[ALL- E 4.]
† 1. A balsam or medicine that heals all wounds; a heal-all or panacea. Obs.
1630. Drayton, Muses Elys., Nymphal, V. Wks. 1793, 621/2. This all-heal … New wounds so quickly healing.
1633. G. Herbert, Offering, iv. in Temple, 141. There is a balsome … which doth both cleanse and close all sorts of wounds … Seek out this All-heal.
2. A name applied to various plants, in consequence of virtues ascribed to them, as—
† a. The Mistletoe. † b. An umbelliferous plant, Opoponax Chironium, native to the S. of Europe. c. The Great Valerian (V. officinalis). † d. The Milfoil or Yarrow. e. A local name (‘in Cheshire and Yorkshire’ Britten and Holl.) of the plant also called Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris). f. Clown’s Allheal: A name given by Gerard to the Woundwort (Stachys palustris).
1597. Gerard, Herbal, 850. Hercules Alheale or Woundwoort. Ibid., 851. Clownes Woundwoort or Alheale.
1598. Florio, Achilea, the hearb Yarrow, All-heale, Nose-bleed, or Milfoile.
1601. Holland, Pliny (1634), I. 497. They call it [Mistletoe] in their language All-Heale, (for they haue an opinion of it, that it cureth all maladies whatsoeuer).
1725. Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Cancer, Take the Flowers and Stems of the Herb All-Heal (the Flowers are white and very small).
