ea () [1] — — O O O iy, x le Z O PHARMACY sae > aan . ILLUSTRATIVE OF BRITISH MEDICINAL PLANTS, Is, BY PERMISSION, MOST HUMBLY INSCRIBED, BY HIS MAJESTY’S FAITHFUL AND DEVOTED SERVANTS, THE AUTHORS. PREFACE. Tue great importance of the vegetable kingdom, whether it be considered as affording aliment, clothing, or medicine to the human race, is so obvious as to require no demonstration. If we recur to the earliest periods of the history of our globe, we observe the first dawn of medical science in the employment of those productions which, springing up in such abundance, and affording as they did to primeval man the chief, if not the only article of food, were naturally resorted to as the most suitable remedies for disease and pain. Through every suc- ceeding age, plants have attracted a large share of attention, and have formed the chief resources of the healing art; and though for a time disregarded, in the rage for minerals and visionary schemes of treatment, it may be safely affirmed, that they con- stitute the most potent, tractable, and valuable agents with which the physician is acquainted; and, as the clouds which still in some degree envelope their qualities and mode of action are dispersed, their importance will become more eminently conspicuous. It is a trite remark, but not the less true, that the indigenous plants of Britain are too much neglected: this is doubtless, in great measure, the result of that undue preference for all that is novel and rare, and difficult to be procured, so characteristic of human nature ; to which may be added, that partial and disingenuous spirit of criticism which condemns without inves- tigating, and would deprive an object of all its excellencies, because it is sanctioned by the voice of antiquity or the home- liness of rustic practice. Vili PREFACE. The immediate design of this work is, to furnish an accurate ‘description of all the medicinal plants indigenous to Britain, which appear entitled to that character, from the estimation in which they were held by the greatest and most skilful of the old physicians. That they were generally correct in their judgement is apparent from the fact, that several of the plants which they recommended have been allowed to sink in oblivion, and after many years’ neglect, have again been successfully used by modern practitioners. This is well exemplified in the history of Foxglove, the more prominent effects of which were fully understood in the sixteenth century ; it was admitted into the London Pharmacopeeia in 1725, discarded in 1746, and has lately been restored with more than its pristine honours. How many more “ blest secrets of the earth” remain yet to be discovered, it is impossible to predict; but if these pages should succeed in calling attention to one such plant, the labours of the Authors will be abundantly recompensed. We must not omit to state, that the idea of this Flora was suggested by Mr. Waller’s “British Domestic Herbal,” a good practical work, containing a judicious selection of in- digenous medical plants, illustrated by figures of the less familiar species: the best of these plates have been chosen to illustrate the present work, considerable additions and improvements being made, and new figures of at least an equal number being expressly engraved. To the letter-press of the above-mentioned volume, we are merely indebted for some extracts interspersed through the following pages. When we add that the synonymes of each plant have been carefully arranged,—its botanical character, its utility in the arts, or in rural and domestic economy, copiously described,—and its medicinal properties adduced from the best authorities,—we may fairly assert, that this work has a legitimate claim to originality, at least, as far as the term will apply to publications whose chief value consists in the ability they discover in af- fording a record of the experience of the past. Throughout these pages popular utility has been kept in. view, and an attempt has been made to render them available PREFACE. 1X to the general as well as to the medical reader: for this purpose, a complete glossary of the terms employed will be found at the end of the work. Medical science, we are assured, rests on too firm a basis to fear the exposition and general diffusion of its principles ; and while no countenance should be given to the pernicious practice of tampering with drugs, cir- cumstances often render a knowledge of simple remedies highly important and useful, whereby the benevolent indi- vidual may dispense to the indigent and suffering, that sea- sonable relief, without which the other offices of charity are incomplete and unavailing. For the same reason, the more familiar of medicinal plants cultivated in gardens, and easy of access, are introduced; the poisonous vegetables of Great Britain are particularly described, and directions given for counteracting their baneful effects. In conclusion, we acknowledge ourselves peculiarly indebted to the valuable Apparatus Medicaminum of Murray; the Flore Médicale of M. Chaumeton; Woodville’s Medical Botany ; Smith and Sowerby’s English Botany; De Candolle’s Prodromus Regni Vegetabilis, &c. ha ey } say ow i vas +s ‘“ ‘ = ¥ = Hit ; : j ~ { * 2 ) c < Poe fe :. tS bh ar tty ‘ y : . Hl ‘ ic’ ni : ; Ae) j ‘1 mh? é * ~ ‘ 5 ‘a fy ve rT} i r f ’ ee: A ) \ be . 4 . . , Mi T ~ 7 _ ry i" ; a } : i - ‘ “e a) vw $ ha fh la = vy i? % % oi, aT PONTE SES: VOL. I. Page Page Abies communis.........:.....309 | Carum Carui ........ 0.100.134 Acanthus mollis......... -eee- 48 | Centaurea Cyanus............ 80 Aconitum Napellus ........... 1 | Chelidonium majus...........148 Acorus Calamus ..............313 | Chenopodium olidum.....,....361 AEsculus Hippocastanum ......162 | Colchicum autumnale..........187 Ethusa Cynapium............ 326 | Conium maculatum...... bs bra Ee Agrimonia Eupatoria .......... 11 | Convolvulus sepium .......... 61 Ajuga Chamepitys .......... -369 | Coriandrum sativum.......... 216 Ajuga reptans ............+--113 | Cuminum Cyminum ...... v0 e230 Allium sativum...... ....-...347 | Cuscuta europea ..........+.+263 Anchusa officinalis...........-.116 | Cytisus Scoparius..........++. 93 Anehusa tinctoria...........-. 16 | Daucus Carota...........++..139 Anethum graveolens..........260 | Dianthus Caryophyllus ........183 Angelica Archangelica........ 18 | Digitalis purpurea............332 Anthemis nobilis...........-..157 | Eryngium maritimum ........285 Anthriscus Cerefolium ........166 | Erythrea Centaurium.........153 Aquilegia vulgaris ..........+...207 Arbutus Uva-ursi ...... Sete do Arctium Lappa...... coosencell9 Aristolochia Clematitis........ 67 Arum maculatum........... 5 OA Asarum europeum ....-.-« Asparagus officinalis........-. 33 Aspidium Filix-mas .......-+-298 Bellis perennis .....+eeecsee+ +244 Berberis vulgaris.....- evccecee 42 Beta vulgaris .........- eaisisivie OO Betonica officinalis ............ 58 Peotrlatulbatielelersieresie’s!s'ssiele s/5) Oc Borago officinalis ......+ee++++ 83 Bryonia dioica...... eofastet eRe 97 Calamintha officinalis..........13] Cardamine pratensis...... oe s2d2 Eupatorium cannabinum ......392 Euphrasia officinalis .........-288 Feeniculum vulgare ....... 202 291 Fumaria officinalis............344 Galium Aparine.......... 220178 Geranium robertianum...... .404 Geum urbanum........ ss. 36 Glechoma hederacea ..-.......366 Helleborus foetidus .........++ ad fil! Helleborus niger......+++e0+..379 Hyoscyamus niger.........+..395 Inula Helenium..<...........275 Iris Pseud-Acorus......22..«0317 Lamium purpureum ..........377 Leontodon Taraxacum ........249 Linum catharticum ....... Pere ee Linum usitatissimum .........320 Xil CONTENTS OF VOL. I. Page Lithospermum officinale....... 364 Lolium temulentum .......... 254 Melissa officinalis ...... suooaa et) Menyanthes trifoliata...... e+ e104 Nepeta Cataria........ S5.00100% 145 Ophioglossum vulgatum........ 9 Paris quadrifolia ..... walelelensteleo AOL Peucedanum officinale ........407 Pimpinella saxifraga ..........124 Polygonum Bistorta .......... 70 Polygonum Hydropiper........ 73 Potentilla reptans ........¢ee17k Primulanverisscrecrele meee ee 221 Pyrethrum Parthenium........ 303 Ranunculus acris «2 ...«-.++6 +s . 226 Rhamnus catharticus .........109 Rebes mmernint fs ccccieciaie tists ele e220 Rubus fruticosus .:s-scccceccee 86 Page Ruscus aculeatus ......-..,.0+128 Salvia pratensis .......200+2-0195 Sambucus nigra.....-......+-269 Scolopodendrium vulgare ......372 Scrophularia aquatica ........-306 Sisymbrium officinale..........374 Smyrnium Olusatrum ........ 14 Solanum Dulcamara........... 76 Solidago Virgaurea....ee+eeeeed00 Spirea Filipendula ..........--266 Symphytum officinale .........211 Teucrium Chamzdrys. ...++++ed02 Teucrium Scordium ........+..3900 Trigonella Fenum-greecum....295 Tussilago Farfara...e..+++se--201 Ulmus campestris ....+..+++ «280 Veronica Beccabunga.....++-.. 89 LIST OF PLATES, AND DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. 10 pc ccceccvcreseeese 134. ll. eonese Deictioars aeleisou tos A ns icske deo etes 0 uo AEA, DS cas ceccdawecns anee 2als NG acon caves crnccs oe 2AOe VP Sie cee sece'sia o's co< 200. 1B ccccceseee SOpoeoon Zhe 3) WAP pcaagnodce aces 326. THE BRITISH FL OR, A; MDL CA. lie ACONITUM NAPELLUS. Common Aconite, Wolf’s-bane, or Monk’s-hood. Peet “Pory ennui — Order 11k Taraenta. Nat. Ord. RanuncuLacez. Gen. Cuar. Calyx petaloid, irregular; the upper leaflet helmet-shaped. The two upper petals or nectaries on long stalks, concealed beneath the helmet. Spec, CHar. Upper leaflet of the calyx arched at the back ; lateral ones hairy on the inner side. Germens three to five, smooth. Leaves divided down to the petiole into five cuneate lobes, furrowed above. SYNONYMES. Greek... axovurov. Theophrastus, Dioscorides. ‘ ( Aconitum ceeruleum seu Napellus. Bauh. Pin. 183. Tourn. : Inst. 425. “ages i Aconitum Napellus. Lin. Sp. Pl.751. Eng. Fi. iii. p. 31. (Aconitum vulgare. De Cand. Syst. vol. i. p. 372. French.. Aconit Napel; Coqueluchon ; Capuchon de moine; Madriette. Ttalian.. Aconito Nappello. Spanish.. Aconito Napelo; Matalobos de flor azul. German.. Blaue Ménchskappe ; Sturmhut ; Wolfswurz; Eisenhiitlein. Dutch... Blaauwe Monnikskap ; Blaauwe Wolfswortel. Danish... Blauemunke; Munkeheette ; Stormhat. Swedish. Stormhatt. Description.—The root is perennial, napiform, fleshy, of a dark colour without, whitish within, and sending off numerous fibres. The stem is erect, simple, subangular, smooth, and 2 ACONITE. rises to the height of three or four feet. The leaves are alter- nate, palmated, and deeply divided into five elongated wedge- shaped segments, which are irregularly cut and toothed and fur- rowed on their upper surface ; the lower leaves have long foot- stalks, but the upper are nearly sessile; the whole are dark green above, paler beneath, smooth, and shining. The flowers are arranged in a long cylindrical spike at the top of the stem; each flower is supported on a pedicel with two small bractez at the base. The calyx resembles a corolla, being of a deep violet colour : it consists of five unequal leaflets or sepals; the uppermost arched, helmet-shaped, concealing the petals; the late- ral ones broad and nearly round ; the lower oblong, divaricating. The two petals or nectaries stand on long incurved stalks, and are concealed beneath the helmet; each petal is furnished with a hooked spur and an oblong bifid limb. The stamens are numerous, converging, and support whitish anthers. The pis- tils are generally three in number, each furnished with a simple style and reflexed stigma. The capsules are usually three, oval, smooth, containing numerous black, angular, wrinkled seeds. (Plate 1, fig. 2.) This plant can scarcely be considered a native of England, but it was found on the banks of the river Teme, in Hereford- shire, in great abundance, by Sir J. E. Smith. It was first culti- vated in the English garden about the year 1596, where it thrives well in moist and shady situations, flowering in June or July. It grows wild in several of the Alpine regions of Europe, viz. in the mountains and hilly pastures of Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Spain, Italy, and France *. The etymology of the term Aconitum} is rather doubtful. Some have derived it from axoviros, devoid of dust, in reference to the rocky soil in which it grows, others from axwy a javelin, because the savage nations poisoned their darts with its juice ; * De Candoile considers the species which he has named A. paniculatum, to be the one described by Stérck ; differing from the above in its loose corymbose spike, pale blue flowers, more convex acuminate helmet, and lateral sepals smooth within, + ‘‘ Aconitum nascitur in nudis cautibus, quas Aconas nominant 3 et ideo Aconitum aliqui dixere, nullo juxta ne pulvere quidem nutriente. Hane aliqui rationem nominis attulere. Alii quoniam vis eadem in morte esset, que cotibus ad ferri aeiem deterendam, statimque admota velocitas sen- tiretur.”—Pliny. THE FLORA DOMESTICA. a ACONITUM NAPELLUS. Common Aconite, Wolf’s-bane, or Monk’s-hood. Class XIII. Potyanpria.—Order III. Triaynta. Nat. Ord. Ranuncunace®, HELLEBORER. Gen. CHar. Calyx petaloid, irregular; the upper leaflet helmet-shaped. The two upper petals or nectaries on long stalks, concealed beneath the helmet. Spec. Cuar. Upper leaflet of the calyx arched at the back ; lateral ones hairy on the inner side. Germens three to five, smooth. Leaves divided down to the petiole into five cuneate lobes, furrowed above. SYNONYMES. Greek... axovirov. Theophrastus, Dioscorides. { Tconitum ceeruleum seu Napellus. Bauwh. Pin. 183. Tourn. Inst. 425. Aconitum Napellus. Lin. Sp. Pl. 751. Aconitum vulgare. De Candolle. French.. Aconit Napel; Coqueluchon ; Capuchon de moine; Madriette. Ttalian.. Aconito Nappello. Spanish . Aconito Napelo ; Mataiobos de flor azul. German . Blaue Monchskappe; Sturmhut; Wolfswurz; Eisenhiitlein. Dutch .. Blaauwe Monnikskap; Blaauwe Wolfswortel. Latin... Description.—The root is perennial, fleshy, of a dark colour without, whitish withih, fusiform or turnip-shaped, and sending B 2 ACONITE. out numerous fibres. The stem is erect, simple, smooth, and rises to the height of three or four feet. The leaves are alter- nate, palmated, and deeply divided into five elongated wedge- shaped segments, which are irregularly cut and toothed and fur- rowed on their upper surface; the lower leaves have long foot- stalks, but the upper are nearly sessile; the whole are dark green above, paler beneath, smooth, and shining. The flowers are arranged in a long cylindrical spike at the top of the stem, they appear in June ; each flower is supported on a pedicel with two small bractezee. The calyx resembles a corolla, being of a deep violet colour: it consists of five unequal leaflets ; the up- permost arched, helmet-shaped, concealing the petals; the late- ral ones broad and nearly round; the lower oblong, divaricating. The two upper petals or nectaries are curved and concealed be- neath the helmet ; each petal is furnished with a hooked spur and an oblong bifid limb. The stamens are numerous, con- verging, and support whitish anthers. The pistils are generally three in number, each furnished with a simple style and re- flexed stigma. Capsules three to five, oval, smooth, containing numerous black, angular, wrinkled seeds. (Plate I., fig. 2.) This noble plant cannot be considered a native of England, but it has been found growing on the banks of the river Teme, im Herefordshire, m great abundance, by Sir J. E. Smith. It was intreduced to the English garden about the year 1596, where it thrives well in moist and shady situations. ‘The plant is usually propagated by divisions of the roots, as when raised from seed it rarely flowers before the third year.”* The Monk’s-hood grows wild in several of the Alpine regions of Europe, viz., in the mountains and hilly pastures of Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Spain, Italy, and France. The etymology of the term Aconitum} is rather doubtful. Some have derived it from éxéuro;, devoid of dust, in reference to the rocky soil in which it grows, others from &xw», a javelin, because the savage nations poisoned their darts with its juice ; * Miller. + ‘‘ Aconitum nascitur in nudis cautibus, quas Aconas nominant ; et ideo Aconitum aliqui dixere, nullo juxta ne pulvere quidem nuiriente. Hane aliqui rationem nominis attulere. Alii quoniam vis eadem in morte esset, que cotibus ad ferri aciem deterendam, statimque admota velocitas sen- tiretur.”’— Pliny. : - Vegas OF = Voy t bh codt ————e - doled - Tov ee 7 a VA f : Mean es a ty TOPILOF? ACONITE. 3 but the most probable derivation is from Acone, a town of Bithynia, near the shores of the Euxine Sea, which was famous for poisonous herbs, and especially the 4conite. The vernacular name, Monk’s-hood, originated from the resemblance between the upper leaflet of the blossom and the hood or cowl ofa monk ; and that of Wolf’s-bane, from the deadly effects of the plant upon the wolf; perhaps from a tradition, mentioned by an old writer, that wolves in a time of scarcity have torn up the roots and eaten them as food, and have soon after been found dead. The poets fabled that the Aconite sprang from the foam of the monster Cerberus, when dragged to light by Hercules, and it is mentioned by Ovid as the principal ingredient in the poisonous draught prepared by Medea for the destruction of Theseus *. Quatities.—The ancients appear to have considered this plant as the most virulent of all poisons, and, indeed, there are few spontaneous productions of nature that surpass it in venom. Its beauty has obtained for it a place in our gardens, and its in- odorous flowers and vivid colours + tend to mask its baneful qualities. A poet’s fancy might trace something of its character in the fact that it loves the shade, and from the suspicious manner in which its petals hide themselves from the bright orb of day ; but there is nothing to apprize the unwary of their danger. It is so rank a poison, that many of the old writers employed the term Aconite as synonymous with all that is deadly in the vegetable world. Thus, in Shakspeare— ** Thou shalt proue a shelter to thy friends, A hoope of gold to binde thy brothers in : That the vnited vessell of their blood, Shall neuer leake, though it doe worke as strong As Aconitum, or rash gun powder.” 2H. IV., Act iv., Scene 4. Every part of the plant is poisonous, especially the root and leaves ; but as the latter have most frequently given rise to acci- dents, we shall relate some instances of their effects. When eaten, * Vide Ovidii Met. lib. vii. + Linneus imagined that the lurid colour of some plants indicated their noxious properties: hence he has denominated one of his natural orders luride. t Bes 6 ACONITE, Arabian physician Avicena. ‘The A. Lycoctonum or true Wolf’s-bane is also poisonous, but Linnzeus*, in his Lapland tour, mentions an interesting circumstance respecting it in his usual felicitous language, which must necessarily suffer by translation. “In my journey through Medelpadia}, I saw a woman gathering the leaves of this Aconite, and on asking her for what purpose they were designed, she replied they were intended to be used as food. To convince her of her danger, (for I thought she had mistaken the leaves for those of a species of Geranium,) I im- plored, by all she held dear, not to prepare her last meal. But she with a smile said there was no danger,—she knew the plant well, and had so often gathered it for years as well as her neigh- bours, that she thought I could not be properly acquainted with it myself. I then entered her cottage and saw her cut the leaves in pieces and boil them with a little fat, so as to make broth, of which she partook, together with her husband, two children, and an old woman, thus, ‘ Lurida terribiles miscent aconita noverce ;’ and what was most wonderful, with impunity.” He then pro- ceeds to enquire the reason of this apparent discrepancy, and concludes by remarking that the long continued boiling de- prived the herb of its deleterious properties. There can be no doubt that this was the case, as the active principle in most of the Ranunculacee is extremely volatile, so that by simply dry- ing them it is in great measure dispersed. The accurate ob- server just quoted, remarks that the Monk’s-hood is fatal to kine and goats who come fresh to it; but that it does no injury to horses who eat it only when dry. After a thorough boiling, the most poisonous species might probably be eaten with safety. Destructive, however, as are the European Aconites, they must yield to an Indian species called by Dr. Wallich}, Aconi- tum ferox. The root of this plant is the Bish or Visha of the natives of Northern India. It is in universal use for poisoning arrows, and a tank of water destined for the use of the British army in their halt during the pursuit of the Burmese, was found to be impregnated with this poison, which had been thrown in by * Vide Flora Lapponica, edita studio Jacobi Edvardi Smith, p. 187. + A province of Norland. + Vide Plante Asiatic Rariores, Vol. I., p. 33. ACONITE. 7 the enemy before their retreat. It was fortunately discovered in time to save the soldiers. TREATMENT oF Potsonrnc By AconiTE.—The principal thing to be done in this and other vegetable poisons is, to procure vomiting by any means: the most speedy and effectual method is to force the finger or a feather down the throat, and keep up a titillation of the fauces. This will generally succeed, when the strongest emetics fail, and ought not to be delayed a moment after it is once ascertained that Aconite has been swallowed, as the danger is always in proportion to the quantity swallowed, and the length of time it remains in the stomach. After the poison has been evacuated, some cordial draught, or a little wine, may be given with advantage. Bleeding should not be resorted to unless the pulse is full and apoplectic symptoms appear, neither should vinegar nor acidu- lous drinks be administered until the poison is evacuated, since all acids, wine, and alcohol increase its activity. Mepicat Propertizs anp Uses.—This poison, formidable as it is, has been subdued to the service of medicine, which has thus “ out of seeming evil brought forth good.” Baron Stérck*, a German physician, was the first who attempted to apply the Aconite to the treatment of disease. He strenuously recom- mends it in gout, chronic rheumatism, intermittent fevers, scro- fulous swellings, venereal nodes, and amaurosis. An alkaloid has been lately discovered by Peschier, a Ge- noese chemist, in the Aconite, which has been denominated aconitine. It possesses the violence of the plant in a tenfold degree. The tenth ofa grain killed a small bird with the ra- pidity of lightning, and a solution of one grain in a drachm of alcohol, of which twenty drops were given to a guinea-pig, oc- casioned death in a few minutes. ‘This potent drug has, how- ever, been employed with apparent success by Dr. Turnbull+ in tic-douleureux, and other painful affections of the nerves. Preparations of Aconite.—Sometimes the powder of the dried leaves is given, but this quickly loses its virtue, and can- not be depended upon. The most common preparation of the plant is its extract, or inspissated juice. This also is found to vary much im strength, according to the care used in its pre- * Libellus de Aconito, &c.— Vindob. 1763. + Treatise on Aconitine, by A. Turnbull, M.D., London, 1834. 8 ACONITE. paration. When recently prepared, it varies much in strength, and if a year old, is totally inert. We can hardly recommend this as a domestic remedy, as its operation requires the utmost vigilance of the physician. Should it, however, be resorted to, the following is the method of preparing it. Extract or Aconite.—Bruise the fresh leaves of Aconite in a stone or iron mortar, with a wooden pestle, and squeeze them forcibly through a canvas bag, to obtain the juice, which must afterwards be evaporated in a flat vessel, placed in boiling water saturated with salt, till reduced to the consistency of honey. When cold, the extract should be preserved in a glazed earthen vessel, and moistened with a little spirit of wine. It may be employed in any of the diseases above enumerated when they become obstinate and refuse to yield to the ordinary remedies. Not more than half a grain should be given at first, and the dose gradually increased, closely watching its effects. It may be taken twice or three times in the day. The most con- venient form is in pills. Dr. Turnbull, in his work just quoted, recommends the root * of the plant to be used in preference to the leaves, as it not only affords a more equal product, but contains more of the active principle. He directs a tincture to be made by digesting one part by weight of the powder of the dried root, in six parts by measure of strong alcohol for seven days, filtering through paper. The dose for adults is eight or ten drops, three times a day, gradually augmented to twenty drops. From this tincture an ammoniated extract is prepared, which is directed to be used externally by friction in paralytic cases and long standing rheumatic affections. To each drachm of the tincture evaporated to the consistence of an extract, are added ten drops of liquor ammoniz, and after the mixture has stood for a short time exposed to a gentle heat, an ointment is prepared in the following manner. Ammoniated Extract of Aconite, 1 drachm. UE docodono Gt08no eoeeeeee & Grachms, Mix. To be used by friction. * As the old root, after the stems have shot up and produced flowers, is de- prived of much of its vigour, great care should be taken to select the new roots. If. OPHIOGLOSSUM VULGATUM. Common Adder’s-tongue. Class XXIV. Cryprocamia.— Order I. FInices. Nat. Ord. Firtces, Oprnrociosse®. GEN. CHAR. Capsules one-celled, two-valved, opening at the side, connate so as to form a compact two-ranked spike. Seeds numerous, very minute. IJnvolucre none. Spec. Cuar. Frond ovate, obtuse veinless ; Spike cauline. SYNONYMES. Ophioglossum. Raii Syn. 128. Ger. Em. 404. Ophioglossum vulgatum. Lin. Sp. Plan. 1518. French.... a Langue de Serpent ; Ophioglosse ; L’Herbe sans couture. Ttalian...- Lingua di Serpente. Spanish... Lengua de Sierpe. Portuguese Lingua de Serpente. German... Natterzunge ; Schlangenzunge. Dutch .... Adderstong ; Natertong. J optigbssn sive Lingua serpentina. Park. Theatr. 506. Latin... +. Description.—The Adder’s-tongue rises from a small fibrous root, to the height of five or six inches from the ground. The stem is simple and bears but one leaf, which is ovate, obtuse, very entire, smooth, and free from veins. The spike rises from the base of the leaf, and is merely a continuation of the stalk ; it is lanceolate, at first green, afterwards brown. The capsules are numerous, one-celled, two-valved, united by a membrane into a two-ranked spike, opening transversely when ripe, and discharging the seeds. The singularity of this little plant will readily point it out to notice. Its narrow-pointed spike peeping up among the grass, may not inaptly be compared to a snake’s tongue ; a peculiarity which seems to have obtained for it nearly the same name in all the European languages, as may be seen in the synonymes. It grows in moist meadows and woods, and by the sides of rivulets. 10 ADDER’S-TONGUE. It must be sought for from the latter end of April to the be- ginning of June, after which time it entirely withers and dis- appears. Plate I., fig. 1., (a) the spike which has burst and discharged the seeds ; (b) the seeds magnified. J. Bauhin observes, that a variety is sometimes found with two or three spikes. The generic name Ophioglossum is derived from the Greek 60s, of asnake, and yAwcce, a tongue, in reference to the spike of fructification. Adder’s-tongue cannot be considered a poisonous plant, but it would appear from the character of its associates, in the following lines, that it was looked upon with some suspicion. ‘“* 9th Hac. And I ha’ been plucking (plants among) Hemlock, henbane, adder's-tongue, Night-shade, moone-wort, libbard’s-bane ; And twise by the dogs, was like to be ta’en.” Jonson’s Masque of Queenes, 3 charme. Mepicat Prorerties.—This plant has been esteemed from time immemorial as an excellent application to wounds*, whe- ther taken inwardly or applied externally. Ray speaks of it as possessing this property. The most usual method of employing it is by infusing the leaf and spike of the plant in olive oil. This has been applied to wounds as a kind of balsam, and is, as Gerard remarks, of so beautiful a green, that many have supposed it made of verdigris. An ointment may also be made with olive oil a pint, white wax four ounces, spermaceti three ounces: melt them over a slow fire, and when quite dissolved, add a good handful of the Adder’s- tongue, till it becomes shrivelled; then strain through a coarse cloth. Take care that the plant be not burnt. In modern practice, these greasy applications are very little employed; but the ointment above mentioned may be used to advantage in old ulcers, and the oil or balsam of Adder’s-tongue is good in the most violent sore throats. * It is not unlikely that it first obtained this character from the resem- blance of the spike to an adder’s tongue, and thus, according to the doctrine of signatures, such a plant was a remedy for wounds occasioned by the adder. If so, its use would be soon extended to other wounds, ulcers, &c. Of the fanciful doctrine of signatures we shall say more in our subsequent pages. IIT. AGRIMONIA EUPATORIA. Common Agrimony. Class XI. Dopbrecanpria.—Order U1. Digyntia. Nat. Ord. Rosaczez. Gen. Cuar. Calyx inferior, five-cleft, covered with hooked bristles. Petals five, inserted upon the calyx. Frwt of two, small, indehiscent capsules, invested by the hardened calyx. Spec. CHar. Cauline leaves pinnate, with oblong, obtuse leaflets ; terminal leaflet on a footstalk. Petals twice as long as the calyx. SYNONYMES. Greck ..... swaxarogiov. Dioscorides. Eupatorium veterum sive Agrimonia. Bauhin Pinaa, 321 ; Raii Syn. 202. Agrimonia Officinarum. Tournefort Inst. 301. Agrimonia Eupatoria. Lin. Sp. Pl. 643. French.--. Aigremoine; Souheirette. Ttalian.... Agrimonia; Eupatorio de’ Greci. Spanish and 2 Portuguese § German... Odermennig; Ackermennig. Dutch..... Agrimonie; Lever-kruid. Latin ..... Agrimonia; Agrimonia Oficinal. Descrivtion.—The root is perennial, thick, fibrous, horizon- tal, knotted*, and covered with a dark coloured bark, beneath which there is a tissue of a fine red colour. The stem rises to the height of two or three feet, erect, cylindrical, rather rough, hairy, and generally simple. The leaves are alternate, inter- ruptedly pinnate ; the large leaflets deeply serrate ; the interme- * Hach separate knot indicates a year’s growth. 12 AGRIMONY. diate smaller ones three to five cleft; between these are others extremely small and entire ; the whole ovate, hairy, and sessile, except the terminal leaflet, which is furnished with a footstalk. The stipules are two, opposite, amplexicaul, and deeply serrate. The flowers are disposed in a long terminal spike; they are small, yellow, almost sessile, with a three-cleft bractea at their base, and appear in June and July. The calyx is double; the interior or true calyx is permanent, composed of five ovate, pointed segments, externally surrounded with numerous rigid hairs, hooked at the end ; the exterior is hairy at the edges and the outside. The corolla is composed of five ovate, spreading petals, slightly notched at the end, of a bright yellow colour, and much longer than the calyx, into the throat of which they are inserted. The stamens are usually twelve, varying to five in number, arising from the calyx,shorter than the petals; the anthers are small, double, and compressed. The germen is in- ferior, double; the styles are two, each terminated by an obtuse stigma. ‘The capsule is formed of the hardened calyx con- tracted at the summit, containing one or two smooth, oval, roundish seeds. Plate I., fig. 4., (a) represents the flower, from which the petals are detached ; (6) the ripe fruit. The Agrimony is found in most of the temperate climates of the northern hemisphere. It grows abundantly in this country in hedge rows, borders of fields, and road sides, which it embel- lishes during the summer months with its lofty spike of golden bloom, and very elegant leaves. ‘The curious provision made by nature for disseminating the species is deserving of remark. The fruit is beset with long rigid hairs, hooked at the end, by means of which it adheres to the person or animal that may happen to come in contact with it. The learned are not quite agreed as to the origin of the word Agrimonia. Some suppose it to have been derived from ager, agri, a field ; others imagine that it is a corruption of apyzove, a name given by the Greeks to a plant that was reputed to cure cataract of the eye. It was called Eupatoria, from sarap, nxares, the liver, in the diseases of which organ it has in all ages been esteemed an effectual remedy, and hence the provincial name Liverwort. Quatitms.—The whole plant, and especially the root, in spring, exhales an agreeable odour, which is, however, rather AGRIMONY. 18 feeble, and is soon lost by drying: the flowers, when fresh gathered, says Withering, smell like apricots. It is bitter and astringent to the taste, but is eaten occasionally by sheep and goats; horses, cows, and swine refuse it. When the plant is beginning to flower, it will dye wool of a bright nankeen colour, and gathered in autumn a darker yellow. Dambourney recommends for this purpose a strong infusion to be made in water, and a weak solution of bismuth to be used as amordant. The astringent qualities of the plant have recom- mended it also for dressing leather. Geoffroy remarks, that the juice of the leaves imparts a slight red tinge to blue paper; and an infusion of them instantly blackens a solution of sulphate of iron. Mepicat Properties AND Usrs.—This plant, though rejected by modern physicians, is of considerable efficacy in removing obstructions, and has been always celebrated as a valuable remedy in diseases of the liver and spleen, as well as many chronic complaints: It is recommended also for spittings of blood and bloody urine. The best method of using it is in in- fusion: a handful of the dried leaves are to be put into a vessel, and a quart of boiling water poured on them; and, when cool, to be strained. Or a tea may be made of five or six of the dried leaves to half a pint of boiling water, with the addi- tion of a little sugar. By means of this drink some very obsti- nate indurations of the liver have been removed. It should be taken in a morning fasting, and repeated twice or three times in the day ; a tea-cup full at least each time. It has been found also extremely serviceable in cutaneous eruptions, and is an excellent purifier of the blood. Externally itis useful in foment- ations, boiled with chamomile flowers, St. John’s wort, and wormwood. As a vulnerary it has enjoyed as much fame as the Adder’s-tongue: boiled with wheaten-bran in wine-lees, and applied toluxations, sprains, &c., it was esteemed very efficacious, and it certainly had a better claim than many plants, to that now obsolete title. It forms a very good gargle for sore throats. The plant should be gathered when in blossom, and carefully dried in the shade. It may then be preserved in boxes, or in bundles hung up in a dry place. IV. SM¥RNIUM OLUSATRUM. Common Alexanders. Class V. PrENTANDRIA.—Order II. Drcynta. Nat. Ord. Umeprritirere. Gen. Cuar. Fruit broader than long, concave at each side, with six acute dorsal ridges; interstices convex, with many vitte. Calya obsolete. Petals lanceolate or ellip- tical, inflexed at the point, entire—Jnvolucre various. Flowers nearly regular, partly abortive. Spec. Cuar. Cauline leaves ternate, stalked, serrate. SYNONYMES. Smyrnium. Matthiolus, 773. Raii Syn. 208. Eatin... 66 | Hips Theophrasti. Bauhin Pinaz,154. Ger. Em. 1019. Smyrnium Olusatrum. Lin. Sp. Pl. 376. French.... Maceron commun. ftalian...- Macerone. Spanish... Apio caballar. Portuguese Olusatro. German... Smyrnenkraut. Dutch .... Veldeppe. oo — _____ Description.—The root is biennial, large, thick and long ; blackish externally, and white within; aromatic, but somewhat acrid and bitter. The stem is cylindrical, branched, and fur- rowed, and rises to the height of three or four feet. The leaves are of a bright yellow green; the lowest thrice ternate, the up- permost simply ternate, with a very broad membranous base ; the leaflets are very large, broadly ovate, lobed and serrated, smooth and shining. It has neither general nor partial involucre. The flowers are small, numerous and irregular, of a light yellow- green, and arranged in very dense rounded umbels. The fio- ATS Ao e 4B, tlhe Coe, ALEXANDERS. 1S rets in the centre bear only stamens. The calyx is very small, and scarcely perceptible. The petals are five, ovate-lanceolate, entire, incurved at the points. Stamens five. Germen inferior, with two simple styles and stigmata. Fruit of two indehiscent pe- ricarps or carpels, somewhat crescent-shaped, channelled, nearly black when ripe. Plate IL., fig. 1., (a) floret ; (0) fruit ; (c) the fruit cut transversely. Alexanders is generally found in waste places near the sea, and not unfrequently about inland towns. It is very abundant on ° the western coast, and in the south-western part of the isle of Anglesea. From its being often met with in the vicinity of the ruins of abbeys, &c., we may infer that it was held in great esteem by the monks. It flowers in May and June, and the seeds ripen in August. This plant appears to have derived its name Smyrnium from cpupyz, myrrh, in allusion to the scent of its juice, which smells like myrrh, as observed by Pliny. It takes its specific, name from olus, a pot-herb, and atrum, black, probably from the dark colour of the fruit. The English name Alexanders is a cor- ruption of Olusatrum, or, as some think, derived from Alex- andria in Egypt, whence it was supposed to have been originally brought. GeNnERAL Propertizs anpD Usrs.—Alexanders was formerly cultivated in our gardens as a culinary herb, but it is now al- most supplanted by the celery, which it somewhat resembles in flavour. It was cultivated much in the same manner as celery, and like it, was dug up for use in autumn and winter. The leaves too were boiled in broths and soups. It is an aromatic herb, but too strong and pungent to be agreeable. Mepicat Properties.—The root and seeds of this plant are reputed diuretic and emmenagogue. Dioscorides affirms, that the latter are good for such as are afflicted with dropsy. The seeds powdered are said to be highly carminative: taken in the dose of from half a drachm to a drachm in a glass of wine, they dispel wind, relieve strangury, and promote the menses. The expressed juice of the leaves has been highly extolled as a specific in gravel and diseases of the urinary pas- sages, taken in the quantity of from three to six ounces mixed with white wine. Ve ANCHUSA TINCTORIA. Alkanet, or Dyers Bugloss. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order I. Monocyntia. Nat. Ord. Boracinez. Gen. Cuar. Calyx 5-cleft or 5-parted, persistent. Co- rolla funnel-shaped ; tube straight, its mouth closed with five prominent scales. Anthers included. Stigma emar- ginate. Nuts concave at the base. Spec. Cuar. Leaves oblong. Bractee longer than the 5-parted calyx. Valves of the corolla shorter than the stamens. SYNONYMES. Greek ..+. ayxouce. Hippocrates. Lak ¢ Anchusa Monspeliana. Bauh. Hist. V11., 584. Raii.Hist. 496. "**) Anchusa tinctoria. Lin. Sp. Pl. 132. French.... Orcanette tinctoriale. Italian.... Ancusa; Alcanna. Spanish ... Anchusa. German... Alkannawurzel ; Farben Ochsenzunge. Dutch..... Winkelossetung. Danish.... Rod oketunge. - ee Description.—The root is perennial, long, woody, fibrous, and externally of a purplish red colour. The stem is thick, round, hairy, branched, and rises about eighteen inches in height. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, somewhat obtuse, hairy, and without footstalks. The flowers are sessile in the axils of the floral leaves, and terminate the branches in close spikes. The calyx is persistent and divided into five deep, oblong, erect segments. The corolla is funnel-shaped; the stamens are en- closed in the tube, which is closed at the mouth by five small ALKANET. 1 prominent scales*. ‘he five filaments are short, and are fur- nished with simple anthers. The germen is four parted, the style simple, and the stigma bifid. The fruit consists of four achenia or small nuts, invested by the persistent calyx. Plate I., fig. 3, (a) the corolla and stamens; (b) the pistil; (c) the persistent calyx investing the fruit. This plant is a native of the south of Europe, and was originally brought to this country from Montpellier, about 250 years since. It is sometimes cultivated in our gardens, but its roots never attain, in this climate, that fine colour for which the foreign are so much prized. It flowers from June to October. The generic name of this plant is derived from ayxovca, paint, because the roots were formerly used to afford a dye for stain- ing the face. There is another species, the Anchusa officinalis, or common Alkanet, which is sometimes, though rarely, found wild in this country, and was once reckoned a valuable emollient, but it is now held in little esteem. Quauities AND GENERAL Usrs.