Herb Mastic.
Alarum.
A pretty little plant, native only of the warmer climates, but common in our gardens. It is a foot high, and the stem and principal branches are shrubby or woody in their texture: the smaller shoots are whitish. The leaves grow two at each joint: they are little, oblong, and pointed; of a pale colour, and fragrant smell like mastic, resinous, and very agreeable. At the tops of the stalks, stand a kind of downy, or hairy spikes or ears, of a peculiarly odd appearance, and from out of these come the flowers, which are little and white. The root is small.
The whole plant is used dry. It may be given in infusion, or in powder: it is a good strengthener of the stomach, and an astringent, It stops the overflowing of the menses: the powder of the tops is best given for this purpose in red wine, a scruple for a dose.
