The wood spurge is a species of flowering plant that is native to Europe, Turkey, and the Caucasus. It thrives in the shade and well-drained soils; it spreads rapidly through underground rhizomes, which can become invasive. The plant protects itself from predators like deer and pests because the milky sap it produces is toxic when consumed.
Today, it is commonly agreed that the juice from this plant irritates the skin. However, in Rossetti's time, it was used as a medicine. Its roots and seeds were seen as beneficial for purging the body because once they were ingested, they would induce vomiting. Tea from the whole plant was also used as an eyewash. The milky sap from the plant has also been used against warts. This plant, however, is very dangerous and, even in Rossetti's time, it was only used with the supervision of a doctor. Today, modern medicine has moved away from the use of spurges for medicinal purposes, because of the risk poisoning from an overdose of toxic chemicals is too high. Even touching the fresh plant itself can cause irritation, and it must be handled cautiously.
Gerard's Herball (1597), which may have inspired Rossetti's "The Woodspurge," has an entry on spurges (Maxwell). In it, Gerard talks about the woodspurge's "vertues" because of its "medicinal property of purgation and purification." As Catherine Maxwell points out, even in Rossetti's time, Gerard warns of the risks associated with using the woodspurge for medical reasons and he recommends other herbs "that may bee taken without perill."