—The bark of the root has been long valued for the fine red colour it affords. It is im- ported into this country, chiefly from France, in long twisted pieces of a dusky red hue. It imparts a deep red colour to alcohol, ether, oils, and wax, but to water it only yields a dull brown. It is used by dyers, and also by cabinet-makers for staining wood, and is said to be employed by vintners for stain- ing the corks of their port wine bottles, or for colouring and fla- vouring the spurious compounds sold as port wine. -Mepicat Prorerties.—The Alkanet was formerly recom- mended in several diseases, particularly as an astringent. It is now used almost entirely for colouring oils, ointments, &c. It contains a peculiar colouring principle, which Dr. John calls Pseudo-Alcannin. * De Candolle, in his Flore Francaise, states that the Dyer’s Alkanet is not the Anchusa Tinctoria of Linnzus, since it does not agree in the ‘generic character, the mouth of the tube of the corolla being naked, not closed with scales ; moreover, Linnzus says Anchusa tomentosa, while this plant is clothed with hairs. In the first editions of the ‘¢ Species Plant- arum,”* we find Lithospermum tinctorium, only; but in the editions by Gilibert and some others, this plant is removed to the genus Anchusa. De Candolle asserts that the plant called Orcanette, used for its dye, and growing abundantly in the south of France, (whence it is well known the Alkanet of the shops is brought,) is a true Lithospermum. VF: ANGELICA ARCHANGELICA. Garden Angelica. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order 1. D1GyniA. Nat. Ord. UMBpEtLirer2&. Gen. Caar. Fruit sub-compressed, 2-winged ; carpels with three elevated dorsal ridges, the lateral ones spread- ing into the wings of the fruit. Calyx an obsolete margin. Petals elliptical-lanceolate, entire, equal, in- flexed at the point.— Universal involucre scarcely any. Spec. Cuar. Leaves doubly pinnate, ovate-lanceolate, serrate ; the terminal leaflet lobed. SYNONYMES. Angelica Sativa. Bauh. Pin. 155. Ger. Em. 999. Raii. Syn. 208. Imperatoria Sativa. Tournefort Inst. 317. Angelica Archangelica. Lin. Sp. Pl. 360. French.... Angelique des Jardins. Latina... >. Italian ...- Spanish... onperciies Portuguese . German... Angelika; Angelikwurzel; Gartenangelik ; Brustwurz. Dutch..... Angelika; Engelwortel. Danish.... Angelik ; Fadnobusk. Swedish... Angelik. Polish .... Dziegel agrodni. Description.—The root is biennial, thick, fusiform, with numerous fibres, resinous, brown externally and white within. The stem is erect, from four to five feet high, thick, cylindrical, jointed, striated, fistulose, smooth, and sends off numerous branches, which are terminated by large spreading umbels. The leaves are large, alternate, doubly winged, and composed of ovate, serrated, pointed leaflets, often three-lobed, especially the ter- ANGELICA. 19 minal one; the footstalks are membranous at the base, and’ much dilated. The flowers are numerous, of a greenish-white colour, and arranged in large, nearly spherical, many-rayed umbels. The calyx is scarcely distinguishable. The petals are five, nearly equal, oblong-lanceolate, and inflexed at the point. The stamens are five, spreading, and longer than the petals. The germen is inferior, ovate, furrowed; with two short styles, at first erect, afterwards recurved. ‘The fruit is somewhat compressed, and furnished with two broad wings ; the carpels are marked with three acute ridges at the back, the lateral ones vanishing into the wings of the fruit. The seed is solitary in the carpel, free, ovate and pointed. Plate III., fig. 1, (a) the ripe fruit. The Angelica grows wild in Lapland,- Norway, Sweden, Austria, Silesia, on the Alps and Pyrenees, and is especially abundant on the banks of rivers in those countries. It was cultivated in the English garden prior to the year 1568, and is now completely naturalized, having been found at Broad- moore, near Birmingham, and in marshy ground adjacent to the Thames, about Woolwich. It flowers from June to September. This plant has received its imposing name from angelicus, on account of its medicinal virtues, especially from its being con- sidered efficacious against pestilential diseases. It is called Archangelica, from zen, pre-eminence, because of its superiority to the other species of the genus. CuLTuRE.—“ It delights to grow in a very moist soil. The seeds should be sown soon after they are ripe, for if they are kept until the spring, scarcely one in forty will grow. When the plants are advanced about four inches in height, transplant them into rows, from two to three feet apart. They thrive best upon the sides of ditches or pools of water. The second year after sowing they will shoot up to flower, therefore, if you wish to continue their roots, yeu should cut down the stems in May, which will occasion their putting out heads from the sides of the root, and by this means they may be continued three or four years. When they are culti- vated for seed, new plantations should be annually made to supply the place of those which die, for when they are permitted to seed, they last but two years. For candying, the young shoots and leaf-stalks are used, being cut while they are young and tender, in May.”— Miller. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—The Angelica is one of the few aromatics of European origin, Every part of the recent plant, particularly the root, is fragrant and agreeable, with an aroma somewhat resembling that of musk. The taste is sweetish e¢ 2 ~ 20 ANGELICA. at first, and balsamic, followed by a warmth and_ bitterness which is by no means disagreeable. On wounding the fresh root in the spring, it yields a yellowish, odorous juice, which being slowly dried, proves a valuable gum resin, very rich in the qualities of the plant. The leaves and seeds do not long retam their virtues when kept, but the root may be preserved for a considerable time, if thoroughly dried, and well defended from damp. Dr. Lewis suggests to dip the roots, after being dried, in boiling spirit. Rectified spirit extracts the whole of the virtues of the root; water but very little. The Laplanders consider this plant as one of the most import- ant productions of their soil. Linnzeus, in his interesting work before mentioned, informs us that they give different names to the various parts and states of the plant. The root of the first year before the stem has shot up they call wrtas. This they extol as the best remedy for preserving health to a remote period. They also masticate the dried root in the place of tobacco. The stem, cut down before the umbels are quite unfolded, and stripped of its outer rind, is to them an apology for the fruits of more genial climates, and furnishes no incon- siderable part of their food. The Icelanders eat the stem and roots of Angelica raw with butter, and the Norwegians are said to make bread of the roots. Cattle in general are fond of this piant, and the milk of cows that feed on it is said to have a peculiar taste and smell. Horses refuse it. There is another species, the Angelica sylvestris, or wild Angelica, which, though much shorter, resembles the preceding in habit and botanical characters, but is greatly inferior in qua- lity. It has been administered, however, by some practitioners with success, in hysterical and epileptic complaints. Tanners have discovered that it has properties analogous to those of oak- bark, and a tincture has been prepared from the leaves which dyes woollen stuffs of a golden yellow colour. Bees obtain a fine honey from its flowers. MepicaL Propertirs anp Usrs.—The Angelica is an ex- cellent tonic and carminative, and although it is held in little repute amongst the modern English physicians, it is very highly commended by all the older ones. Etmuller and Sydenham ANGELICA. 21 speak of it in the highest terms, and they particularly recom- mend it in colics and flatulence, and in obstructions of the menses. A decoction of one ounce of the dried root, boiled in three pints of water to a quart, is an excellent sudorific and cordial, in the dose of a wine-glassful every two or three hours. In this form it has been found of great service in typhus fevers. The powder of the dried root is also given in substance, from half a drachm toa drachm. This is a useful addition to the Peruvian bark in agues, in the dose of a scruple to half a drachm of the bark every three hours. It is likewise an excellent in- gredient in the compound tincture of bark. The following will be found both an agreeable and highly useful tincture in all disorders arising from flatulence, indiges- tion, or any complaint of the stomach and bowels, and a good preservative against these complaints. Take of Powdered red Peruvian Bark, one ounce and a half ; Dried Orange peel, Angelica root bruised, of each one ounce ; Brandy one pint. Infuse the ingredients in the spirit, and let them stand fourteen days in a warm place; then filter through paper. This cordial tincture may be taken in the dose of two tea- spoonfuls to a table-spoonful in any home-made wine. In marshy countries, where agues are prevalent, this will be found a good preventive against those complaints, as well as a re- medy for them when they have made their attack. In the former case, the dose above mentioned should be taken in the morning just before going out of the house; but in the latter a full dose must be taken every two hours in the absence of the fit. A wine-glassful of the tincture by itself, taken a few minutes before the accession, will frequently prevent the fit ; and if from twenty to thirty drops of laudanum be added, will seldom or never fail. In the old Pharmacopeeias, there was a compound spirit of Angelica, which was certainly not laid aside because found to be useless, but because it is too complicated for modern Phar- macy. Such persons, however, as suffer much from wind in the stomach and bowels, or hysterical affections, will find the greatest advantage from its use. It may be thus pre- pared :— : 22 ANGELICA. Take of Angelica Root, Leaves of the Blessed Thistle, of each three ounces ; Balm and Sage, of each two ounces ; Angelica seeds, three ounces ; Sweet Fennel seeds, one ounce: Let the dried herbs be coarsely powdered ; then add, Cinnamon, one drachm ; Cloves and Mace, of each half a drachm ; Nutmeg and Lesser Cardamom seeds, of each half a drachm ; Allspice and Saffron, of each half a drachm. Infuse the whole for several days in two quarts of brandy, or proof spirit and then draw off by distillation the same quantity. After this quantity has been obtained, the last runnings of the still may be kept separate. It will make a pleasant water to administer any carminative tincture or spirit in. This was called the Compound Spirit of Angelica, and is still much in use in the northern countries. It may be given with great advantage in typhus fevers, and is a good preservative against those diseases where people are exposed to the contagion. The dose in general is a table-spoonful, but when used as a preservative, should be taken in a larger quantity ;—two or three spoonfuls at a time, in any kind of vehicle, or simply diluted with water. A very elegant distilled water may be obtained from the dried leaves, which possesses the same aromatic properties as the plant, and is a pleasant vehicle for other more nauseous me- dicines. The fresh stalks of the Angelica are made by confectioners into an agreeable sweetmeat, which contains much of the virtues of the plant. In the Pharmacopeeia of Paris, the following mode of preserving it is given :— Take of young stalks of Angelica, any quantity. Remove from them the outer rind, cut them into pieces three or four inches long, whiten them in boiling water, and lay them on a sieve that the water may drain from them. Then put them into a syrup made of purified sugar, boil till aqueous vapour ceases to ascend, and leave them to dry in a stove chamber on a wooden frame. An essential oil may also be obtained from the root, thus Take of Root of Angelica.... 28 parts. DW ab ere Pe reinntors ot- nets - 78 parts. Common Salt........ 3 parts. Distil, and separate the oil. The roots should be dug in the autumn, and the young stems for candying in May. The quaint and amusing Gerard thus describes the manifold virtues of Angelica :-— il ee ANGELICA. 23 “ The roote of Garden Angelica, is a singular remedie against poison, and against the plague, and all infections taken by euill and corrup aire, if you do but take a peece of the roote and holde it in your mouth, it doth most certainly driue away the pestilentiall aire, yea, although that corrup aire have possessed the hart, yet it driueth it out again by vrine and sweate, as rice and treacle doth and such like Antipharmaca. Angelica is an ene- mie to poisons: it cureth pestilent diseases if it be vsed in season; a dram waight of the powder hereof is given with thin wine, or, if a feauer be vehement, with the distilled water of Carduus Benedictus or of 'Tormen- till, and with a little vineger and by itselfe also, with treacle of vipers added. It openeth the liuer and spleene....It extennuateth and maketh thinne grosse and tough flegme.... It is reported that the roote is auaileable against witchcraft and inchantments, if a man carrie the same about him as Fuchsius saith....It is a most singular medicine against surfeiting and lothsomnes to meate; it helpeth concoction in the stomacke and is right be- neficial to the hart: it cureth the bitings of mad dogs and all other ve- nomous beasts.” Herball, p. 849. The Laplanders, during that part of the year which they pass in the woods, are subject to a severe kind of colic, against which the root of Angelica is one of their chief remedies. They also frequently mix the unexpanded umbels with the leaves of sorrel, and boiling them down in water to the consistence of a syrup, mix it with rein-deer’s milk, and thus form a stomachie and astringent medicine. VAI; ARUM MACULATUM. Common Arum, Cuckow-Pint, or Wake-Robin. Class XXI. Monascta.—Order VII. POLYANDRIA. Nat. Ord. AroiweE. Gren. Cuar. Spathe of one leaf, convolute at the base. Perianth 0. Spadix with germens at the base. Sta- mens (sessile) near the middle of the spadix, which is naked above. Berry one-celled, many-seeded. Spec. Cuar. Leaves all radical, hastato-sagittate, lobes deflexed. Spadix club-shaped, obtuse, shorter than the spathe. SYNONYMES. Greek ..... apov. Arum vulgare. Bauhin Pinax, 195. Gerard. Em. 834. YT BSCE jan. Rati Synopsis, 266. Arum Maculatum. Lin. Sp. Pl. 1370. French.... Arum; Gouet; Pied de Veau 3; Gouet Tachete. Italian .... Aro; Iaro; Gicaro; Pie Vitellino. ‘ Spanish.... Aro; Aro Manchado. German.... Aron; Aaronswurzel; Kalbsfuss ; Magenwurzel. Dutch ..... Avon; Kalfsvoet. Danish..... Dansk Ingefer. Descrirtion.—The root is tuberiferous, about the size of a pigeon’s egg, furnished with numerous slender fibres, brownish. externally, white within, fleshy, and yields a milky juice. The leaves spring immediately from the neck of the tuber, they are large, halbert-shaped, or somewhat sagittate, and very entire ; their surface is smooth, shining, dark green, veined, and often marked with dark spots. The flower, which is remarkable for its form, is enclosed in an ample, concave, convolute spathe, erect, pointed, pale green, and sometimes spotted within. The spadix is simple, shorter than the spathe, club-shaped, and of a pur- plish or buff colour at the extremity, the lower part bearing Plate d wa Ny PENS. Y Ti : Ange COL ARUM. O5 the flowering organs. The anthers are sessile on the middle of the lower half of the spadix ; above and below them is a ring of abortive stamens, terminated by filaments, called by Linnzus, nectaries. The germens are placed at the base of the spadix ; they are numerous, obovate, and of a greenish yellow colour. The fruit consists of several globular berries, collected into an oblong spike, which remains during winter after the leaves and spadix have decayed; the berries are of a bright scarlet colour, globose, succulent, one-celled, and contain one or more hard, roundish seeds. Plate III., fig. 2, (a) the ripe fruit; (b) berry detached from the spadix ; (c) the same cut vertically to shew the seed. The common Arum, familiar to children by the name of lords and ladies, is found under almost all climates ; it is frequent in most parts of England, rare in Scotland and Ireland. It grows in damp shady places in groves and hedges, flowering in April and May, and ripening its fruit in autumn. The generic name is supposed to be derived from the Hebrew jaron, a dart, in allusion to the shape of the leaves; or from an Egyptian word by which some plant of the kind was designated. The vernacular names are not peculiarly expressive, but itis some- times called calf’s-foot, from the shape of the leaf, and is known by the same appellation in many of the European languages. There are nearly fifty species of Arum described, the majority of them natives of the tropics. The Arum Dracunculus, or common Dragon Arum, brought from the south of Europe, is a very remarkable plant; the leaf-stalks are spotted like the belly of a snake, and the flower exhales a putrid odour equal to that of carrion. The root of A. Colocasia is eaten in Egypt and the Levant, and the leaves of A. Esculentum and some other species are similarly used in the West Indies. Quatitizs AND GENERAL Uses.—Every part of the common Arum is acrid, styptic and pungent, and contains a juice which turns syrup of violets green, reddens litmus paper, and is coagu- lated by the mineral acids. Vauquelin has detected malate of lime in the expressed juice. The leaves are so acrimonious, that applied to a delicate skin they irritate and inflame it, and sometimes produce blisters. The roots, however, are the most powerful; when recent they are nearly white and inodorous, almost insipid to the taste at first, but soon produce a sensation of burning and pricking as if by needles, which lasts for several 26 ARUM. hours, and can only be mitigated by oily or mucilaginous drinks. This acrimony is almost lost in drying, and is quite dissipated by submitting the roots to the process of baking or boiling *. A very white and pure foecula resembling arrow root may be procured, by reducing the fresh roots to a pulp and placing it ona strainer. Repeated portions of cold water are then to be poured on it, which carry the farinaceous particles through the strainer, and leave behind the fibrous part. The fcecula which subsides is deprived of its acrimony by drying, and affords a delicate and nutritious food. Dr. Hooker, in his British Flora, states, that this amylaceous substance is prepared in great quan- tities at Weymouth, and in Portland island. It is also sent to London under the name of Portland sago. Tournefort mentions, that in Lower Poitou the women cut the stalks of the plant while in flower, and macerate them for three weeks in water, which they change every day ; then pour- ing off the water, they dry the residue and use it instead of soap to wash their linen. According to Dr. Withering, the French cypress-powder is merely the dried root pulverised. A distilled water is also obtained from it, which is equally celebrated as a cosmetic. Swine eat the leaves in spring with impunity, and the berries are devoured by birds. Mr. Curtis thinks that pheasants eat the roots occasionally. There is a singular circumstance connected with the growth of this, m common with other allied species. At the period of fecun- dation, it was discovered by Lamarck, and others that the spadix evolved a considerable degree of heat. Brogniart f found in his experiments on the Colocasia odora, that the heat thus dis- engaged was most intense when the anthers were in full vigour, and amounted to 52° (Fahr.) above that of the surrounding air. The Arum tribe would thus seem to partake in some degree of the nature of animals; and this resemblance is more strik- * This is not the only instance in which food is obtained from poisonous plants. Linneus (‘‘ Flora Lapponica,” p. 258) states that in Lapland a wholesome bread is prepared from the roots of the Calla palustris, which are extremely acrid in their recent State, “‘ignis ferme instar.”? 'The roots of the Jatropha Manihot, the Tapioca of South America, abound in a noxious juice, but when this is dispersed by maceration in water and drying, they become a valuable article of food. + Nouv. Ann. du Museum, vol. iii. ARUM. 27 ingly evinced in the putrescent odours of some species, and the azote that chemical analysis has detected in them. Poisonous Prorrerties.—The common Arum in its recent state is undoubtedly poisonous. Children in particular are apt to mistake the leaves for those of sorre]: they occasion a very con- siderable degree of excoriation, and sometimes haemorrhage from the tongue and fauces. Bulliard relates the following case: ‘“ Three children ate of the leaves of this plant. They were seized with horrible con- vulsions, and with two of them assistance was unavailing, as they were unable to swallow anything. They died in a few days. The third was saved with difficulty. Its tongue was so swelled that it filled the whole cavity of the mouth, but this symptom was relieved by bleeding, and copious draughts of milk and olive oil were found serviceable.” * The treatment in poisoning by Arum is the same as that em- ployed for other vegetable irritants. The noxious substance should be removed by emetics, unless spontaneous vomiting occurs. Sulphate of zine +, in doses of from ten to fifteen grains every half hour, is a good emetic. Leeches may be applied to the throat, and mucilaginous drinks should be freely adminis- tered, until medical aid can be obtained. Mepicat Properties anp Usrs.—The root of this plant is the part employed in medicine, and is a remedy of great value in some of the most obstinate diseases. It is not fre- quently used in modern practice; not because its properties are doubted, but on account of its excessive acrimony when fresh, and the uncertainty of its action when dried. It is not to be supposed, however, that the dried root, carefully preserved, is totally divested of those active and valuable pro- perties which accompany it when first prepared; on the con- trary, it is still a very valuable medicine in a larger dose. It has been given with very great success in the humoral or moist asthma, in severe chronic rheumatisms, in chlorosis or green sickness, jaundice, obstructions of the viscera, and in dropsy. It exerts considerable power over that thick, viscid, tenacious matter which frequently abounds in the stomach and bowels, * Histoire des Plantes Veneneuses, p. 64. + Commonly called ‘* White Vitriol.” 28 ARUM- and gives rise to the most alarming diseases, defying the power of emetics or cathartics to dislodge it. The Arum, by means of its penetrating and volatile properties, acts quickly on this glairy substance, and alters its nature so as to fit it for easy expulsion. It has been found successful in removing the most inveterate cutaneous diseases, when accompanied by occasional purging. Sydenham employed it successfully in severe chronic rheuma- tism, particularly of the scorbutic kind, in which disease he esteemed it an invaluable specific; he prescribed it also in dropsies, and in the advanced state of the gout. A severe general dropsy has been known to yield to a prescription of that renowned physician, in which Arum and Angelica were the most prominent articles. Etmuller extols the fresh-pre- pared root as a most excellent stomachie in cases of extreme prostration of appetite. He recommends the root to be cut into very smal] pieces and taken in brandy. Geoffroy recom- mends the powder in obstinate intermittent fevers, in the dose of a scruple to half a drachm. Bergius and Gilibert speak of its efficacy in the same diseases, and in certain kinds of head-ache. The time for digging up the roots is in autumn, and they may be preserved fresh for nearly a year if kept buried in sand in a cool cellar. When intended for immediate use, they should be dried slowly, with very little heat, and sliced ; when perfectly dry, they should be powdered, and kept in small well-stopped bottles, in a cool place. The dose, in substance, should be from ten grains to a scruple or half a drachm, taken in honey, or some thick mucilaginous drink, to guard against its acrimony in the mouth .Lewis reeommends the fresh root to be beat up with some of the gum-resins, such as galbanum, (or the compound called the gwm-pill,) until they form a mass that will allow of being made into pills. In this manner, their virtue will be preserved, and the form is very advantageous for taking the medicine. Its properties are also well preserved in a conserve, as they cannot be extracted by any menstruum. The following is the method of preparing it: Take of fresh Root of Arum, bruised, half a pound ; Double-refined Sugar, a pound and a half. Beat them together in a mortar, till they are well mixed, in the form of a conserve. This may be taken in the dose of a drachm to two drachms. Wei: ASARUM EUROPAUM. Asarabacca. Class XI. Doprecanpria.--Order I. MonoGynta. Nat. Ord. AristoLocui®. Gen. Coar. Perianth single, 3-cleft, superior. Capsule six-celled, coriaceous, crowned. Spec. Cwar. Leaves binate, reniform, obtuse. SYNONYMES. Greek ..... acugiv. Dioscorides. g Asarum. Bauh. Pin. 197. Ger. Em. 836. Raii. Syn. 158. “*¢ Asarum Europeum. Lin. Sp. Pl. 633. French .... Asaret; Cabaret; Rondelie ; Oreille d’homme ; Nard Sauvage. ftalian.... ) the pistil ; (c) the capsule. This very elegant plant delights in warm countries, such as Italy, Egypt, the Levant, and the south of France ; growing in moist, stony places, and on the banks of large rivers. Although not a native, it is generally known and admired in the English garden, where it has occupied a place since the commencement of the sixteenth century. It is a perennial herbaceous plant, and flowers from July to September. _ The generic name derived from azavSa, a spine, does not apply to this species, which is smooth and unarmed ; nevertheless it is the Acanthus, par excellence,—the plant celebrated by Virgil and other poets. It has been renowned for ages, on account of the beauty of its leaves, which furnished the ancient sculptors and architects with one of their chief ornaments. The Greeks and Romans carved them upon their vases, and their massive goblets *, and wove them into their costly vestments+. The discovery of their ornamental character is contained in the fol- lowing legend : “A young lady of Corinth, having died a few days before her marriage was to have been celebrated, her afflicted nurse put into a basket different articles of which the girl was fond, and placing it near her tomb, upona plant of the Acanthus, covered it with a large tile. The following spring the Acanthus grew up, and its large leaves encompassed the basket ; but meeting with the projecting tile, they were curved at the extremity and bent down. An architect named Callimachus passing by, was struck with the novelty and beauty of the figure, and resolved to apply it to the decoration of the Corinthian capital.” * Et nobis idem Alcimedon duo pocula fecit, Et molli circum est ansas amplexus acantho. Virgil. Ec. iii. I. 45. Summus inaurato crater erat asper acantho. Ovid. Mes. lib. xiii. 7. 701. + Et circumtextum croceo velamen acantho, Virgil. En, lib. i. 649. 50 BEAR’S-BREECH. Milton enumerates this among the plants which decked the primeval bowers of Eden,— “on either side Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub Fenced up the verdant wall.”’ Mepicat Properties anp Usres.—The reputation of this plant as a medicine has much declined in modern days. It was formerly reckoned one of the five emollient plants, and pre- scribed in cataplasms, fomentations, and lavements, to mitigate inflammatory or nervous irritation. It acts as a slight astringent in hemoptysis or spitting of blood, diarrhceas and dysentery. The leaves, boiled and mashed up into a poultice, have been recommended as an application to deep-seated abscesses, for the purpose of hastening suppuration. The roots abound in muci- lage, and may be substituted for those of comfrey and marsh- mallow. XV. , HELLEBORUS FC@TIDUS. Bear’s-Foot, Stinking Hellebore, or Setter-wort. Class XIII. Potyanpria.—Order II]. Potyaynta. Nat. Ord. RANUNCULACEX. GEN. CuHar. Calyx of five persistent leaves. Petals eight to ten, small, tubular, two-lipped, nectariferous. Per?- carps or follicles nearly erect, many-seeded. Spec. CHar. Stem many-flowered, leafy. Leaves pedate ; segments oblong-linear. Calyx converging. SYNONYMES. ie niger feetidus. Bauh. Pin. 185. Latin .... 2 Helleboraster maximus. Ger. Em. 976. Raii Syn. 271. Helleborus feetidus. Lin. Sp. Pl. 784. French.... Ellebore fetide; Pied de griffon. ltalian.... Elleboro fetido. Spanish .. Eleboro hediondo. German .. Stinkende Niesewurz. Dutch .... Stinkend Nieskruid. Descrietion.—The root is small, twisted, and beset with numerous, slender, dark-coloured fibres. The stem is cylin- drical, firm, naked, leafy, marked with cicatrices* towards the base, much branched, many-flowered, and rises to the height of two feet. The leaves stand on long footstalks; they are dark green, coriaceous, smooth, digitate or pedate, with numerous pointed, serrated segments. The bractez or floral leaves are membranous, entire at the margin; the lowermost trifid at the extremity, and tinged with purple at the base ; the upper ones nearly ovate, undivided, and of a pale green colour. The flowers are numerous, terminal, somewhat panicled, drooping, * These cicatrices or scars are produced by the falling of the old leaves. E2 59 BEAR S-FOOT. globose, and stand on long peduncles. The calyx is pale green, composed of five ovato-cordate persistent sepals, tinged with purple at the margin. The petals* are from eight to ten in number, small, tubular, two-lipped, nectariferous at the base, and arranged in a circle within the sepals. The stamens are very numerous, as long as the calyx, with whitish anthers. The germens are usually three, superior, ovate, compressed ; styles subulate; stigmas globose. The fruit consists of three or four follicles, which contain numerous oval seeds, disposed in two rows. Plate 6, fig. 4, (a) the stamens; (0) the follicles. This evergreen perennial plant grows in chalky pastures, thickets, and way-sjdes, in most parts of western Europe, viz. Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, France, and Germany. It has been found near Castle-Acre, Norfolk, and in several other English counties ; by the Doune, Ayr, also at Blantyre, Barn- cluish, and near Anstruther, in Scotland; but can scarcely be considered indigenous. It flowers in March and April. The name of the genus is derived from «acy, to mjure, and Boga, food, indicative of its poisonous properties. Quatitirs.—The recent plant has a most fetid odour and bitter taste, and is extremely acrid, excoriating the mouth and fauces when chewed. The bracteze are said to possess these qualities in a greater degree than the proper leaves. Like the other plants of the natural order to which it belongs, its virtues are much impaired by age and by the mere process of drying. ; The root of this plant is used as a seton in veterinary prac- tice. For this purpose a perforation is made in the flesh of the animal, and a piece of the root being inserted, is left for twenty-four hours; this causes a discharge from the part, and is thought to be efficacious in certain diseases. Hence, in all probability is derived the provincial name Setier-wort, or Setter- grass, corrupted from Séton-wort. Potsonous ProrErties.—This species of Hellebore is more eminently poisonous than the Helleborus niger, producing in an over-dose superpurgation, griping, anxiety, syncope, violent pain in the stomach and intestines, a sensation of strangling, coldness of the extremities, convulsions, and death. The leaves * Formerly considered nectaries. / BEAR S-FOOT. 53 are not unfrequently employed by empirics and ignorant persons, and instances are not wanting of their fatal effects. In the Oxford Magazine for 1769, it is related that a labour- ing man gave some of this plant to his two sons, one six, the other four years old, to kill worms, and in a few hours they both died. It is also mentioned that those who have taken a poisonous dose and recovered, have lost their hair, nails, and even the epidermis of the whole body. In the London Chronicle for 1768, No. 1760, we read that a child lost its life from taking some of the root in the pulp of an apple. This being classed among the narcotico-acrid poisons requires nearly the same antidotes as the Aconite, Arum, &c. In the first place, vomiting must be excited and encouraged, if it has not spontaneously commenced. “If the poison has been some time ingested, an emetic combined with a cathartic should be administered, composed of two or three grains of emetic tartar and an ounce of Epsom salts. Purgative clysters ought also to be administered. If apoplectic symptoms appear, bleeding or the application of leeches is advisable. Acidulated drinks should afterwards be employed, and especially vinegar and water in small doses, frequently repeated. To combat the inflammation, which almost invariably succeeds, the acidulated drinks should be replaced by emollient infusions and decoctions, such as the infu- sion of marsh mallows or violets, or a solution of gum arabic. The application of a few leeches to the abdomen may likewise be serviceable.” Orfila. Mepicat Properties and Usrs.—The leaves of this plant were used in this country as a domestic medicine for their vermifuge effects long before their introduction into the London Phamacopeeia. Gerard thus alludes to them: “ The leaves of bastard Hellebor, dried in an oven, after the bread is drawne out, and the powder thereof taken in a figge or raisin, or strawed upon a piece of bread spread with honey, and eaten, killeth worms exceedingly.” Dr. Bisset states, that in Yorkshire the peasantry often give it to their children when they suspect them to have worms. “ The decoction of about a drachm of the green leaves, or about fifteen grains of the dried leaves in powder, is the usual dose administered to children between four and seven years of age. A full or sufficient dose generally proves more or less emetic, and often loosens the belly a little. It is usually repeated on 54 BEAR S-FOOT. two and sometimes three successive mornings. ‘The second dose has commonly a greater effect than the first, and never fails to expel round worms by stool, if there be any lodged in the alimentary canal.” For children a syrup has been recommended, made with the expressed juice of the recent leaves moistened with vinegar, which is supposed to correct the violent effects of the drug. The dose of this syrup is a tea-spoonful at bed-time, and one or two in the morning, on two or three successive days, for young children, increasing or diminishing the quantity accord- ing to the strength of the patient. Dr. Parr mentions that a tincture is sometimes made of the leaves with cyder, but in whatsoever manner prepared, no medicine acts with more cer- tainty as an anthelmintic, than Bear’s-foot. It has also been highly extolled in epileptic fits caused by the presence of worms in the intestines, and in asthma and hypochondriacal disorders, but it is a dangerous medicine in unskilful hands, and requires to be used with the greatest caution. x A J XVI. BETA VULGARIS. Common Beet. Class V. PENTANDRIA.— Order I]. DiGynia. Nat. Ord. CHENOPODE. Gen. Cuan. Perianth single, half-inferior, five-cleft, per- sistent. Seed one, reniform, imbedded in the fleshy calyx. Spec. Cuar. Flowers clustered. Lower leaves ovate. Root fleshy. - SYNONYMES. Greek .se.+. TtuTAovs; cevrAdy. Beta rubra vulgaris. Bauh. Pin. 118. Latin .....< Beta rubra romana. ‘Ger. Em. 319. d Beta vulgaris. Lin. Sp. Pl. 322. French.... Bette; Betterave. Ttalian.... Bieta; Barbe brettola. Spanish.... Acelga; Remolacha. German.... Beete; Rothe rlbe ; Mangold. Dutch...... Beet; Biet. Polish.e... Cwilka. Russ. ..... Swekla. Description.—The root is biennial ; fusiform, fleshy, slightly branehed, and furnished with numerous capillary fibres. The stem is upright, leafy, channelled, smooth, branched towards the top, and rises to the height of three or four feet. The leaves are alternate, and vary in figure according to their position ; the lower ones are large, somewhat cordate, and obtuse ; as they approach the top of the stem they become narrower and pointed, and almost destitute of petioles; they are all bright green, smooth, and succulent. The flowers are disposed three or four together, on long slender spikes, which spring from the axils 56 BEET. of the upper leaves. The perianth (calyx) is single, persistent, deeply five-cleft, and slightly adherent by its base to the ger- men. The five stamens are short, opposite the divisions of the calyx, and support roundish anthers. The germen is globose, depressed, surmounted with two short styles, terminated by simple acute stigmas. The seed is solitary, kidney-shaped, imbedded in the fleshy mass of the calyx, which serves as a capsule. Plate 5, fig. 1, (a) the aggregated fruit; (b) the flower ; (c) an isolated fruit surrounded by the persistent calyx. The Common Beet grows naturally in many southern and temperate climates, especially in maritime places, but is not in- digenous to this country. The Beta maritima which grows on our sea-shores, is easily distinguished from this species by its procumbent stems and flowers in pairs. It flowers im August. The name is said by Théis to be derived from the Celtic bett, which signifies red. Others imagine it to have been formed - from the Greek 8, on account of a fancied resemblance of its seeds to that character. Cu.turEe.—“ There are. several varieties; those most esteemed for salads are the small red and Castelnaudary, and for extracting sugar, the green-topped. The seed is sown in March or April, on deep well com- minuted soil. When then the plants show two or three proper leaves, they are thinned out, so that each plant may be allowed a square foot of surface. By September or October, the roots are fit for use, and may either be taken up as wanted; or buried in sand in the root cellar.”— Loudon. The white beet (beta cicla) Poirée a cardes, Fr.; Bveiola, It. ; is used for nearly the same purposes as the red. In many parts of the continent, the leaves deprived of their midrib are used as spinach, or put into soups, and the midrib is boiled-and eaten as chard or asparagus. Quatitigs AND GrneRAL Uses.—The common Beet is a well known culinary vegetable, extensively used as a pickle and salad *; preserved as a confiture, made a substitute for coffee, and yielding a beautiful varnish. A good beer may be made from the roots, and when fermented, a pleasant wme. Sub- mitted to the acetous fermentation, and reduced to a pulp, * The poet Martial notes its insipidity :— ‘*Ut sapiant fatue fabrorum prandia bete, O quam sepe petet vina piperque coquus !” BEET. yi the beet-root is the principal ingredient in the substance named barszez, in Poland, which is esteemed a salubrious food, and a preservative against scurvy and putrid fevers. But the most important product of this plant is the saccha- rine matter which is procured so abundantly from the roots, and which may rival that obtained from the cane. The ex- traction of sugar from beet-root, first resorted to by Buonaparte as a matter of necessity, has been carried to such perfection in France as to become a lucrative branch of commerce ; and the people of that country appear to be sanguine of rendering them- selves independent of the colonies for that important article at no very distant period. The following is a good but not a very profitable way of preparing it. “Let the roots be softened in water, sliced, and the juice expressed, which is to be boiled down, with the addition of a little lime, till about two-thirds remain, and afterwards strained. These boilings and strainings are repeated alternately, until the liquid attains the consistence of syrup, when it is left to cool. The sugar thus extracted, retains somewhat of the taste of the root, but it may be purified by the same process as re- fined West India sugar, and it then loses its peculiar flavour. The quantity obtained varies considerably, but in general it averages between four and five pounds from one hundred pounds of the beet-root, beside a quantity of uncrystallizable syrup. In Germany, the expense has been calculated at about three- pence per pound. Mepicat Properties anD Usrs.