Of winter Cherries.
The description.
The red winter Cherrie bringeth foorth stalkes a cubite long, rounde, slender, smooth, and somewhat reddish, reeling this way and that way by reason of his weakenes, not able to stande vpright without a supporte: whereupon do growe leaues not vnlike to those of common Nightshade, but greater; among which leaues come foorth white flowers, consisting of fiue small leaues: in the middle of which leaues standeth out a berrie, greene at the first, and red when it is ripe, in colour of our common Cherrie and of the same bignesse, which is inclosed in a thinne huske or little bladder of a pale reddish colour, in which berrie is conteined many small flat seedes of a pale colour. The rootes be long, not vnlike to the rootes of Couch grasse, ramping and creeping within the vpper crust of the earth farre abroade, whereby it encreaseth greatly. The blacke winter Cherrie hath weake and slender stalkes somewhat crested, and like vnto the tendrels of the Vine, casting it selfe all about and taking holde of such things as are next vnto it: whereupon are set iagged leaues deeply indented or cut about the edges almost to the middle ribbe. The flowers bee verie small and white standing vpon long foote stalkes or stemmes. The skinnie bladders succeede the flowers, parted into three celles or chambers, euery of the which conteineth one seede and no more, of the bignesse of a small pease, and blacke of colour, hauing a marke of white colour vpon ech berrie, in proportion of a hart. The roote is very small and threddie. | | | |---|---| | 1 Solanum Halicacabum. | 2 Halicacabum Peregrinum. | | Red winter Cherries. | Blacke winter Cherries. |
The place.
The redde winter Cherrie groweth vpon olde broken wals about the borders of fieldes, and in moift shadowie places, and in most gardens, where some conserue it for the beautie of the berries, and others for the great and worthy vertues thereof. 2 The blacke winter Cherrie is brought out of Spaine & Italy, or other hot regions, from whence I haue had of those blacke seedes marked with the shape of a mans hart white, as aforesaide: and haue planted them in my garden where they haue borne flowers, but haue perished before the fruite could growe to maturitie, by reason of those vnseasonable yeeres 1594. 95. and 96.
The time.
The red winter Cherrie beareth his flowers and fruite in August. The blacke beareth them at the same time, where it doth naturally growe.
The names.
The red winter Cherrie is called in Greeke Στρύχνος: in Latine Vesicaria, and Solanum Vesicarium: in shops Alkekengi: Plinie in his 21. booke nameth it Halicacabus and Vesicaria, of the little bladders: or as the same author writeth bicause it is good for the bladder and the stone: it is called in Spanish Vexiga de porro: in French Alquequenges, Bagenauldes, and Cerises d'outre mer: in English red Nightshade, Winter Cherries and Alkakengie. The blacke winter Cherrie is called Halicacabus Peregrinus, Vesicaria Peregrina, or strange winter Cherrie: of Pena and L'Obel it is called Cor Indum, Cor Indicum: of others Pisum Cordatum: in English the Indian hart, or hart Pease: some haue taken it to be Dorycnion, but they are greatly deceaued, being in truth not any of the Nightshades; it rather seemeth to agree with the grain named of Serapio Abrong, or Abrugi, of which he writeth in his 153. chapter in these words: It is a little graine spotted with blacke and white, rounde, and like the graine Maiz, with which notes this doth agree.
The temperature.
The red winter Cherrie is thought to be colde and drie and of subtile parts. The leaues differ not from the temperature of the garden Nightshade as Galen saith.
The vertues.
The fruite brused and put to infuse or stiepe in white wine two or three howers, and after boiled two or three bublings, straining it and putting to the decoction a little sugar and cinamome, and drunke; preuaileth very mightily against the stopping of urine, the stone and grauell, the difficultie and sharpenes of making water and such like diseases: if the greefe be olde the greater quantitie must be taken, if newe and not great, the lesse: it scoureth away the yellowe iaundise also as some write.
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.