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Gerard's Herbal

Gerard's Herbal - CHAP. 511. Of the Tame or Garden Chickpea.

CHAP. 511. Of the Tame or Garden Chickpea.


Fig. 1733. Garden Chickpea

The Description.

            Garden Chickpea bringeth forth round stalks, branched and somewhat hairy, leaning on the one side: the leaves are made of many little ones growing upon one stem or rib, and set one right against another: of which every one is small, broad, and nicked on the edges, lesser than the leaves of wild Germander: the flowers be small, of colour either white, or of a reddish purple: after which come up little short cods, puffed up as it were with wind like little bladders, in which do lie two or at the most three seeds cornered, small towards the end, with one sharp corner, not much unlike to a ram's head, of colour either white, or of a reddish black purple; in which is plainly seen the place where they begin first to sprout. The root is slender, white and long: for as Theophrastus saith, the Chickpea taketh deepest root of all the pulses.

The Place.

            It is sown in Italy, Spain and France, everywhere in the fields. It is sown in our London gardens, but not common.

The Time.

            It is sown in April, being first steeped in water a day before: the fruit is ripe in August.

The Names.

            It is called in Latin, Chicher arietinum or Ram's Chickpeas & of the blackish purple colour, Cicer nigrum, vel rubrum, black or red Chickpea: and the other is named Candidum vel album Cicer: or white Chickpea: in English, Common Chickpea, or Chickpeas, red Chickpea, of some, Sheep's Ciche Peas, or Sheep's Ciche Peason.

The Temperature and Virtues.

            A. The Chickpea, as Galen writeth in his book Of the Faculties of Nourishments, is no less windy than the true Bean, but it yieldeth a stronger nourisment than that doth: it provoketh lust, and it is thought to engender seed.

            B. Some give the same to stalion horses. Moreover, Chickpeas do scour more than do the true Beans: insomuch as certain of them do manifestly diminish or waste away the stones in the kidneys: those be the black and little Chickpeas called, Arietina or Ram's Chickpeas, but it is better to drink the broth of them sodden in water.

            C. Both the Ram's Chickpeas, as Dioscorides saith, the white and the black, provoke urine, if the decoction thereof be made with Rosemary and given unto those that have either the dropsy or yellow jaundice; but they are hurtful unto the bladder and kidneys that have ulcers in them.

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