—The use of this plant as an emollient and laxative is now almost forgotten. The leaves softened by a hot iron, or steeped in beer, were a familiar to- pical application for dressing issues, blisters, certain sores and ulcers, and even in scald-head*. The powder of the root, and more especially the expressed juice, is a powerful errhine, and was remarked as such by Galen. It was recommended to be snuffed up the nose in severe head-ache, catarrhs, and tooth-ache, but it is condemned by Borrich as a dangerous sternutatory. * Lorry de morbis cutaneis, p. 442. XVII. BETONICA OFFICINALIS. Wood Betony. Class X\V. DipynamtaA.—Order I. GYMNOSPERMIA. Nat. Ord. Wasiatz. Gen. Cuar. Calyx ovate, ten-ribbed ; teeth equal, awned. Corolla with the tube exserted, cylindrical ; upper lip ascending, plane ; lower lip patent, trifid, its middle lobe entire, or nearly so. Spec. CHar. Spike interrupted. Middle lobe of the lower lip of the corolla emarginate. Leaves cordate- oblong, crenate. SYNONYMES. Greck..... xerrgov puxoreoQov 5 Beravixn. g Beton purpurea, Bauwh. Pin. 235. ».-< Betonica. Ger. Em. 714. Raitt Syn. 238. UHatonicn officinalis. Lin. Sp. Pl. 810. French..... Betoine. Italian.... Bettonica. Spanish and : Portuguese § Betonica. German.... Betonik; Betonie; Zehrkraut. Dutch .... Betonie; Betony. Polish .... Bukwika. Latin... Descrirtion.—The root is perennial, woody, twisted, brown- ish, and furnished with long white fibres. The stem is simple, upright, quadrangular, rough with deflexed hairs, and rises about a foot and ahalf in height. The lower leaves are cordate- oblong, and furnished with long footstalks. The upper ones are opposite, oblong, and nearly sessile ; the whole of a deep green colour, obtuse and crenate. ‘The flowers are disposed in ter- minal oblong spikes, rather short and interrupted, with two BETONY. 59 linear, lanceolate, reflexed bracteze at the base. The calyx ts monophyllous, tubular, 10-ribbed, and divided at the border into five-toothed acute segments. ‘The corolla is monopetalous, bi-labiate, purple, with a cylindrical curved tube; the upper lip is plane, entire, and obtuse; the lower one larger and divided into three lobes, the middle lobe larger, roundish, and slightly notched. The stamens are four didynamous; the filaments awl-shaped, inclined towards the upper lip; the anthers globose, 2-lobed. The germen is superior, rounded, 4-lobed, supporting a simple filiform style, terminated by a bifid stigma. ‘The fruit consists of 4 oval, brown seeds, situated in the bottom of the persistent calyx. Plate 6, fig. 2, (a) the entire flower ; (0) the corolla seen in front; (c) the pistil and part of the calyx. This hardy perennial plant grows in shady places in woods and meadows, flowering in July and August. It is not uncom- mon in England; rare in Scotland. It often grows in beds, and when peeping up among bushes and low shrubs, has a pretty effect. Pliny states that the term betonica altered from vetonica, is derived from the Vetones, who inhabited the country at the base of the Pyrennees, and who first brought the plant into notice. This, says Théis, is an error, betonic is the true Celtic name of the plant, and it comes from ben, the head, and ton, good; in allusion to its cephalic properties. . Quatities and Generat Uses.—The sensible qualities of betony are rather feeble. The roots have a bitter and nauseous flavour. The leaves, together with a slight bitterness, have an austere and somewhat saltish taste. The flowers exhale a slight aromatic odour, which is soon dissipated. Bartholinus* relates, that persons employed in gathering betony for medical purposes, have been seized with a kind of intoxication, which caused them to commit all kinds of extravagancies. Other similar instances are on record, but if not absolutely untrue, they are greatly exaggerated. This plant communicates a fine durable brown colour to wool, which is previously impregnated with a weak solution of bismuth. MepicaL Properties anp Usrs.—Few plants have been * Historia Anatomicarum Observationum, Obs. 97, Cent. 3. 60 BETONY, more jauded by the ancients than this. Dioscorides and Galen highly celebrate its powers*. It was extolled by Lucius Apulius, and Antonius Musa, physician to Augustus, as an infallible remedy in forty-seven different diseases, among which are enumerated paralysis, madness, and consumption. A plaster of betony has been recommended even in modern days to consolidate fractures of the skull. These extravagant and absurd stories have tended to obscure whatever medical virtues the plant may in reality possess. Murray}, with great reason, doubts whether this is the Berovixy of Dioscorides, whose description would apply equally well to many other Labiate. Most writers agree that Betony is not entirely destitute of remedial virtues. Scopoli speaks highly of its cephalic and corroborant effects. Geoffroy recommends it in paralysis, hemicrania, and vertigo; and Etmuller, inall kinds of headaches. A small handful of the plant infused in half a pint of boiling water, makes an excellent tea, of great service in bilious head- aches and complaints of the stomach. Its efficacy in gout has also been advanced, but seems rather questionable. ‘The roots are said to be emetic and purgative. The dried leaves and flowers are sternutatory, and have been found serviceable in headaches. Niemann gives the following formula : Take of, Herb of Sage ? Betony Of each one handful. Marjoram Root of Florentine Iris, one ounce. Make a powder. According to Dr. Woodville, this plant and the Eyebright enter into the composition of Rowley’s British herb tobacco and snuff. * The enthusiasm of the Greeks seems to have descended to the Italians, who still have a proverb: ‘* Ha piu virtu che bettonica”—“ He has as many virtues as betony ;”’ and another, ‘* Vende la tonica e compra la bettonica.” + Apparatus Medicaminum, Vol. II. p. 191. “a XVIII. CONVOLVULUS SEPIUM. Great Bindweed. Class V. PrentTaNDRIA.—Order I. Monoaynia. Nat. Ord. ConvoLvuLacEz. GEN. CHar. Calyx five-cleft. Corolla campanulate, plaited. Stzgmas two, obtuse. Capsule of one to three cells with as many valves ; cells one to two seeded. Spec. CHar. Stem climbing. Leaves sagittate, truncate at the base. Peduncles four-sided, single-flowered. Bractee large, cordate, close to the flower. SYNONYMES. Convolvulus major. Bauh. Pin. 294. Raii Syn, 275. ; | sta levis, major. Ger. Em. 861. Latin ++-- 1 Convolyulus sepium. Lin. Sp. Pl. 218, | Calystegia sepium. R. Brown. French.,.. Grand Liseron. Italian .... Vilucchio Maggiore. Spanish ... Corregiiela. German ..- Zaunwinde; Windekraut. Dutch ..... Groote Winde. Description.—The root is long, slender, creeping, and fi- brous. The stems are climbing, weak, angular, twisted, smooth, and often extend several feet in length. The leaves are large, alternate, arrow-shaped, smooth, of a light green colour, trun- cate at the base, and supported on long footstalks. The flowers proceed singly from the axils of the leaves, on smooth qua- drangular peduncles, with two large cordate bractez placed close to each flower. The calyx is small, inferior, and divided into five ovate permanent segments. The corolla is monope- talous, large, campanulate, regular, snow-white, sometimes with a roseate tinge, with five plaits, and five shallow lobes. The stamens have subulate filaments, half as long as the corolla, and sagittate, erect, terminal anthers. The germen is ovate ; the style filiform, as long as the stamens; the stigmas two, 62 BINDWEED. spreading. The fruit is a globose pointed capsule, with from one to three cells, each containing one or two large roundish seeds. Plate 5, fig. 2, (a) the calyx; (b) the stamens; (c) the pistil. The great Bindweed is a perennial plant, a native of most parts of Europe, and growing plentifully in this country in hedges and moist woods. It flowers in July and August. The name is derived from convolvulo, toentwine. It is some- times called bear-bind, withe-wind, and hedge-bells, and is a great ornament to our hedges in autumn, exhibiting large, showy, white flowers in great profusion. There are two other species of convolvulus indigenous to this country. The C. Soldanella, which grows on sandy sea-shores, distinguished by its prostrate stem, kidney-shaped leaves, and rose-coloured flowers; and the C. arvensis or small Bindweed, which is known by its creeping root penetrating very deep into the soil, prostrate twining stems, and rose-coloured, yellowish, or white flowers. ‘The latter is found on the borders of most corn-fields, flowering in June and July. Mepicat Prorertizrs and Usrs.—The Sea Bindweed has been long known as an acrid purgative. This quality resides in a milky juice, which exudes from the plant on being wounded. A decoction of from half a drachm to three drachms of the dried leaves was directed for a dose. It was also used as an antiscorbutic, and hence the name Scottish scurvy-grass. The great Bindweed, however, here figured, seems to be the most powerful. The expressed juice of the stem and roots, when died, concretes into a resin, which is proposed by Withering as a substitute for scammony, in the dose of twenty or thirty grains, and is recommended by Halley and Dr. Good as a hydragogue purgative in dropsies. Inarecent work on Medical Botany, itis stated, that ‘‘ twenty pounds of the fresh root, afford a watery extract of one pound twelve ounces, from fifteen to twenty grains of which act freely on the bowels as a drastic purgative, and gripe but little. A pill, composed of one ounce and a half of the extract, two drachms of aloes, and one drachm of ginger, act with certainty and ease, in doses of ten grains, and might be substituted for compound extract of colocynth.”* * Stevenson and Churchill’s Med. Botany, Vol. I. XIX. BETULA ALBA. Common Birch. Class XX1I. Monazcia.—Order V1. PoLyANpRIA. Nat. Ord. AMENTACEZ. Gen. Cuar. Barren flowers in a cylindrical catkin ; the scales ternate, the middle scale bearing the stamens. Fertile flowers in a catkin whose scales are imperfectly three-lobed, three-flowered. Germen compressed, with two cells, one of which is abortive ; styles two. Fruit membranous, winged, one-celled. Spec. Cuar. Leaves ovate-deltoid, acute, doubly ser- rated, nearly smooth. SYNONYMES. Greek ..... onoos ; onevde. Theophrastus. Fin... \ Betula. Bauh. Pin. 426. Raii. Syn. 443. Betula alba. Lin. Sp. Pl. 1393. French.... Bouleau; Bouleau Blanc. Ttalian.... Betula; Betulla. Spanish... Abedul. German... Birke; Birkenbaum. Dutch..... Berkenboom. Belgic .... Berke-boom. Polish .... Brzoza. Swedish ..._ Biork. Russian ... Beresa. Descrirtion.—The common Birch is a graceful tree, growing in a favourable soil to the height of forty or fifty feet. The trunk is straight, cylindrical, without knots, and dividing towards the top, into numerous flexible, pendent branches ; the bark has a silvery appearance, and when old peels off trans- versely. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate, somewhat deltoid, acute, irregularly serrate, nearly smooth, and shining. 64 BIRCH. The flowers are small, destitute of perianth, amentaceous, and moneecious ; the male catkins are long, and composed of ter- nate scales; the stamens are eleven or twelve, with anthers grouped in fours; the female catkins are shorter and more dense, composed of 3-lobed scales, each of which contains three flowers. The germen is compressed, 2-celled; styles 2, subulate ; stigmas simple. The fruit is compressed, mem- branous at the margin, and contains a single seed. Plate 4, fig. 3, (1*) male catkins; (2*) female catkin; (a) scale detached from the male catkin; (b) scale from the female catkin; (c) scale of the ripe fertile catkin ; (d) ripe fruit. This elegant tree inhabits woods, especially in heathy soils, and in mountainous countries, flowering in the early spring. It forms extensive natural woods in the Highlands of Scotland, and is one of the last productions of vegetation towards the North Pole. The name is said to be derived from betu, the Celtic appellation of the birch. Burns has celebrated it as “ the fragrant birk in woodbines drest.” QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—This tree is applied to numerous important purposes by the inhabitants of Sweden, Lapland, and Russia. The Laplanders make of the outer bark, shoes for fishing, baskets and fishing lines, by weaving slips of it together. The dishes in which their fish is served at table, are made of the same materials ; and a large thick piece of the bark, well dried, with a circular hole in the centre, the size of the neck, serves them for a cloak, which, when the opening in front is closed with a wooden skewer, keeps them dry in the heaviest rains. . The inner bark, which is thick, fleshy, fibrous and brittle, is made into nets, and all the Laplanders prepare leather by steeping the ox-hides which they obtain from Norway and Sweden in a warm decoction of the bark, for three successive days. This leather they prefer to any other, as it resists the water better. The Laplanders never make the bark into bread, as the Kamschatdales are said to do*. In some northern countries, houses are covered with the bark, and it is twisted into torches; good charcoal is made of * Flora Lapponica, p. 271. BIRCH. 65 the wood, and an oil is obtained from the degot or white rind, which gives to the well known Russia leather its superior qualities. Guetard states, that before and subsequent to the era of Alexander the Great, the white inner bark of the birch was the only paper used by the Gauls. Specimens of this rude material are still preserved in the cabinets of the curious *. The utility of the birch as a dye, has been confirmed by numerous experiments. It affords a brown, yellow, fawn, or red colour, according to the mode by which it is prepared. It is also reputed to fix the colour of logwood. In many parts of the country a wine is made of the sap, which is procured in great quantities by boring a hole in the trunk of the tree early in the spring. The incision should be made at the top of the trunk or the branches, and prior to the appearance of the leaves. The juice thus obtained is limpid and sweetish, and readily passes into the vinous fermentation. Inspissated and set aside for some time in a cool place, it deposits crystals of a sweetish taste, resembling manna. Mepicat Properties anp Uses.—The medical virtues of this tree are few and inconsiderable, nevertheless it has been much lauded. The juice before mentioned, given to the extent of from two to five ounces, was esteemed an excellent depurative in cutaneous eruptions, diuretic, diaphoretic, and lithontriptic. Bergius and Rosen state that it is vermifuge. They direct it to be preserved for use, by pouring a little oil on the surface, by which means it may be kept for several months. The leaves and the bark have also enjoyed some reputation as detergents and antiseptics. The Muscovite and Swedish peasants apply the leaves to any part affected with rheumatic pains or gout, and experience relief from their sudorific action. The Lap- landers obtain from the fissures of the wood in old trees a sub- stance resembling an Agaric, which they use as moxa, and which forms their chief resource in all complaints where there * While enumerating the various uses of the birch, we must not omit to notice its manufacture into brooms, and the well known instruments of castigation, the “ birchen sprays.” It seems to have been an emblem of authority in the early days of the Roman republic, since it was bound up in the fasces which were carried before the chief magistrates. 66 BIRCH. is much pain and but slight inflammation*. They also make a plaster which is used to promote suppuration, by burning the middle layer of the outer bark, and before it is quite con- sumed, quenching it in water, and then blending it with the resin of the spruce fir, to a proper consistence. * Flora Lap. p. 273. Linneus remarks, it is curious by what means they could have learned the use of this remedy, since it is used nowhere throughout Sweden. They employ it to such an extent, that their faces and breasts are often covered with hideous cicatrices. wy eee XX. ARISTOLOCHIA CLEMATITIS. Common Birthiort. Class XX. GyNANDRIA.—Order II]. HEXANDRIA. Nat. Ord. ARisTOLOCHIER. Gen. Cuar. Perianth superior, tubular, coloured, per- manent, often swelling at the base, dilated at the mouth. Anthers six, subsessile, inserted round the base of the style. Stigma with six lobes. Capsule inferior, with six cells. Spec. Cuar. Stem erect. Leaves heart-shaped. Flowers upright ; lip oblong, shortly acuminate. SYNONYMES. Greek ...+. agisrorox ia. Aristolochia Clematitis recta. Bauh. Pin. 307. Lahn... asset Saracenica. Ger. Em. 847. Aristolochia Clematitis. Lin. Sp. Plan. 1364. French.... Aristoloche commune. Ttalian.... Aristolochia. Spanish... Aristoloquia comun. German... Waldrebe Osterluzey ; Waldreben Hohlwurzel. Dutch .... Holwortel; Osterlucy. Belgic ...._ Dunne Holwortel ; Sarratyns-kruid. Description.—The root is perennial, long, cylindrical, slen- der, creeping, and fibrous. The stems are simple, upright, round, and striated, growing in a zig-zag direction, about two feet in height. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, smooth, heart-shaped, obtuse, of a bright green colour above, paler, and veined beneath. The flowers are of a greenish yellow colour, and rise several together from the axils of the leaves, on short peduncles. The perianth (calyx) is monophyllous, tubular, swelling at the base, dilated on one side at the mouth, and lengthened into a strap-like lobe. The anthers are six in num- eke 68 BIRTHWORT. ber, situated on the germen, sessile, two-celled. The germen is inferior, oblong, angular, surmounted by a very short style, and a concave stigma with six divisions. The fruit is an oval capsule, with six corners and six cells, and as many valves, each cell containing numerous triangular seeds. Plate 6, fig. 1, (a) the pistil, showing the inferior ovary, the very short style, and the stigma divided into six parts, at the base of which the anthers are situated; (6) the ripe fruit, cut transversely to show the six cells. The common Birthwort is found in most of the temperate countries of the world. It occurs in Britain, but is not very frequent, in woods, copses, and near the ruins of nunneries in the south-east of the island. It flowers in July and August. The generic name is formed from agisos excellent, and royce, the puerperal state, in allusion to its reputed virtues in ex- citing the lochial discharge ; it is called clematis from xAyjuarts, a little vine. Quatitizs.—The root has a slight aromatic smell, and a warm, bitterish taste. The juice gives a red tinge to blue paper, and the aqueous infusion is not altered by sulphate of iron. Spirit is the best menstruum for extracting the virtues of the roots; but by distillation in water a small quantity of essential oil is obtained, having the odour and taste of the root. Orfila enumerates this plant among the narcotico-acrid poison- ous, but the quantity requisite to produce poisonous effects is so large, that accidents very seldom occur. Mepicat Propertizs anp Usrs.—Hippocrates, Galen, and other writers, both of remote and recent times, highly extol the powers of aristolochia. The root has been used for suppressing uterine purgations, and as an alterant in gout. Dr. Gilibert attri- butes to the infusion diuretic and emmenagogue properties, and recommends the powder of the root in wine, to be given in chlo- rosis, dropsical affections, intermittent fevers, and humid asthma. The dose of the infusion is half an ounce; of the powder froma scruple to a drachm and a half. A modern author bears wit- ness to the successful employment of a decoction of this root in the form of clysters in the internal piles, which having suppu- rated were near producing fistula. Dr. Cullen says, “* In some cases of retention and chlorosis, as a warm and stimulating medicine, I have found it useful. It BIRTHWORT. 69 makes a considerable part of the Portland powder, and has often been employed in the same manner as that powder, to be taken every day for a length of time. But though it may pre- vent the recurrence of the gouty paroxysms, the long-continued use of such medicines is extremely hurtful, and commonly brings on a general state of disease more fatal than the original distemper.”* Its use as a vulnerary, in common with many others, is now obsolete. There are several other species of Aristolochia possessing medicinal properties, and the A. Serpentaria, Virginian snake- root, or Birthwort, is a valuable stimulating diaphoretic and tonic. * Materia Medica, Vol. II. p. 296. XXI. POLYGONUM BISTORTA. Great Bistort, or Snakeweed. Class VIII. Ocranpria.—Order III. ‘TRriegynia. Nat. Ord. PotyGoNEz. GeN. CHar. Perianth single, petaloid, inferior, coloured, in five deep persistent segments. Stamens five to eight. Styles two to three. Fruit a two or three-cornered inde- hiscent, one-seeded nut. Spec. CHar. Stem simple, bearing one spike. Leaves ovate, waved ; the radicle ones tapering into a footstalk. SYNONYMES. ( Bistorta major. Bawh. Pin. 192. Ger. Em. 399. Raii Syn. 147. Serpentaria mas, seu Bistorta. Fuchs. 773. Polygonum Bistorta. Lin. Sp. Pl. 516. French.... Bistorte. Italian.... Bistorta. Spanish and Bisioria Portuguese § German... Natterkneeterich ; Weizenkneeterich ; Natterwurz. % Latin.... Dutch..... Naterwortel ; Slangenwortel; Hartstonge. Danish.... Slangeort. Polish .... Wezownik. Swedish ... Ormrot. Description.—The root is perennial, woody, tortuous, dark _ brown externally and reddish within, about the thickness of the finger, and furnished with numerous slender fibres. The stem is simple, erect, cylindrical, knotted at the joints, striated, smooth, and attains the height of a foot or eighteen inches. The leaves are alternate, ovate, entire, smooth, and waved; the radical ones are large, and gradually tapering into along foot- stalk ; those of the stem are smaller, clasping, and sub-sessile,. each with a long membranous stipule. The flowers are disposed Llate 6. 45 Ae Es LL hhtwort” UF fon Ur) ) \ Bigho 4 f : \ 7 J ~ Ca LY ere A v, p< — 5 BISTORT. 71 in a terminal, dense, cylindrical spike ; each flower is sup- ported on a very short stalk, with shining, serrate, membranous bracteee at the base. The perianth (calyx) is of a light rose colour, and divided into five deep persistent segments. The stamens are eight, tapering, longer than the perianth, with pur- ple anthers. The germen is superior, triangular, supporting three filiform styles, each terminated by a small, slightly capi- tate stigma. The fruit is a triangular, pointed nut, containing a single seed, and surrounded by the persistent calyx. Plate 6, fig. 3, (a) two flowers of unequal length, detached from the spike, with the membranous bractez at the base ; (6) the pistil ; (c) the ripe fruit, accompanied with the persistent calyx. Bistort is a native of Switzerland, the south of France, Germany, Holland, Siberia, and Japan, and is found abundantly in moist meadows in various parts of Britain. It flowers in June. The name of the genus is taken from Aus, many, and ‘yovy, a jot, in allusion to the numerous joints of the stem. The term Bistorta is compounded of bis, tnice, and tortus, tnisted, expres- sive of the figure of the root. Quauities aNpD GENERAL Usrs.—Most parts of this plant are applied to useful purposes. Cattle in general are fond of it, though horses refuse it. The seeds have been used as food for birds and poultry. The young leaves and shoots were formerly eaten in herb puddings, and boiled as greens in the north of England, where the plant goes by the name of Easter-giant and Patience-dock. The root, however, is the most valuable part of the plant, and few indigenous vegetables possess greater astringency. It has been found to contain a large proportion of tannin and gallic acid ; oxalic acid was also detected in it by Scheele. After repeated washings, the root of bistort loses its styptic qualities, and affords a considerable quantity of foecula, resem- bling starch, which in many northern countries, especially Russia, is mixed with wheaten flour and made into bread. Mepicat Properties AnD Usrs.—This plant has fallen into undeserved neglect in modern days. Dr. Cullen observes, “ Both by its sensible qualities, and by the colour it gives with green vitriol, and by the extracts it affords, Bistort seems to be one of the strongest of our vegetable astringents. As such we 72 BISTORT. have frequently employed it, and particularly in intermittent fevers, in the quantity of three drachms daily.”* The powdered root, in doses of a drachm, has also been given in hemorrhage, diarrhoea, and chronic dysentery. Geoffroy} recommends it in incontinence of urine, gonor- rhoea, excessive menstruation, spitting of blood, and bilious vomitings ; but itis not employed in these complaints by modern physicians. The inhabitants of the Alps, according to Chomel, consider it a specific in fluor albus. Ratier directs a decoction to be made thus— Take of Root of Bistort ....... «+eee One ounce. Water's.) s2g)s+ tiers ace, ateelsioins Two pints. After sufficient boiling, strain. Dose, from one to three ounces. The decoction forms an excellent gargle for scorbutic gums and ulcerated sore throat. * Materia Medica, Vol. II. p. 40. + Materia Medica, Vol. III. p. 195. XXII. POLYGONUM HYDROPIPER. Biting Persicaria, Arsmart, or Water-Pepper. Class VIII. OctTanpria.—Order I. TRicynia. Nat. Ord. Potyconez. GEN. CHAR. See Bistort. Spec. Cuar. Flowers hexandrous, half-digynous. Leaves lanceolate, waved, not spotted. Spikes filiform, droop- ing. Stem erect. SYNONYMES. Persicaria acris, sive Hydropiper. Raii Syn. 144. Polygonum Hydropiper. Lin. Sp. Pl. 517. French .... Persicaire brulante: Poivre d’eau ; Curage. Italian .... Pepe aquatico. Spanish .... Pimienta de agua. Portuguese. Pimenta de agua. German ... Wasserpfeffer ; Bitternknceterich. Dutch .... Water-peper. Danish.... Vand peber. Swedish.... Bitterblad. Polish..... Pieprz wodny. TRUSS, oo no 6 Potschednaja trawa. Persicaria urens, seu Hydropiper. Bauwh. Pin. 101. Latin .... 4 Descrirrion.—The root is annual, aquatic, fibrous. The stems are smooth, cylindrical, articulated, nearly erect, often branched, tinged with red, and about two feet in height. The leaves are simple, alternate, smooth, shortly petiolate, lanceolate, acute, wavy, free from spots, and furnished at the base with short truncated stipules of a reddish hue. The flowers are dis- 74 BITING PERSICARIA. posed in lax, filiform, drooping spikes, which are lateral and ter- minal, and furnished with scaly bractezee. The perianth (calyx) is generally four-lobed, inferior, persistent, and tinged with pink. The stamens are six, with short filaments and roundish anthers. The germen is superior, trigonous, compressed ; the styles are two, united half way up, terminated by single stigmas. The fruit is a compressed, triangular nut, containing a single seed. Plate 4, fig. 4, (a) the calyx laid open to show the stamens; (b) the pistil; (c) the seed magnified. This plant grows abundantly by the sides of lakes and ditches in this country, and throughout the greater part of Europe. It flowers from July to September. The specific name is a compound of the Greek vdxe, mater, and the Latin piper, pepper ; of which there are synonymes in many languages. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—This plant has an acrid, biting taste, slightly resembling that of peppermint, which is supposed to reside in the glandular dots sprinkled over its sur- face. It loses much of this property by drying, and like arum, the acrimony is destroyed in the process of distillation. Ber- gius remarks that the aqueous infusion is blackened by sulphate _of iron,—a sure indication of an astringent principle. It has been used to dye woollen cloth of a yellow colour. It is not eaten by any animal. In some parts of Germany they keep this herb in their bed-rooms for the purpose of dispersing fleas, as these insects, they say, will not come where it is. Farriers sometimes use this plant as an application to fungous flesh, and ulcers in animals, and a drachm of the powder of the dried herb given in honey is said to destroy a species of worm which often proves fatal to sheep. Mepicat Properties and Usrs.—The Biting Persicaria is another of those plants which are discarded from modern prac- tice. Its pungency has caused it to be employed as a rube~ facient to the skin, in the same manner as mustard. It was highly commended for cleansing atonic ulcers and in gangrene. The leaves infused in boiling water, or a strong decoction of them, were also applied to tumours, bruises, and contusions. Linnzeus *, states that the Norwegians use the recent herb as a * Flora Suecica, p. 130. ee BITING PERSICARIA. 795 remedy for tooth-ache, either chewed or applied externally in the form of a poultice, or a strong decoction as hot as can be borne. The distilled water was highly recommended in calculous affections by the learned Boyle, but it is now disused except as a cosmetic. A decoction made by boiling half an ounce of the dried plant in a quart of water down to a pint, is said to be diuretic, and very efficacious in dropsy, jaundice, and obstructions of the viscera. XXIII. SOLANUM DULCAMARA. itter-sweet, or Woody Nightshade. Class V. PeNTANDRIA.—Order I. MoNnoGynlIa. Nat. Ord. Souanez. Gren. CHar. Caylx five to ten-parted. Corolla rotate. Anthers opening with two pores at the extremity. Berry two or more celled. Spec. CuHar. Stem without thorns, shrubby, climbing. Leaves cordate, the upper ones hastate. Clusters cy- mose, drooping, opposite the leaves. SYNONYMES. Greek sees yaduxuringos. Solanum scandens, seu Dulcamara. Bauh. Pin. 176. Amara dulcis. Ger. Em. 350. Solanum lignosum, seu Dulcamara. -Raii. Syn. 265. Solanum Duleamara. Lin. Sp. Pl. 264. French.... Douce-amere ; Morelle grimpante. Itahan.... Amara-dolce; Dulcamara. Spanish... Dulzamara; Manzana agri dulce. Portuguese Docamarga. German .. Bittersuéss; Alfranken; Hirschkraut. Dutch .... Bitterzoet; Alfs-ranken; Elfranken. Polish .... Psinki-wodni. Swedish .. Qweswod. LUD. Bre 00 Description.—-The root is perennial, slender, woody, branch- ed, and fibrous. The stems are cylindrical, climbing, shrubby, alternately branched, somewhat angular, and attain the height of six or seven feet. The bark of the main stem is ash coloured ; that of the branches purplish. The leaves are alternate, acute, glabrous, sometimes pubescent, and stand on long footstalks ; the lower ones are ovate, somewhat cordate, entire; the upper y . = ans lee ; SO | é bvooklume BITTER-SWEET. Ch halbert-shaped. The flowers are disposed in elegant, pendulous, eymose racemes, opposite the upper leaves or terminal. The calyx is small, and divided into five obtuse segments. The corolla is wheel-shaped, divided into five reflexed, equal, acute segments of a reddish purple colour, with two whitish green tubercles at the base of each. The stamens are five, terminated by large yellow anthers united into a cone-shaped figure. The germen is roundish, supporting a thread-shaped style, longer than the stamens, and terminated by an obtuse stigma. The fruit is a smooth, oval berry, of a scarlet colour, containing numerous seeds, attached to a fleshy receptacle. Plate 7, fig. 3. (a) calyx, stamens, and pistil; (6) corolla laid open; (¢) a single stamen, showing the mode in which the pollen is dis- charged from the apertures at the top of the anther; (d) the pistil; (e) the fruit cut longitudinally to show the position of the seeds. This plant occurs in moist hedges and thickets throughout the greater part of Europe. It is found in similar situations in this country, embellishing the sturdy shrubs round which it climbs for support, with its elegant flowers and brilliant fruit. Tt continues in flower from June to August. The etymology of the term Solanum is involved in some ob- security; some have derived it from solari, to comfort, but the application of this is far from satisfactory. The present species is called Duleamara from dulcis, sweet, and amara, bitter, be- cause of its bitter, and subsequently sweet taste in the mouth. Quauities.—The root and stem of the woody Nightshade, when bruised, diffuse a nauseous odour, and whether fresh or dried, invariably possess the union of properties to which the plant owes its trivial name. The recent leaves are said to ex- hale occasionally a slight musky smell, but when dried they are quite inodorous. M. Guersent thinks that the saccharine prin- ciple resides in the ligneous part, and the bitter principle in the cortical part of the old stems. Water extracts the virtues of the plant better than alcohol. An aqueous infusion from one ounce of the twigs, afforded, according to Hartmann and Kuhn, five drachms and thirty-five grains of extract, while the spirl- tuous tincture from a like quantity gave only two drachms and a half*. * Murray, Apparatus Med. Vol. I. p. 605. 78 BITTER-SWEET. The activity of this plant is supposed to depend on an alkaloid, called by Defosses, who first discovered it, Solania or Solanine, which is also found in the berries of the garden nightshade, but not in the leaves. Solania is obtained by treating the filtered juice with ammonia, whereby.a greyish precipitate is formed. This deposit, collected upon a filter, washed, and treated with boiling alcohol, yields by evaporation the above salifiable base. When pure, it is white and opaque, having no smell, but a slightly bitter and nauseous taste. It requires 8000 times its weight of hot water for solution, and is but sparingly soluble in alcohol. It has an alkaline reaction, and with acids forms neutral salts. Its action on animals is, to pro- duce vomiting, which is generally succeeded by lethargic drowsiness. Poisonous Prorrerties.—The berries of the woody Night- shade are looked upon with terror by the peasantry, who rank them with the shining fruit of the bryony, under the name of ‘‘ poison-berries.”” The accounts of their deleterious nature have probably been much exaggerated, for Duval gave sixty, and even a hundred berries to dogs without any appreciable results ; and the acute physiologist Magendie states, that he “ would not hesitate to take those substances himself which he has observed to be mnocuous to animals.” Moreover, half an ounce of the extract has been taken by an adult without any inconvenience*. Some cases of their noxious, and even fatal effects on children are recorded, but we are not assured that the berries were those of this plant; they might have been gathered from the bryony, which is equally common in hedges. Neverthe- less, the bitter-sweet belongs to a suspicious tribe, and parents should warn their offspring of the danger of eating its tempting fruit. If untoward symptoms are produced by this or any other vegetable, medical assistance should be promptly obtained. Mepicat Prorerties AND Uses.—The ordinary effects of this plant are narcotic and diuretic. In large does it occasions nausea, vomiting, syncope, palpitation, and convulsive twitch- ings of various parts of the body. “Its influence on the nutritive functions is shown by the alvine evacuations, the increase of perspiration, and abundant secretion of urine. It also augments the product of the mucous secretions, and in some eases facili- tates expectoration.” Whatever may be the medical value of the Dulcamara, it has been extensively employed in various acute and chronic dis- * Flore Medicale, p. 173. BITTER-SWEET. 79 eases. Linnzeus* and Carrere} employed it with advantage in chronic rheumatism. Bergius gave from five to ten grains of the extract twice or thrice a day, in gout; and other eminent practitioners, have recommended it in incipient phthisis, pleurisy, asthma, jaundice, and dropsy ; also in uterine obstructions and suppression of the lochia. The best effects, however, have been obtained from it, in some obstinate cutaneous affectionst. Dr. Bateman considers it one of the most effectual remedies for leprosy under all its varieties. Herpetic eruptions have been known to yield to its internal and external use, and it has been recommended by Linnzeus in some of the secondary forms of syphilis. The twigs are the part employed in medicine, and for this purpose they should be gathered in autumn after the leaves have fallen. The decoction is thus made. Take of Stalks of Woody Nightshade, sliced .... An ounce. Waters- 76... Srefeve(erestevafore oer etnies A pint and a half. Boil to a pint, and strain. Dose, from one to three ounces. ‘“‘ The addi- tion of a little cinnamon renders the decoction less apt to offend the stomach.” — Bigelow. The external use of the leaves is now nearly forgotten, but in rustic practice they are sometimes applied externally, in form of poultice or fomentation, by beating up the leaves and stalks with a little hot water, or by making a strong decoction of them. These preparations are deemed of service in all hard and painful swellings, especially those of the knee-joint, or in the female breast ; also in all contusions and bruises, for pro- moting the absorption of extravasated blood, by which means the blackness is speedily removed. * Dissertatio de Dulcamara, in Amen. acad. Vol. VIII. + Memoire sur les vertus de la Douce-amere, p. 53: + The women of Etruria, according to Matthiolus, employed the juice of the berries as a cosmetic ; and a decoction of the stems is said to render the skin smooth and pleasant. XXIV. CENTAURIA CYANUS. Common Blue-Bottle. Class XIX. SyNGENestA.—Order II]. Potyeamia FRUSTRANEA. Nat. Ord. Composirm. Gen. Cuar. Involucre scaly. Receptacle bristly. Pappus simple, or none. Corollas of the ray funnel-shaped, irregular, longer than those of the disk. Spec. CuHAr. Scales of the involucre serrated. Leayes linear, entire, the lowermost toothed. SYNONYMES. Cyanus segetum flore cceruleo. Bauh. Pin. 273. tte Cyanus vulgaris. Ger. Em. 732. Cyanus. Raii Syn. 198. Centaurea Cyanus. Lin. Sp. Pl., 1289. French.... Bluet; Aubifoin; Casselunette; Barbeau. Ttalian.... Ciano. Spanish ... Ciano. German... Kornblume. Dutch..... WKornbluem. Belgic .... Koorn-bloemen ; Rogge-bloemen. Descrietion.—The root is annual, rather woody, and fibrous. The stems are slender, branched, striated, covered with a loose cottony down, and attain the height of two or three feet. The leaves are alternate, long, straight, of a light green colour, somewhat cottony, especially beneath; the lower ones are generally toothed towards the base; the upper ones are linear and entire. The flowers are terminal, capitate, tubular, and five-toothed ; the receptacle bristly; the involucre imbricated with scales of a greenish colour, their margin purple, ciliated and serrated. The florets of the circumference or ray are large, BLUE-BOTTLE. 81 azure-coloured, funnel-shaped, while those of the disk are small and purplish ; but the latter are perfect and fertile, the former neuter*. The stamens are five, inserted upon the corolla be- tween its lobes, with the filaments distinct, and the anthers united into a tube. The ovary is simple, adherent with the calyx, which is placed beneath it, surmounted by a single style sheathed by the anthers and terminated by a bifid stigma. The fruit is an achenium, crowned by a simple spreading pappus. The seed is solitary in the pericarp, erect, without albumen. Plate 5, fig. 3, (a) floret of the circumference or ray; (6) floret of the disk; (c) the seed crowned by the pappus. This plant grows abundantly in corn-fields, embellishing them with its brilliant flowers, which appear in July and Au- gust. The name is said to be derived from the Centaur Chiron, who with some plant of this genus was fabled to have cured himself of a wound made by Hercules. It is called Cyanus frem xvaveos, azure-coloured. Quatities anp Usrs.—This plant has little to recommend it but its ornamental character. Several varieties are cultivated in gardens, with white and purple flowers, but they must all yield in beauty to the denizen of the fields. The expressed Juice of the florets, with the addition of a little alum, makes a good ink; and may also be used as a water-colour, and for staining linen blue; but it is said not to be permanent. Mepicat Proverties anp Uses +.—The Cyanus was reckoned, by the credulous of former times, antispasmodic, aperient and diuretic, and contributed to swell the catalogue of vulneraries, being applied to contusions, wounds, and bites of venomous beasts. Ray mentions that the powder is of the utmost service sprinkled over erysipelatous affections. A famous collyrium, “ And thus, from their not contributing to the production of seed, they go to constitute the order Frustranea, so called from the Latin frustra, useless. + The introduction of this and a few others among medicinal plants, may perhaps be reprehended ; therefore, it may be as well to state, that they are admitted partly on account of the interest that attaches to them as relics of a by-gone age, and because some of them are still used as empirical remedies, with the real nature of which it is expedient to be acquainted. Moreover, the plant just described is almost the only example that can be selected from the British Flora of the botanical order to which it belongs. G 82 BLUE-BOTTLE. called in France Eau de Casselunette, was made from the flowers ; and the distilled water is not yet banished from the Parisian Codex, which directs it to be made from one part of the flowers and two parts of water, distilled to one part and a half. The Eau de Casselunette, or break spectacle water, was deemed an excellent remedy in all cases of chronic inflamma- tion of the eyes, and in dimness of sight. — Ee XXV. BORAGO OFFICINALIS. Common Borage. Class V. PentaANpRIA.