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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
178
But
referring
to
the
doctrine
of
signatures
in
folk-medicine,
a
favourite
garden
flower
is
Solomon's
seal
(Polygonatum
multiflorum).
On
cutting
the
roots
transversely,
some
marks
are
apparent
not
unlike
the
characters
of
a
seal,
which
to
the
old
herbalists
indicated
its
use
as
a
seal
for
wounds.
[13]
Gerarde,
describing
it,
tells
us
how,
"the
root
of
Solomon's
seal
stamped,
while
it
is
fresh
and
greene,
and
applied,
taketh
away
in
one
night,
or
two
at
the
most,
any
bruise,
black
or
blue
spots,
gotten
by
falls,
or
women's
wilfulness
in
stumbling
upon
their
hasty
husbands'
fists."
For
the
same
reason
it
was
called
by
the
French
herbalists
"l'herbe
de
la
rupture."
The
specific
name
of
the
tutsan
[14]
(Hypericum
androsoemum),
derived
from
the
two
Greek
words
signifying
man
and
blood,
in
reference
to
the
dark
red
juice
which
exudes
from
the
capsules
when
bruised,
was
once
applied
to
external
wounds,
and
hence
it
was
called
"balm
of
the
warrior's
wound,"
or
"all-heal."
Gerarde
says,
"The
leaves
laid
upon
broken
skins
and
scabbed
legs
heal
them,
and
many
other
hurts
and
griefs,
whereof
it
took
its
name
'toute-saine'
of
healing
all
things."
The
pretty
plant,
herb-robert
(Geranium
robertianum),
was
supposed
to
possess
similar
virtues,
its
power
to
arrest
bleeding
being
indicated
by
the
beautiful
red
hue
assumed
by
the
fading
leaves,
on
account
of
which
property
it
was
styled
"a
stauncher
of
blood."
The
garden
Jerusalem
cowslip
(Pulmonaria
offinalis)
owes
its
English
name,
lungwort,
to
the
spotting
of
the
leaves,
which
were
said
to
indicate
that
they
would
be
efficacious
in
healing
diseases
of
the
lungs.
Then
there
is
the
water-soldier
(Stratiotes
aloides),
which
from
its
sword-shaped
leaves
was
reckoned
among
the
appliances
for
gun-shot
wounds.
Another
familiar
plant
which
has
long
had
a
reputation
as
a
vulnerary
is
the
self-heal,
or
carpenter's
herb
(Prunella
vulgaris),
on
account
of
its
corolla
being
shaped
like
a
bill-hook.
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