Some doe vse the leaues of Barberries in the stead of Sorrell, to make sawce for meate, and by reason of their sowrenesse are of the same quality.
The berries are vsed to be pickled, to serue to trimme or set out dishes of fish and flesh in broth, or otherwise, as also sometime to bee boyled in the broth, to giue it a sharpe rellish, and many other wayes, as a Master Cooke can better tell then my selfe.
The berries are preserued and conserued to giue to sicke bodies, to helpe to coole any heate in the stomacke or mouth, and quicken the appetite.
The depurate iuyce is a fine menstrue to dissolue many things, and to verie good purpose, if it be cunningly handled by an Artist.
The yellow inner barke of the branches, or of the rootes, are vsed to be boyled in Ale, or other drinkes, to be giuen to those that haue the yellow iaundise: As also for them that haue anie fluxes of choller, to helpe to stay and binde.
Clusius setteth downe a secret that hee had of a friend, of a cleane differing propertie, which was, that if the yellow barke were laid in steepe in white wine for the space of three houres, and afterwards drunke, it would purge one very wonderfully.
Chap. V.
Nux Auellana. The Filberd.
The Filberd tree that is planted in Orchards, is very like vnto the Hasell nut tree that groweth wilde in the woods, growing vpright, parted into many boughes and tough plyable twigges, without knots, couered with a brownish, speckled, smooth, thinne rinde, and greene vnderneath: the leaues are broad, large, wrinkled, and full of veines, cut in on the edges into deepe dents, but not into any gashes, of a darke greene colour on the vpperside, and of a grayish ash colour vnderneath: it hath small and long catkins in stead of flowers, that come forth in the Winter, when as they are firme and close, and in the Spring open themselues somewhat more, growing longer, and of a brownish yellow colour: the nuts come not vpon those stalkes that bore those catkins, but by themselues, and are wholly inclosed in long, thicke, rough huskes, bearded as it were at the vpper ends, or cut into diuers long iagges, much more then the wood nut: the nut hath a thinne and somewhat hard shell, but not so thicke and hard as the wood nut, in some longer then in other, and in the long kinde, one hath the skinne white that couereth the kernels, and another red.