—Order I. Monoeynia. Nat. Ord. Boracinez. Gen. Cuar. Calyx five-cleft. Corolla rotate, with five acute segments; orifice closed with five obtuse, emar- ginate teeth. Nuts wrinkled. Spec. Cuar. Limb of the corolla flat, much longer than the tube ; orifice with a double row of valves, the inner- most awl-shaped, bearing the stamens. Lower leaves obovate. SYNONYMES, Borago hortensis. Ger. Em. 797. | Borago floribus ceruleis et albis. Raii Syn. 228. ( Borago officinalis. Lin. Sp. Pl. 197. Buglossum latifolium, Borrago. Bauh. Pin. 256. Latin... French.... Bourrache commune. Italian.... Borragine ; Borrana. Spanish.... Borraja; Borraxa. German,... Borretseh; Burretsch. Dutch..... Bernagie; Bernasie. Polish..... Borak. Descrirtion.—The root is long, whitish, divided, fibrous, mostly biennial. The stem is much branched, erect, cylindrical, thick, succulent, clothed with stiff hairs, and about two feet in height. The leaves are alternate, undulated, hispid, and of a deep green colour ; the lower ones obovate, petiolate, and eared at the base; the upper ones ovate, and nearly sessile. G2 84 BORAGE. 2 The flowers are large and disposed in terminal drooping ra- cemes, on long peduncles. The calyx is divided into five deep, linear-lanceolate, persistent segments. The corolla is of a bril- liant blue colour, monopetalous, wheel-shaped ; the tube short ; the limb deeply divided into five acute segments; the orifice closed with five prominent teeth, which are obtuse and notched at the end. ‘The five stamens are very prominent; the fila- ments tapering, converging ; the anthers cblong, connivent, fixed to the middle and inner side of the filaments. The ger- men is four-parted, with a cylindrical style, longer than the stamens, terminated by a simple clavate stigma. The fruit consists of four one-seeded carpels. The seeds are irregular, ovate, wrinkled. Plate 7, fig. 2, (a) the corolla, at the base of the tube of which are seen the valves bearing the stamens; (b) the pistil ; (¢) one of the four nuts of the ripe fruit. The Borage is a native of Southern Europe, but having been long cultivated in this country, it has become naturalized, and is sometimes found on rubbish and waste ground. It flowers in June and July. Varieties are met with in gardens, with white or purple flowers and variegated leaves. The name is derived from cor, heart, and ago, to bring ; be- cause the plant was reputed to exhilarate the spirits*. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uses.—The young and tender leaves are used as salads or pot-herbs and formed an ingredient with lemon, sugar, wine and water, in the old English beverage, called a * cool tankard.” . ; Bees are fond of the flowers and frequent them much in sum- mer and autumn. The stem and leaves contain a viscous juice of a saltish taste. This juice or a decoction of the leaves, inspissated, after a few days deposits crystals, which yield a great deal of nitre and muriate of soda +, and which deflagrate on burning coals. Mepicat Properties AND Uses.—Geoftroy } asserts that this plant attenuates gross and thick humours, removes obstructions, increases the secretions, especially urine, perspiration and ex- pectoration. He ordered it in pleurisy, peripneumonia, and in * Hence the old adage, ‘** Borago, gaudia semper ago.” + Common salt. t Mat. Med. t. III. p. 203. BORAGE. 85 hypochondriacal and hysteric complaints. For these purposes the expressed juice was given in the dose of a table-spocnful every three hours, or an infusion was made with an ounce of the flowers in a pint of white wine, which was taken in the quantity of a wine glassful at a time. A conserve and a distilled water were also directed to be made with the flowers. The refrigerant and aperient virtues of the plant, which are not considerable, must reside in the saline juice of the stem and leaves, therefore the preparations made with the flowers are not indebted to borage for their efficacy. XXVI. RUBUS FRUTICOSUS. Common Bramble or Blackberry. Class XII. IcosaAnpri1a.—Order III. Potyeynta. Nat. Ord. Rosacrz. GEN. CHar. Calyx somewhat campanulate, five-cleft. Petals five. Fruit superior, of several succulent drupes, placed upon a protuberant, dry receptacle. Spec. CHar. Stem arched, angular, furrowed. Panicles long, narrow, downy. Leaves digitate; leaflets obovate, hard, decurved at the edges, white beneath. SYNONYMES. i Rubus major, fructu nigro. Bauh.J.ii.57. Rait Syn. 467. Choe \ Rubus. Ger. Em. 1272. French .... Ronee ordinaire ; Murier des haies. Ttalian.... Rovo. Spanish.... Zarza; Mata espinosa. Portuguese.. Sylva. German..... Brombeerstrauch. Dutch...... Braamen. Swedish.... Brombeer. Polish .... Jezyny. Russian.... Jaschewika. Description.—The stems are very long and sometimes an inch in thickness, deeply furrowed and angular, mostly hairy, when old of a purplish hue. The prickles grow upon the angles of the stem, and also on the panicles and leaf-stalks, they are strong, sharp, and somewhat hooked. The leaves consist of five, stalked, acute, serrated leaflets, varying in figure, but generally obovate, with the edges and point curved downwards, smooth, dark green above, downy and white beneath. The stipules are two, at the base of the leaves. The flowers are Fe BRAMBLE. 87 disposed in long, narrow panicles. The calyx consists of five, short, woolly, reflexed segments. The petals are obovate, spreading, delicate, and crumpled, of a light pink colour, some- times white. The stamens are numerous, inserted on the calyx, with slender filaments, shorter than the petals; the anthers are globose, compressed, two-lobed, and two-celled, bursting longi- tudinally. The germens are numerous, superior, one-celled ; the styles small, hair-like, lateral ; the stigmas simple and persistent. The fruit is nearly globular and of a purplish black colour, composed of numerous, close, juicy drupes, placed upon a pro- tuberant, spongy receptacle. The seeds are small, solitary, oblong. Plate 5, fig. 4, (a) stamen; (0) pistil. This sturdy shrub *, common in every hedge in this country, occurs as far north as Sweden. It flowers in July and August, and the fruit ripens in September. : The name is supposed to be derived from the Latin ruber or the Celtic rud, red. QuaLITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—The bramble is applied to several economical purposes. It is useful in forming hedges. The shoots are very tough, and are employed by thatchers for binding their roofs, and by straw-hive and mat makers. The well known fruit is made into pies and puddings by the cottager. The berries, eaten at the moment they are ripe, are cooling and grateful ; a little before, they are coarse and astringent; and a little after disagreeably flavoured or putrid +. The injurious effects attributed to them, when eaten plentifully by children are probably owing to the latter circumstance. Ray mentions that a good and pleasant wine has been made with the juice, which possesses considerable strength and a pleasant flavour. Some of the muscadine wines of France are coloured with the fruit. Mepicat Properties AND Uses.—This plant is introduced for the reasons mentioned at page 81, and because it may be worth while to ascertain how far it merits the character so confidently given to it by the old physicians, viz.: that of a powerful as- * The genus is remarkable for the manner in which its stems vegetate— the root sends out suckers or stolones which curve downwards to the earth, and take root at the end. In the winter the shoot is partly destroyed, but produces blossoms and fruit the ensuing summer, and then dies. + Loudon’s Encyclopedia of Plants, p. 452. 88 BRAMBLE. tringent. It was used in all kinds of hemorrhages, whether from the uterus, the lungs, the nose, or any other part of the body. For this purpose the leaves were gathered in the spring, and dried ; a good handful of them was infused in a quart of boiling water, and the infusion was ordered to be drunk freely. The bruised leaves were applied to grangrenous ulcers, and Etmuller recommends a decoction of the young leaves in wine, to be applied to certain cutaneous affections. An old writer says, “The most dangerous floodings will yield to this remedy, and the fluor albus, has frequently been cured by a decoction of these leaves, when every other remedy had failed. They form also an excellent gargle in sore throats, especially where there is ulceration.” XXVIT. VERONICA BECCABUNGA. Brooklime. Class IJ. DrianpriaA.—Order I. MOonoGyntia. Nat. Ord. ScropHULARINEZ. GEN. Car. Calyx four or five-parted. Corolla rotate ; the “mb four-parted, unequal. Capsule two-celled. Spec. Cuan. Racemes lateral. Leaves elliptical, obtuse, subserrated, glabrous. Stem procumbent, and rooting at the base. SYNONYMES. Greek..c-- ceveryardris wuden. Anagallis aquatica major folio subrotundo. Bauh. Pin. 252. Anagallis seu Beccabunga. Ger. Em. 620. Veronica aquatica rotundifolia, &c. Raii Syn. 28. Veronica Beccabunga. Lin. Sp. Pi. 16. French.... Beccabunga; Beccabonga; Veronique aquatique. Ttalian.... Anagallide aquatica; Beccabungia. Spanish ... Becabunga; Becabunca. . Portuguese. Beccabunga. German... Bachbungen; Bachbonen ; Wasserbungen. Dutch .... Beekeboom. Danish... Bekbung; Temmike. Swedish ... Backabunga. Polish.... Potoeznik. Latin ovece Description.—The root is perennial, creeping, whitish, and fibrous. The stem is cylindrical, smooth, succulent, procum- bent, rooting, of a reddish colour at the base, and rises from H 90 BROOKLIME. - one to two feet in height. The leaves are opposite, broad, elliptical, glabrous, succulent, with short petioles, and somewhat serrated at the margin. The flowers are disposed in lateral axillary clusters, each flower standing on a slender pedicel, fur- nished with two bracteze at the base. The calyx is persistent, with four divisions. The corolla is bright blue, monopetalous, wheel shaped ; the limb divided into four unequal segments, of which the lower is smallest.. The two stamens are inserted into the short tube of the corolla, with spreading filaments, and oblong, somewhat arrow-shaped anthers. The germen is su- perior, compressed laterally, surmounted with a filiform style, and a simple emarginate stigma. The capsule is ob-cordate, compressed, 2-celled, 4-valved, containing many roundish and dark coloured seeds. Plate 7, fig. 1, (a) the corolla; (6) calyx and pistil; (ce) fruit. The name Veronica is of doubtful origin 3 it is generally sup- posed to have been altered from Betonica; that of Beccabunga, is Latinised from the German, bachbunge ; bach in German, beek, in Dutch, and beck in provincial English, signifymg a brook. The Brooklime is a well known aquatic plant, occurring in every limpid stream, and exhibiting its bright blue flowers throughout the summer months. It is so vivacious as to brave the scorching heat of Africa, and the frosts of northern Europe, while it flourishes luxuriantly in the intermediate regions. The Water Speedwell (V. anagallis) bears a considerable re- semblance to this species, but is distinguished by its longer leaves and racemes of flowers, and erect stem. Of the other species, the pretty Germander Speedwell (VgShamoedrys) is most common, and yields to few spring flowers in simple beauty. Quauitigs AND GENERAL Usts.—The Brooklime is chiefly used as a spring salad, gathered and eaten with water-cress, and the Water Speedwell, which closely resembles it in appear- ance, may be employed in the same manner. The leaves and stem have a bitterish and sub-astringent taste, with little or no acrimony. ‘They are shown by chemical ex- periments, to be subacid and slightly astringent. Mepicat Properties AND Usrs.—Boerhaave, Simon Pauli, and Vogel, speak of the efficacy of this plant in the highest terms, and it has always been a favourite remedy in scorbutic BROOKLIME. 91 and cutaneous affections ; but more has been expected from it than sober opinion would justify, and it has accordingly fallen into disuse. Dr. Guersent, an eminent French physician, thus ably describes its character. ‘In the early spring, when its growth is just commencing, and towards the end of summer, when fructification is pro- ceeding, the Brooklime is merely aqueous, or astringent, and almost tasteless, but when the plant is fully developed, and ready to flower it has a slightly bitter and acid flavour, rather more acrid and biting than that of water-cress. These sensible properties are much more apparent in those plants which grow on the banks of rivulets, and are exposed to the sun, than in those which vegetate under water or in the shade. Whatever may be its natural affinities, it has certainly less analogy, in a medical point of view, with the veronice, than with the family of the crucifere; it agrees with them in its oily principle, which is pungent and volatile, and only differs from them in being less - acrid, and a little astringent. For this reason it is sometimes preferred to more active stimulants, which may occasion too much irritation and heat, and is not unfrequently added to the juice of cruciferous plants to modify their efiects. The Brook- lime acts in the same manner as those vegetables which are designated by the name of antiscorbutics, though it does not appear to be endued with any special advantages. On account of its exciting and slightly tonic properties, it is suitable in some cutaneous and scorbutic affections ; it has also appeared to be ser- viceable in some kinds of phthisis, and atonie engorgements of the abdpminal viscera which have supervened to irregular gout.”* As an antiscorbattte, the expressed juice has been recommend- ed, in the quantity of twover three ounces taken every morning, either alone, or mixed with that of water-cress or scurvy-grass, or in a little milk. A’ conserve made of the fresh leaves, or a syrup from the juice, were formerly substituted for the above, as more palateable, but they are now seldom adininistered. The bruised herb has been applied externally, for the purpose of cleansing foul ulcers, and to relieve piles, whitlows, and burns. * Dictionnaire des Sciences medicales, Tom. L1I p. 66. HZ a4 92 BROOKLIME. Etmuller recommends vapour baths prepared with this plant, together with its internal use, in scorbutie affections; he also extols the application of it externally, in form of poultice, com- bined with chamomile flowers. In order to obtain the expressed juice, the recent plant should be pounded in a marble mortar; the juice should then be squeezed through a coarse linen cloth by means of a press. Plate Se z Ce PIUPP LOT? fe Wy /p y) i) - Siete ra Diyorey, Ps LOE Oe bee e DS oe XXVIII. CYTISUS SCOPARIUS. Common Broom. Class XVII. DtapELPHIA.—Order II]. Dercanpria. Nat. Ord. Lreuminosm. GEN. CHAR. Calyx two-lipped; the upper lip nearly entire ; lower one three-toothed. Standard of the corolla ovate, large ; keel very blunt, enclosing the stamens. Legume flattened, many-seeded. Spec. CuHAk. Branches angular, glabrous. Leaves ter- nate, stalked ; upper ones simple; leaflets oblong. Flowers axillary, with short pedicels. Legume hairy at the margin. SYNONYMES. ( Cytiso ; Genista scoparia, vulgaris, flore luteo. Bauh. Pin. 395. Genista. Ger. Em. 1311. Genista angulosa trifolia. Raii Syn. 474. Spartium Scoparium. Lin. Sp. Pl. 996. Cytisus Scoparius. Link. French.... Genét commun ; Genét a balais; Sparte commun. Itahan.... Ginestra. Spanish.... Ginesta; Escoba; Retama. Portuguese Giesta. German... Pfriemenkraut; Geniste; Genster. Dutch .... Bezembren. Beigic .... Brem; Brem-kappers. Swedish ... Pings blomma. Latin ..... Descrirtion.—The root is hard, woody, of a yellowish co- lour, and furnished with several oblique fibres. The stem is shrubby, ascending, angular, from three to eight feet high and 94 BROOM. branched with numerous straight, flexible, long, angular, smooth, evergreen twigs. The leaves are ternate and solitary, oblong, downy, and stand on footstalks of different lengths. The flowers are large, papilionaceous, bright yellow, axillary, solitary or in pairs, on simple peduncles longer than the leaves. The calyx is tubular, of a purplish colour, divided transversely into two lips, of which the upper is entire, or with two small teeth, the lower three-toothed. The corolla is composed of five pe- tals; the vexillum or standard is large, broadly ovate, and reflexed ; the alee or wings are elliptical, spreading, convex, and united with the filaments; the keel is formed of two petals, connected together at the margin by soft hairs. The filaments are ten, nine of which are united at the base; unequal, incurved, and support oblong, orange-coloured anthers. The germen is compressed, oblong, hairy, supporting a slender, curved style, with an oblong stigma. The legume is flattened, oblong, hairy at the margin, of a deep brown colour, and contains numerous roundish, compressed, shining seeds. Plate 8, fig. 2, (a) the calyx; (6) stamens; (c) the pistil; (d) the legume or pod. This ornamental shrub grows abundantly in dry sandy pas- tures; flowering in May and June. The generic name is formed from the xurizes of the ancient Greeks ; said to have been so denominated from the isle Cyth- nos, one of the Cyclades. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uses.—The Broom is applied to many useful purposes in domestic economy and agriculture. The flower-buds pickled in vinegar have been substituted for capers; and the roasted seeds have been proposed as a sub- stitute for coffee. ‘The young and tender branches are some- times mixed with hops in brewing. At a little village in Tus- cany, the stems of this plant steeped in the hot springs which occur in the vicinity, furnish a very strong fibre, which is manufactured into coarse cloth and cordage. _In order to pro- cure this substance, the branches are cut and laid in the sun; when they are quite dry, they are tied up in bundles and thrown into the water, being loaded with stones to make them sink, in the same manner as hemp. When the twigs are sufficiently soaked, they are taken out of the water and placed upon a sharp stone; the bark is then stripped off, and the fibrous part is well beaten; when dry it is carded and spun, and used for the BROOM. 95 same purposes as flax. The branches have also been used for tanning leather, for thatching cottages and ricks, to be made into besoms, and as a winter food for sheep. The old wood furnishes a beautiful material for veneering. The leaves and stalks of the common Broom have a nauseous and bitter taste, which they give out by infusion, both to water and rectified spirit ; the latter infusion is of a dark green, and the former of a brownish colour. An extract prepared from the above possesses all the virtues of the plant. Mepicat Properties anp Usrs.—Broom tops have been esteemed for a long period as cathartic and diuretic; they are most celebrated for the latter property. Dr. Mead* relates a case of dropsy, of which, after every other remedy had been tried in vain, the patient was cured by taking every morning and evening half a pint of a decoction of recent Broom-tops, with a spoonful of whole mustard. Dr. Cullen, speaking of this plant, says, “I found it first in use among our common people, but I have since prescribed it to some of my patients in the manner following: I order half an ounce of fresh Broom-tops to be boiled in a pint of water, till one half of this is consumed, and of this decoction I give two table-spoonfuls every hour, till it operates by stool, or the whole is taken. It seldom fails to operate both by stool and urine, and by repeated exhibition, every day, or every second day, some dropsies have been cured.” Sydenham, as wellas many other eminent writers, particularly commend the alkaline salt obtained by burning the plant and passing water through the ashes, as a specific in dropsy. It may be objected, that this is no other than carbonate of potash, which may be obtained from the ashes of any other vegetable. It is true, that after repeated purifications, nothing but carbonate of potash remains, differing in no respect from that obtained from other vegetables ; but this very purification may disperse the most valuable part, that is, the esssential oil of the plant, in which its medical virtue chiefly consists. For this reason the plant should be reduced to ashes by slow combustion in an iron pot, and a ley formed by passing water through these ashes which will dissolve the salt; this should be afterwards filtered through flannel, and then evaporated till the salt can crystallize * Monita et Precepta medica, p. 138. 96 BROOM. on cooling. ‘This, chemically speaking, will be a very impure salt, but its efficacy will be greater than when purified. This remedy has also been employed in chronic diseases of the liver and spleen. The flowers infused: in hot milk have been applied to tetters and other obstinate cutaneous affections; the decoction being at the same time used internally. Ray mentions, that the seeds and flowers are reputed emetic and cathartic, which Woodville appears to doubt, because “ the for- mer when roasted have been used as a substitute for coffee, and the latter employed as a pickle.” This objection is far from conclusive, when we reflect that the simple process of roasting or pickling is capable of dispersing even noxious qualities in many vegetables. A Tincture of Broom-seed is recommended in dropsy, by Dr. Pearson, and is thus prepared : Take of Broom seeds bruised, two ounces. Rectified Spirit .... eight ounces. Macerate for ten days and strain. The dose is from one to two or three drachms daily, in any aromatic vehicle. XXX. BRYONIA DIOICA. Red-berried Bryony. Class XXI. Monozcra.—Order V. PrnTANDRIA. Nat. Ord. CucurBITAcE&. GrEN. Cuar. Male flower: Calyx five-toothed. Corolla five-cleft. Filaments in three parcels.—Female flower: Calyx five-toothed. Corolla five-cleft. Style trifid. Berry succulent, globose, inferior, many-seeded. Spec. Cuar. Leaves palmate, rough on both sides with callous points. Flowers diccious. SYNONYMES. Greek..... apmrthos riven 3 Brvwvix. Bryonia aspera, sive alba, baccis rubris. Bauh. Pin. 297. Bryonia alba. Ger. Em. 869. Raii Syn. 261. Latin .... 4 Bryonia alba, £. foliis palmatis, utrinque calloso-scabris, Lin. | Sp. Pl. 1438. erat: dioica. Willd. Sp. Pl. iv. 621. French.... Bryone; Vigne blanche ; Couleuvrée. Tialian.... Brionia; Fescera; Vigna salvatica. Spanish.... Nueza. Portuguese orga branca. German... Zaunrebe; Gichtrube; Stickwurz. Dutch .... Bryonie; Wild Wyngaard. Danish... Galdeber; Hundeber. Swedish .. WHundsrofva. Polish .... Przestap. Description.—The root is perennial, very large, fleshy, of a yellowish-white colour, marked with superficial transverse lines, fibrous and branched towards the lower part. The stems, which are generally five or six feet in length, are slender, herbaceous, branched, channelled, covered with small rough hairs, and I 98 BRYONY. climbing by means of numerous simple tendrils. The leaves are large, alternate, palmated, with five acute, irregularly toothed lobes, rough on both sides with minute callous points, and supported on long stalks, from whose base proceeds a long, simple, spiral tendril. The flowers are dicecious, disposed in small clusters, which spring from the axils of the leaves: the male flowers have a short, campanulate, five-toothed calyx, a monopetalous corolla, with five ovate, spreading segments, of a yellowish-white colour, elegantly streaked with green veins, and three short filaments, two of which are furnished with dou- ble anthers; the female flowers have a calyx and corolla, resembling those of the male, but smaller. The germen is in- ferior, one-celled, surmounted by a short, erect, three-cleft style, terminated by large, spreading stigmas. The fruit is a globose berry, one-celled, many-seeded, about the size of a pea, at first green, afterwards changing to a bright red colour. The seeds are about five or six in number, small, ovoid, compressed, and enveloped in a mucilaginous pulp. Plate 8, Fig. 3. (a) corolla spread open to show the anthers; (b) germen, with its style and stigmas ; (c) ripe fruit. This plant is a native of most parts of Europe; frequent in England, rare in Scotland. It occurs in hedges and_ thickets, flowering from May to August*, and ripening its fruit in autumn. The genus is named Bryonia, from feu», to ucrease or grow rapidly, in allusion to the quick growth of the plant. This species is ealled, provincially, Wild Vine, and Tetter Berry. The red-berried Bryony was reckoned by Linneeus a variety of the Bryonia alba or White Bryony; but the latter has monee- cious flowers and black fruit, and is more frequent in the north- ern parts of the continent. According to Miller, the roots of Bryony were formerly car- ried about the country and exhibited as mandrakes by certain impudent impostors +, who thus reaped a golden harvest from * The annual herbaceous stems of the male plant generally wither and die before the end of July. + ‘*Circulatores et Agyrtz nonnulli ex hujus radice mira quedam monstra efingunt, que cum aliquot dies sicee arene mandaverint pro mandragoris postea distrahunt et vendunt.” Geoffroy, Mat. Med. iii. 224. BRYONY. 99 the credulity of the common people. The mode by which they obtained a resemblance to the human {figure was this :—they found a young, thriving Bryony plant, and opened the earth round it, taking care not to disturb the lower fibres, and being prepared with a mould, such as is used for making plaster of Paris figures, they fixed it close to the root, and fastened it with wires to keep it in its place, then filling up the earth carefully to the root, they left it to assume the prescribed figure. As it grows very rapidly, their object was generally accomplished in one summer. The leaves also were sold for those of the mandrake, though they bear no resemblance to each other. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uses.—The root of this plant seems to bear a considerable resemblance to that of Arum. In its re- cent state it has a very disagreeable odour, and a nauseous, bit- ter, acrid taste, and is undoubtedly poisonous; but the deleterious principle may be so far dissipated by repeated washings with water, as to afford a fine and white fecula, capable of furnishing an alimentary substance, which in seasons of dearth is the more valuable, as the root is very abundant and very voluminous. Dioscorides informs us, that the young shoots may be eaten as asparagus, but he adds, they augment the quantity of the feeces and urine. The odour of the berries is slightly nauseous, and the taste insipid ; a few of them have been eaten without any remarkable effect being produced, but in all probability they partake of the noxious qualities of the root. A substance has been lately detected by Brandes and Firn- haber in the root, to which the name of Bryonine has been given; besides which, the root contains a large portion of gum and starch, a little sugar, some woody fibre, malate and phosphate of lime, and a peculiar vegeto-animal matter. Bryo- nine is intensely bitter, soluble both in water and alcohol, and appears to be the active principle of the root from which it is derived. The process used by M. Fremy to obtain Bryonine, consists in saturating the expressed juice of the root with ammonia, fil- tering the fluid, and evaporating it till a pellicle is formed on the surface. The pellicle is the impure Bryonine, which is to be purified by solution in alcohol. Twenty-two grains of this 12 100 BRYONY. substance killed a rabbit in ten hours, and thirty-four grains thrust under the skin of the neck and back of a dog, killed it in fifty-eight hours, causing extensive inflammation and suppura- tion around the wound. Bryonine therefore is a pure irritant, which does not appear to act through absorption *. ‘ Poisonous Proprrerties.—The improper administration of the root of Bryony, has been followed by violent vomitings, accom- panied with faintings, intense pain, profuse alvine evacuations, and the other effects of an acrid cathartic. The following case of poisoning is recorded in a foreign pe- riodical}. The writer says, “I was called a few days ago to the assistance of a lying-in woman, whose infant was dead, and to whom a surgeon in the village ordered a drink prepared with an ounce of Bryony root infused in a quantity of water, and a strong decoction of the same as a wash, to stop the secretion of milk. On my arrival, four hours after this remedy had been taken, she expired.” The treatment required, is nearly the same as that already mentioned under Aconite, Arum, and Bearsfoot. ‘ The inflam- mation must be combated by emollient and mucilaginous drinks, and the usual antiphlogistic measures. If the nervous system be in a state of great excitement, recourse must be had to opiates and the different medicines which are capable of diminish- ing this excitement.” Orfila. Mepicat Properties and Usres.—The root has been long known as a powerful cathartic and diuretic, and the juice ob- tained from it by incision or otherwise, is a popular remedy in many countries. In Germany and Sweden, the peasants scoop out a portion of the root and fill the cavity with beer, which in the course of a night becomes emetic and purgative. The milky juice will exude for two or three days together in considerable quantity, and may be collected as the cavity becomes full. It was recommended by Dioscorides as a remedy in epilepsy. Arnaldus mentions a case of epilepsy which was cured by these means in three weeks. It has also been employed in dropsy, asthma, hysteria, and obstructions of the viscera, in the quantity of two or three spoonsful every morning. If it be found too * Nouvelle Bibliothéque Médicale, May, 1827. + Gazette de Santé, Dec. 1816. BRYONY. 101 powerfully cathartic, Geoffroy advises cream of tartar or some aromatic to be added. “JT am convinced ”, says Gilibert, “‘ by a series of experiments, that the root of Bryony is capable of furnishing all kinds of purgatives, from the laxative to the drastic. Several observa- tions go to prove, that there is a species of mania depending on a vitreous, slimy matter, which lines the stomach and intes- tines ; in these cases, the root, even in its recent state, has effect- ed a cure by evacuating this substance.” Other physicians place it on a par with jalap, and express their surprise that it is not more frequently used. Sydenham relates an instance of mania in which he found it efficacious. He gave a drachm of the pow- dered root in milk, or half an ounce infused in wine, three or four times a day ; but in the case alluded to, blood-letting, both from the arm and jugular vein, was superadded. It was like- wise esteemed emmenagogue*, and as a vermifuge + it has been highly commended. Its efficacy in dropsical cases is well authenticated : in these cases, an infusion of two drachms of the root in six ounces of water, sweetened with some aromatic sy- rup, has been given in the dose of a spoonful every two hours. . As an external application, Bryony enjoyed the character of a powerful discutient. It was applied in the form of a poultice to painful tumours, lumbago, and sciatica. Ettmuller recom- mends it in hydrocele and cedematous swellings of the feet and legs. Zacutus Lusitanus affirms that the expressed juice, made into an ointment with an equal quantity of turpentine and a small proportion of wax, has been known to cure scrofulous tumours. For medical purposes, the root should be dug up in the spring, cut into thin slices, and dried quickly ina warm room; and as it does not long retain its virtues, even when preserved in close bottles, the quantity for use must be regulated by the length of time it has been kept. The infusion seems to be one of the best forms of the medicine, but others have been recom- mended, as— * “ Menses ac foetum pellit, abortumque sepe procurat.”—Himuller. + There are some extraordinary stories on record of its efficacy in ex- pelling toads and frogs, and several nondescript animals, from the ab- domen. 102 BRYONY. SYRUP OF BRYONY. Take of Expressed juice of Bryony root, one pint ; Refined sugar .......... .».. a pound and half. Let the juice stand in a basin till the feculencies subside, then pour off the clear liquor and boil it with the sugar to the consistence of 3 syrup. EXTRACT OF BRYONY. Take of Root of Bryony, one pound ; Spring water.. six pounds. Macerate for four days in a warm place, then boil gently; filter and ex- press the liquid, and evaporate the straining to the consistence of an ex- tract. Dosr.—From five to fifteen grains. The oxymel of Bryony, recommended in asthma and old coughs, may be prepared thus: Take of Expressed juice of white Bryony (after the feculencies have subsided) one pint ; Honey, a pound and half ; Vinegar, three quarters of a pint. Simmer the whole together over a slow fire, carefully removing the scura as long as it rises, and when it has boiled a few minutes pour it off into an unglazed earthen vessel for use. The Black Bryony (Tamus Vulgaris) is sometimes confound- ed with the plant just described. It is, however, quite distinct, belonging to the Diccia, Hexandria of Linnzus, Smilacee of Jussieu. It has a small, greenish-white perianth, divided into six deep segments, in the female flowers contracted at the neck* ; ovate, shining, red berries; heart-shaped, acute, entire leaves, of a bright green colour; very long, twining stems ; and a large fleshy root, black externally. It flowers in June. Dr. Withering states, that the young shoots are good eating, dressed like asparagus. The Moors eat them boiled with oil and salt. The root, which very much resembles that of the Bryonia dioica, except in colour, has been extolled by some writers, while others deny that it possesses any medicinal virtues. Sir John « Hence the name “ Lady’s Seal,” and that of ** Sigillum beate Virginis,” by which the plant is designated in Gerard's Herbal, and in Lord Bacon’s Sylva Sylvarum. BRYONY. 103 Hill affirms, that it is ‘(a very powerful remedy in nephritic cases, though not known in the shops, or used in modern prac- tice. The best method of giving it is, the expressed juice in white wine. This operates powerfully by urine, and has been found of great service in gravel, and, in smaller doses, in ob- structions of the menses. A syrup made with it is useful in asthma, and the bruised root has given relief in paralytic cases.” XXX. MENYANTHES TRIFOLIATA. Common Buckbean, or Marsh Trefoil. Class V. PeENTANDRIA.—Order I. Monoaynta. Nat. Ord. GENTIANER. GEN. Cuar. Calyx five-parted. Corolla funnel-shaped ; 3 the limb spreading, five-parted, fringed internally. Stigma two-lobed. Capsule one-celled, two-valved ; the valves bearing the seed in their axis. Spec. CHar. Leaves ternate. Disk of the corolla fringed with shaggy hairs. SYNONYMES. Trifolium palustre. Bauh. Pin. 327. Trifolium paludosum. Ger. Em, 1194. Menyanthes palustre, triphyllum, &c. Raii Syn. 285. ; Menyanthes trifoliata. Lin. Sp. Pl. 208. French.... Menyanthe ; Trefle d’eau. Ttalian.... Meniante; Trifoglio palustre. Spanish ... Trifolio palustre ; Trebol de pantano. Portuguese. Trevos dos charcos ; Trevo dagua. German... Wasserklee; Bitterklee ; Fieberklee. - Dutch .... Water Drieblad ; Water Klaveren; Boks-boonen. Danish .... Vandklever ; Bukkeblade. Swedish ... WVattukloefver. Polish .... Cwikla Lesna. 1 PTE OGD O Trilistnik. Lapp. ..... Krass. Latin... Descrietion.—The roots consist of numerous fibres, pre- ceeding from a long, creeping, cylindrical, jointed rhizoma *. The stem is a simple, naked, cylindrical scape, rising about a * “The root,” in common language. BUCKBEAN. 105 foot in height. The leaves are radical, consisting of three smooth, obovate, obtuse, entire, bright green leaflets, somewhat undulated at the margin, and stand on a very long petiole, shorter than the flowering stem. The flowers grow in a com- pound raceme or thyrse, at the extremity of a scape which issues from the sheathing base of the leaves ; each flower supported on a pedicel, with a small, ovate, acute bractea at the base. The calyx is smooth, divided into five deep, ovate segments. The corolla is funnel-shaped, longer than the calyx, with a spreading limb composed of five ovate-lanceolate, acute seg- ments, which are white, fringed internally with beautiful fila- ments, and tipped with rose colour. The five stamens have awl-shaped filaments, alternate with five hypogynous glands, and support sagittate anthers of a brownish yellow colour. The germen is oval, surmounted by a simple style, longer than the stamen, and a capitate stigma, furrowed externally. The capsule is oval, furrowed, one-celled, two-valved; the valves bearing the seed in their axis. The seeds are globose, or some- what lenticular, smooth, shming, and of a pale vellow colour. Plate 7, fig. 4. (a) the corolla opened to show the stamens ; (6) the fruit. This most elegant plant is frequent in marshes and watery meadows, and on the margins of ponds and brooks. It may vie with many choice exotics in beauty, and if less abundant and not indigenous, would be assiduously cultivated. The flowers appear from the middle of June to the end of July. Itisa denizen of the greater part of Europe, as far north as the inhospitable regions of Lapland, and in North America it occurs under equally diverse latitudes. The generic name, is supposed to be derived from u7¥7, a month, and avos, a flower, because it continues in flower about amonth. It is called trifoliata, from the similarity of its three leaflets to those of trefoil. They were also considered to re- semble those of the common garden bean; hence, the vernacu- Jar names Buckbean, and Bogbean. The term Buckbean is probably an alteration of the old English beck, a brook, or wa- tery place; or of the French bouc, a he-goat; the plant being eaten by goats. ‘ QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—The Buckbean has no smell, but develops an intense bitterness, which it imparts both to al- 106 BUCKBEAN. cohol and water, either by infusion or maceration. The root affords a small portion of volatile oil, and a gum-resinous sub- stance, which, in addition to its bitterness, exhibits consider- able acidity and astringency ;—this is not perceptible to the taste, but is rendered very evident by the dark colour pro- duced in the decoction, by sulphate of iron. It also contains a small quantity of fecula, to which its nutritive properties are owing. Linnzus informs us, that in some parts of Lapland, where the Buckbean abounds, the roots are dug up and given to cattle, who eat it freely, instead of their usual food. In times of scarcity, the dried and pulverized roots, mixed with a little wheaten flour, are not less useful as food for the distressed inhabitants of that country ; but the bread thus made, is designated by Linnzeus as very bitter and detestable. The peasants of Westrogothia frequently use the leaves instead of hops for preserving their beer, which is thus rendered of an agreeable flavour as well as defended from acescency. It has been recommended for the same purpose to the poor of this country; two ounces of the dried leaves being reckoned equivalent to a pound of hops. In dyeing, they afford, according to Bechstein, a green and yellow colour. The Buckbean is eaten by goats, and occasionally by sheep. It has been asserted, that sheep affected with the disease called rot, are quickly recovered by feeding in the marshy meadows where this plant abounds. Mepicat Properties AND Usres.—Like most of the Gen- tianeze and other bitter plants, the Buckbean acts as a powerful tonic on the animal economy, either by augmenting the vital energy of certain organs, or by more abundant secretions. Hence the detersive, diuretic, deobstruent, emmenagogue, and other properties which have been attributed to it. Its exciting in- fluence upon the stomach and intestines, when administered in a large dose, is such as to produce vomiting and purgations ; as observed by Willis, when it was given in powder to the extent of two scruples; but in a small dose its action is very different. In many countries,*especially in Germany, this plant has been used medicinally for a long period, and esteemed almost a pa- nacea. Its efficacy has been extolled in nervous diseases, such BUCKBEAN. 