Teazle.
Dipsacus sylvestris.
A tall and stately plant, common by road sides, with large bur-like heads, and little red flowers growing out of them. It is six feet high: the stalk is single, thick, white, and very strong. The leaves grow two together, encompassing the stalk at their base, and make a hollow there which will hold water: they are prickly on the under part along the rib. The heads are as big as an apple, and somewhat oblong: they are of a pale colour. The root is long.
The root is used; it is bitter, and given in infusion, strengthens the stomach and creates an appetite. It is also good against obstructions of the liver, and the jaundice; people have an opinion of the water that stands in the hollow of the leaves being good to take away freckles
There is another kind of teazle, called the manured teazle. The heads are used in dressing of cloth; the virtues are the same, and they differ very little in their general form.
