Of Satyrion royall.
The kindes.
There be sundrie sorts of Stones comprehended of the auncients vnder the generall title Satirion roiall, notwithstanding for distinctions sake, and for the easier vnderstanding of the Reader, I haue set downe onely two, male and female, the rest I thought good to make the kindes of Serapias Stones. | 1 Palma Christi mas. | 2 Palma Christi fœmina. | |------------------------|---------------------------| | The male Satyrion royall. | The female Satyrion royall. |
The description.
The male Satyrion roial hath large rootes, knobbed, not bulbed as the others, but branched or cut into sundrie sections like an hand, from the which come vp thicke and fatte stalkes, set with large leaues like those of Plantaine: at the top whereof groweth a tuft of purple flowers, spotted with a deeper purple colour. The female Satyrion hath clouen or forked rootes, with some fibres ioined thereto. The leaues be like the former, but smaller and narrower, and confusedly dasht or spotted with black spots: from the which springeth vp a tender stalke, at the top whereof doth grow a tuft of purple flowers, in fashion like vnto a friers hood, changing or varying according to the soile and climate, somtimes red, somtimes white, and somtimes light carnation, or flesh colour.
The place.
The roial Satyrions do grow for the most part in moist and fennie grounds, medowes and woods that are very moist and shadowie. I haue found them in many places, especially in the middest of a wood in Kent called Swainescombe wood neere to Grauesend, by the village Swainescombe, and likewise in Hampsteed wood fower miles from London.
The time.
They flower in Maie and Iune, but seldome later.
The names.
Roiall Satyrion or finger Orchis, is called of the Latines Palma Christi; notwithstanding there is another herbe or plant called by the same name, which otherwife is called Ricinus. This plant is called likewise of some Satiria Basilica, or Satiria regia. Some would haue it to be Buzeiden, or Buzidan Arabum, but Auicen saith Buzeiden be hard white rootes, like those of Behen album: but contrariwise the rootes of Palma Christi are nothing lesse than wooddie, so that it cannot be the same. Mathiolus would haue Satirion roiall to be Digiti Citrini Auicenna, finding fault with the monkes which set foorth commentaries vpon Mesues compositions, doubting and leauing it to the censuring of the discreet Reader. Yet do we better allow of the monkes doubt than of Mathiolus assertion, for Auicens words be these; What is Asabasafra, or Digiti Citrini, answering the doubt himselfe saith; it is in figure or shape like the hand of a man, of a mixt colour between yellow and white, and of a hard and wooddie substance. Which words vndoubtedly of Auicenna and Rhasis in the eares of men of iudgement do confirme that Satirion roiall or Palma Christi, are not those Digiti Citrini of Mathiolus.
The temperature.
The rootes of Satirion roiall are like to the stones or testicles of Cynosorchis, or Dogs stones, both in fauour and taste, and therefore are thought to be of like faculties.
The vertues.
Nicolaus Nicols in the chapter of the cure of a quartaine ague, saith, that the rootes of Palma Christi are of force to purge vpward and downward, and that a roote or two stamped and giuen with wine before the fit commeth, is a good remedie against old quartaines after purgation, and reporteth that one Biliolus after he had endured fower and fortie fits was cured therewith.
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.