Of Orach.
The kindes.
There be sundrie sorts of Orach, some white; some of a reddish or deepe purple colour; some of the garden; and others wilde or of the fielde, and also one of the sea. | 1 Atriplex sativa alba. | 2 Atriplex sativa purpurea. | |---------------------------|-------------------------------| | White Orach. | Purple Orach. |
The description.
1 The Garden white Orach hath an high and upright stalke, with broade sharpe pointed leaues like those of Blite, yet smoother and softer. The flowers are small and yellow, growing in clusters: The seede rounde and like a leafe couered with a thinne skin or filme, and groweth in clusters. The roote goeth farre into the ground, upon which hang many small threddes. The leaues and stalkes at the first are of a glittering graie colour, and sprinckled as it were with meale or flower. 2 The second is like to the former, sauing that the whole plant tendeth to an ouerworne purplish colour, in euery other respect alike. 3 The wilde Orach is like in smoothnesse and fashion of the leaues unto the garden Orach. The stalkes and euery part thereof also are verie like, sauing it is altogither lesser. 4 There is founde a wilde kinde growing neere the sea coast which hath long final narrow leaues, slightly cut about the edges, sharpe pointed, and couered ouer with a certaine mealineffe, so that the whole plant as well leaues as stalkes and flowers, looke of an hoarie or graie colour, as do many other sea plants. 3 Atriplex syluestris, siue polyspermon. Wilde Orach, or all seede. <column-break/> 4 Atriplex marina. Sea Orach. <column-break/>
The place.
The garden Orach doth growe in the most fruitfull gardens. The wilde Orach groweth neere vnto pathwaies by ditch sides, and in the borders of fields. Matthiolus reporteth that he found certaine Orach on the sea coastes, ad Tergestini salinas: the which I haue found in our owne countrey neere the sea side betweene Rochester & Queenborough castle, as also from Reculuers to Margate in the Ile of Thanet: it groweth by the blockhouse of Tilberie, and the Fort in Kent by Grauesend right against the same place.
The time.
They flower and seede from Iune to the end of August.
The names.
Garden Orach is called in Greeke ἀνδράφαξις: in Latine Atriplex, and Aureum olus: in Dutch Melie: in French Arrouches ou bonnes dames: in English Orach and Orage: in the Bohemian toong Leboda: Plinie hath made some difference betweene Atriplex and Chrysolachanum, as though they differed one from another, for of Atriplex he writeth in his 20. booke: and of Chrysolachanum in his 28. booke 8. chapter, where he writeth thus: Chrysolachanum saith he groweth in Pinetum like Lettuce: it healeth cut sinewes if it be foorthwith applied. The wilde Orach hath beene called Polyspermon Cassani of L'Obelius, or all seede.
The temperature.
Orach saith Galen is of temperature moist in the seconde degree, and colde in the first.
The vertues.
Dioscorides writeth that the garden Orach is both moist and colde, and that it is eaten boiled as other sallade herbes are, and that it softneth and looseth the bellie. It consumeth away the swellings of the throate, whether it be laide on rawe or sodden. The seede being drunke with meade or honied water, is a remedie against the yellow iaunders. Galen thinketh that for that cause it hath a clensing qualitie, and may open the stoppings of the liuer.
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.