious lust of the bodie: the juice also hath the same vertue. The juice of Purstane stoppeth the bloody flixe, the fluxe of the hemorrhoides, monthly termes, spitting of blood, and all other fluxes whatsoever. The same throwen up with a mother firing, cureth the inflammations, frettings, and ulcerations of the matrix; and put into the fundament with a clister pipe, helpeth the ulcerations and fluxe of the guts. The leaves eaten rawe, taketh away the paine of the teeth, and fasteneth them; and is good for teeth that are set on edge with eating of sharpe things. The seede being taken, killeth and driueth forth woormes, and stoppeth the laske.
Text in Gerard's own spelling (the long s is printed as s), transcribed by the Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). A chapter may run onto pages not yet transcribed. Gerard wrote within Galenic medicine; nothing here is advice.