Of Henbane.
The kindes.
There be three sorts or kinds of Henbane, the white, the blacke, and the yellowe Henbane.
The description.
The common blacke Henbane hath great and soft stalks; leaues very broade, soft and woollie, somewhat iagged, especially those that growe neere to the ground, and those that grow vpō the stalk, narrower, smaller, & sharper. The flowers are bel fashion, of a faint yellowish white, and browne within towards the bottome; when the flowers are gone, there commeth harde knobbie huskes, like small cups or boxes wherein are small browne seedes. The white Henbane is not much vnlike to the blacke, sauing that his leaues are much smaller, whiter and more woollie, & the flowers also whiter. The cods are like the other, but without pricks; it dieth in winter, and must likewise be sowen againe the next yeere. 1 Hyoscyamus niger. Blacke Henbane. <column-break/> 2 Hyoscyamus albus. White Henbane.
The place.
The blacke Henbane groweth almost euery where by high waies, in the borders of dunghils and vntoiled places; but the white Henbane is not found but in the gardens of those that loue phisicall plants: the which groweth in my garden and doth sowe it selfe from yeere to yeere.
The time.
They spring out of the grounde in Maie, bring foorth their flowers in August, and the seede is ripe in October.
The names.
Henbane is called of the Grecians ὑοσκύαμος: of the Latines Apollinaris, and Faba suilla: of the Arabians as Pliny saith Altercum, of some Faba Iouis, or Iupiters beane: of Pythagoras, Zoroastes, and Apuleius Insana Alterculum, symphoniaca, and Calicularis: of the Phrygians Remenia: of the Tuscanes Fabulonia and Faba lupina: of Matheus Syluaticus, Dens Caballinus, Milimandrum Cassilago: of Iacobus a Manlijs Herba Pinnula: in shops it is called Iusquiamus and Hyoscyamus: in English Henbane: in Italian Hyosquiamo: in Spanish Velenno: in high Dutch Bilsen kraut: in French Hannebane, Endormie: some other Latinists Hyoscyamus albus, or white Henbane.
The temperature.
These kinds of Henbane are colde in the fourth degree.
The vertues.
Henbane causeth drowsinesse, and mitigateth all kinde of paine. It is good against hot & sharpe distillations of the eies and other parts: it staieth bleeding and the disease in women: it is applied to inflammations of the stones and other secret parts. The leaues stamped with the ointment Populeon, made of popler buds, asswageth the paine of the gout, gout and the swellings of the stones, and the tumours of womens brests; and are good to be put into the same ointment, but in small quantitie. To wash the feete in the decoction of Henbane causeth sleepe: or giuen in a glister it doth the same; and also the often smelling to the flowers. The leaues, seed, and iuice taken inwardly causeth an vnquiet sleepe, like vnto the sleepe of drunkennesse, which continueth long, and is deadly to the partie. The seede of white Henbane is good against the cough, the falling of waterie humours into the eies or brest, against the inordinate fluxe of womens issues, and all other issues of blood, taken in the weight of ten graines with water wherein honie hath beene sodden. The roote boiled in vineger and the same holden hot in the mouth, easeth the paine of the teeth. The seede is vsed of mountibancke toothdrawers which runne about the countrey, for to cause woormes come foorth of mens teeth by burning it in a chafing dish with coles, the partie holding his mouth ouer the fume thereof: but some craftie companions to gaine money conuey small lute strings into the water, perswading the patient that those small creeping beasts came out of his mouth or other parts, which he intended to ease.
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.