Garden Rocket.

Botanical name: 

Eruca sativa.

A common plant in our gardens, two feet high, and very erect. The stalk is round and of a deep green; the leaves are oblong, considerably broad, of a deep green colour, and divided at the edges: the flowers are moderately large, and of a whitish colour, veined with purple, and they stand in a long spike at the top of the stalk. The pods are long and slender.

Some people are fond of rocket as a sallad herb, but it is not very pleasant. It works by urine, and is good against the scurvy. A strong infusion of the leaves made into a syrup is good against coughs, it causes expectoration, and eases the lungs.


The Family Herbal, 1812, was written by John Hill.