107 as periodical headaches, hypochondriasis, palpitations of the heart, paralysis, &c. Willis used it as a vermifuge for children, in the dose of half a drachm to one drachm every morning fast- ing, for several days together, which was followed by an abund- ant evacuation of intestinal worms. Simon Pauli, Dolceus, Willis, and others, have eulogized it more or less as a remedy in icterus and abdominal obstructions, uterine hemorrhages, drop- sy, cachexia, scrofula, and rheumatism. It has been lauded even in pulmonary consumption; its efficacy in intermittent fevers, however, is better authenticated. It has consequently been used as a substitute for bark, and as it grows in marshy districts, where remittent and low fevers abound, it has been deemed by some as a specific in those diseases. The celebrated Boerhaave, in his own case of gout, found benefit from drinking the juice mixed with whey; and Dr. Alston and others bear witness to its efficacy in keeping off the gouty paroxysms. Dr. Cullen relates, that “he had several instances of its good effects in some cutaneous diseases of the herpetic or seemingly can- cerous kind. It was taken by infusion in the manner of tea.” Externally, it has also been variously employed. Schulz found the pain of gout mitigated by applying the fresh leaves to the part affected. The juice has been used as a detersive in scorbutic and other ulcers. The decoction has been administered in baths and fomentations, in some chronic diseases of the skin. “ But it must not be forgotten, that its application to ulcerated parts has been followed by swelling and inflammation; and its in- ternal use by dyspnoea. And though these ill effects are soon dissipated by the suspension of the medicine, they form a suffi- cient reason for abstaining from it in plethoric subjects, in de- licate and irritable habits, and in all diseases accompanied with inflammation.” * The leaves should be gathered in May and June, before the flowers are perfectly evolved, and being well dried, they may be preserved for use. The dose of the powder is from a scru- ple to a drachm; and the infusion may be made with half an ounce of the dried plant to a pint of water, milk, wine, or al- cohol, to which some warm aromatic, as two drachms of ginger, * Flore Medicale, tom. y. p. 12. 108 BUCKBEAN. should be added. A wine-glassful of this may be taken three or four times a day, according to circumstances. The expressed juice may be given in the quantity of one to two ounces. The Parisian Codex orders a syrup and an ex- tract to be made thus: SYRUP OF BUCKBEAN, Take of Juice of Buckbean, clarified by ebullition and strained ; White sugar; of each equal parts. Boil to the consistence of a syrup by the aid of a gentle heat. EXTRACT OF BUCKBEAN. Take of Fresh leaves of Buckbean, any quantity. Express and clarify the juice ; then evaporate in a sand-bath to the con- sistence of an extract. The dose of the extract is from one to two scruples, XXXI. RHAMNUS CATHARTICUS. Common Buckthorn. Class ¥V. PENTANDRIA.—Order I. MonoGynta. Nat. Ord. RuHAMNER. Gen. Cuar. Calyx urceolate, four to five cleft. Petals four to five, or wanting. Stamens opposite the petals. Ger- men superior, three or four celled. Berry two to four celled, two to four seeded. Spec. CHar. Spines terminal. Flowers four-cleft, dice- cious. Leaves ovate, sharply serrated. Berry with four seeds. SYNONYMES. Greek...... . pauses. Dioscorides. Rhamnus catharticus. Bauh. Pin. 478. Raii Syn. 466. Rhamnus solutivus. Ger. Em. 1337. Spina infectoria. Matth. 158. Rhamunus catharticus. Lin. Sp. Pl. 279. French.... Nerprun; Noirprun; Bourg-epine. Ttalian.... Spino cervino; Spinamagna. Spanish... Espina de ciervo; Cambron; Ramno catartico. Portuguese.. Escambroeiro; Espenheiro cambra. German ... Gemeine Kreuzdorn; Kreusbeeren-strauch ; Wegdorn. Dutch ..... Wegedoorn; Rhynbezien-doorn. Swedish.... Gettapel; Saftgreent. Danish.... Korsber; Vrietorn. Polish..... Szaklak Krzewina. Russian ..... Schest. Eatin 5 .<'. Description.—This shrub rises to the height of eight or ten feet, with a strong upright stem, much branched and spreading, the branches terminating in a sharp spine after the first year ; the 110 : BUCKTHORN. wood is of a yellowish colour, and covered with a smooth, dark- brown bark. The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate, petiolate, downy when young, subsequently smooth, finely serrated, of a deep green colour, and marked with parallel and convergent nerves; the serratures glandular. The flowers are dicecious, (the male and female being seldom found on the same plant,) of a greenish yellow, arranged in dense fasicles in the axils of the leaves ; each small flower supported on a slender pedicel : the male flower has a campanulate calyx with four ovate seg- ments and four oblong-ovate petals, at the base of which the five stamens are inserted: the female flower has four linear, incurved petals, abortive stamens, an inferior germen, and four spreading styles, united half way up, and terminated by a small stigma. The fruit is a small, globose, black berry, containing a nauseous pulp, and generally four seeds, which are ovate, rounded at the back, and flattened at the sides. Plate 10; fig. 2. (a) male flower ; (6) female flower ; (c) ripe berry. The Buckthorn is a spreading shrub, with a pleasant foliage, frequent in woods and hedges in many parts of England; about Dumfries in Scotland; near Cork and Lough Earne in Ireland. The flowers appear in May and June, and the purplish-black berries ripen in September. The generic name is derived from the Latin, ramus, which was formed from the Greek, cay.vecs, and that from the Celtic, ram, a branch. There is another species indigenous to Brita, the Alder Buckthorn, (&. Frangula,) which is unarmed, with perfect flowers, and ob-ovate entire leaves; the berries are dark pur- ple, and contain two seeds. Gathered before they are ripe, they dye wool green; when ripe, a blueish green. The bark has been used in medicine as a purgative, and affords a yellow dye. The leaves are eaten by goats and sheep; the flowers are peculiarly grateful to bees. There are about sixty foreign species, of which the most in- teresting are, the box-thorn-like, (R. Lycioides), of which the Mongols make their images on account of its hardness and beautiful orange-colour ; the yellow-berried Buckthorn, (R. im- fectorius,) whose fruit is known in commerce by the name of Avignon berries, from which the pigment called sap-green is obtained; the Tea Buckthorn, (R. Theezans,) which has leaves BUCKTHORN. Sel like the common tea, and is used as such by the poor of China, who call it Tia ; the Rock Buckthorn (#. Sazatilis,) the berries of which give the yellow dye to morocco leather; the com- mon Alaternus, (R. Alaiernus,) an ornamental evergreen; and Rhamnus spina Christi, of which it is supposed the crown of thorns put upon the head of Jesus Christ was composed. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uses.—The unripe berries of the common Buckthorn yield a saftron-coloured juice, which is used to stain maps or paper. From the ripe berries sap-green* (vert de vessie, Fr.; Saftegriin, Ger.) is-obtaied, nearly equal to that prepared from the Avignon berries; but if the fruit is gathered late in autumn, the juice is purple. The wood fur- nishes an excellent material for turnery, and the bark affords a yellow and brownish red colour. Goats, sheep, and horses eat the leaves, but cows refuse them. Homberg+ mentions that the flesh of birds which feed on the berries is purgative, but this statement needs to be confirmed. The ripe berries contain a green succulent pulp, of an un- pleasant odour, and a bitter, nauseous, and somewhat acrid taste. The aqueous infusion is reddened by nitric and sul- phuric acid, and is rendered black by sulphate of iron. The berries yield a colouring matter, as already mentioned, of a greenish yellow colour, which is found in the fruit of many other rhamnee, and is thought to contain tannin, albumen, acetic acid, sugar, and an azotized substance. Mepicat Properties anD Usres.—Buckthorn berries have been used medicinally from time immemorial as a drastic pur- gative. They do not operate, however, without producing severe griping, with dryness in the throat, which require con- siderable dilution to obviate ; on which account they are seldom used in modern practice. About twenty of the fresh berries constitute a proper dose, if taken in that form; which is only proper for very robust subjects. The most convenient as well as pleasant method of taking this medicine is in the form of a syrup prepared from their juice, which has been highly com- * This colour may be made by adding twelve ounces of lime-water, and a small quantity of gum arabic, to every pound of the expressed juice, which is to be evaporated to the consistence of an extract, and dried for use. + Memoires de |’Acad. des Sc. de Paris, 1712, p. 9. EZ BUCKTHORN. mended for carrying off serum in dropsies of every kind, and as a purgative in cachectic and hypochondriacal diseases, scro- fula, chronic diseases of the skin, and after the suppression of any habitual evacuation. It has been found useful in gout, for which disease, as well as dropsy, it was frequently prescribed by Sydenham. ‘This acute physician, however, did not over- look the thirst and dryness of the throat produced by it; and therefore ordered a basin of soup to be taken immediately after it to obviate these effects. It is directed by the London Phar- macopceia to be prepared as follows, the aromatics being added to prevent its griping effects. Syrup or BucktTHorn. Take of Fresh juice of Buckthorn berries, four pints ; Ginger root sliced, Pimento berries bruised, of each half an ounce; Refined sugar, three pounds and a half. Set apart the juice for three days, that the feeces may subside, and strain it: toa pint of the strained juice, add the ginger root and pimento, then macerate by a gentle heat for four hours and strain. Boil the remainder of the juice down to a pint and half, then mix the two liquors, and add the sugar in the manner directed for making syrups. The dose is from four drachms to an ounce, drinking freely of gruel, or other tepid fluids, during its operation. The medical properties of the bark of this shrub do not ap- pear to have been sufficiently investigated, if we may rely on the authority of Dr. Kolb, of Erlang, who recommends it as an efficacious remedy, in every respect superior to the berries. He attributes to it tonic, gently astringent, and antiseptic pro- perties, and recommends a decoction of it in powder, combined with honey, gum arabic, or some other mucilage, as beneficial in intermittent and other fevers, and in general debility after chronic diseases. He also extols the decoction of the bark as of great service in reducing inveterate inflammation of the eyes, and in some obstinate cutaneous diseases. Both the com- mon and the Alder Buckthorn are frequently employed in ve- terinary practice as brisk purgatives for cattle. The berries of the latter are thought to be inferior to those of the former, for which they are sometimes substituted, but the fraud may be discovered by opening the berry, which in the common Buckthorn contains four seeds, in the Alder Buckthorn only two. XXXII. AJUGA REPTANS. Common Bugle. Class X1V. Dipynami1a.—Order I. GYMNOSPERMIA. Nat. Ord. Wastatz. Gen. CHAR. Calyx ovate, five-cleft, nearly equal. Co- rolla tubular, labiate ; upper lip short, erect, entire or emarginate ; the lower one patent, trifid, with a large intermediate obcordate lobe. Stamens ascending, pro- truded above the upper lip. Spec. Cuar. Nearly smooth. Stem solitary, with creep- ing runners. SYNONYMES. Bugula. Raii Syn. 245. Ger. Em. 631. Consolida media pratensis. Bauh. Pin. 260. Latin.. 4 Ajuga reptans. Lin. Sp. Pl. 785. French.... Bugle; Bugle rampante; Petite Consoude, Tialian ... Bugola. Spanish... Bugula. German... Weisergiinzel ; Kriechender ; Giinzel. Dutch .... Zenegroen; Ingroen ; Bugula. Description.—The root is perennial, slender, very fibrous, of a greyish colour, and sends forth creeping scions. The flowering stem is erect, simple, quadrangular, smooth or some- what downy, and rises about six inches in height. “The leaves are Opposite, ovate, somewhat crenate, more dense towards the root, broad, and tapering into a footstalk. The flowers are purplish blue, (sometimes white or flesh-colour), nearly sessile, disposed in whorls rising from the axils of the bractez, which are often purplish. The calyx is short, persistent, monophyl- K L14 BUGLE. lous, with five nearly equal, pointed segments. The corolla is monopetalous, irregularly labiate; the upper hp short, erect, composed of two very small teeth; the lower one, larger, spreading, with three lobes, the middle lobe emarginate, ample. The filaments are incurved, longer than the upper lip, didynamous. The germen is superior, four-lobed, de- pressed in the centre, surmounted by a simple incurved style, terminated by a bifid stigma. The fruit consists of four ovate- oblong grains situated in the bottom of the persistent calyx. Plate 9, fig. 1, (a) an isolated flower; (b) the calyx ; (c) the pistil. : This pretty vivacious plant abounds in moist meadows and woods in Great Britain. It is also found in France, Holland, Germany, Poland, Denmark, and other European countries. It flowers from the end of April to the beginning of June. The derivation and meaning of the term Ajuga have some- what puzzled etymologists. Some have derived it from abigo*, to drive away, or from a privative and jugum, a yoke. The com- mon name, Bugle, is taken from Bugula, which is supposed to be a diminutive of Buglossum, which this plant somewhat re- sembles in medical properties. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uses.—The economical uses of this plant are few. The Italians are said to eat the young shoots, in spring, as a salad. Sheep and goats eat it, horses and swine refuse it. Brug- mans considers it hurtful in meadows, but he does not state for what reason. The leaves are sweetish to the taste at first, subsequently rather bitter and astringent. The root manifests a slight as- tringency and a strong infusion is rendered black with sulphate of iron. Mepicat Prorrrtizs AND Usres.—This plant, though long banished from the pharmacopeeias, was highly extolled by some of the ancient physicians, and is still occasionally resorted to in rustic practice. It is well described by the author of the Flore * If so, it must be received in the same way as lucus a non lucendo, for the ancients gave it just the opposite character. They thought it effica- cious in consolidating injured parts, or constringing the wounds of blood- vessels (hence the French name “ Petite Consonde’’). 6 BUGLE. 115 Medicale as follows. ‘The more we examine the feeble quali- ties of bugle, the more we are astonished to see it occupy an eminent place in the ancient pharmacologias. Etmuller and Riviere deemed it efficacious in pulmonary phthisis and quinsy; Camerarius and Dodzus prescribed it in obstructions of the liver; Mauchart gave it a place in his eau viscerale. It has been recommended, says Fourcroy, in hemorrhages, spitting of blood, emaciation, and dysentery, and the name of petite con- soude has been given it, because it was thought capable of soldering, if we may so speak, the wounds of blood-vessels. The bruised leaves were applied to ulcers, cuts, and contu- sions; they were also an ingredient in the eau d’arquebusade. The more scrutinizing observations of the present day, however, have stripped the Bugle of all itsrenown. Indeed, far from en- joying any preeminence, it is less valuable than some of the com- monest labiate. Its distilled water, says Gilibert, is no better than common water, and this much vaunted vulnerary only eures wounds which nature would soon have healed without any assistance.” A strong infusion of the plant mixed with a little honey of roses has been recommended in ulcers of the mouth and throat. This perhaps is of no great value, but as the plant is very com- mon it may be worth the trial. x 2 XXXIIT. ANCHUSA OFFICINALIS. Common Bugloss. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order I. MoNoGyYNIA. Nat. Ord. Boracine&. GEN. CHar. Calyx five-cleft, or five-parted, persistent ; tube straight, its mouth closed with five prominent scales. Anthers included. Stigmas emarginate. Nuts concave at the base. Spec. Cuar. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, strigose. Spikes crowded, unilateral. Bractez ovate-lanceolate, as long as the calyx. SYNONYMES. { Buglossum angustifolium majus. Bauh. Pin. 256. Buglossa vulgaris. Ger. Em. 798. Buglossum vulgare. Rati Hist. 493. Anchusa officinalis. Lin. Sp. Pi. 191. French.. Buglosse. Ttalian.. Buglossa. Spanish.. Buglosa. German.. Ochsenzunge ; Gewohnliche ochsenzunge. Dutch... Ossetong Swedish . Oxtunga. Latin.... Description.—The root is perenaial, oblong, branched, about the thickness of the finger, of a reddish brown colour externally, nearly white within, succulent and inodorous. The stem, which rises to the height of nearly two feet, is covered with thick rough hairs. The leaves are alternate, oblong-lanceolate, en- tire, and clothed with hairs, each of which proceeds from a hard white tubercle. ‘The flowers are disposed im unilateral, a, . oe CMI APO Lo. BUGLOSS. 117 erowded, terminal spikes. The calyx is persistent, monophyl- lous, with five deep, oblong, acute segments. The corolla is purplish blue, monopetalous, funnel-shaped ; the mouth of the tube closed with five bearded scales; the limb spreading, di- vided into five rounded segments. The five stamens are short, alternate with the scales, and terminated by oblong anthers. The germen is divided into four rounded lobes, from the centre of which rises a simple filiform style, tipped with a bifid stigma. The fruit consists of four oval wrinkled nuts, concave at the base, fixed to the bottom of the calyx. Plate 9, fig. 2, (a) calyx; (b) corolla; (c) the same opened to show the stamens and valves ; (d) the pistil. The common Bugloss is a native of the northern parts of Europe. It can scarcely be considered indigenous to this country, but is occasionally met with in waste ground, espe- cially near the sea. Dr. Hooker mentions Harley Pans, North- umberland, and Kilsyth, Arnbrae, and Addington in the vicinity of Glasgow, as its localities. It flowers in June and July. It was formerly called Buglossum, hence the English name Bugloss, and its synonymes in many other languages, from Gous, an ox, and yAwcoa, a tongue, in allusion to the long rough leaves. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uses.——According to Linneeus, the tender leaves of borage afford a wholesome and nutritious food, and are often boiled and eaten like cabbage, in Uplandia, a pro- vince of Sweden; and it is said, in some parts of Italy. The leaves are juicy and the roots mucilaginous. Animals in general will feed on the plant. The juice of the corollas*, boiled with a small quantity of alum, affordsa green colour. The flowers are melliferous, and very attractive to bees. Mepicat Proprrtizs anp Uses.—This plant bears a very striking analogy in its properties to borage, for which it is often substituted. They equally abound in a viscous juice, and yield a large proportion of nitre +; and both were highly extolled by the therapeutists of old as cordials, tonics, and exhilarants. They were reckoned particularly serviceable in melancholy and hypochondriacal diseases, and in inflammatory complaints, * Limnzus mentions the corollas, Willemet the leaves, as affording a fine green colour. + Or more properly “ nitrate of potass,” hence their diuretic property. 118 BUGLOSS. such as pleurisy and peripneumonia. Indeed the juice of them combined, obtained by expression and clarified, in the dose of four or five ounces at a time, was considered an absolute specific in pleurisy. Ray considered them to possess anti-epileptic virtues, and Chomel states that he found a decoction of the leaves useful in dysentery. Bugloss is not yet banished from the Parisian and some other pharmacopeeias ; an infusion, a conserve, and a distilled water are directed to be made with the flowers. A preparation made from the root of this plant is used by the Chinese, for promoting the eruption of the small-pox. XXXIV. ARCTIUM LAPPA. Common Burdock. Class XIX. SyNGENESIA.— Order I. PotyGami1a .QUALIS. Nat. Ord. Composit. GEN. Cuar. Involucre globose, imbricated ; scales end- ing in a soft spine hooked at the end. Receptacle chaffy. Pappus simple. Spec. CHar. Leaves cordate, stalked. SYNONYMES. Greek ee ewe ApHsioy 5 ZPKTIOV 5 Wposwrioy. Lappa major. Bauh. Pin. 198. Bardana major. Ger. Em. 809. Raii Hist. 332. Latin ..... + Personata sive Lappa major. Matth. 1154. eres Lappa. _ Lin. Sp. Pl. 1143. Lappa glabra et tomentosa. Lind. Syn. 154. French.... Bardane; Glouteron. Ttalian.... Bardana; Arsio; Lappa maggiore ; Lappola maggiore. Spanish.... Bardana; Lapa; Lampazo. Portuguese. Lappa. German.... Klette; Rossklette ; Klettenkraut ; Klettendistel. Dutch..... Klissen; Klassen; Klitten; Kladd-wortel. Danish.... Agerberre; Agerskreppe ; Storskreppe. Polish .... Lupian. Russ...... WLapuschnik. Swedish.... Karborre. Descrirption.—The root is biennial, thick, long, cylindrical, fusiform, brownish externally, white within, somewhat branched and fibrous towards the base. The stem is herbaceous, annual, branched, striated, sometimes tinged with purple, and rising three or four feet in height. The lower leaves are very large, alter- nate, cordate, petiolate, toothed, or somewhat crenate at the margin, green above, slightly cottony beneath; they gradually 120 BURDOCK. decrease in size towards the top of the stem, so as to be nearly ovate. ‘I'he flowers, supported on short peduncles, are purplish, and more numerous towards the top of the stem. The in- volucre * is globose, greenish, composed of imbricated, lan- ceolate scales, each of which terminates in a long, soft spine, hooked at the end. The florets are surrounded by the invo- lucre, and seated on a paleaceous receptacle. The corolla is furnished with along slender tube, and a regular ovate limb, divided into five linear spreading segments; filaments hair- like, very short; anthers forming a cylindrical tube, as long as the corolla. Germen oblong, downy; style filiform, longer than the stamens; stigma reflexed. Fruit of many solitary, oblong, brown, angular grains, crowned with a simple and short pappus. Plate 8, fig. 1, (a) involucre cut through vertically, showing the situation of the fruit; (6) floret of the natural size ; (c) isolated fruit or achenium. This plant occurs abundantly in almost all climates, by road sides and waste places, flowering in July and August. The generic name is derived from agxros, a bear, in allusion to the roughness of the fruit. It is well known in rural districts by the name of bur and clot-bur, from the singular manner in which its hooked bristles + adhere to every object with which they come in contact ; hence the specific name Lappa, from Ag- Bety, to lay hold of, or as some think, from dlap, a hand, in Celtic. The stems of Burdock before the flowers appear, stripped of their outer rind, have been proposed as a substitute for aspara- gus, or to be eaten with vinegar and the yolk of eggs, in the form of a salad. The root contains a saponaceous substance, which has been advantageously employed in washing; pure starch has been obtained from it, and the ashes produced by burning the plant green, between the period of flowering and seeding, yield a large proportion (nearly one part in three) of * It is generally smooth, but there is a variety whose involucre is covered with a cottony down, and is considered a distinct species by some botanists, under the name of Arctium Bardana, Willd., or Lappa tomentosa, Adlioni. + Boys in the country have a method of catching bats by throwing up the tenacious involucres of this plant, whitened with chalk, in the way of their flight ; the bats, attracted by the object, hasten towards it, entangle their membranous wings in its hooked bristles, and are thus brought te the ground. BURDOCK. 121 very pure subcarbonate of potass. Scheeffer fabricated a greenish white paper from the outer rindof the stem. Few quadrupeds browse upon this plant, except the ass, and occa- sionally kine and goats; birds feed on the seeds, and snails and caterpillars on the leaves. Virgil* recommends it to be extirpated from meadows in which sheep are fed, as it lessens the quantity of their wool. Besides the subcarbonate of potass already mentioned, it is said to yield salts of nitre, and a large quantity of inuline. The roots have a sweetish taste at first, followed by a slight auste- rity and bitterness; their juice slightly reddens litmus paper. The leaves and seeds are bitter, with a slight acridity ; the bit- terness of the seeds appears to reside in the integuments, the interior being of a farinaceous and oily nature. Mepicat Proverties anp Uses.—The Burdock enjoyed great reputation formerly as a detergent, diuretic, and diaphoretic, and it appears to be far from inert, though not often used in the present day. Ancient authors, as usual, are very loud in its praise. Simon Pauli+ extols its effects inlues venerea, espe- cially in patients already emaciated, or of very delicate consti- tutions. Henry III., King of France, according to Riverius f, was cured of this disease by Petrus Pena, who administered to him a decoction of the root ; Czesalpinus found the same decoc- tion useful in cases of bloody and purulent expectoration ; and Forestus mentions a case of gout cured by this remedy, in which the urine was not only greatly increased in quantity, but was rendered as white as milk. Sir John Hill § considered it quite a specific in gout, to which disease, however, he at last fell a victim. Similar praise is bestowed upon it as a remedy in calculous and gravelly disorders. Lieutaud || relates an in- stance of its efficacy in obstinate rheumatic pains. An ounce and a half or two ounces of the root were boiled in eight ounces of water, until one half was consumed, half an ounce of honey * “Si tibi lanicium cure ; primum aspera sylva, Lappxque, tribulique absint : fuge pabula leta.’’—Georgic iii. 7. 384. + Quadripart., p. 402. + Riverius, Obs. 41, p. 342. § Management of the Gout, with the virtues of Burdock. 7th ed. London, 1771. || Syn. Prax. Med. p. 563 122 BURDOCK. was then added, and this mixture was taken every morning, in bed, for four or five weeks. The same author asserts its utility in promoting the lochial discharge. Externally, the leaves of the Burdock have been found ex- tremely resolutive as an application to indolent tumours, and have been used with success by empirics to certain swellings of the knee joint, which had excited the greatest alarm. The manner in which it has usually been applied by many of these characters, has been by boiling the leaves in urine and bran, and forming them into a poultice to be applied to the part morning and evening. This is unquestionably a powerful, though not very elegant application; but the case of white swelling of the knee joint will warrant a little deviation from the ordinary form of prescription. Chomel* speaks very highly of it, applied as above. The bruised leaves, or the rasped root, are found an ex- cellent application to foul sloughing ulcers, and also to certain obstinate and foul cutaneous eruptions. Etmuller commends the application of them hot, to parts affected with the gout, and to bruises where there is much extravasation of blood. Hufeland + recommends the juice of the leaves as an appli- eation to ulcers. ‘‘M. Percy greatly lauds a species of nutritum, prepared with two ounces of the juice of the leaves, and the same quantity of oil, which are to be triturated and agitated in the cold, with several balls of lead, in a tin vessel: a green pomade is the result, contaming a little oxide of lead, and also partaking of the properties of the juice. The majority of atonic ulcers of the legs, in general so stubborn, are soon healed by the application of a pledget dipped in this ointment, and above it a leaf of the Burdock; it mollifies their callous edges, and promotes suppuration; it has also been applied with suc- cess to open scrofulous tumours, and even to cancers, of which it hinders the progress and mitigates the pain.” + Decoctions of the Burdock root, says Withering, are esteemed by judicious physicians as equal, if not superior, to sarsaparilla. Dr. Woodville § says, ‘‘ as a diuretic, we have known it succeed * Histoire abregee des Plantes Usuelles, t. i. p. 318. + Stirp. Helv. n, 181. + Dictionaire des Sciences Med. tom. iii. p. 13. 3 Medical Botany, vol. i, p 42. BURDOCK. 123 in two dropsical cases, where other powerful medicines had been ineffectually used: and as it neither excites nausea, nor increases irritation, it may occasionally deserve a trial, where other active remedies are improper.” The powdered root is given in the dose of a scruple toa drachm, several times a day. The fresh juice of the leaves has been prescribed to the extent of two or three ounces. The decoction is thus made: DECOCTION OF BURDOCK. Take of Dried root of Burdock, one ounce ; Boiling water ..,... two pints. Boil down to one half. The whole of this, when intended as a diuretic, should be taken within twenty-four hours. XXXV. PIMPINELLA SAXIFRAGA. Common Burnet-Saxifrage. Cluss V. PENrANDRIA.—Order I]. MonoGynia. Nat. Ord. Composit®. Gen. Cuar. Caylx an obsolete margin. Petals obcor- date, emarginate, inflexed. Fruit contracted at the side, ovate, crowned with the swollen base of the re- flexed styles. Carpels with five filiform, equal ridges, of which the lateral ones are marginal. Channels with many vitte. Seeds gibbous, flattish in front. Involu- cres none. Spec. CuHar. Radical leaves pinnate, with roundish, sharply serrate, or lobed leaflets; those of the stem bipinnate, linear. SYNONYMES. ( Pimpinella Saxifraga major altera. Bauh. Pin, 160. | Bipinella, sive Saxifraga minor. Ger. Em. 1044. TE QUS herein st < Pimpinella Saxifraga minor foliis Sanguisorbe. Rait | Syn. 213. | Pimpinella Saxifraga. Lin. Sp. Pl. 378. French...... Boucage; Boucage-Saxifrage ; Bouquetin. Ttalian...... Pimpinella bianca. Spanish. .... Pimpinela blanca. Portuguese .. Pimpinella blanca. German..... Steinbibernelle; Rossbibernelle. Duthie oe este Kleine Bevernel; Bevernaart. Danish...... Steenbrekke ; Biergroed ; Pimpinelle. Polish ... .. Biedrznyniec. Swedish ..... Backrot. Descrirvtion.—The root is perennial, long, cylindrical, fusi- form, whitish, somewhat fibrous, and marked with annular i a i BURNET-SAXIFRAGE, 125 strie. The stem is erect, round, striated, pubescent when the plant is in flower, afterwards smooth, jointed; a little branched to- wards the top, and rising froma foot to eighteen inches in height. The leaves are variously shaped; those of the root are pinnate, composed of from five to seven rounded and more or less toothed leaflets, the terminal one often three-lobed; they soon wither, and are rarely found after fructification has commenced : the caulie leaves are bipinnate, with linear acute segments. The flowers are disposed in terminal umbels, flat, drooping be- fore flowering, and consist of several radii, without involucre either general or partial. The calyx forms merely an obso- lete margin. The corolla is white, composed of five inversely heart-shaped or somewhat ovate petals, inflexed at the point. The five filaments are white, spreading, filiform, and furnished with roundish anthers. The germen is ovate-oblong, striated, supporting two short styles terminated by simple, globose stigmas. The fruit is contracted at the sides, ovate, striated, and crowned with the swollen base of the reflexed styles; the carpels* are marked with fine, slender, equal ridges, of which the lateral ones are marginal. The seeds are gibbous, and nearly flat in front. Plate 9, fig. 3, (a) fioret magnified ; (6) the fruit. This plant is a native of Great Britain, growing abundantly in dry, gravelly, or chalky pastures. It is found throughout the greater part of Europe, from the Mediterranean as far as Lapland, in which country it occurs, though rather sparingly. | It flowers in July and August. The generic name, Linnzus informs us, is altered from bi- pennula, tnice-pinnated. The great variety in the form of the leaves occasions a resemblance between them and those of many other plants; hence the specific name Saxifraga, and the com- mon name Burnet-Saxifrage, from their similarity to those of the Common Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis). There is another British species, the great Burnet-Saxifrage, (Pimpinella magna,) which grows in woods and shady places, and is like the foregoing in habit, but it is larger in all its parts, and the upper leaves are much broader and less divided. The Anise, (Pimpinella Anisum,) well known for its aromatic and * Denominated mericarps by De Candolle. 126 BURNET-SAXIFRAGE. carminative properties, is not indigenous to Britain, but is sometimes cultivated in gardens; its seeds are annually im- ported in great quantities from Spain and Malta. A variety of the plant now before us is found in some parts of Prussia and Germany, which yields an essential oil of a fine blue colour, which it imparts to brandy; the juice of the root is likewise blue. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uses. —The young leaves and shoots of this plant are said to be very palatable, and are eaten as salad; small bunches of them tied together, and suspended in a cask of beer or ale, impart to it an agreeable aromatic flavour; and it is asserted that they tend to correct tart and spoiled wines. Almost all quadrupeds will feed on this plant, and it is reputed to be a wholesome fodder for cows, and to in- erease their milk. It has been used externally to remove freckles. The root has a strong unpleasant smell, and a warm, pungent, and bitterish taste, which is considerably diminished by drying or on being long kept. Its virtues are partially extracted by water, and completely by rectified spirit. When large quan- tities of the root are distilled with water, a small quantity of essential oil, extremely acrid and fiery, may be obtained *. Mepicat Properties anp Uses.—Bergius states the virtues of this root to be resolvent, diaphoretic, stomachic, and diu- retic +. Boerhaave found it extremely useful in dropsical and asthmatic complaints. Hoffman { asserts that it is an excellent emmenagogue; and it is recommended by several writers in cases where pituitous humours are thought to prevail, such as eatarrhal coughs, hoarseness, and humid asthma, but particu- larly in a symptomatic sore throat, called angina serosa. The German physicians have used it for removing tumours and ob- structions of the glands, and in scorbutic and cutaneous dis- orders in general. The root has also been used as a masticatory in toothache, and to stimulate the tongue when that organ be- comes paralytic §. The powdered root was formerly united with arum, being considered an acrid stimulant. * Lewis's Mat. Med. p. 502. + Mat. Med. p. 230. Med. Off. p. 533. Murray, App. Med. Vol. I. p. 425. n+ 7 nal BURNET-SAXIFRAGE. ey It is given in substance in doses of a scruple, and, in infusion two drachms. The Germans have a tincture which is thus made: TINCTURE OF BURNET-SAXIFRAGE. Take of Root of Burnet-Saxifrage, sliced, five ounces. Rectified Spirits... .. 25. «++. two pints. After sufficient extraction, express and filter. Dose, from thirty to forty drops, or more. XXXVI. RUSCUS ACULEATUS. Common Butchers-Broom. Class XXII. Diaec1a.—Order Il]. ‘TRIANDRIA. Nat. Ord. SmiuacEez. GEN. CHAR. Male flowers: Pertanth of six leaves. Filaments combined at the base; anthers three to six. Female flowers: Perianth of six leaves. Nectary tubular. Style one; stigma simple. Berry superior, three-celled ; cells two-seeded. Spec. CHar. Stem branched, rigid. Leaves ovate, sharp- pointed, bearing the solitary flower on the upper sur- face. SYNONYMES. Greek ..... peverwn ayeiz. Dioscorides. Ruscus. Bauh. Pin. 470. Rai Syn. 262. Ruscus, sive Bruscus. Ger. Em. 907. Myrtacantha. Lob. ic. I. 637. Ruscus aculeatus. Lin. Sp. Pl. 1474. French ..... Houx frelon; Fragon piquant; Petit Houx. Ttalian.... Rusco. Spanish.... Brusco. = German..... Stechlicher Mausdorn ; Mausdornbusch ; Myrtendorn. Dutch.....- Muisdoorn. Bohemian... Liesnj myrtus. Danish.... Musetorn. Russ........ Menschoi myscheitern. Description.—The root is perennial, thick, twining, and sends out fibres like that of asparagus: the plant itself is bien- nial, and, for one winter, evergreen. The stems are cylindrical, furrowed, smooth, flexible, dark green, rising from a foot to eighteen inches in height, and die down to the root after the BUTCHER’ S-BROOM. 129 fruit is ripe. ‘The leaves are alternate, ovate, sessile, sharp-pointed, smooth, very rigid, and pungent, bearing the solitary flower on their upper surface. The flowers are dicecious, small and white, each rising on a slender foot-stalk from the bosom of the leaf. The males have an inferior perianth of six leaves, fila- ments combined at the base, terminated by three spreading anthers, seated on the edge of a tubular coloured nectary: the females have a perianth and nectary, as in the male; the ger- men is superior oblong, supporting a short, thick style, termina- ted by an obtuse stigma. The fruit is a large globose scarlet berry, with three cells, each cell containing one or two seeds, which are large, shining, nearly spherical, and enclosed in a sweetish pulp. Plate 8, fig. 4, (a) the flower situated on the disk of the leaf; (4) the flower isolated ; (c) the seed. This plant grows in heathy places and woods, abundantly in many parts of the south of England, rare in the north. ‘ihe only localities mentioned for it in Scotland are Bothwell woods, and S. Kelder woods near Ayr. Dillenius found it on heaths near Woolwich, and Ray tells us that it grew in hedges near Black Notley in Essex. It is common in France, Italy, Spain, and Carniola. The flowers appear in March and April. It was anciently called Bruscus, derived, it is said, from beus, box, and kelen, holly, in Celtic, signifying Box-holly*. Its pro- vincial appellations are Knee-Holly and Prickly Pettigree. Quauities anp Genera Usrs.—The tender shoots, just after they appear in spring, are sometimes gathered by the poor, and eaten like those of asparagus. ‘“ The branches were for- merly used by butchers to sweep their blocks, and in Italy, and some other countries, they use them for manufacturing brooms and bee-hives. The branches, with the ripe fruit on them, were formerly stuck up in sand, with the stalks of Peony and Iris, displaying their capsules of ripe seeds; the three together made a winter nosegay for rooms. In landscape gardening, the plant is valuable as an evergreen, which will grow under * Virgil distinctly refers to it when he says, “ Imm6 ego Sardois videar tibi amarior herbis, ” Horridior rusco = -——. Eel: vii. 1. 41, and, Ge necnon etiam aspera rusci Vimina per sylvam.” Geor, ii. 1. 413. 130 BUTCHER S-BROOM. the shade and drip of other trees. It harmonizes well with Daphne Laureola, Ulex Nana, and Vaccinium Vitis Idea.” * The root is at first sweetish to the taste, afterwards bitter: it was formerly reckoned one of the five greater aperient roots. The berries contain a sweetish pulp. The seeds have been used as a substitute for coffee, but they are said to render the liquid diuretic +. Mepicat Properties aNd Usrs.—The root of this plant has been long disused as a medicine, but it was once highly re- commended as an aperient and diuretic in dropsies, urinary obstructions, and gravel. Dioscorides t mentions it as possess- ing these properties, and Riverius § and Bauhin|| relate des- perate cases of dropsy which were cured by this remedy alone. Etmuller strongly commends this plant as a valuable remedy in scrofulous tumours and ulcers; he recommends a drachm of the powdered root to be taken every morning. The same writer also experienced great advantage from the use of the berries formed into a conserve, in gonorrhoea and heat of urine, from whatever cause, taken in the quantity of two drachms to half an ounce. To form the decoction, an ounce of the dried root was boiled in a pint and half of water down to a pint, of which a wine- glass-full was taken three times a day, or more frequently, according to circumstances. For the infusion, half an ounce of the root, bruised, was added to a pint of boiling water, and drunk as tea. A distilled water has also been made from the leaves and berries. * Loudon’s Encyclopedia of Plants, p. 847. + Launicheli de Rusco, ejusque medicamentosa preparatione. Venet. 1787. + Lib. iv. ec. 146. § Observ. Cent. 3, Obs. 52. || Hist. Univ. Plant. tom. i. p. 582. Ee ee XXXVITI. CALAMINTHA OFFICINALIS. Common Calamint. Class X1V. Dipynami1a.—Order I. GYMNOSPERMIA. Nat. Ord. Lapstatz. Gen.CHAR. Flowers axillary, generally in loose bractea- ted cymes. Calyx tubular, thirteen-nerved ; throat mostly closed with hairs; upper lip three-toothed , lower lip bifid. Corolla with the upper lip nearly plain, emarginate ; lower lip trifid, the middle lobe emarginate. Spec. Cuar. Whorls on forked, many-flowered stalks. Leaves with shallow serratures. Hairs in the throat of the calyx not prominent. SYNONYMES. ; Calamintha vulgaris. Bauh. Pin. 228. Ger. Em. 687. Rat Syn. 243. Latin .....J alguintha flore magno vulgaris. J. Bauh, iii. 228. Melissa Calamintha. Lin. Sp. Pl. 827. | Thymus Calamintha. Smith, Fl. Brit. 641. ( Calamintha officinalis. Mench. French.... Calament; Calament des montagnes. Ttalian.... Calaminta. Spanish.... Calaminto. German.... Bergmiinze. Dutch...... Berg calaminth. Bavarian.. Plana mata; Poleg. Russ... sixteen ounces. Macerate for fifteen days, strain and filter. This will be found very agreeable to smell to in nervous head-aches, and extremely serviceable in contagious fevers to sprinkle in the rooms. * Geoffroy, Tract. Mat. Med. tom. iii. p. 269. + Appar. Medic. vol. iii. p. 504. + Syrupus Dianthi Caryophylli.