Caulis, Brassica hortensis, silvestris. Colewort, or Cabbages, garden and wild. They are drying and binding, help dimness of the sight: help the spleen, preserve from drunkenness, and help the evil effects of it: provoke the menses.
Centaurium, majus, minus. Centaury the greater and less. They say the greater will do wonders in curing wounds: see the root. The less is a present remedy for the yellow jaundice, opens stoppings of the liver, gall, and spleen: purges choler, helps gout, clears the sight, purgeth the stomach, helps the dropsy and green sickness. It is only the tops and flowers which are useful, of which you may take a dram inwardly in powder, or half a handful boiled in posset-drink at a time.
Centinodium, &c. Knotgrass: cold in the second degree, helps spitting and other evacuations of blood, stops the menses and all other fluxes of blood, vomiting of blood, gonorrhæa, or running of the reins, weakness of the back and joints, inflammations of the privities, and such as make water by drops, and it is an excellent remedy for hogs that will not eat their meat. Your only way is to boil it, it is in its prime about the latter end of July, or beginning of August: at which time being gathered it may be kept dry all the year. Brassavolus, Camerarius.
Caryfolium vulgare et Myrrhis. Common and great chervil: Take them both together, and they are temperately hot and dry, provoke urine, stir up venery, comfort the heart, and are good for old people; help pleurises and pricking in the sides.
Cæpea, Anagallis aquatica. Brooklime, hot and dry, but not so hot and dry as Water cresses; they help mangy horses; see Water cresses.
Ceterach, &c. Spleenwort: moderately hot, waste and consumes the spleen, insomuch that Vitruvius affirms he hath known hogs that have fed upon it, that have had (when they were killed) no spleens at all. It is excellently good for melancholy people, helps the stranguary, provokes urine, and breaks the stone in the bladder, boil it and drink the decoction; but because a little boiling will carry away the strength of it in vapours, let it boil but very little, and let it stand close stopped till it be cold before you strain it out; this is the general rule for all simples of this nature.
Chamapitys. Ground-pine; hot in the second degree, and dry in the third, helps the jaundice, sciatica, stopping of the liver, and spleen, provokes the menses, cleanses the entrails, dissolves congealed blood, resists poison, cures wounds and ulcers. Strong bodies may take a dram, and weak bodies half a dram of it in powder at a time.
Chamæmelum, sativum, sylvestre. Garden and Wild Chamomel. Garden Chamomel, is hot and dry in the first degree, and as gallant a medicine against the stone in the bladder as grows upon the earth, you may take it inwardly, I mean the decoction of it, being boiled in white wine, or inject the juice of it into the bladder with a syringe. It expels wind, helps belchings, and potently provokes the menses: used in baths, it helps pains in the sides, gripings and gnawings in the belly.
Chamædris, &c. Germander: hot and dry in the third degree; cuts and brings away tough humours, opens stoppings of the liver and spleen, helps coughs and shortness of breath, stranguary and stopping of urine, and provokes the menses; half a dram is enough to take at a time.
Chelidonium utrumque. Celandine both sorts. Small Celandine is usually called Pilewort; it is something hotter and dryer than the former, it helps the hemorrhoids or piles, bruised and applied to the grief. Celandine the greater is hot and dry (they say in the third degree) any way used; either the juice or made into an oil or ointment, it is a great preserver of the sight, and an excellent help for the eyes.