Orcanet or alkanet. The plant Alkanna (or Anchusa) tinctoria, or the dye obtained from it. The orcanette and other boraginaceous plants (such as bugloss, henna, and pucoon) have a rough leaf. The Borage genus gives its name to a natural order (Boraginaceae), specifically the common British species (Borago officinalis); it was formerly much esteemed as a cordial, and is still largely used in making cool tankard, claret cup, etc. Borage is one of the four cordial flowers; borage always brings courage.
Anchousa [Anchusa tinctoria, Alkanet] Anchusa, which some call Calyx, some Onoclea [Some Catanchusa, some Lybica, some Archibellion, some Onophyllon, some Porphyris, some Mydusa, some Salyx, some Nonea, ye Africans Buinesath] hath leaves like to the sharp-leaved lettuce, rough, sharp, black, many, on every side of ye root joining to ye earth, prickly. The root, ye thickness of a finger of ye colour almost of blood in ye summer becoming severs, dyeing of the hands.
Dioscorides 4.23
Bouglosson [Anchusa paniculata] Buglossoum [which ye Magi call genitura felis, Osthanes Tzanuchi; ye Egyptians Antuenin Besor, ye Romans Lingua Bovis, some Libanis, ye Africans Ansanaph, it grows in plain & vaporiferous places, but it is gathered in ye month July... is like to Veberbascum, but it hath a leaf lying on ye ground, both rough, & blacker, like to ye tongue of an ox, which being put into wine is thought to be a cause of mirth.
Dioscorides 4.128
Onosma [Gk onos, ass, osma, odor] Onosma, but some call it Osmas, some Philonitis, some Ononis, hath the leaves like to this of Anchusa.
Dioscorides 3.147
Consider now the excellent root of albicius's bugloss: its prickly leaves grow ever thick upon it
Nicander, Theriaca 541.
Borage hath broad leaves, rough, lying flat upon the ground, of a blacke or swart green colour. Borage is called in shops Borago: Pliny calleth it Euphrosinum, because it makes a man merry and joyfull: which thing also the old verse concerning Borage doth testifie:
Ego Borago gaudia semper ago.
I Borage bring alwaies
Those of our time do use the floures in sallads, to exhilerate and make the minde glad. There be also many things made of them, used for the comfort of the heart, to drive away sorrow, & increase the joy of the minde.
The leaves and floures of Borrage put into wine make men and women glad and merry, driving away all sadnesse, dulnesse, and melancholy, as Dioscorides and Pliny affirme. Syrrup made of the floures of Borrage comforteth the heart, purgeth melancholy, and quieteth the phrenticke or lunaticke person.
Gerard 2.123
Of Alkanet or wilde Buglosse. These herbs comprehended under the name of Anchusa, were so called of the Greeke word that is, to colour or paint any thing: Whereupon those plants were called Anchusa, of that flourishing and bright red colour which is in the root, even as red as pure and cleare bloud.
The first kind of Alkanet hath many leaves like Echium or small Buglosse, covered over with a pricky hoarinesse, having commonly but one stalke, which is round, rough, and a cubit high. The second kinde of Anchusa or Alkanet is of greater beauty and estimation than the first, the branches are lesse and more bushy in the top; it hath also greater plenty of leaves, and those more woolly or hairy.
John of Ardern hath set down a composition called Sanguis Veneris, which is most singular in deep punctures or wounds made with thrusts, as follows: take of oile olive a pint, the root of Alkanet two ounces, earth worms purged, in number twenty, boile them together & keep it to the use aforesaid. The Gentlewomen of France do paint their faces with these roots, as it is said.
Gerard 2.124 alcibiadion.
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