Dittany of Crete.
Dictamuns Creticus.
A VERY pretty little plant, native of the East, and kept in some of our curious people's gardens.
It has been famous for its virtues, but they stand more upon the credit of report than experience. It is six or eight inches high, the stalks are square, slender, hard, woody, and branched. The leaves are short, broad, and roundish; they stand two at every joint, and are covered with a white woolly matter. The flowers are small and purple: they grow in oblong and slender scaly heads, in the manner of those of origanum; and these heads are themselves very beautiful, being variegated with green and purple. The whole plant has a fragrant smell.
The leaves are used, our druggists keep them dried. The old writers attribute miracles to it in the cure of wounds; at present it is seldom used alone; but it is good in nervous disorders, and it promotes the menses, and strengthens the stomach.
