Of Sea Onion.
The description.
The great sea Onion which Clusius hath set foorth in his Spanish historie, hath very great and broad leaues, as Dioscorides saith, longer then those of the lillie, but narrower. The bulbe or headed roote is very great, consisting of many coates or scaly filmes, of a reddish colour. The flower is somtimes yellow, somtimes purple, and somtimes of a light blew. The sea Onion of Valentia, or rather the sea Daffodill, hath many long and fat leaues, and narrow, like those of Narcissus, but smoother & weaker, lying vpon the ground: among which riseth vp a stalke a foote high bare & naked, bearing at the top a tuft of white flowers, in shape like vnto our common yellow Daffodill. The seede is inclosed in thicke knobby huskes, blacke, flat, thicke, and very soft, in shape like vnto the seedes of Aristolochia longa, or long Birth woort. The roote is great, white, long and bulbus. 1 Pancratium Clusij. Squill or sea Onion. <column-break/> 2 Pancratium marinum. Sea Onion of Valentia. <column-break/> 3 Pancratium floribus rubris. Red flowred sea Daffodill. <column-break/> 4 Pancratium marinum luteum. Yellow flowred sea Daffodill. 3 Red flowred sea Daffodill or sea Onion, hath a great bulbe or roote like vnto the precedent; the leaues long, fat, and sharpe pointed. The stalke bare and naked, bearing at the top sundry faire red flowers, in shape not much vnlike to the common Daffodill. 4 The yellow flowred sea Daffodill or sea Onion, hath many thicke fat leaues like vnto the common Squill or sea Onion: among which riseth vp a tender straight stalke full of iuice, bearing at the top many flowers like the common yellow Daffodill. The seede and roote is like the precedent.
The place.
The first is found in Spaine and Italie, not far from the sea side. The second also neere vnto the sea in Italy, Spaine, and Valentia. I haue had plants of them brought me from sundry parts of the Mediterrane sea side, as also from Constantinople, where it is numbred among the kinds of Narcissus. The thirde groweth in the sandes of the sea, in most places of the coast of Narbone, and about Montpelier. The fourth groweth plentifully about the coasts of Tripolie and Alopo neere vnto the sea, and also in the salt marshes that are sandie and lie open to the aire.
The time.
They flower from May to the end of Iuly, and their seede is ripe in the end of August.
The names.
The first is called of the Grecians σκιλλα: and of the Latines also Scilla: the Apothecaries name it Squilla: diuers Cepa muris: the Germaines Meer Zwiebel: the Spaniards Cebolla albarrana: the French men Oignon de mer: the English Squill and sea Onion. The seconde is called Hemerocallis Valentina: of the Turkes Consambach: in Greeke πανκρατιον: and likewise in Latine Pancratium: in English the white sea Daffodill or sea Onion, and of some Narcissus Constantinopolitanus.
The temperature.
The sea Onion is hot in the second degree, and cutteth very much as Galen saith, it is best when it is taken baked or rosted, for so is the vehemencie of it taken away.
The vertues.
The roote is to be couered with paste or claie (as Dioscorides teacheth) and then put into an ouen to be baked, or else buried in hot embers till such time as it be throughly rosted: for not being so baked or rosted it is very hurtfull to the inner parts. It is likewise baked in an earthen pot close couered, & set in an ouen. That is to be taken especially which is in the middest, which being cut in peeces must be boiled, but the water still to be changed, till such time as it is neither bitter nor sharpe: then must the peeces be hanged on a thred and dried in the shadow, so that no one peece touch an other. These slices of the Squil are vsed to make oile, wine, or vineger of Squill. Of this vineger of Squill is made an oximell or sharpe sirupe. The vse whereof is to cut thicke, tough, and clammie humours. This rosted or baked Onion is mixed with potions and other medicines which prouoke vrine, and open the stoppings of the liuer & spleene, and is also put into treacles. It is giuen to those that haue the dropsie, the yellow Iaundife, and to such as are tormented with gripings of the belly, and is vsed in a licking medicine against an old rotten cough, and for shortnesse of breath. One part of this Onion being mixed with eight parts of salt, and taken in the morning fasting to the quantitie of a spoonfull or two, looseth the belly. The inner part of Squilla boiled in oile & turpentine, is with great profit applied to the chaps or chilblanes of the feete or heeles. It driueth foorth long and round wormes if it be giuen with honie and oile.
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.