—Pharm. Edinb. § Codex Medic. Paris, 1818. L. COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE. Colchicum, or Common Meadow-Saffron. ClassVI. NHExanpria.— Order III. Trigynta. Nat. Ord. MELANTHACER. GEN. CuHar. Perianth single; tube very long, rising from a spathe; limb campanulate, six-parted, petaloid. Capsules three-celled ; cells united at the base. Spec. Cuar. Leaves flat, broadly lanceolate, erect. SYNONYMES. Greek....... xorginov? Dioscorides. ePnyuegov ? Theophrastus. Colchicum commune. Bauh. Pin.6]. Rati Hist. 1170; Syn. 373. pein ob: Colchicum Anglicum purpureum et album. Ger. Em. 157. Colchicon officinis Hermodactylus. Tag. 759. Colchicum sive Ephemerum strangulatorium. Lob. Obs. 69. (Colchicum Autumnale. Lin. Sp. Pl. 485. Eng. Bot. t. 133. French...... Colchique; Colchique de ’Automne; Tue-chien; Safran batard. Ttalian...... Colchico ; Giglio matto; Strozza-cane. Spanish...... Colchico; Villorita ; Quitameriendas. Portuguese .. Colchico. German..... Herbstzeitlose; Herbstblume ; Licht-blume; Nackte Jung- fer ; Wilde Safran. Dutch....... Tyde-loosen ; Naakte-Vrouwen. Danish...... Nogne jomfrue. : Polish ...... Rozsiad; Cimowit. Swedish ..... Nakna jungfrur; Tidlzsa. Russ. ...... Beswremnoi zwjet. Description.—The cormus * is fleshy, lactescent, covered with a brown membranous coat, and furnished at the base with many * Commonly called solid bulb. Pee 188 COLCHICUM. small fibrous roots. The leaves spring immediately from the cor- mus ; they are long, erect, broadly-lanceolate, acute, entire, dark green, sheathing at the base, and united three or four together, The flowers proceed from the cormus, and are surrounded at the base by a membranous sheath; they appear in autumn, ante- rior to the leaves, which are not developed until sprmg. The perianth (calyx) is single, petaloid, of a light roseate purple, with a very long narrow tube, arising immediately from the cor- mus, and a six-parted limb, whose segments are oblong-ovate, ob- tuse, erect, and concave. ‘The stamens are six in number, with white subulate filaments, inserted on the segments of the pe- rianth ; anthers oblong, versatile, yellow, turned outwards. The germen is situated at the bottom of the tube, in the midst of the cormus, supporting three long filiform styles, terminated by as many linear recurved and downy stigmas. The fruit is a sub- sessile capsule, with three cells and three straight lobes, rather acute at the summit, connected at their lower part, and opening longitudinally on their inner face. The seeds are small, whitish, smooth, and rounded, with a membranous testa, and a dense fleshy albumen. Plate 13, fig. 2, (a) the capsule opening natu- rally ; (6) the pistil; (¢) the capsule cut transversely to shew the seeds. The Colchicum is a native of the southern and most of the central countries of Europe, but is not enumerated in the Flora of Holland. It grows in moist rich meadows at Little Stonham and Bury, Suffolk; Filkins and Bradwell, Oxfordshire; near Devizes, Wiltshire ; the foot of the Malvern Hills, Worcester- shire ; it also occurs in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Mid- dlesex, Warwickshire*, and some other counties. - Lightfoot gives “ Alloa” as the only locality for itin Scotland. The fiowers appear in September and October, before the leaves and’ fruit, which are not produced until the following spring. This plant owes its generic name to Colchis, in Natolia, which abounded in this and other poisonous vegetables, and hence perhaps gave rise to some of the poetical fictions respecting the * Miller says, ‘‘ I have observed it in great plenty in the meadows in Warwickshire, at the beginning of September. The country people call the flowers Naked Ladies, because they come up naked, without any leaves or cover.’ A similar name is given them in other countries as may be seen in the list of svnonymes. — se ee COLCHICUM. 189 enchantress Medea, who was not unfrequently called Colchis, from the place of her birth. On account of the great length of the flower-tube, the plant goes by the name of tube-root, in some parts of England. It is generally believed that the Col- chicum Autumnale is the Hermodactylon of the ancients; this bulb was described as about the size of a small chestnut, flat- tened on one side, yellowish externally, white within, of a sub- viscid, farinaceous taste, and without odour. It was brought from Natolia and Egypt through Turkey. Linneus*, on the authority of Bauhin, mentions it as the root of the Iris tuberosa, adding “the plant from which it is obtained is unknown— Tournefort and many others consider it a species of Iris, while some take it for the Colchicum variegatum!” 'The description given by Alexander of Tralles +, as to its medicinal effects cor- responds very nearly with the character of the Colchicum. He recommended it with other purgatives in gout, united with aro- matics. Paulus Zgineta } extols it as a specific in the same dis- ease, as does Avicenna §, who also recommends it to be applied to the part affected in the form of a cataplasm. The economy of this plant is so interesting as to deserve especial notice. In the Coltsfoot the flowers are produced early in spring, and the leaves in the following summer ; but in the Meadow-Saffron the flowers appear about the latter énd of September, and in a short time perish, without leaving any appearance of leaves or fruit. The germen or ovary which was impregnated in autumn gradually developes underground, and finds a safe hybernaculum in the bulb. In spring the fruit rises on a short peduncle, together with the leaves, which perish before the end of June, when the seeds are ripe. In the mean time a new bulb has sprung from the side of the old one, and when this has perished, is ready to fulfil its destined office, by providing for the fecundation of the flower and the nourishment of the germ of a succeeding plant. There are, in fact, two * Mat. Med. ed. Schreber, p. 44. + Libr. Med. xi. ed. Andernaci, p. 643, sqq. + Ed. Torin. lib. iii. p. 237. § Canon. Med. ed. F. P. Utinensem, vol. i. p. 333, (de hermodactylo,) Venetiis, 1608.— But his description will not apply to our plant. —‘* Hermo- dactylus est radix plantz habentis rosas albas, et citrinas. Et aperitur in primis, quum aperiuntur flores; et existit in planitiebus montium et in angulis eorum et folia ejus expansa sunt super terram.”’ 190 COLCHICUM. germs from the same bulb, one lower, just described, producing the flower and seed, the other situated above, also furnished with a stem, but seldom bearing flowers. Quatities anp Usrs.—Prosper Alpinus* states that the Egyptian women fatten themselves with the Hermodactyl roots that are sold in shops, eating ten every day for a fortnight or three weeks, without experiencing any effect on the stomach or bowels, or any inconvenience, and the true Colchicum, of which we are speaking, varies greatly in its qualities. Krapf } asserts that in Carniola, towards the end of Autumn, he has eaten whole bulbs, and experienced no disagreeable effect, except an ungrateful bitterness. On the other hand, it is affirmed by various writers to be very acrimonious and dangerous in its effects; but these discrepancies are to be attributed almost entirely to the time of year at which the bulb is dug up. Cli- mate and soil have also their share of influence ; and even when its baneful principle is most fully developed, by a very simple process it may be divested of all poisonous properties, and eaten with the greatest safety +. “Like the potato, it yields a white friable, amylaceous fecula, which, after repeated washings, is by no means acrid. I have several times given a scruple of this fecula, dried in the sun, to a domestic fowl, without the slightest ill effect. Boiled in river water, it affords a brownish jelly, similar to that of sago.” § From the preceding remarks it is evident that the proper time for taking up the bulb is just before it begins to develop the flowering organs or the new germ is projected, viz., im July and the beginning of August. At this time it is quite solid and firm, and when cut has a creamy appearance. It must also be remembered that the bulb, even when taken up at the proper season, if preserved entire, is subject to the same pro- cess which unfits it for medicinal purposes as though it re- mained underground||._ Dr. Thomson recommends that the * Med. Agypt. p. 234—253. + In Storck contin. experim. p. 233. + See also p. 26 and 99. § Bergius Mat. Med. vol. i. p. 291. || This inconvenience might be obviated if some method could be ascer- tained of destroying its vitality. Perhaps a momentary immersion in boil- ing water might effect this. COLCHICUM. 191 bulbs, immediately after they are dug up, be cut into transverse ‘slices, not thicker than one-eighth of ‘an inch, and dried by placing the slices on clean white blotting paper, distinct from one another, without heat, or at a very low temperature. The test of the drug being good and properly dried is the appearance of a blue colour on rubbing it with a little distilled vinegar and the alcoholic solution of guaiacum. The slices should be pre- served in well-stopped bottles. The recent bulb, when taken up at the proper season, is in-- odorous, bitter, hot, and acrid to the taste, and if a small por- tion be swallowed, -a sensation of warmth is produced in the stomach. These properties are thought to reside in the milky juice which exudes when the bulb is cut transversely, and which contains a peculiar alkaloid, called Veratrine*. 'The other com- ponents are a fatty matter, gallic acid, a yellow colouring mat- ter, gum, starch, sugar, inulin in great abundance, and a small quantity of lignin. Wine and vinegar are employed to extract its active qualities. Sir Everard Home ascribes the nauseating effect that is sometimes produced by the wine to a sediment formed in it, and which ought always to be removed. Potsonous Properties.—There can be no doubt of the dele- terious and sometimes fatal effects of the Meadow-Saffron upon animals, but contradictory statements are given on this point by different authors ; some affirming that horses eat the flowers of the plant with impunity, while others state that they never touch it, let it be ever so plentiful. Cattle seldom eat the plant as it grows in meadows, but when dried and mixed with hay it has produced fatal consequences. ‘ Fallow-deer, after eating it in their forage, have been seized with extreme pain and a copious flux of blood, and after death the stomach and intestines exhibited evident traces of inflammation and gan- grene.” + Scopolit mentions that a calf died from eating the flowers, and Storck § relates some experiments in which a small * This substance also exists in the seeds, and was so called because it was found abundantly in White Hellebore (Veratrum Album). Geiger and Hesse (Journal de Pharmacie, xx. p. 164) have lately discovered a new alka- loid, which they have named Colchicia. + Bresl. Sam. 1720, p. 668. + Flora Carn. ed. 1. p. 229. § De Colchico, p. 17, Exper. 17. 192 COLCHICUM. quantity of the bulb proved fatal to dogs in a very short time. The old French name, T'ue-chien, would seem to intimate that dogs are especially obnoxious to this poison. In spring, when the seeds are ripe, they are lable to be swal- lowed by animals, and by adhering to the coats of the stomach, produce inflammation, which may terminate in death. To the human frame colchicum is very deleterious. Several children have lost their lives in consequence of having eaten ‘the seeds*, but only in the spring+, when the seed vessel is fully matured. Respecting the properties of the bulb, authors have given very different reports. Haller { informs us that he found the root perfectly void of taste and acrimony. Krapf likewise says (as observed before) that he ate whole bulbs without feeling any inconvenience, except that of an ungrateful bitterish taste; and Kratochvill§ gave it with impunity to several patients, in doses of two, three, and even four drachms. Stérck||, on the other hand, tells us, that by gently rubbing the root against the tip of his tongue, it rendered the part rigid, and almost void of sensation, for several hours. Ehrmann], Marges**, Murray++, and several other writers{{, also bear testimony to the great acrimony of the colchicum, so that we can only reconcile these contradictory accounts by supposing the roots to vary according to their age, the soil in which they grow, the season of gathering them, and the manner in which they are pre- served. The effects may also depend on the constitution of the person to whom it is administered §§. Some well attested cases of the fatal effects of preparations of colchicum are related by observers worthy of confidence; among “ Orfila’s Toxicology, vol. ii. p. 81, also Bressl. Samml. 1723, p. 679. + Beck’s Medical Jurisprudence, 5th edit. p. 923. } Hist. stirp. Helv. n. 1256. § Kratochvill, Diss. de radice Colchici, Franc. ad Moen. 1764, p. 34. || Storck, Lib. de Colch. p. 8, 9. q Ehrmann, Diss. de Colchico, Basil, 1772, § 5. ** Marges in Journ. de Med. tom. xxiii. p. 32. sq. ++ Murray, Appar. Med. vol. v. p. 196. +t Woodville’s Med. Bot. vol. iii. p. 484. fw §§ Murray, Appar. Med. vol. v. p. 195. COLCHICUM. 193 others, Mr. Dillen’s*, Mr. Fereday’s +, Dr. Thompson’s t, M. Che- vallier’s §, and the case communicated to Dr. Duncan||, are espe- cially worthy of notice. Van Swieten, Garidel, and Peyer also speak of various cases of poisoning by colchicum. Bernt ** relates the case of two children who were poisoned by the seed. Agri- cola}} observes that two boys, after eating this plant, died in great agony. Fatal effects, according to Geiger’s Journal ff, have followed the taking of an infusion of the flowers; and even, says Garidel §§, violent symptoms have been produced by taking only three of the flowers in substance. To obviate the deleterious effects of this powerful plant, im- mediately evacuate the stomach by copious draughts of oily and mucilaginous liquids, and give emollient clysters to sheath and sooth the rectum. After having excited vomiting very freely, administer acidulous fluids, coffee, and camphor. If necessary, bleeding must be resorted to. Colchicum, either taken as a poison or exhibited as a remedial agent, is supposed to act through the nervous system by absorption, and by that medium exerting a peculiar influence on the arterial circulation || ||. Sir E. Home {J found, by direct experiment, that its effects were the same, whether taken into the stomach or introduced into the jugular vein, only that in the latter case its action was more quickly developed. The prime vie usually exhibit appearances of inflammation; but accord- ing to Dr. Paris *** this is no proof of its direct effects upon them. Mepicat Propertizs AnD Usrs.—The powerful influence of Colchicum as a medicine, admitting its identity with the Her- * In Burnett’s Medical Botany, vol. ii. + Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. x. p. 161. tt Lancet, 1821, vol. vii. p. 281. § Journal de Chimie Médicale, viii. 351. || Edinb. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xiv. p. 262. @ Flore Medicale, tom. iii. p. 64. ** Beitrage zur Gerichtl. Arzneik, iv. p. 246. ++ Jo. Agricola Ammonius, Medic. Herb. lib. i. p. 90 ; Nec non Ludovici Opera, p. 63. +t Magazin fur Pharmacie, xxx. p. 237. §§ Garidel, Plantes d’ Aix, p. 123. \\|| I. Fereday, Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. x. p. 162. §[4| Philosophical Transactions, 1816, p. 257. *** Pharmacologia, 6th edit. vol. i. p. 248. 194 COLCHICUM. modactyl of the ancients, has been known for ages. Occasional mention is made of it by the ancient writers both of Greece and Rome; but it appears the earliest particular account of its properties was given by Alexander and Paulus ASgineta, who regarded it as a remedy of great efficacy in gout*. Demetrius Paragomenus+, who wrote in the thirteenth century, likewise particularly mentions it. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, a translation of Wertzung’s work } appeared, in which a very favourable account of the virtues of colchicum is given. More recently we find it enjoy- ing its reputation, and entering into the “ Pulvis Arthriticus” of Sir Theodore Mayerne, in which it was combined, among other et cetera, with the powder of unburied skulls (cranii humani in- sepulti) ; an ingredient which, it would appear, was not much relished by his Majesty King James the First, for it is added in a note—‘“ N.B. In casu D. N. Regis qui av§coroga-/ous odit, cra- nium humanum poterit in ossium bubulorum rasuram permu- tari.” What alteration the efficacy of the nostrum suffered from this change we are not informed §. Colchicum, duly preserved, is powerfully diuretic, purgative, and emetic. It is to the enterprising spirit of Stérck that we are chiefly indebted for the knowledge of its diuretic virtue, who, by experiments with a vinous infusion of the fresh roct on his own person, was fully satisfied, that if its deleterious acri- mony were destroyed, it might prove an efficacious medicine ; accordingly he invented an acetous preparation ; STORCK’S VINEGAR OF COLCHICUM. Take of Fresh bulb of Colchicum, one ounce ; Vinegar ...«.ss...... One pint. Digest for forty-eight hours with a gentle heat, and strain. Finding this article acrid to the taste, and that it constringed and irritated the fauces, and excited a slight cough, he added some honey to it ; STORCK’S OXYMEL OF COLCHICUM. Take of Vinegar of Colchicum, one ounce ; Honey ............-- two ounces. Gently boil it down to the consistence of honey. * See p. 189. + Ker’s Medical Sketches. + Praxis Medicine Universalis. § Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xlv. p. 219. + COLCHICUM. | 195 Taken in doses of a drachm, gradually increased to an ounce or more, twice a day, he found it to promote a copious dis- charge of urine, without producing any inconvenience from its acrimony. Many other practitioners who employed this oxy- mel in dropsical complaints, also experienced its good effects, especially in Germany * and France}; in England it has been less successful ¢, and is very generally thought a less efficacious diuretic than the squill §. The disorders for which colchicum is most celebrated are those of gout|| and rheumatism, and that complicated form of disease called rheumatic gout. In France it has long been a favourite gout remedy; and is supposed to be the essence of M. Husson’s far-famed “ Eau Medicinale.”Y Sir Everard Home considered the following vinous infusion to be identical with the “Eau Medicinale”**; and found that when freed from its customary deposit, it acted (in doses of sixty or seventy drops) with much greater mildness, hence he extolled it as a complete and successful remedy. SIR E. HOME’S VINOUS INFUSION OF COLCHICUM. Take of Fresh bulbs of Colchicum, sliced, two ounces ; Sherry wine .....+.20s04+ -... twenty-four ounces. Macerate with a gentle heat for six days. Dr. Wilsontt, dissatisfied with the preparation in general use in 1815, proposed a secret tincture, which for some time, (with other nostra,) was in great esteem. Both Dr. Wil- liams ¢{ and Sir C. Scudamore §§ agree in condemning Wilson’s preparation. * Zack, Plenck, Collin, Krapf, Ehrmann, &c. + Marges, Planchon, Du Monceau, &c. + Monro’s Essay on Dropsy, p. 108. § Woodville’s Med. Bot. vol. iii. p. 485. || Quincy, speaking of the use of colchicum in gout, observes, “‘ that it stands so much in the esteem of some writers, as to be dignified with the name of ‘Anima Articulorum—the soul of the joints ;’ because they believed it to be very efficacious in preventing chalky concretions in these parts.”— Quincy’s Dispensatory, 11th edit. 1739. @ The exact components of ‘‘ Eau Medicinale”’ are not known; but its effects do not differ from those of the wine and tincture of colchicum.— Hooper’s Med. Dict. 6th edit. p. 401. ** See also Edinb. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xii, p. 501. ++ Wilson on Gout, Ist edit. p. 42. ++ Dr. Williams’s Observations. §§ Sir C. Scudamore’s Observations, p. 32. 196 COLCHICUM. Although a highly valuable agent in gout and rheumatism, colchicum must be very cautiously used ; for although it has been taken by many persons with the best effects, acting almost as a charm in setting aside a paroxysm of the disease, it will sometimes produce the most distressing and even fatal effects. Mr. Bampfield* knew death to ensue on the following day after a drachm of the wine of colchicum had been administered over night, in two cases of dropsy; yet, he asserts, that he never saw such a consequence from its employment in gout; Mr. Bampfield, however, in the latter disorder employed small doses}. From the observations of Dr. Bardsley { and of many others, the benefit derived from colchicum seems to depend upon its purgative operation. In some cases, however, it must be allowed that it removes the paroxysm of gout without any sensible operation. In proof of this fact Mr. Want has ad- duced several cases§, and among the rest, that of the late Sir Joseph Banks ||; and in this opinion he is supported by Mr. Lignum ¥. As a common gout and rheumatic remedy, the following formula** may be more depended on than the Eau Medicinale, or any of the more simple forms in which the colchicum is usually prescribed, as the ill qualities of the plant are corrected by articles which, of themselves, exert a very powerful action upon the matter which gives rise to that disorder. Take of fresh bulbs of Colchicum ...... .- two ounces ; Avens root .. ? é OL Caclien se. stetsrete one ounce; Angelica root $ Burdock root ........ Sano Ce ... one ounce and a half; Sherry Wine <¢.cceseesesse sane a quart. Infuse, for fourteen days, in a warm place, and then filter. From one tea-spoonful to two, or even three, is a dose ; but it will be best always to begin with the smaller quantity, and a little experience will soon teach the patient what is the precise dose * Obs. on the Use of Colchicum. + Op. cit. Nov. 1821. + Hospital Facts and Reports, p. 118. § Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxxii. pp. 312, 393, 491. || Idem, p. 202. q On the Effects of Tinct. Colch. in Gout.—Lond. Med. and Phys. Journ. vol. xxxiii. p. 264. ** Brit. Dom. Herb. p. 102. COLCHICUM. 197 adapted to his constitution. This may be taken either in a glass of wine or in a small quantity of water, and should be received into a stomach as nearly as possible empty ; that is, either early in the morning, or four hours after breakfast, or any other meal. It will be highly necessary, during the exhibition of this remedy, to employ purgative medicines twice or thrice a-week. When the pain, whether of gout or rheumatism, continues, not- withstanding the first dose of the medicine, it may be repeated in four or six hours, to.a third time, which will be generally found sufficient to relieve the most severe pain. When, how- ever, the pain has ceased, the medicine should. be discontinued, or its exhibition confined to once in the day. M. Chelius* considers. the beneficial effects produced. by this medicine, in cases of gout and: rheumatism, to depend on its power of increasing the quantity of uric acid } in the urine. The late Mr. Haden} attributes to colchicum powerful influ- ence in controlling the action of the heart and arteries, which opinion led him frequently to substitute it for bleeding in inflam- matory affections, such as pleurisy, pneumonia, &c., and with ap- parent uniform success. Inacute cases he gave from two to eight grains of the powder, with a scruple or more of sulphate of pot- ash, in rose infusion, every four or six hours, increasing the dose after a few hours until either purging is produced on the second or third day, or the common black draught, or calomel, is given in addition. The medicine is now laid aside,. if. its effect on the disease be decided, or it is given in diminished doses, or one dose of six or more grains is given occasionally, with calomel at night. In chronic cases, he directed a dose of five grains and upwards every morning early, with a drachm of sulphate of potash, in a tumbler nearly full of warm water. In * Bull. Univ. c. xiv. 100. + A person afilicted with gouty concretions in many of the joints, and especially in the knees, so as to be unable to move, took the colchicum wine: before its use, the uric acid, either free or combined in the urine, was 0.069 ; on the fourth day after the first employment of the medicine it had inereased to 0.076; on the eighth day to 0.091; and on the twelfth day to0.112: so that the quantity was nearly doubled in the short space of twelve days.-- Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. ii. p. 830. { Pract. Observ. on the Colch. Aut. by Mr. Haden, Jun., p. 8. 198 COLCHICUM. this form it is continued for weeks together, other opening medicines, such as jalap, being added to it as occasion may require .* Dr. Bardsley} has employed this remedy in the manner pointed out by Mr. Haden, but with very different results, and the reviewer t of Mr. Haden’s work equally agrees with Dr. Bardsley in depending on the early use of the lancet. Colchi- cum combined with saline diaphoretics, is nevertheless ex- tremely useful in subduing inflammatory rheumatic fever, and other complaints of a decided increased action. The preparations of colchicum are sometimes employed in consumption, water in the chest, inflammation of the larynx, and combined with purgatives in inflammation of the air-vessels of the lungs; but there is always a degree of uncertainty in their operation §. The British Colleges of Physicians direct a vinegar, oxymel, syrup, wine, and tincture. VINEGAR OF COLCHICUM||. Take of Fresh Colchicum bulb, sliced, one ounce ; Distilled vinegar ....... +++ one pint; roof spirite oes deter eleis one ounce. Macerate the colchicum bulb with the vinegar in a covered vessel for twenty-four hours; then express and set the liquor aside that the feculencies may subside; lastly, add the spirit to the clear liquor. Employed chiefly in dropsies of the abdomen and chest. Half a drachm to a drachra, in any bland fluid, every four or six hours. Sir C. Scudamore J], from comparative trials with the powder of the root, the tincture, and the acetous preparation, gives pre- ference to the latter, on account of its remarkable mildness. By joining it with the sulphate of magnesia he found it certain in its operation on the bowels **. * Mr. Haden, Jun., Lib. cit. p. 17. + Dr. Bardsley, Lib. cit. p. 117. + Edinb. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xvii. p. 452. § Dr. Murray's Syst. Mat. Med. and Pharm. 6th edit. 1832, p. 297. | Acetum Colchici.— Pharm. Lond. et Dubl. 4 Observ. Use Colch. Autumn. in Gout, 1825, p. 22. ** Treatise on Gout and Rheumatism, 2d edit. 1817, p. 185. COLCHICUM. 199 OXYMEL CF COLCHICUM nm Take of Fresh Colchicum buib, sliced, one ounce ; Distilled vinegar ........-. one pint; Clarified honey...........-. two pints. Digest the bulb with the vinegar in a glass vessel for two days; then to the liquor strongly expressed from the roct add the honey; and lastly, boil down the mixture to the consistence of a syrup, frequently stirring it during the boiling with a wooden spoon. Given in dropsies and humoral asthma, but itis very uncertain in its operation. A drachm, gradually increased to an ounce, ip any bland fluid, twice or thrice a day. SYRUP OF COLCHIcUMf. Take of Fresh Colchicum bulb, sliced, one ounce ; Distilled vinegar .......... sixteen ounces 5 Refined sugar ..........-- twenty-six ounces. Macerate the bulb in the vinegar for two days, shaking the vessel occa- sionally ; then express gently, strain the liquor, and add the sugar ; lastly, boil a little, so as to form a syrup. A similar preparation to the oxymel, and used for the same disorders. ‘The dose is from half a drachm gradually increased to four, six, or eight drachms. TINCTURE OF COLCHICUM SEED{. Take of Seeds of Colchicum, two ounces ; Proof spirit ..... -. one pint. Macerate for fourteen days, and strain. The tincture is the most active preparation of colchicum; proof spirit being the strongest solvent of the principles of the root; and we find, as a medicine, that it stimulates the most, and often irritates the stomach and bowels in a remarkable degree§. The dose is from ten drops gradually increased to two drachms. WINE OF COLCHICUM ||. Take of Fresh Colchicum bulb, bruised, one ounce ; ERO ER DIN Re GoqogAeood one four ounces ; Distilled water ..... +++see eight ounces. Macerate for fourteen days, and filter. * Oxymel Colchici.— Pharm. Dubl. + Syrupus Colchici Autumnalis.— Pharm. Edinb. } Tinctura seminum colchicii— Pharm. Dubl. § Sir C. Scudamore’s Observ. p. 33. || Vinum Colchici.—Pharm. Lond. 200 COLCHICUM. This preparation is next in strength to the tincture. Sir C. Scudamore considers it as most deserving of preference in any case of disease in which we are desirous of obtaining the greatest share of specific agency which the colchicum pos- sesses. It requires to be administered with care, for it is liable to affect the stomach with sickness, and the mucous membrane of the bowels with great irritation. The dose is from thirty drops to a drachm and a half, given in conjunction with magnesia in the effervescing draught, or with some bitter infusion. The petals of the flower and the seeds possess the same properties as the bulb*; hence many practitioners prefer a wine prepared from the unbruised seed. WINE OF COLCHICUM SEED fT. Take of Seeds of Colchicum, two ounces : Sherry wine ...... two pints. Macerate for eight days, and filter. Asan external application, a few fresh bulbs, sliced, bruised, and mixed with a bread poultice, may be effectually applied to the gouty parts. This should be repeated twice or three times in twenty-four hours. * Dr. Thompson’s Dispensatory, 8th edit. p. 300. + Dr. Thompson, Lib. cit. p. 957. LI. TUSSILAGO FARFARA. Coltsfoot. Class XIX. SynGeNestA.—Order II. PotyGamIa SUPERFLUA. Nat. Ord. CompositTz. Gen. Caar. Involucre formed of a simple row of equal, linear, sub-membranous scales, tumid at the base. Re- ceptacle naked. Flowers radiant; those of the circum- Jerence long, linear, numerous ; of the disk few. Pappus simple. Spec. Cuar. Scape single-flowered, imbricated with scales. Leaves cordate, angular, toothed, downy be- neath. SYNONYMES. Greek..... Byzsov. Dioscorides. - ( Tussilago vulgaris. Bauh. Pin. 197. Tussilago. Ger. Em. 811. Rati Syn. 173; Hist. i. 259. Latin......2 Pie. Hist. esl Bechium sive Fartara. Dod. 586. Ungula caballina. Trag. 418. \Tussilago Farfara. Lin. Sp. Pl.1214. Fl. Brit. 878. French.... Tussilage; Pas d’Ane; Taconnet. Italian.... Tossilagine ; Unghia Cavallina; Farfaro. Spanish ..- Tusilago; Una de Asno. Portuguese Tussilagem. German ... Huflattich. Dutch .... UHoefblad; Paarden-klaauw. Danish.... Hofblad; Hovurt ; Hestehov. Swedish ... Heesthof. Polish .... Podbial. Russ......... Dwoje Listnik. 202 COLTSFOOT. Description.—The root is perennial, very long, penetrating deep into the earth, of a whitish colour, and sending out nume- rous slender fibres, which creep horizontally. The scapes, which appear before the leaves, are erect, simple, one-flowered, slightly furrowed, downy, from six to ten inches in height, of a pale green varying to a reddish tinge, and clothed with nume- rous imbricated, lanceolate, acute scales. The leaves are all radical, large, cordate, petiolate, slightly lobed and toothed, of a bright green on the upper surface, whitish and cottony beneath. The involucre consists of a simple row of linear equal scales, erect at first, afterwards reflexed. The receptacle is naked, flat, ultimately becoming convex. The florets of the circumfer- ence are long, linear, numerous, and generally fertile ; those of the disk are few in number, mostly barren, short, tubular, with a limb divided into five acute, recurved segments. The anthers are united into a tube. The germen is obovate, with a filiform style, and two protruded linear stigmas. The fruit is oblong, compressed, crowned with a simple sessile pappus, and contain- ing a solitary erect seed without albumen. Plate 14, fig. 2, (a) one of the female florets of the circumference ; (6) one of the central hermaphrodite florets ; (c) the fruit *. The Coltsfoot is a native of Europe, from Italy to Sweden. It grows in moist and clayey soils, in sterile and waste places, fal- low fields, and the banks of rivers. It is the first plant that ve- getates in marl or lime stone rubble, and in places where the earth from canals, roads, &c., has been thrown up. ‘“ The clayey part of the pestilential Marethmes of Tuscany, where scarcely any other plant will grow, is covered with Coltsfoot.’’} It flowers in March and April, and produces its leaves in May. The generic name is derived from iussis, a cough, and ago, to drive away, in allusion to the pectoral properties of the flowers, and the term 8yvi0v, by which it is mentioned by Dioscorides, was formed from 67é, a cough. The specific name is an altera- tion of Farfarus, applied by the Greeks to the white poplar, the leaves of which bear some resemblance to the Coltsfoot. Some of the ancient botanists designated this plant by the whimsical name of filius ante patrem, because the flowers appear before the * Commonly called seed. + London’s Eneyclopedia of Plants, p. 704. COLTSEOOT. 203 leaves. It is sometimes called provincially Foal’s-foot, Horse- hoof, and Bull’s-foot. The genus includes a few species, chiefly natives of Europe. The sweet-scented (TZussilago fragans) 1s much valued in gar- dens, both for the agreeable odour of its flowers and their early appearance. It is a denizen of Italy and Barbary. The butter- bur, formerly considered a species of Tussilago, according to Desfontaines and others, constitutes a distinct genus, and is called Petasites vulgaris. It is remarkable for its large creep- ing roots, immense leaves, and fine thyrse of white or purplish- coloured flowers, appearing before the leaves, and forming an elegant appearance in the beginning of spring on the banks of rivers and in wet meadows. It was formerly called Pestilent- wort, from its supposed efficacy in the plague. This plant is eaten by goats and sheep, and sometimes by cows, but horses and swine refuse it. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—Injurious as Coltsfoot often is to the farmer, it is not without use in preparing the barren and clayey soils, in which it springs up so plentifully, for the re- ception of other plants*. The leaves are often smoked for to- bacco, and the downy substance that clothes their under surface, after being dipped in a solution of saltpetre and dried in the sun, forms excellent tinder. Both leaves and flowers have been employed medicinally ; the former should be collected and dried as soon as they are quite expanded, and before they have attained their full size. ‘The dried plant is inodorous, mu- cilaginous, rather disagreeably bitter and styptic to the taste. The latter quality, together with the black colour produced in the infusion by sulphate of iron, indicate an astringent prin- ciple ; but further than this its constituent principles are unknown.” + Water extracts the mucilage of the leaves, and a peculiar odour is evolved during the process of boiling. MepicaL Properties anp Uses.—From the very infancy of * The pappus or seed-down is a beautiful provision for the dissemination of the plant, and there appears to be some peculiar conservative property in the coats of the seed, or a vitality in the seed itself, as it frequently vege- tates in soil that has been recently thrown up from deep pits where it must have been buried for ages. + Flore Medicale, tom. vi- p 234 204 COLTSFOOT. the healing art, Coltsfoot has been esteemed useful in coughs and other pectoral affections. Hippocrates * recommended the root mixed with honey in ulcerations of the lungs. Dioscorides f, Pliny {, and Galen §, relate that the smoke of the leaves, re- ceived into the mouth through a funnel or reed, is efficacious in coughs and laborious breathing ; and, by the testimony of Lin- nzeus, it is to this day, in Sweden, a popular remedy for coughs. Boyle || added flowers of sulphur and powdered amber to the dried leaves for the same purpose, but the propriety of this ad- dition is rather questionable. According to Fuller J a decoc- tion of the leaves is a valuable medicine in scrofula; and Dr. Cullen ** states that he employed it in scrofulous cases with ap- parent success. The expressed juice of the fresh leaves, taken to some ounces every day, in several instances, occasioned the heal- ing up of scrofulous sores, and a strong decoction of the dried leaves seemed to answer the same purpose}++. Dr. Alibert, of the Hospital St. Louis, Paris, has tried it in scrofula, but with very little benefit. Dr. Percival t+ found it useful in hectic diar- rhoeas. The herb has been occasionally applied in form of a ca- taplasm to inflamed surfaces, and, parboiled in wine, it was recom- mended by Hippocrates as a useful application to ulcerated luxa- tions. Its fumes have also been deemed efficacious in tooth- ache. The root, flowers, and leaves of Coltsfoot have been employed for medical purposes, the latter most commonly. . Both the distilled water and the conserve of the flowers are said to be in- ert, and the syrup is thought to owe its reputation to the sugar it contains, but it is agreeable to the palate, and may be prepared like other syrups. Of the expressed juice of the fresh leaves from one to four ounces may be administered daily. The de- * Lib. de Internis affectionibus, Ed. Foes. 1. 34, p. 532. + Lib. iii. c. 126. + Lib. xxvi. c. 6, p. 651. § Simpl. lib. vi. p. 414. || De Util. Phil. Nat. €| Medicina Gymnastica, p. 87. ** Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 460. ++ Loco cit. tf Essays Med. and Exper. vol. ii. p. 224. COLTSEOOT. 205 coction has been found of great service in coughs and other pul- monary complaints *. DECOCTION OF COLTSFOOT. Take of dried leaves of Coltsfoot, one ounce ; Water) a) -lnlesetelelesalel- iis one quart. To be boiled down to one pint, and sweetened with sugar or honey: Or twice the quantity of the fresh leaves may be used, and the decoction added to veal or mutton broth. The dose is from two to four ounces, several times a day. COMPOUND INFUSION OF COLTSFOOT. Take of dried leaves of Coltsfoot, ........ one ounce; Liquorice root, sliced, Angelica root, pounded, Boiling water ............. +--+. one quart. Infuse them for two hours, then pour off the liquor. \ of each half an ounce ; For troublesome coughs, an ounce of paregoric elixir may be added to this infusion, of which a wine-glassful may be taken at a dose. The leaves of Coltsfoot dried, are commonly used as a species of tobacco, and are smoked with advantage by asthmatic and phthisical persons. This is a principal ingredient in all the herb tobaccos, and constitutes the chief part of their value. The best of these mixtures consists of the following plants, the propor- tions of which may be altered according to circumstances. Take of coltsfoot leaves, dried...... Kye-bright, ? Buck-bean, $ Wood betony.......... -.+++-four ounces ; Rosemary ... +. one pound ; of each........-half a pound ; Gin efolelelaie/sieieie)s(e/bW.OLOUTICES) Common Thyme ..........-.one ounce and half ; Mavender = «\:1<. se oe sve s eee oes Olle OUNCE: To these may be added, with great advantage, Flowers of Coltsfoot ..... NOOR COLT eae Ce two ounces, Rosemary ...-....-- Balbeaneriers half an ounce. * Dr. Paris informs us that the nostrum sold under the name of Hssence of Coltsfoot, consists of equa! parts of Balsam of Tolu and Compound Tinc- ture of Benzoin, to which is added double the quantity of Spirits of Wine. We need scarcely add that this is a most injurious compound. 206 COLTSFOOT. Some add rose-leaves and chamomile flowers, but the form just given will be found the most agreeable, and is sufficiently salutary. The herbs should be gathered in their season, and dried in the shade, then rubbed to a coarse powder between the hands. Those who prefer a mild tobacco, may increase the quantity of Coltsfoot, which some prefer in the proportion of one half to the whole quantity, and where this is used as a remedy for asthma or consumptive cough, the Coltsfoot ought to occupy at the least that proportion*. * Brit. Dom. Herbal, p. 94. LI. AQUILEGIA VULGARIS. Common Columbine. Class XIII. Potyanpria.