It begins-- "Of erbs xxiiij I woll you tell by and by Als I fond wryten in a boke at I in boroyng toke Of a gret ladys preste of gret name she barest At Betony I wol begyn at many vertuos het within.
Goblins and nightmare were regarded as at least akin to elves, and we find the same herbs were to be used against them, betony being of peculiar efficacy against "monstrous nocturnal visions and against frightful visions and dreams.
Again, patients, while sitting in a medicated bath, were to drink a decoction ofbetony and other herbs, which were to be boiled in Welsh ale.
The snapdragon and the herb-betony had the reputation of averting the most subtle forms of witchcraft, and dill and flax were worn as talismans against sorcery.
The far-famed betony was long credited with marvellous medicinal properties, and hence the old saying which recommends a person when ill "to sell his coat and buy betony.
He gives a list of between twenty or thirty complaints which Betony will cure, and then says, "I shall conclude with the words I found in an old manuscript under the virtues of it: 'More than all this have been proved of Betony.
In Yorkshire, the Water Betony was formerly called Bishop's Leaves.
If it is caused by the brain, take syrup of betony and marjoram.
Few, if any, herbal plants have been more praised for their supposed curative virtues than the Wood Betony (Stachys Betonica), belonging to the order of Labiates.
Austin, mentions "lye of Betony to soothe the brow.
Anyhow, Betony tea, made with boiling water poured on the plant, is a safe drink, and likely to prove of benefit against languid nervous headaches; and the dried herb may be smoked as tobacco for relieving the same ailment.
To make Betony tea, put two ounces of [50] the herb to a quart of water over the fire, and let this gradually simmer to three half-pints.
But the Water Betony (Figwort) belongs not to the labiates, but to the Scrophulariaceoe, or scrofula-curing order of plants.
Gerard tells that "Betony maketh a man have a good appetite to his meat, and is commended against ache of the knuckle bones" (sciatica).
When it is about to change into a pupa, it proceeds in nearly the same manner as the caterpillar of the water-betony moth (Cucullia scrophulariae).
Schroder and Quincey believed it good for every complaint; the learned Pechlin held that it is good for scorbutic cases, but thought that veronica and Paul's betony are just as good.
Men over forty, he thinks, should never use it, because it is a desiccative; the herb betony should be taken by them, because it has all the virtues and none of the vices of tea.
If betony be gathered and dried before it begins to flower, it will be found to have the taste of tea, and all its good qualities, without any of its bad ones: it is also considered as a remedy for the headache.
Let it stand to cool, beat up three ounces of syrup of betony with a large spoonful of ale yeast, and put it into the liquor.
Leaves of Betony and of Rue, Flowers of Rosemary or Lavender, and red Roses, of each a Pugil and a Half.
Water Betony is an herb of Jupiter in Cancer, and is appropriated more to wounds and hurts in the breast than Wood Betony, which follows: It is an excellent remedy for sick hogs.
The root of Betony is displeasing both to the taste and stomach, whereas the leaves and flowers, by their sweet and spicy taste, are comfortable both to meat and medicine.
A dram of the powder of Betony taken with a little honey in some vinegar, does wonderfully refresh those that are over wearied by travelling.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "betony" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
