School: Courtnacuddy (roll number 5038)

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1. Plants and Herbs Used Locally

   

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   The most harmful weeds growing on the soil in the district are :
   dock, praiseach, thistles, ragweed, spounc (which has a large heart-shaped leaf and whose tiniest piece of root will grow).

   Thistles growing in a field show that the soil there is rich. A story is told of a blind man who was about to buy a field. Accompanied by his sons he went to examine it. While he was doing so he said to his son : "Tie the ass to a thistle." The son looked about and saw that there was no thistle in the field. When the father heard this he decided against buying it; concluding that the soil was poor.

   Praiseach grows among, and hinders the growth of, corn. Its roots are said to stay in the ground for thirty years. The growth cannot be stopped while the corn is growing because, in destroying it, damage might be done to the corn.

   Ragweed, with its yellow blossom, greatly impoverishes the soil. It spreads quickly from field to field and its thick root is hard to be removed.

   Dock-seed, boiled in milk, cures indigestion. The juice of a dock-leaf cures the sting of a nettle. It is remarkable that they often grow together.

   Nettles may be be boiled and eaten as a vegetable. They lose their sting in the boiling. There is a stingless type of nettle, sometimes called "bread-nettle," which may not be eaten. Stinging nettles are also given to turkeys with the same purpose as red pepper - to give them red-necks .

   "Mad woman's poison", with its harmless-looking red berries, is believed to be poisonous. It grows in ditches and spreads.

   
   A small innocent-looking plant with a tiny blue flower is said to give one sore eyes and is therefore called "Sore Eyes".

   The milky substance in a dandelion is used for making tea and is supp-

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Nell Brennan

   Gender

   Female