—Order I]. PENTAGYNIA. Nat. Ord. RanuncuLacrez. Gen. CHar. Calyx of five, coloured, deciduous sepals. Petals five, terminating below in a long, nectareous, horn-shaped spur. Capsules five, distinct. Spec. Cuar. Spur incurved. Capsules hairy. Stem leafy, many-flowered. Leaves nearly smooth. Styles not longer than the stamens. SYNONYMES. { Aquilegia sylvestris. Bauh. Pin. 144. | Aquilegia cerulea. Ger. Em. 1093. Latin ..... + Aquileia. Dod. 181: Aquilina. Lob. Obs. 440. Aquilegia vulgaris. Lin. Sip. Pl. 752. French .... Ancolie; Ancolie vulgaire; Colombine; Aiglantine. Ttalian.... Aquilegia; Aquileia. Spanish.... Paxarilla ; Aquilena. German.... Akelei; Ackeley. Dutch...... Wilde Aguieley; Akkeley. Swedish.... Orlik. Polish .... Aker-lilia. Russ......._ Kolokoltschiki. Japanese .. Odamaki. Descrirption.—The root is tuberous, branched, fibrous, and of a whitish colour. The stem is erect, cylindrical, branched, leafy, slightly hairy, of a reddish tinge at the base, and rising to the height of two or three feet. The radical leaves are large, thrice ternate, with rounded three-lobed, crenated leaflets, and stand on very long footstalks ; those of the stem gradually de- 208 COLUMBINE. crease in size towards the summit, so that the uppermost are small, nearly sessile, and simply ternate, or three-lobed; they are all of a deep green above, and glaucous beneath. The flowers are terminal, pendent, and supported on long axillary peduncles. The calyx resembles a corolla; it consists of five coloured, ovate, equal, spreading sepals. The five petals are of a purplish-blue colour, like the sepals, and alternate with them, tubular, dilated upwards, their lower portion extended into a long nectareous spur, which is somewhat incurved and obtuse at the end. The stamens are from thirty to forty in number, with subulate filaments, the inner abortive, dilated, and clasping the germens ; anthers cordate, erect. ‘The germens are five, supe- rior, oblong, each tapering into an awl-shaped, erect style, about as long as the stamens, and terminated bya simple stigma. The fruit consists of five capsules or follicles, nearly cylindrical, straight, pointed, one-celled, one-valved, and many-seeded. The seeds are oval, smooth, dark, and shining, and attached to both edges of the suture of each follicle. Plate 13, fig. 3, (a) sta- mens and pistils; (6) a petal with its spur; (c) the pistils, the germens of which are surrounded with ten scales; (d) the fruit, consisting of five capsules or follicles united at the base. This plant is found in meadows, woods, and coppices in se- veral parts of England, but it can scarcely be reckoned an indi- genous plant, having escaped from gardens, where it is very ge- nerally cultivated. A common near Skegby, in Nottinghamshire, Langwith Woods, in Derbyshire, and Ditchling Common, Sussex, are mentioned as some of its localities. It flowers in June. The generic name is derived from aquila, an eagle, in refer- ence to the spurs of the petals, which were thought to resemble the claws of that bird. The common English name suggests the idea of the more gentle dove. There is some doubt as to whether the Columbine was familiar to the ancients: Caspar Bauhin considers it the 1ac1wv7 of Theophrastus, and the icorugoy of Dioscorides. The genus Aquilegia is not very numerous, but most of the species are pretty and vivacious, especially the Alpine Colum- bine (4. Alpina). The plant before us is an old inhabitant of the flower-garden, and there are many varieties with violet, pur- ple, red, flesh-coloured, and white flowers, but no art can change these tints to yellow. COLUMBINE. 209 Goats, and sometimes sheep, will eat this plant ; other animals refuse it. Bees are very fond of the petals, (nectaries of Lin- nzeus,) the tube of which they pierce to obtain the honied juice. Quauities.—The odour of the recent plant is weak, ungrate- ful, and rather stupifying ; the taste bitter and nauseous. The bruised seeds are somewhat mucilaginous, with a slight bitter- ness and acrimony, the odour strong, and so tenacious that it is with great difficulty removed from the mortar in which they are pounded. The syrup prepared with the flowers is said to be a better test of acids and alkalies than that of violets. Accord- ing to Geoffroy *, the seeds contain a large quantity of oil and ammoniacal salt. With regard to the poisonous effects of this plant, Linnzust states that children have lost their lives by taking an over-dose, administered as a medicine by ignorant persons. It certainly be- longs to a suspicious natural order. Mepicat Properties anp Uses —-The medical properties of Columbine have been greatly extolled at various times. The root, the leaves, the seeds, and the flowers, have been esteemed aperitive, diuretic, diaphoretic, and antiscorbutic. | Simon Pauli { asserts that children attacked with measles and small-pox have been recovered as if from the dead, by taking half a drachm of the seeds in powder, or twice that quantity in emulsion. Scopoli§ aserts that he has found them extremely useful in facilitating the eruption of the pustules in those dis- eases, and Linnzus inclines to the same opinion. Tragus || and Matthiolus ordered the pulverized seeds in the dose of a drachm mixed with saffron, to be taken in a glass of wine, as a remedy for jaundice. The former also recommends the root in colic. Camerarius states that in Spain they use the root in calculous and gravelly disorders ; Clusius recommended it in difficult la- bour, and Ettmuller in scurvy. TournefortY lauded a tincture of the flowers made with spirit of wine, and mixed with equal parts of tincture of lac and mastic, as very efficacious in ulcera- * Mat. Med. vol. iii. p. 110. ¢ Flora Suecica, p. 187. + Quadrip. Bot. p. 23. § Flora Carn. ed. 1, p. 551. || Kreutterbuch, p. 44. @ Hist. des Plantes de Paris, vol. ii. p. 264. 210 COLUMBINE. tions of the mouth and scorbutic affections of the gums. Eysel* considers the expressed juice inferior to no other remedy as an antiscorbutic ; he likewise extols it in hemorrhages of the ute- rus, and hectic perspirations arising from a scorbutic taint. Ray + states that a decoction of the leaves makes an excellent gargle in inflammation of the throat and trachea. Notwithstanding the positive statements of the old writers re- specting the diuretic, sudorific, and deobstruent properties of Columbine, it is very seldom employed in our days. Experi- ments are wanting to ascertain its real character and its mode of action upon the system, we shall not therefore recommend it as a medicine, but merely subjoin a formula for the preparation of the syrup, which is said to be a better test for acids and alka- lies than that of violets. SYRUP OF COLUMBINE. Take of fresh flowers of Columbine, two pounds ; Boiling water............four pounds. After digesting them for ten hours, strain the liquor ; then repeat the process twice, with a like quantity of recent flowers. Add to the third straining, White sugar, four pounds. Clarify, and boil gently to the consistence of a syrup. In order to obtain a fine blue colour, it is necessary that the petals be not bruised, and that the infusion be not protracted too long. * Diss. de Aquilegia antiscorbuticorum asylo.—Erford, 1716. + Hist. Plant. tom. i. p. 707. LI. SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE. Common Comfrey. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order I. MonoGynia. Nat. Ord. Boracinez&. Gen. Cuar. Calyx five-cleft. Corolla cylindrical, in- flated upwards; throat closed with five subulate scales conniving into a cone. Stigma simple. Seed gibbous. Spec. CHAR. Stem winged above. Leaves ovate-lanceo- late, very decurrent at the base. SYNONYMES. Greek +2. cunQurev waarc. Dioscorides. (Symphytum consolida major. Bauh. Pin. 259, | Consolida major flore purpureo. Ger. Em. 806. ins Symphytum magnum. Raii Syn. 230. Symphytum Consolida major, flore pallide luteo, que femina. Tourn. Paris. 306. Symphytum officinale. Lin. Sp. Pl. 195. Eng. Bot. t. 817. French.... Consoude; Grande Consoude ; Langue de Vache. Ttalian.... Consolida maggiore ; Sinfito. Spanish.... Consuelda ; Consolida mayor, Portuguese. Consolda major. German... Beinwell; Wallwurz; Schwarzwurz. Dutch .... Smeerwurtel; Heelwortel ; Waalwurtel. Danish... Kul sukerod. Bohemian . Kostiwal; Swalujk. Swedish.... Walloést. Polish..... Zywokost. Russ. .... Solnoi koren. Descrivtion.—The root is perennial, thick, tapering, some- what branched, fibrous, of a brownish black externally, white within. The stems are succulent, erect, branched, rough with 212 COMFREY. strong hairs, somewhat angular, slightly membranous at the angles, and rising to the height of two feet. The leaves are alternate, large, attenuate, acute, of a deep green colour, rough and fringed with short hairs; the lower ones are ovate and pe- tiolate ; the upper nearly sessile, ovate-lanceolate and very decurrent, so as to form winged appendages to the stem. The flowers are disposed in a short, drooping raceme, somewhat in- curved towards the summit, and generally turned towards the same side; they vary from a yellowish white to a purplish or reddish hue. The calyx is divided into five lanceolate segments, which are rough, erect, pointed, and about the length of the tube of the corolla. The corolla is cylindrical, swollen upwards, with a short tube, and divided at the limb into five short recurved segments, the throat closed with five subulate scales converging into acone. The stamens are five, with short filaments inserted into the corolla, terminated by yellow, erect, sagittate anthers concealed by the scales. The germen is four-parted, with a style longer than the corolla, and a small obtuse stigma. The fruit consists of four angular, dark, shining achenia, or small nuts, situated in the bottom of the persistent calyx. Plate 10, fig. 3, (a) calyx and pistil; (6) the corolla opened to shew the stamens and scales; (c) the fruit. : This plant is frequently met with by the banks of rivers, ditches, and watery places, flowering in May and June. The common Comfrey is generally supposed to be the plant described by Dioscorides under the name of coudurov*, derived from cuy.duw, to unite, on account of the consolidating and vul- nerary qualities which were ever attributed to this plant ; hence also the Latin, consolida,—symphytum, and the French, consoude, and other synonymes. ‘The term Comfrey was probably de- rived from the old French word Comfrie, or Consyre, having the same meaning as the foregomg. In rural dialects it has also the names of Consound, Knit-back, Bone-set, and Black- wort. The plants contained in this genus are large and coarse, but showy and well adapted for shrubberies. T hey are mostly pro- -pagated by dividing the roots, which will grow in almost any soil or situation. There is one other British species, the tuber- * Quod carnes dum coquuntur agglutinat additum.-- Diose. lib. iv. c. $, p- 249, et Plin. lib. xxvii. c. 6, p. 670. COMFREY. 218 ous-rooted Comfrey, (Symphytum tuberosum,) with a simple stem and leaves very slightly decurrent. It grows in shady woods and by the banks of rivers in Scotland, especially in the Lowlands. The common Comfrey is eaten by sheep and cows, but refused by other animals. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—The leaves of this plant were formerly used to impart a flavour to cakes and panada, and the young shoots are said to be good and nutritious food. A strong decoction of the plant will dye wool of a brown colour. The root has been applied to several important purposes. The beautiful crimson colour obtained from gum-lac is extracted by means of a decoction of this root, and the natives of Angora prepare from it a kind of glue, which they use to spin the cele- brated fleeces of their country into fine yarn, from which camb- lets and shawls are manufactured. It has also been employed for correcting the brittleness of flax and the roughness of wool. Tabernamontan, a German writer, highly extols its superiority in tanning leather. He boiled ten pounds of the root in four gallons of water till one-half was consumed ; with this decoc- tion he repeatedly dressed the leather, which, thus prepared, became not only more durable than by any other method, but it uniformly remained pliable and elastic. Another experimental- ist, after making a strong infusion of the root, allowed it to stand for several days, and when the woody and fibrous parts had subsided, poured off the liquor, and by dropping into it diluted oil of vitriol, he precipitated the mucilaginous part, which was again filtered and rendered serviceable for tanning, by neutral- izing its acidity with a ley formed of common potash. The leaves and flowers are rarely employed in medicine. The root, which is most frequently used, is inodorous, insipid, sweet- ish, viscid, and glutinous. It contains an abundance of muci- lage, more tenacious than that of marsh-mallow, accompanied with gallic acid in sufficient quantity to render the aqueous de- coction quite black by the addition of sulphate of iron. Mepicat Properties AND Usres.—Comfrey was highly ex- tolled by the ancients for its supposed vulnerary properties ; it was also esteemed emollient, agglutinant, and astringent, and recommended not only in spitting of blood, uterine haemorrhages, consumption, coughs, inflammation of the kidneys and urinary organs, but as very potent in effecting the re-union of wounds, 214 COMFREY. the consolidation of fractures, and the cure of luxations and hernia. Thus, according to Gerard *, “the roots of Comfrey stamped, and the iuice drunke with wine, helpeth those that spit bloud, and healeth all inward wounds and burstings. The same bruised and layd to in a manner of a plaister doth heale all fresh and green wounds, and are so glutinatiue that it will soder or glew together meat that is chopt in pieces, seething in a pot and make it in one lump. The roots boiled and drunke do clense the brest from flegme, and cure the griefes of the lungs, especially if they be confect with sugar and syrup; it prevaileth rauch against ruptures or burstings.” Dioscorides used it in hemoptysis, and Pfann?} states that a small quantity cf the powdered root snuffed up the nostrils will stop bleeding at the nose. Simon Pauli { recommended the application of it to frac- tured bones, and Houston, in hernia. ‘Tachenius § advises the bruised root to be applied in the form of a cataplasm in gout, and a case is mentioned by Camerarius || in which the pain was removed by this application, but an eruption of pustules was the consequence, which at length spread over the whole body. All that can be expected from this plant must result from its emollient and demulcent qualities, and the mucilage of the root being combined with gallic acid is undoubtedly of service in chronic catarrhal affections, accompanied with irritation ; it is also useful in dysentery, diarrhoea, fluor albus, &c. To prepare the mucilage the sliced root should be put into cold water, care being taken to prevent the liquor from boiling, which causes great clots to be formed; and it should not be performed in an iron vessel. When the mucilage is dissolved it should be re- moved from the fire, and after being sweetened with honey or sugar, it may be taken a glassful at a time in the above-men- tioned complaints. It was used externally by Ettmuller and others as an application to wounds of the nerves, tendons, and arteries ; especially those which result from the operation of bleeding, but is seldom or never used for those purposes in the present day. Several syrups, conserves, and potions, have also * Herbal, or General Historie of Plants, ed. by Johnson, fol. 1633, p. 807. + In. Samml. Merkro. Fille, p. 249. + Quadrip. p. 301, seq. “ § De Morborum principe, p. 199. || In Mise. Nat. Cur. Dec. 3,.Ann. 5, 6. Obs. 16, p. 45. COMFREY. 215 been recommended. ‘The plasters into which it entered are now generally abandoned. ‘The syrup extolled by the celebrated Boyle in spitting of blood is thus prepared. SYRUP OF COMFREY. Take of Comfrey-root ........ six ounces ; Plantain-leaves ...... three ounces. Bruise them together in a marble mortar, and express the juice ; then, after clearing the liquid, add of White sugar ...... +++ an equal quantity. Boil to the consistence of a syrup. Two or three spoonsful may be taken at adose. If for coughs, a small quantity of liquorice-root may be added before the sugar. ASTRINGENT DRINK. Be be ee POOL og each, two drachms ; Catechu .... $ VIG ar es BB eae one pint. Reduce by boiling to six ounces, then add Syrup of Clove-pink .. one ounce ; Cinnamon water .... half an ounce. A desert spoonful to be taken every hour in chronic diarrhoea and dysentery. aN: CORIANDRUM SATIVUM. Common Coriander. Class V. PENTANDRIA.— Order II. DicGynta. Nat. Ord. U™MBE xirer®. Gen. Cuar. Calyzx of five teeth. Petals obcordate, with an inflexed point ; the outer ones radiant, bifid. Fruit globose. Carpels with five, primary, depressed, wavy ridges; the four secondary ridges prominent and ca- rinated. Channels without vitte, the mer face of the carpel having two vitte. General involucre none ; partial on one side. Spec. Cuar. Lower leaves bipinnate; leaflets wedge- shaped. SYNONYMES. Greek +0. — xopiov s xopicevvov. (Coriandrum majus. Bauh. Pin. 158. | Coriandrum. Ger. Em. 1012. Raii Hist. 270. Syn. 221. Latin .....< Coriannon sive Coriandrum. Fuchs. 345. | Coriandrum vulgare. Park. Theatr. 918. 3 (Coriandrum sativum. Lin. Sp. Pl.367. Eng. Bot. t. 67. French.... Coriandre. : Ttalian.... Coriandro; Coriandolo. Spanish... Cilantro; Culantro. Portuguese Coentro. German .. Koriander; Wanzendille. Dutch .... Koriander. Swedish .. Coriander. Polish .... WKoryander; Koriandrze. Russ. .... Koriander. Bengalee.. Dunya. Sanscrit... Dhanyaka. Tamool .. Cottamillie. Hebrew... Ghad. CORIANDER. 217 Descrirtion.—The root is annual, tapering, slender, some- what branched, whitish, and furnished with a few fibres. The stems are erect, branched, leafy, cylindrical, striated, rather glaucous, and about two feet in height. The lower leaves are bipmnate, with pinnatifid, broad, wedge-shaped, toothed seg- ments; the upper tripartite, with narrow, linear, acute seg- ments. The flowers are disposed in terminal umbels of from five to eight rays, which in general have no involucre at the base. The umbellules are more numerous, and are commonly furnished with an involucre of three linear-lanceolate leaves, placed laterally. The calyx consists of five unequal acute teeth. The petals are five, white or tinged with purple, obcor- date, and inflexed at the point; the innermost nearly equal ; the outer large, radiant, and bifid. The five stamens have thread-shaped filaments, and roundish yellow anthers. The germen is inferior, globose, supporting two, short, spreading styles, terminated by simple obtuse stigmas. The fruit consists of two hemispherical carpels, each furnished with a projecting margin on its inner and flat side, which combines with the op- posite one, thus forming a complete globe, which at maturity is traversed by ten obscure ridges. The seed is concave in front, and covered with a loose membrane. Plate 13, fig. 4, (2) lower leaf; (6) floret of the circumference of the umbel; (c) floret of the centre ; (d) fruit. The native country of the Coriander has not been correctly ascertained; in all probability it came originally from the East, whence it migrated into Italy and Greece, and having been cultivated in England for medicinal and culinary pur- poses, has escaped into fields and waste places. It has long been cultivated in Essex and about Ipswich for the sake of its seeds. It flowers in June, and the seeds are fully ripe in August. Several writers have imagined that this is the xogiov of Dios- corides, the xogiavvoy of Theophrastus, and the Coriandrum of Pliny, but their identity is not fully established. The generic name Coriandrum is derived from xogis, a bug, in allusion to the fetid smell of the bruised foliage. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uses.—Although the leaves in their recent state have a strong disagreeable smell, yet when dried R 218 CORIANDER. they are pleasant and aromatic. In some countries they are eaten in soups and salads, and the inhabitants of Peru are ex~ cessively fond of the flavour. Alpinus* states that the Egypt- ians use the herb freely in soups; it is eaten also in Spain and esteemed cordial, but Hoffman} relates, on the authority of a monk, instances of fatuity produced by it. Murray { asks whe- ther the virus is dispersed by boiling. Dioscorides likewise attributed deleterious properties to the seed, but Dr. Withering has known six drachms taken at once without any remarkable effect. Coriander seeds enter into the composition of several liquors, and form an ingredient in curry powder. When incrusted with sugar, they are sold by the confectioners under the name of coriander comfits. The virtues of the seeds are completely extracted by rectified spirit, but only partially by water. In distillation with water they yield a yellowish essential oil, of a very aromatic and powerful odour. Currurr.—“ The seeds are sown on a rich, light soil in Sep- tember; twenty pounds will sow an acre. When the plants come up, thin them to six or eight inches’ distance every way, and next spring stir the soil with a pronged hoe. In August the seed will be ripe, and if care be not used, the greater part of it will be lost. ‘To prevent this, women and children are em- ployed to cut, plant by plant, and to put it immediately into cloths, in which it is carried to some convenient part of the field, and then threshed upon a sail cloth. A few strokes of the flail get the seeds clean out, and the threshers are ready for another bundle in a few minutes. The preduce is from 10 to 14 ewt. per acre.” § Mepicat Properties anD Usrs.—The energetic qualities of this plant led the ancient physicians to consider it very poi- sonous ; the juice of the leaves they considered nearly as dele- terious as that of hemlock. Gerard, who probably derived his De Plant. Egypt. p. 131. Med. Off. p. 241. App. Med. vol. i. p. 406. Miller’s Dict. by Don. Mmtt—- * CORTANDER: 919 information from Avicenna *, tells us that “the juice of the greene Coriander leaues, taken in the quantitie of foure dragmes, killeth and poisoneth the body.” Matthiolus and Tragus advise it never to be used without previous maceration in vinegar. Gilibert states that he experienced head-ache, nausea, and car- dialgia, from the emanations of the recent herb. On the other hand, Alpinus t, J.. Bauhin, Zwelfer, Lobel, and others, deny that it possesses any noxious qualities; and they instance the daily use of it among the Egyptians, Spaniards, and Dutch, who mix it with their food and drink. It would be unjust to accuse the former party with falsehood, as the state of the herb, the mode of cooking it, and not less the power of habit, may have a great influence on the effects produced in dif- ferent individuals; but the assertion of Dioscorides {, as to the hurtful consequences of taking the seeds, we know to be er- roneous. The seeds have been long known as carminative, stomachic, and diaphoretic, and successfully employed in debility of the stomach and intestinal canal, and in flatulence. Terzagus com- mended an infusion of half an ounce of the seeds in five ounces of wine, as a remedy in quartan agues, to be taken before the pa- roxysm. They have also been found useful in the hysterical disorders and head-ache of females, and in some cases of scro- fula. Dr. Cullen esteemed the Coriander seeds as the best adjunct with which he was acquainted to prevent the griping effects of senna, and their aroma serves well to mask the nau- seous taste and odour of various purgatives. The dose is from a scruple to a drachm in substance, and from a drachm to a drachm and a half in infusion. They enter into a carminative water, or rather spirit, with other aromatic seeds §,—a simple distilled water,—and form one of the principal ingredients in the compound called honey-water. * Quum ex succo bibitur circiter. unc. iiij. interficit, quoniam facit homi- nem possidere tristitiam, et syncopim, et non oportet universalitér, ut de eo multum sumatur.— Canon Medicine, vol. i. p. 294. + See the work already quoted. } Si largius sumptum fuerit semen, mentem non sine periculo, e sua sede et statu demovet.— Alexipharm. c. 9. § Viz. Seeds of Fennel, Carrot, Anise, Caraway, and Dill; these are digested for some days in brandy and then sweetened with sugar. R 2 220 CORIANDER. HONEY-WATER*. Take of Coriander seeds ......-....+. eight ounces ; Lemon-peel, fresh) 1 Nutmeg ........! Sto cbc eee (of each... half an ounce ; Benzoin s Cheal in provincial dialects. “< Want $e corn for bread, *T was full of darnel, do you like the taste?” Shakspeare. 3 DARNEL. 257 to the taste, and contain sufficient acid to redden the vegetable blues. The seeds are reported to be eaten with impunity by hogs, and though fatal to geese, to be useful food for fattening chickens. According to Linneus, the herb is sometimes eaten by sheep. Poisonous Propertizs.—Its poisonous effects on dogs are thus noticed by Seeger. He gave three ounces of a decoction of the flour to a dog, in five hours he was seized with a general trembling, incapacity to walk, and difficulty of breathing: four hours subsequently, he fell into a profound sleep and became insensible, but the next day he was nearly recovered. In other of these animals submitted to experiment, it caused vomitings, convulsions, and an abundant excretion of urine, and perspiration. It is said to prove fatal to horses. Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Aristotle, Pliny, and most of the sages and poets of antiquity, were acquainted with the poisonous effects of this plant on the human frame. The most prevalent opinion was that it caused blindness: hence with the Romans “lolio victitare,” to live on darnel, was often applied to a dim- sighted person; and in Plautus when Palestro enquires what Sceledrus meant by his living on darnel, he receives for answer *‘Quia lusciosus es” because you are purblind. Ovid (Fasti i. 692) thus adverts to it : “ Et careant loliis oculos vitiantibus agri Nec sterilis culte surget avena solo.” Gerard says “the new bread wherein darnell is, eaten hot causeth drunkenesse ;” and Linneus referring to this property, states that the greater part of its virulence is destroyed in stale bread, but when fermented in beer it retains its stupifying qua- lities*. Seeger + relates that five persons having eaten about five pounds of oaten bread which contained darnel, were attacked im two hours with frontal headache, vertigo, drowsiness, pain in the stomach, and great trembling of the tongue; deglutition and pronunciation were also much impeded. There was also vomiting attended with great effort, extreme lassitude, cold sweats, and violent tremors over the whole body. In other cases paralysis, delirium, and death itself have occurred. M. * It is to be feared that like other narcotics, it is sometimes used to adulterate beer in this country ; else why is the plant cultivated ? + Orfila Toxicol. Gen. ii. p. 466. 258 DARNEL. Cordier * found by experiment. on himself with pure darnel flour, which he took to the amount of six drachms, that it ocea- stoned confusion of sight and ideas, great debility and languor, tremors, drowsiness, succeeded by efforts to vomit, by which much of the bread was rejected. Hence it appears that darnel acts on the animal economy as an acrid narcotic, exciting the gastric apparatus at first, and then the nervous and cerebral systems, from which result its narcotic and intoxicating effects. The deleterious effects of this grain on a family who partook of it mixed with wheaten bread, are recorded in the London Medi- cal and Physical Journal, for 1799+. In addition to the symptoms already described, these persons experienced great pain and tightness of the calves of the legs, and in one of them who par- took of the bread: when new, and again subsequently, and who was not seized with vomiting, the pain and inflammation were succeeded by gangrene, and he was compelled to undergo the amputation of both legs. Some years ago about eighty persons in the poor house of Sheffield, after breakfasting on oatmeal porridge, were seized with the usual symptoms of poisoning by darnel. Violent agitation of the limbs, convulsive twitchings, small tremulous pulse, confusion of sight, and wildness of the eyes were observed in nearly all these persons, and they all pointed to the forehead as being the seat of torturing pain. Copious draughts of vinegar were administered, and before night the majority of them were greatly relieved; but for the two following days they complained of stupor and weakness of sight, and two of the number were affected with convulsions for some time, but they all eventually recovered {. A similar aecident happened at Freyburg, in the House of Correction, and was as- cribed to the same source §. The foregoing cases clearly in-’ dicate the presence of narcotic, combined with acrid properties, but in the following instance it appeared to act solely as. an irri- tant on the bowels. A farmer, his wife, and a servant partook of bread made with darnel and wheat, but the two latter were so violently affected with vomiting and purging, that they re~ fused to eat any more of it. He persevered, himself, however, * Sur les Effets de l’Ivraie.—Nouv. Journ. de Med. vi. p. 379. + Vol. i. p. 423. + Med. and Surgical Journal, 1812, vol. xxviii. p. 183: § Buchner, Toxikologie, p. 374; see alsodinburghJournal, vol. i. p, 106. DARNEL. 2509 until the fourth day, when he was attacked with the most severe fits of colic, and died in a few hours *. Epidemic fevers of the worst descriptionhave also been attribu- ted to the extensive consumption of this grain, but no satisfactory evidence of this has been adduced. De Candolle thinks that its pernicious effects have been much exaggerated, and he asserts that in times of scarcity, numerous individuals have eaten it without inconvenience. Unripe and putrid wheat seems to ap- proach in a considerable degree to the properties of darnel, and the analogy between its effects and those produced by the ergot of rye is very striking; the latter is known to be an ex- traneous production; a disease occasioned by the growth of a parasite. No one has thought of attributing the anomalous qualities of darnel to a similar source: we might, however, if there were ground for such an hypothesis, expect a priori, that they were owing to a very minute parasitical fungus. Par- mentier asserts that the seeds of darnel may be divested of their acridity, by drying them in an oven before they are ground into flour. The bread thus prepared is no longer injurious, especially if it be not eaten till it is quite cold. In conclusion, we must regret that chemical analysis has not been employed to throw some light on the nature of this extraordinary ve- getable. The best mode of treatment in cases of poisoning by darnel, is to administer an emetic without delay ; after which, diluent and acidulous drinks should be given, or some diffusible tonic, according to the nature of the symptoms. Mepicat Properties anp Usrs.—Darnel was once used medicinally, though now generally abandoned. It was recom- mended by Aretzeus in pleurisy, and by others of the ancients in gout, diarrhoea, and profuse menstruation. As a topical applica- tion, it was considered detersive and resolvent. According to Boerhaave, it resists putrefaction if applied externally ; and from its cleansing qualities proves highly efficacious in disorders of the skin. * Histoire de la Societé Royale de Med. a Paris, tom. ii. p. 297. LXIII. ANETHUM GRAVEOLENS. Common Dill. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order II. Diecyn 1a Nat. Ord. UMBEtLIFER®. GEN. CHAR. Calyx obsolete. Petals roundish, inyolute, with a subquadrate retuse point. Fruct dorsally com- pressed, nearly lenticular; girt with an even margin. Carpels with five equal, filiform ridges, of which the three intermediate ones are acutely carinate ; the lateral ones more obsolete, vanishing into the margin. Chan- nels with broad, single vitte. Seed rather convex, plane in front.—Jnvolucres none. Spec. CuHar. Fruit elliptical, girt with a flat dilated margin. SYNONYMES. Greek aeee aynbove { Anethum hortense. Bauh. Pin. 147. Anethum. Ger. Em. 1033. Rati Hist. 415. Park. Parad, t. 493, f. 4. Fuchs. 30, c.9. Latin «....< Pastinaca Anethum. Spreng. in Schultz syst. vi. p. 587. Selinum Anethum. Roth. Fl. Germ. i. p. 143. Anethum Graveolens. Lin. Sp. Pl.377. Willd. i. p. 1469- L Gertn. Fruct.i.91. French.... Aneth; Anet; Aneth odorant; Fenouil puant. Italian.... Aneto. Spanish... Eneldo. Portuguese. Endro. German... Dille; Dill. Dutch ....» Dille. Danish... Dil. Swedish.... Dill. Bohemian . Kopr zahiaduny. Polish»... opr. Hindostanee Sowa. Sanscrit.. Misreya; Sitasiva. Javanese.. Mungsi. Description.—The root is annual, fusiform, whitish, and fibrous. ‘The stems are cylindrical, glabrous, and striated, the DILL. 261 strie alternately white and reddish, somewhat branched, leafy, and attaining the height of two feet. The leaves are alternate, glau- cous green, twice or thrice pinnate, with slender acute segments, ‘and broad membranous sheathing footstalks. The flowers are disposed in broad, flat, terminal umbels, destitute both of gene- ral and partial involucre. The calyx is an obsolete margin. The petals are five in number, of a bright yellow colour, ovate, equal, concave, with a broad retuse inflexed point. The five stamens are spreading, incurved, longer than the petals, yellow, and furnished with roundish anthers. The germen is inferior, ovate, crowned by the disk, and terminated by two short re- curved styles with simple stigmas. The fruit is elliptical, com- pressed, divided into two carpels which are flat on the inner side, convex on the outer, marked with five ridges, of which the lateral ones are indistinct, and margined with a pale yellow membranous expansion. Plate 16, fig. 1, (a) flower magnified, (6) the germen and styles, (c) the fruit. This plant is a native of the corn-fields of Southern Europe, Egypt, and Astrakan, also of the Cape of Good Hope, and the Island of Timor. It was introduced into this country about the year 1570, and is occasionally cultivated for its fruit. It flowers in June and July. The generic name is thought to be derived from a:4w to burn, in allusion to the pungency of the seeds. Some etymologists prefer to consider «7740v, a radical term bestowed by the Greeks on the plant ; whence the Latin anethum and other synonymes. Diil is a modern form of the Saxon oule. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uses.—This plant is raised in gar- dens for culinary purposes, the fruit being usually imported from the south of France in large quantities for medicinal use. The leaves, flowers, and seeds, afford a useful condiment for various kinds of food; the latter are chiefly used to heighten the relish of pickles, especially cucumbers, and to adulterate British gin. The herb boiled with fish, says Gilibert, gives it an agreeable flavour, and renders it easy of digestion. The odour of the recent herb is aromatic * and not unpleasant, but when bruised it is heavy and disagreeable: the taste is “ Tibi candida Nais, Pallentes violas et summa papavera carpens, Narcissum et florem jungit bene olentis anethi.”’ Virgil, Ec. ii. \, 46. 262 DILL. sweetish, subacrid, and aromatic. The seeds* have a more aro- matic odour, and a warm pungent taste, and yield the whole of their virtues to rectified spirit. Infused in water very little of their active matter is taken up; by distillation, however, it is obtained, together with a considerable portion of essential oil. Mepicinat Properties snp Usrs.—Dill was held in high estimation by Dioscorides, who recommends it for augmenting the milk of nurses and to appease windy colic; he also mentions an oil prepared from the flowers as efficacious in cutting short the cold fit of intermittent fevers, and in easing sciatic and rheu- matic painst. It was reputed hypnotic { and anodyne, an opi- nion in which Geoffroy§ appears to coincide, who observes that in this respect it resembles saffron, nutmeg, and other oily aromatics. Forestus|| highly commended its effects in hie- cough and vomiting, and advised the external application of the bruised herb in the form of a cataplasm. In the present day, the seeds are most frequently employed; they are considered stimulant and carminative, and are used chiefly in dyspepsia, fiatulent colic, and hiccough, particularly of infants. Of the powdered seeds, from twenty to thirty grains are con- sidered a dose. Of the essential oil, four or five drops on sugar may be given in flatulence and hiccough. DILL WATER. Take of Dill seeds, bruised .... one pound. Pour on them such quantity of Water, that after distillation, enough may remain to prevent empyreuma. From one to two ounces may be given to an adult. In the flatulence and hiccough to which infants are subject, a desert spoontul occasionally proves very beneficial. It is also a useful vehicle for salts and magnesia. * The seeds are called by the Brahmins mishi, and are frequently sold in the bazaars of Lower India for caraway seeds.— Dr. Ainslie. + De Mat. Med. lib. iii. c. 167, p. 201. He also thought that the too free use of it injured the sight, “‘ frequentiis potam, oculos hebetat, et geni- turam restinguit.”” Ray observes, “‘ dill has been said to be hurtful to the sight, which appears strange, since in habit and qualities it is so like fennel which, by general consent, sharpens the vision.” + Nurses sprinkle the distilled water about the beds of the sick to induce sleep.— Bergius, |. c. p. 226. § Mat. Med. tom. iii. p. 92. || Opera Om. lib. vi. obs. 29. © Aqua Anethi.—Pharm. Lond. LXIY. CUSCUTA EUROPAA. Greater Dodder. Class V. Pentranpria.—Order II. Dicynta. Nat. Ord. Convotvutacez. Gen. Cuar. Ca/yzx four or five cleft. Corolla campanu- late, four or five lobed. Capsule two-celled, bursting all round transversely at the base ; cells two-seeded. Spec.Cuar. Flowers sessile. Corolla destitute of seales, four or five cleft. Stigma acute. SYNONYMES. Greek ..4 ogeBayxn? Theophrastus. xaccvtz. ( Cuscuta major. Bauh. Pin. 217. Raii Syn. 281. Cuscuta sive Cassutha. Ger. Em. 577. Cassutha sive Cuscutha. Fuchs. 343. c. 132. Epithymbra, Epithymum et Cassitha Plinii. Lob. Obs. 233. Androsaces, vulgo Cuseuta. Trag. 810. \Cuscuta Europea. Lin. Sp. Pi. 180. Fi. Brit. 282. French.... Cuscute; Cuscute d'Europe; Goutte du lin. Ttalian.... Cuscute; Androsace. Spanish .... Cuscuta. German.... Flachsseide; Fitzkraut. Dutch .... Schorfte; Filtkruid; Wrange. Swedish ... Silke. Bohemian... Kokotice. Polish .... Kania Przedza; Pawiliza. Russ. ...- Pawiliza. Latin 1.22.4 Description.—Dodder is a parasitical plant, furnished with a fibrous root when it first springs up from the seed, but which soon perishes and leaves the plant to provide for itself. The leafless and herbaceous stems twine around flax, nettles, hemp, 264. DODDER. tares, hops, broom, &c., in a direction contrary to the sun’s ap- parent motion, sending out from their under surface small tu- bercles and papillz, which insinuate themselves into the bark of the supporting plant and extract its vital juices ; they are large, branched, and of a reddish colour. The flowers are nearly ses- sile, of a pale yellowish rose colour, collected into globose clus- ters. The calyx is inferior, persistent, with four, sometimes five segments. The corolla is urceolate ; the limb regular, di- vided into four or five deep, spreading segments. The stamens are equal in number to the segments of the corolla, with erect subulate filaments, and roundish two-celled anthers. The ger- men is two-celled, surmounted by two short spreading styles with simple stigmas. The fruit is an elliptical capsule, two- celled, bursting transversely all round at the base; the cells usually two-seeded. ‘The seeds contain a spiral acotyledonous embryo in the midst of fleshy albumen. Plate 16, fig. 3, (a) the extremity of the young shoot; (6) a flower magnified; (c) the same opened to show the stamens ; (d) the pistil ; (e) the fruit ; ( f) the same cut transversely to show the two cells, each con- taining two seeds; (g) the seed, isolated. This is an annual plant, parasitic on several other vegeta- bles, as already mentioned. It is found in several counties of England, Scotland, and Ireland, though not very frequent. It flowers in August and September. The term Cuscuta, an alteration of Cassutha, was derived from the Greek xaccvba, either from xacouw, to sew together, or from the Arabic name of the plant, kessuth or chessuth. Some of the ancients called it podagra lini, the gout of flax ; hence the French goutte du lin. Skinner supposes Dodder to have been formed from the Dutch touteren, to shoot up. It has also received the vulgar though expressive names of Hell-weed and Devil’s- guts. There is another British species, the Lesser Dodder, (Cuscuta Epithymum,) which is smaller than the foregoing, especially in the flowers, which are usually four-cleft, and have a small fringed scale at the base ofeach stamen. Itis generally found on thyme, heath, or furze. Eight or nine foreign species have been de- scribed. Dodder is eaten by cows, sheep, and hogs, but dis- liked by goats and horses. DODDER. 