Of Horse Radish.
The description.
1 Horse Radish bringeth foorth great leaues, long, broad, sharpe pointed, of a deepe greene colour like those of the great garden Docke, called of some Monkes Rubarbe, of others Patience, but greater and rougher. The stalke is slender and brittle, bearing at the top small white flowers: which being past, there follow small cods, wherein is the seede. The roote is long and thicke, white of colour, in taste sharpe, and verie much biting the toong like pepper. 2 Dittander or pepperwoort, hath broad leaues, long, and sharpe pointed, of a blewish greene colour like woad, somewhat snipt or cut about the edges like a sawe. The stalke is round and tough: vpon the branches whereof grow little white flowers. The root is long and hard, creeping far abrode in the ground, in such sort that when it is once taken in a ground, it is not possible to roote it out, for it will vnder the ground creepe and shoote vp and bud foorth in many places far abroad. The roote also is sharpe and biteth the toong like pepper, whereof it tooke the name pepperwoort. | | | |---|---| | 1 Raphanus rusticanus. | 2 Raphanus sylvestris officinarum, lepidium Aeginetae | | Horse Radish. | Dittander, and Pepperwoort. (L'Obelii. |
The place.
Horse Radish for the most part groweth, and is planted in gardens, yet haue I found it wilde in sundrie places as at Namptwich in Cheshire, in a place called the Milne eye, and also at a small village neere London called Hogsdon, in the field next vnto a farme house leading to Kings land, where my verie good friend master Bredwell practitioner in Phisick, a learned and diligent searcher of Symples, and master VVilliam Martin one of the fellowship of Barbers and Chirurgians, my deere and louing friend in company with him found it, and gaue me knowledge of the place where it flourisheth to this day. Dittander is planted in gardens, and is to be found wild also in England in sundrie places, as at Clare by Ouenden in Essex, at the Hall of Brinne in Lancashire, and neere to Excester in the West parts of England. It delighteth to grow in sandie and shadowie places somewat moist.
The time.
Horse Radish for the most part flowreth in August, and the seede is ripe in September and that so rare or seldome seene, as that Petrus Placentius hath written that it bringeth foorth no seede at all. The leaues of Dittander come foorth in the spring: the flowers appeere in Iune and Iuly.
The names.
Horse Radish is commonly called Raphanus rusticanus, or Magnus, and of diuers simply Raphanus sylvestris: of the high Dutch men Merrettich, Krain or Kren: in French Grand raifort: of the low Germaines Merradiis: in English mountaine Radish, Great Raisort, and Horse Radish. It is called in the north part of England red-cole. Diuers thinke that this Horse Radish is an enimie to Vines, and that the hatred between them is so great, that if the rootes hereof be planted neere to the vine it bendeth backward from it as not willing to haue fellowship with it. It is also reported that the roote heereof stamped, and cast into good and pleasant wine, doth foorthwith turne it into vineger. But the olde writers do ascribe this enmitie to the vine and Brassica, our cooleworts, which the most auncients haue named ῥάφανος. Dittander is described of Plinie by the name of Lepidium in his 19. booke 9. Chapter, likewise AEgineta maketh mention of this plant, by the name Lepidium, in shops Raphanus syluestris, and Piperitis: the Germanes call it Pfefferkraut; the lowe Dutch men Pepper cruyt; the English men Dittander, Ditany, and Pepperwoort.
The temperature.
These kinds of wilde Radishes, are hot and drie in the thirde degree: they haue a drying and clensing qualitie, and somewhat digesting.
The vertues.
Horse Radish stamped with a little vineger put thereto, is commonly vsed among the Germanes for sauce to eate fish with, and such like meates, as we do mustarde; but this kinde of sauce doth heate the stomacke better, and causeth better digestion than mustard. Oxymel or syrupe made with vineger and honie, in which the rindes of Horse radish haue beene infused three daies, causeth vomit and is commended against the quartaine ague. The leaues boiled in wine, and a little oile oliue added thereto and laid vpon the greeued parts in maner of Pultus, do mollifie and take away the hard swellings of the liuer and milte; and being applied to the bottome of the belly is a remedie for the strangurie. It profiteth much in the expulsion of the secondine or after-birth. It mittigateth and asswageth the paine of the hip or haunch, commonly called Sciatica. It profiteth much against the collicke, strangurie, and difficultie of making water, vsed in steade of mustard as aforesaid. The roote stamped and giuen to drinke, killeth the wormes in children: the iuice giuen doth the same, an ointment made thereof, doth the like: being annointed vpon the belly of the child. The leaues of Pepper woorte but especially the rootes, be extreame hot, for they haue a burning and bitter taste. It is of the number of scorching and blistring simples saith Plinie in his 20. booke, 17. chapter, and therefore by his hot qualitie, it mendeth the skin in the face, and taketh away scabs, scarres, and manginesse, if any thing remaine after the healing of vlcers and such like.
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.