265 Quatities.—The herb is inodorous and of a slightly bitter, astringent, and acrid taste. Its sensible qualities, however, are said to vary according to the plant on which it grows. The Lesser Dodder has nearly the same properties, conjoined with a pungent aroma. Mepicat Prorertizs and Uses.—Though highly extolled by the ancients, this plant is now considered of little value as a medicine. It was thought to be detergent, incisive, aperient, and deobstruent, modified however by the nature of its foster- parent. Thus, when growing on flax, it was regarded as mucilaginous; on broom and nettle, as diuretic; on madder and bramble, as astringent. Hippocrates* employed it in phthisis, and Galen, Aetius, and Oribasius in a troop of diseases con- founded under the vague name of difficulty of breathing. Pauli, Ettmuller, and Wedel}, eulogized its effects in obstructions of the abdominal viscera, and by others it was recommended in in- termittent fevers, while those who attributed every disease to a disordered state of the humours, fancied that it was of great service in melancholy, hypochondriasis, and other atrabiliarious affections. Haller considers it as similar in properties to House- leek (Sempervivum tectorum). It was given in substance, in vinous infusions or aqueous decoctions, or mixed with honey, but authors are as little agreed upon the proper dose as they are respecting the proper- ties of the herb; Geoffroy, for instance, prescribes one, two, or three handfuls. There is this advantage, that an over-dose can do no harm. * Lib. i. de int. affect. S. i. v. 130. + Ann. Mat. Med. p. 244. LXV. SPIRZA FILIPENDULA. Common Dropeort. Class XIT. Icosanpria.—Order Il. PENTAGYNIA. Nat. Ord. Rossacrex. GEN. CuHar. Calyx inferior, five-cleft, persistent. Petals five. Capsules three to twelve, one-celled, two-valved, few-seeded. Spec. Cuar. Root tuberiferous. Leaves imterruptedly pinnate ; leaflets uniform, deeply cut, and _ serrated. Corymbs lax, paniculate. SYNONYMES. { Filipendula vulgaris. Bauh. Pin. 163. Filipendula. Ger. Em. 1058. Rati Syn. 259. Trag. 883. Filipendula major. Park. Theatr. 435. Latin ..... + Gnanthe Filipendula. Lob. Obs. 420. CEnanthe. Fuchs. 542, c. 214. Saxifraga rubra. Pharm. Spirea Filipendula. Lin. Sp. Pl. 702. Engl. Fl, ii. p. 368. French..... Filipendule. Itahan.... Filipendula. Spanish.... Filipendula. German.... Spierstaude; Filipendelwurz ; Rothe Steinbrechwurz. Dutch...... Roode Steenbreek ; Dropwortel. Danish .... Reed Steenbreek. Swedish.... Brudbroed. Polish .... Kropidelco mnicysze. Description.—The root is perennial, cylindrical, branched, and tuberiferous; the tubers are solid oval bodies connected by solitary fibres, externally of a dark brown colour, internally flate 17 Pahaw ¢ Ti V, WET DROPWORT. 267 whitish *. The stem is erect, simple, somewhat angular, smooth, and rises about a foot in height. The leaves are chiefly radical, spreading, alternate, interruptedly pinnate, bright green above, glaucous beneath; the pinne opposite, sessile, lanceolate, deeply cut, and serrated; the alternate pairs much smaller, but each set uniform; the petiole is channelled above, and has at its base two amplexicaul stipule. The flowers are disposed in a paniculate corymb at the top of the stem. The calyx is monophyllous, inferior, five-cleft, striated, and persistent. The corolla consists of five obovate, spreading petals, of a yellowish white, tipped with rose colour. The stamens are numerous, with setaceous filaments, nearly as long as the petals, inserted into the calyx, and tipped with two-lobed anthers. The germens are five or more, superior, ovate, pilose, each surmounted by a white, reflexed style, terminated by a capitate, compressed, truncated stigma. The capsules are equal in number to the germens, elliptical, pointed, compressed, one-celled, and two-valved, containing a few small oblong seeds. Plate 17, fig. 1, (a) the calyx; (6) petal; (c) stamen; (d) pistil; (e) capsules. Dropwort grows in open pastures, particularly in a chalky or gravelly soil, in many parts of England, and on hills to the south- west of Arthur’s Seat, Scotland. It flowers in July. Spirzea, is the name given by Pliny to a plant whose blos- soms were used for garlands, derived from gcreizeia of Theo- phrastus. This species was named Filipendula, on account of its curious tubers, which are suspended as it were by threads ; hence, also, the English name Dropwort. It is supposed to be the Molon of Pliny. A variety with double flowers is cultivated in gardens. The herb is eaten by cows, sheep, goats, and swine, but. refused by horses. Hogs are very fond of the roots, and are very dexterous in extirpating them from the soil. Quatitizes.—The tubers, taken up late in autumn, have a plea - sant odour, resembling that of orange flowers, and a sweetish agreeable taste, similar to hazel-nuts, combined with a slight bitterness. In spring they are bitter, and less fragrant. The * These singular ovoid lumps appear to be designed as reservoirs of nourishment to the plant, enabling it to resist drought, its usual habitat being dry gravelly pastures, u 2 268 DROPWORT. flowers and the recent herb have a bitterish taste and an aro- matic smell. In autumn, if the recent tubers are scraped and well washed in cold water, they afford a fragrant, dark red tincture, which, left to itself, soon deposits a white, friable, amylaceous feecula. This feecula, or starch, is possessed of nutritive qualities*, and by decoction in water, affords a jelly-like, glutinous substance. The fresh flowers boiled in milk impart an agreeable flavour, and a fragrant distilled water may be made from them. The dried herb has been used in tanning leather. The dried tubers are rather bitter and astringent. The aqueous infusion has the same flavour as the plant, and becomes of a reddish colour, which is rendered black by sulphate of iron. Mepicat Properties and Usres.—In Dropwort, we have to record the fate of another plant which has sunk into oblivion. It was esteemed by the ancients as incisive, diuretic, and lithon- triptic. Sennertus, as quoted by Ettmuller+, recommended a decoction of it combined with butchers’-broom and figwort, to be administered in scrofula. Simon Pauli} gave it in fluor albus, Lobel in epilepsy, and J. Bauhin, on the authority of Czesalpi- nus, states that the distilled water of the plant was reckoned an antidote against the plague. A more probable account is given by some, of its effects in dysentery, in which disease, fifteen grains of the powdered root were given every four hours with success. Modern practitioners have either neglected it, or have omitted to record their experience of its properties. It was employed in the form of decoction, by boiling an ounce of the dried root § in a pint and a half of water, to a pint; and a vinous tincture was prepared with three ounces of the bruised root in a quart of white wine. * In times of scarcity the tubers have been used for food.— Linn. Flora Suecica, p- 439. Dried and reduced to powder they afford a substitute for bread not to be despised.— Ibid. Amen. Acad. + Op Med. ed. J. C: Westphali, tom. i. p. 569. + Bot. Quadripart, p. 332. § More correctly the ‘hers. LXVI. SAMBUCUS NIGRA. Common Elder. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order III. 'TrRIGyntia. Nat. Ord. CapriroLiacEz. Gen. Cuar. Calyx five-cleft. Corolla rotate-urceolate, five-cleft. Berry inferior, sub-globose, three or four seeded. Spec. Cuar. Cymes with five principal branches. Leaf- lets ovate. Stipule obsolete. Stem arboreous. SYNONYMES. Greek..... azry. Dioscorides. {Sambucus fructu in umbella nigro. Bauh. Pin. 456. Sambucus. Ger. Em. 1422. Raii Syn. 461. Dod.832. Trag. 997. Fuchs. 64. c. 20. Latin .....< Sambucus vulgaris. Park Theatr. 208. Lam. Fl. Fr. iii. p. 369. Sambucus nigra. Lin. Sp. Pl. 385. Fl. Brit. 336. Eng. Bot. Lt. 476. French.... Sureau; Sureau commun; Sureau noir. Ttalian.... Sambuco; Sambugaro. Spanish ... Sauco. Portuguese. Sabugueiro. German .. Hohlunder; Hollunder; Holunderbaum ; Holder; Flieder. Dutch .... Viierboom. Danish.... Hyld. Swedish .. Fleder. Bohemian.. Bez. Polish .... Bzowy. Russ. .... Busina. Lithuanian. Pluschu kehks. Avrabie.... Ukti; Khaman. Chinese .... U-chu-yu. 210 ELDER. Description.—Common Elder is a small tree, attaining the height of twelve to twenty feet, covered with a rough ash co- loured bark ; the wood is smooth and white ; the young branches are opposite, green, fistulous, and filled with a white spongy pith. The leaves are opposite, petiolate, pinnated, smooth, and of a deep green colour; the pinne usually five, ovate, lanceolate, acute, serrated, the terminal one the largest ; footstalks angular, channelled. The flowers are numerous, small, white, or cream coloured, disposed in large terminal cymes, with five principal branches, and many secondary ones. The calyx is superior, permanent, very small, five-cleft, and smooth. The corolla is rotate, slightly concave, with five deep obtuse segments. The stamens are five, with subulate filaments about as long as the corolla, into the throat of which they are inserted, terminated by yellow, cordate, two-celled anthers. The germen is inferior, ovate, smooth, without a style, but supporting three roundish, obtuse stigmas. The berries are succulent, globose, purplish- black when ripe, one-celled, containing three or four linear- ovate, plano-convex seeds. Plate 17, fig. 4, (a) corolla; (6) calyx, germen, and stigmas ; (c) the fruit; (d) berry cut trans- versely. Elder is a well-known tree, frequent in hedges, woods, and coppices in this country. It is found in similar situations through- out Europe, the Caucasus, Siberia, and Japan. It flowers in June, and ripens its berries in September. i Sambucus is so called from cauGux7, sambuca, a musical instrument, probably the sackbut, in the construction of which the wood of this tree is said to have been employed.- Elder is derived from the Saxon ellara; it is sometimes called Boor-tree in the north. There are three or four varieties which are seldom found wild, but are cultivated in shrubberies and gardens. The chief of these are, the laciniated (Sambucus ngra laciniata), the leaves of which are variously incised ; and the white-berried (8. leu- cocarpa) which has more fragrant flowers than the common kind, and the berries larger, white or greenish-white, and more agreeably flavoured for domestic purposes. Economicat Uses.—The wood being hard and tough is made into skewers, tops for angling rods, and needles for weaving nets ; it is also employed by turners and cabinet-makers. The branches ELDER. 971 fnrnish tubes for various purposes, and the light pith they con- tain is much used in electrical experiments, and for fancy or- naments. The leaves are said to drive away moles if spread about their haunts, and an infusion of the same proves fatal to insects that infest delicate and blighted plants. The flowers, especially those of the white-berried kind, give to wine the odour of muscat, and are often used to simulate Frontignac wines, and to flavour vinegar. .The French put layers of them among apples, to which they communicate a very agreeable odour. A cordial domestic wine is often made in the country with the berries, a considerable portion of sugar and spice being em- ployed. This wine, though made in autumn, is ready for use the following winter, and is usually taken warm. In Germany, a strong spirit is distilled from the fruit, especially after it has been sweetened by night frosts. It is said to be used also in the adulteration of port wine, Lastly, Dambourney ob- serves, that linen may be dyed of a brown colour with the juice of these berries, and that wool previously treated with bismuth, acquires a beautiful blueish-grey, which is very permanent. According to Linnzeus, the leaves are refused by all animals except sheep, to which they are said to be very beneficial when affected by the disease called rot; but others assert that cows eat them eagerly. The flowers prove fatal to turkeys, and the berries are reputed to be poisonous to poultry, though eaten by many small birds. Quauitirs.—The whole plant has an unpleasant narcotic smell, and some authors have asserted that it is dangerous to sleep under itsshade*. The inney bark is of a fine green colour, inodorous, sweetish to the taste at first, subsequently bitter, acrid, and nauseous. The leaves have a disagreeable odour, very fetid when bruised, and a nauseous taste. The recent flowers have a fragrant smell, which soon becomes faint and heavy; the odour of the dried flowers is rather more powerful. By distillation in water the flowers impart their aroma and active qualities, and a small portion of essential oil separates. Infusion in water or alcohol, likewise extracts their virtues. The seeds yield by expression about an eighth part of dense, green- * Linn. Fl. Suec. p. 97. 272 ELDER. ish oil. The berries are inodorous, acidulous, and sweetish ; they contain saccharine matter, jelly, and malic acid; and their deep purple juice is as delicate a test of the presence of alkalies and acids as litmus paper *. Mepicat Proprrtirs and Uszs.—If the Elder be, as is generally supposed, the axry of the Greeks, we find it mentioned by Dioscoridest, Theophrastus, and Galen. Hippocrates 7 i used it as a purgative in dropsies and other diseases ; and from his time to the present, it has enjoyed more or. less celebrity. According to Dr. Ainslie, the Arabians and Syrians of the pre= sent day are well acquainted with it. To begin with the flowers : —These when recent are slightly purgative and resolvent, but in their dried state they appear to act by the cutaneous exhalants and provoke perspiration, and are hence considered diaphoretic and sudorific. With this view, an infusion of them sweetened with sugar, has been regarded as very useful at the onset of pulmonary catarrhs, coryza, sore throat, and other affections arising from suppressed perspiration. It has also been employed in the latter stage of bronchial catarrh and pul- monary affections, where there is no fever, heat, or thirst; and has been highly extolled in small-pox, measles, scarlatina, and other eruptive diseases which have been accidentally checked in their determination to the skin. Externally, the flowers have been employed either in infusion or cataplasm, to resolve in- flammatory and cedematous swellings." The berries are considered aperient, and slightly excitant and sudorific, and have been ordered in rheumatism, erysipelas, and febrile diseases. When dried they were formerly, but er- roneously, called grana actes. The seeds.are laxative. The bark and ines are the most powerful parts of the plant. They excite purging and vomiting in a large dose, and in some instances have produced hypercatharsis §. The inner bark has been extolled as an excellent hydragogue purgative, and in small doses as deobstruent. Sydenham|| and Boerhaave {] speak of its: * Chevalier, in Journ. de Pharm. Avril, 1820. + De Mat. Med. lib. iv. c. 174, p. 313. + De morbis, lib.ii. p. 468. § Vide Barthol. Act. Hafn. vol. i. p. 164, et Eph. nat. cur. Dec. 2, ann. 9, p. 48. \| Opera, p. 496. @ Hist. Plant. t. i. p. 207. ELDER. BTS good effects in dropsy and in various chronic affections. The former directs three handfuls of it to be boiled ‘in a quart of milk and water till only a pint remains, of which one half is to be taken night and morning, and repeated for several days. Boerhaave gave its expressed juice in doses from a drachm to half an ounce. Others have recommended an infusion of half an ounce of the fresh bark in wine, to be taken at one dose and repeated. A singular fungus is sometimes found growing on the trunk of the common Elder, called Judas’ ear, (Zxidia Au- ricula Jude *,) from its resemblance to the human ear. It was once used medicinally as an astringent, and employed in infusion or decoction; also in the form of a lotion in ophthalmia, and as a gargle in sore throats accompanied with relaxation. Several preparations beside the decoction and infusion of Elder have been recommended; the most useful of which are ; ELDER ROB f. Take of ripe Elder-berries........ five parts ; SSUIRALIelai al ales rcaleicielsinie) ei=at ODE) PALL. Boil with a gentle heat to the consistence of a thick honey. This is prescribed as a diaphoretic, in the dose of an ounce and a half to two ounces, in febrile disease, and in acute rheumatic affections; likewise made into a gargle for sore throats. ELDER VINEGAR. Take of dried flowers of Elder...... one part ; Vinegar ....-.--.sesee++- twelve parts, Macerate for four days, clarify with milk and filter. Given in sugared water to promote perspiration; or mixed with honey and water as a gargle. ELDER-FLOWER WATER. Take of Elder-flowers.......... three parts ; Water ...eseecceseee a Sufficient quantity. Distil six parts. This is esteemed slightly diaphoretic and anodyne, and forms a pleasant vehicle for other medicines. * Peziza Auricula.— Linn. + Succus spissatus sambuci nigri.— Pharm. Edin. et Dubl. 274 ELDER. ELDER OINTMENT *. Take of Elder flowers..... seoeees One pound ; Prepared lard .......... one pound. Boil the elder-flowers in the lard until they become crisp, then strain the ointment through alinen cloth. An ointment may be made with the leaves in the same manner. This is a useful emollient application to benign ulcers, &c. There is another British species, the Dwarf Elder or Dane- wort, (Sambucus Ebulus,) occurring in waste places and by way- sides, flowering in July. It may be easily discriminated from the above by its low herbaceous stem, lanceolate leaflets, fo- liaceous stipulz, cymes with three principal branches, and pur- plish flowers. It is more purgative in all its parts than the common Elder ; the inner bark is powerfully drastic and emetic, and has sometimes produced dangerous effects. Its sudorific and diuretic properties are likewise more evident. * Unguentum Sambuci.— Pharm. Lond. et Dubl. LXVII. INULA HELENIUM. Elecampane. Class XIX. Synoenesta.—Order II, PoLyGaMia SUPERFLDA. Nat. Ord. Composit. Gen. Caan. Involucre imbricated ; scales spreading, outer ones foliaceous. Anthers with bristles at the base. Receptacle naked. Pappus simple. Flowers yellow. Spec. CHar. Leaves ovate, amplexicaul, somewhat toothed, wrinkled, downy beneath. Scales of the invo- lucre ovate, downy. SYNONYMES. Greek..sos sAtviov. Helenium vulgare. Bauh. Pin. 276. Helenium. Ger. Em. 793. Rati Syn. 176. Cam. Epit. 35. | Aster omnium maximus, Helenium dictus. Tourn. Paris. 396. Latin ....2 Elenium sive Enula campana. Fuchs. 242. | Elenion. T'rag. 170. Inula Helenium. Lin. Sp. Pl. 1236. Fl. Brit. 891. Eng. L Bot. t. 1546. French.... Aunée; Enule campane; Inule aunée. Italian.... Enula campana; Elenio. Spanish and Portuquese. German... Alant; Alantwurzel; Brustaland ; Helenenkraut. Dutch..... Alant; Alantkruid Danish ... Oland Sanct Ellensron. Swedish.... Aland. Bohemian .. Wowen. Polish..... Omanowy- RUSS lene «= Dewjatschik. Persian.... Bekhizanjabilischami. Arabic ...... Usululrasun. t Enula campana. 276 ELECAMPANE. Description.—The root is perennial, thick, fleshy, branched, brown or yellowish externally, and white within. The stem is upright, firm, round, striated, branched, downy, and rises to the height of four or five feet. The radical leaves are large, often a foot long, petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, toothed, wrinkled, traversed by many reticulated veins, of a deep green colour above, whitish and cottony beneath; the cauline leaves are smaller, more acutely pointed, and sessile; both kinds are alternate. The flowers are large, terminal, solitary, radiated, and of a golden yellow colour. The involucre is composed of several large, ovate, imbricated, downy scales, of which the ex- terior are leafy. The florets of the ray are long, narrow, spreading, tricuspidate, and pistilliferous; those of the disk are numerous, perfect, tubular, with a five-cleft limb. The anthers are united into a cylindrical tube, with five acute teeth above, and ten bristles at the base. The germen is oblong, with a filiform cloven style and a bifid obtuse stigma. The fruit is linear, quadrangular, and striated, with a simple sessile pappus. The receptacle is nearly flat, naked, or slightly scaly. Plate 16, fig. 4, (a) floret of the centre or disk; (6) floret of the circumference or ray; (c) anthers, united into a tube; (d) summit of the style magnified. Elecampane is a native of moist meadows and _ pastures, generally near houses. Though it is rather local, it is not uncommon in the south and west of England, Ireland, and Scotland. It is also indigenous to France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden, &c. It flowers in July and August. The generic name Inula, is said to be an alteration of edrcvioy, Helenium, which, according to the brilliant fancy of the ancients, sprang from the tears of the renowned Helen. The common name, Elecampane, is a corruption of the old Latin term for the plant, Enula campana*. It is well described by Dios- corides}, and some imagine that the Panax Chironium of Theophrastus { refers to this plant. Horace alludes to it more than once :— ‘* Erucas virides, inulas ego primus amaras Monstravi incoquere.”—Sal. 8. J. 51. * Enula campana reddit precordia sana.—Schola Salern. c. 40, p. 457- + De Mat. Med. lib. i. c. 27, p. 22. + Hist. lib. ix. c. 10. ELECAMPANE. PM bil -———* cum rapula plenus Atque acidas mavult inulas.”’—Sat. 2.7. 44. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uses.—Elecampane is sometimes cultivated for the sake of its flowers, but it is not of any utility in pastures; goats and horses, however, sometimes eat it in the absence of better food. The roots, when bruised and macerated in wine with balls of ashes and whortle-berries, will dye stuffs of a blue colour. The recent root exhales a strong, penetrating odour. When dried, the smell is aromatic yet slightly fetid, and on chewing it, the taste is at first disagreeable and glutinous, then bitterish, hot, and pungent. Both alcohol and water extract its virtues, the former most completely. By chemical analysis, the root affords a volatile oil which easily concretes, extractive matter, resin, vegetable albumen, acetic acid, and principally a kind of greyish, odorous feecula, discovered by M. Rose*, and named by Dr. Thomson, Jnulin}. Mepicalt Properties anD Usrs.—The root of Elecampane was much esteemed by our ancestors as a valuable drug. Hippocrates and Galen make favourable mention of it. Dios- corides speaks of its efficacy in sciatic affections. It has been strongly recommended in pectoral affections}, particularly in coughs and asthmas; and besides promoting expectoration, it is also said to act as a sudorific and diuretic. Its diuretic properties, however, Cullen§ considers as trifling, and could not discover that it possessed any expectorant virtues. It is reputed a good remedy in complaints of the stomach arising from acidity; hence its value in dyspepsia and those colics so frequently originating in the acidity of that organ. It is found a powerful remedy in that kind of imperfect paralysis to which the ancients gave the name of Paresis, in * Annales de chimie, tom. Ixxvi. p. 98. + This substance is characterised by its forming a resinous matter when submitted to the action of acids, a phenomenon which takes place with no other fecula. It yields on distillation in a retort all the products furnished by gum. Dissolved in hot water it renders the liquid mucilaginous, and precipitates on cooling in the form of a white powder. Inulin may be obtained by boiling the root in four times its weight of water and leaving the liquid in repose. + Dehne in Crell’s Chem. Journ. § Mat. Med. vol. ti. p. 459. 278 ELECAMPANE. which the power of the muscles of the limbs is greatly weakened, but not destroyed ; as also in that species of paralysis which is the result of the Colica Pictonum, or painter’s colic. This com- plaint is very frequent in Austria and Moravia, where they attribute it to the acid wines of those countries, though more probably it is owing to the leaden cisterns and vessels in which it is occasionally kept. The Elecampane is considered by the inhabitants as a specific for these paralytic affections. Ettmuller strenuously commends its use in all scorbutie affec- tions, and in gout and rheumatism, where that diathesis pre- vails. He praises it, also, in venereal affections where mer- cury 1s employed, for the sake of counteracting the pernicious effects of that mineral upon the constitution, or for the purpose of removing them when they have taken place. With the same view Hermann* prescribed it. . Uterine influ- ence is also attributed to it +; hence its employment to pro- mote menstruation and for the cure of chlorosis{. As to its remedial agency against the plague, opinions are divided, Diemerbreeck § and Ray || advocate it, while others have no faith in its power. Externally, Elecampane, either in the form of an ointment or in decoction, has been employed for the itch, but sulphur and other mineral productions are much more to be depended on. The dose of this powdered root is from a drachm to two drachms, which may be taken in honey, or in a glass of wine J. The British Pharmacopceias do not direct any simple for- mula, but merely introduce Elecampane as an ingredient in a confection of pepper**; but our continental neighbours are somewhat profuse in their recipes. * Herm. Cynos. Mat. Med. t. i. p. 47. + Dioscorides, loco cit. t Murray, Mat. Med. t. i. p. 230. § Diem. de Peste, p. 157. || Ray, Hist. Plant. t. i. p. 47. | The fresh root is sometimes prepared by the confectioners as a candy, in which form it may be taken to advantage from half an ounce to an ounce at a time; or a decoction may be made of it, so that the same quantity be taken at a dose. "® Confectio Piperis Nigri.— Pharm. Lond. ELECAMPANE. 279 DECOCTION OF ELECAMPANE *, Take of Root of Elecampane, half an ounee ; Spring water,...... sufficient to afford aiter ebullition six ounces of fluid. Dose, one or two table-spoonfuls every two hours. TINCTURE OF ELECAMPANE J. Take of Root of Elecampane, one part ; Alcohol ........--- - six parts. After digesting the root in a gentle heat, filter. Exciting, carminative and diaphoretic. Dose, ten drops to a drachm. SYRUP OF ELECAMPANE jf. Depurated juice of the root, one pound and a half; White sugar ............ two pounds and a half. Dissolve the sugar in the juice and strain. * Decoctum Helenii.— Pharm. Batav. ed. Niemann. + Tinctura Helenii.— Pharm. Austriaca, 1821. + Syrupus Enule.—Pharm. Wirtem. LXVIII. ULMUS CAMPESTRIS. Common small-leaved Elin. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order II. DiGynta. Nat. Ord. UtmMacrm. GEN. Cuar. Perianth single, superior, four or five cleft b) >) ? persistent. Capsule a samara, closed, membranous, compressed, margined, superior, one-seeded. Spec. CHar. Leaves rhomboid-ovate, acuminate, oblique at the base, doubly serrate, scabrous above, downy be- neath. Branches wiry, somewhat corky, pubescent when young. Fruit oblong, cloven, naked. SYNONYMES. Greek...... WTeALae | Ulmus campestris et Theophrasti. Bauh. Pin. 426. Ulmus vulgatissima, folio lato secabro. Ger. Em. 1480. Raii Syn. 468. Latin ...+.5 Ulmus vulgaris. Park Theatr. 1404. Ulmus. Lob. Obs. 607. Ulmus campestris. Lin. Sp.‘ Pl. 327. Eng. Fl. ii. p. 20. | Eng. Bot. t. 1686. French.... Orme; Orme ordinaire. Ttalian ... Ormo. Spanish and y @Olmo. Portuguese § German... Ulme; Ulmbaum; Rister. Dutch..... Olm; Olmboom ; Ypenboom ; Herseleer. Danish and ) leat Swedish ...+4 Polish .... Ulm; Kora wiazowa. Russe na Turkish .. Wasagatsch. ELM. 281 Descrrption.—Common Elm is a lofty tree, sending off strong, spreading, lateral branches; when young, covered with a smooth, very tough bark, becoming rugged by age; heart- wood yellowish brown. The leaves are alternate, ovate, ap- proaching to rhomboid, acuminate, rough above, downy be- neath, doubly and irregularly serrated, from one to three inches long, and of a dark green colour. The flowers, which appear before the leaves, are produced from distinct buds, innumerous dense heads, each subtended by a small scale or bractea. The perianth (calyx) is four-cleft, persistent, fringed, of a light red or brownish colour. The four stamens are equal, smooth, longer than the perianth, with large, roundish, purple, two-lobed anthers. The germen is oblong, compressed, cleft, supporting two spreading styles, each terminated by a stigma, which is fringed on the upper edge, and ultimately dilated at the lower. The capsule (a Samara) is membranous, compressed, winged all round, indehiscent, and containing a single roundish seed. Plate 18, fig. 1, (a) the perianth and stamens magnified ; (6) the fruit. This is a tall, elegant tree, common in scattered woods and hedge-rows, principally of the southern counties of England. It is also a native of Barbary and Palestine, whence Dr. Walker thinks it was introduced into this country by the cru- saders. The flowers appear in March and April, and the fruit ripens in June. The name Ulmus is derived from the Anglo-Saxon elm,—its exact appellation also in Teutonic, Gothic, and nearly all the Celtic dialects. There are six other species considered indigenous to Britain, the chief of which are the Smooth-leaved Elm (U. glabra), with ovate-lanceolate smooth leaves; the Cork-barked Elm (U. suberosa), distinguished by the cork-like covering of its branches ; and the Wych Elm (U. montana), easily recognized by its large, spreading branches, and broad leaves appearing just as the hop-like fruit comes to perfection *. The Elm was well known to the ancients; and that it was prized for its economical uses is sufficiently obvious from the writings of Virgil and others, but they do not appear to have * See ‘* Hooker’s British Flora” and “ Lindley’s Synopsis.” x 282 ELM. discovered in it any medicinal virtues. ‘The Mantuan bard gives ample directions, ulmis adjungere vites, it being usual in those days to fasten the weak and limber vine to the sturdy Elm *. Later poets have some happy allusions to this practice : thus our own Milton, describing the morning avocations of the dwellers in Eden :— ——— ‘‘ They led the vine To wed her elm ; she spoused about him twines Her marriageable arms, and with her brings Her dower, th’ adopted clusters, to adorn His barren leaves.” Paradise Lost, b. v. 1. 216. ** Thou art an elm, my husband, I a vine, Whose weakness married to thy stronger state, Makes me with thy strength to communicate.” Shakspeare. In the Teutonic mythology the Elm had the honour of being chosen for the formation of the first woman, Em/a (elm), as the first man was Aske (ash). Several superstitious customs were practised by our Saxon ances- tors on this tree. A canon of Edgar in the tenth century runs thus: “ We decree that every priest shall anxiously advance Christianity, and forbid tree worship, divination with the dead, omens, charms with songs; and many other illusions which are practised in asylums on Elms (hence, perhaps, the name Wytch Elm) and on various other trees, by which many are perverted who ought not to be so.”” QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usxes.—This beautiful tree is well adapted for planting, as it does not destroy the grass beneath it. Animals in general are very fond of the foliage, and eat it greedily. The wood is much valued; being hard and tough, it is used for making axle-trees, mill-wheels, keels of boats, chairs, &c.; and being very durable in wet situations, it is pre- ferred for coffins. It is also stained to imitate mahogany. The tree is much infested by insects, especially the aphis ulmi, which feeds upon the juices of the leaves and makes them curl, to form, as is supposed, a shelter from the weather. Silk- worms are fond of the leaves. Dambourney obtained from the bark a yellowish-brown colour for dyeing, and De Vilette manufactured of it a kind of strong brown paper. * He has also given the Elm a place in the infernal shades. Vide din. lib. vi. v. 283. pe a 5 a ELM. 283 The inner part of the bark of the young branches is the part used medicinally. This bark is of a brownish red colour and inodorous; it has a slightly bitter, astringent taste, and on being chewed, proves mucilaginous. When boiled in a small quantity of water, it forms a thick, dark brown coloured de- coction, which gelatinizes as it cools, and when evaporated leaves a brittle, semi-transparent substance, soluble in water, but insoluble in alcohol and ether, to which, however, it imparts a brownish colour. The brittle residue, when treated in the same manner as Klaproth treated the gum-like exudation * from the Ulmus nigra, afforded nearly the same results; conse- quently it must be regarded as ulmin +. Mepicinat Properties AnD Usres.—The root, leaves, and bark of this tree were formerly used in medicine, on account of their astringent and detersive qualities. In modern practice, a de- coction of the inner bark has been highly recommended in some cutaneous affections allied to tetter and leprosy. Dr. Lysson f mentions five cases of inveterate eruptions, which were success- fully treated by a decoction of elm bark, but as he added nitre to it, and also frequently had recourse to purgatives, Wood- ville § questions if these cures ought to be wholly ascribed to the bark. Dr. Lettsom || attributes the cure of a severe case of lepra ichthyosis of Sauvages, in which other remedies had failed, to the use of elm. Banau 4, in particular, mentions an instance of common leprosy affecting the whole body, in which it was successful. Many other practitioners have com- mended it in cutaneous complaints, but Willan ** and Banau++ also recommend it in herpetic complaints generally, in flying and fixed pains, old ulcers, fluor albus, cancerous, scro- fulous, and nervous affections, obstinate rheumatism, scurvy, scald-head, &c. Prout tt used this medicine in various skin * This substance has been named U/min from the tree which produces it. According to Berzelius, it exists in the bark of many other trees. + Thomson’s Dispensatory, p. 656. + Medical Transactions, vol. ii. p. 203. § Med. Bot. vol. iv. p. 711. || Medical Memoirs, p. 152. 4} Journ. de Paris, 1783, n. 255. ** Descrip. Cut. Dis. vol. i. p. 139. +t Murray, Mat. Med. t. iv. p. 606. + Modern Pract. Lond. Hosp. p. 113. 284 ELM. affections, and also as a gargle in ulcerations of the mouth. Jeffreys * esteems it a good substitute for sarsaparilla, and he mentions several cases illustrative of its efficacy ; likewise for cinchona bark. Ray prescribed a decoction of the bark reduced to the consistence of a syrup, after which a third part of brandy was added. This he extolledas a valuable remedy against sciatic pains, to be applied as a fomentation, near the fire, for some time to- gether. The slimy juice which abounds in the inner bark, has been recommended in affections of the kidneys, and externally as a useful application to burns. The British colleges give the following formula for a de- coction. DECOCTION OF ELM}. Take of fresh Elm bark, bruised, four ounces ; Water ........0..e+e0 four pints. Boil to two pints and strain. The dose is from four to six ounces, taken twice or thrice a day. INFUSION OF ELM ff. Take of fresh Elm bark ......... one ounce ; Boiling water.......-.. one pint. Infuse in a covered vessel for two hours, and pour off the clear liquor. * Cases in Surgery, &c. p. 194. + Decoctum Ulmi, Pharm. Lond., Dub. + Infusum Ulmi, Pharm. Amer., &c- LXIX. ERYNGIUM MARITIMUM. Sea Eryngo, or Sea Holly. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order II. DiGynta. Nat. Ord. UmBeiirere. Gen. Cuar. Calyx of five lobes, leafy. Petals erect, connivent, oblong, with long, inflected points. Fruit subterete, obovate. Carpels covered with chaffy scales, and destitute of ridges and vitte, semiterete.— Flowers collected into roundish heads. Jnvolucres of many leaves. Spec. CHar. Leaves whitish, glaucous, coriaceous; those of the root with long petioles, roundish, cordate, plaited, spinous ; upper ones amplexicaul, palmate, lobed. In- volucres of five to seven leaves, longer than the heads ; scales three-cleft. SYNONYMES. Greek ...- spuyryiov. (Eryngium marinum. Ger. Em. 1162 Raii Syn. 222. Cam. Epit. 448. Dod. 718. Clus. Hist. ii. 179. ; Eryngium marinum, Drypis Theophrasti quorundam, Lob. Paice | 3. ic. li. 21. Eryngium maritimum. Bauk. Pin. 386. Lin. Sp. Pl. 337. \ Fl. Brit. 218. Eng. Bot. t. 718. French.... Panicaut; Panicaut maritime. Tialian.... Eringio marino. Spanish.... Cardo marino. German .. Meersmannstreu ; Meerstrandmannstreu. Dutch .... Zee-krius-distel ; Meerdistel. Danish.... Strandmandstre. Swedish... Ble; Sjotistel. Russ. ..-.- Sinaja golownik. 286 ERYNGO. Descrirtion.—The root is perennial, long, creeping, cylin- drical, whitish internally, and covered with a brown epidermis. The stem is cylindrical, thick, striated, branched, leafy, smooth, glaucous, and attains the height of twelve inches or more. The radical leaves are roundish-cordate, stalked, plaited ; the upper ones are sessile, lobed, palmated, amplexicaul ; the whole smooth, glaucous, ribbed, veiny, and toothed with sharp spines. The flowers are disposed in dense terminal, roundish heads (resembling at first sight a syngenesious plant). The involucre consists of five to seven rigid leaves, longer than the heads. A single bractea or scale, which is three-cleft, spinous, and rather longer than the calyx, accompanies each floret. The calyx has a rough, scaly tube, and a leafy, five-lobed limb. The corollas are of a light purplish-blue colour, and composed of five erect, oblong petals, inflexed at the points. The five stamens are furnished with capillary filaments tipped with roundish, oblong anthers. The germen is inferior, oblong, clothed with erect bristles, and terminated by two filiform, nearly erect styles, with simple stigmas. The fruit is obovate, subterete, separable into two carpels, which are covered with chaffy scales, and destitute both of ridges and vittee ; each carpel containing an oblong, nearly cylindrical seed. Plate 17, fig. 2, (a) floret magnified, showing the three-cleft bractea, calyx, petals, and stamens ; (6) a single petal ; (c) the styles. This plant is very frequent on sandy sea-shores throughout Europe, flowering in July and August. The term Eryngium was given to this genus because it was supposed to include the eguyyiov* of Dioscorides and the Erynge or Eryngion of Pliny +; and hence the English name. This species has also been designated Sea Hulver, Sea Holm, and Sea Holly, on account of its spiny leaves. There is one other British species, the Field Eryngo, (ryn- gium campestre,) distinguished by its pinnatifid leaves, and the undivided scales or bractez of the receptacle. It is far less common than the Sea Eryngo, but its properties are similar. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usres.—The root is candied and * From epuyyaw, to eructate. + Hist. lib. xxii. c. 7, p. 569. ERYNGO. 287 eaten as a sweetmeat ; the more in request because of its sup- posed restorative and stimulant qualities, and for which it was much celebrated in the days of Shakspeare*. Eryngo roots were first candied at Colchester, about the beginning of the seventeenth century, by Robert Burton, apothecary +. Ample directions how to “ condite Eringos” are given by Gerard f. According to Linnzeus, the young shoots prepared like aspara- gus are grateful to the taste, and very nutritious and restora- tive. The roots have a sweet agreeable taste, and an aromatic odour which they yield completely to water. They appear very similar in qualities to the Angelica root. The aqueous infusion after it has stood a while becomes slightly mucilaginous, but its constituent principles have not been examined. Mepicitnat Properties AnD Uses.—The root, or rather the bark of the root, is the part used in medicine. Dioscorides §, with other of the ancients, considered it a valuable promoter of the menses when obstructed, and also administered it in tormina, liver-complaints, and other disorders. Boerhaave esteemed it the principal of the aperient roots, and he usually prescribed it as a diuretic and antiscorbutic ||; but by later practitioners its aperient properties are esteemed as very gentle, calculated, indeed, only as an adjunct to the aperient decoctions intended for delicate or pregnant females. Ettmuller, Geoffroy, and most of the ancient writers, speak of this medicine as a certain though gentle aphrodisiac. It is principally, however, in affections of the chest, that it has been employed with success ; and even in consumption it has been found greatly to relieve the cough and promote an easy expectoration. For this purpose the candied root is the most pleasant and the best form, as all the virtues of the root are preserved by the sugar. Ettmuller recommends a conserve of it with the same intentions; and this is worth keeping, as it admits of combination with other medicines. * Thus Falstaff exclaims, “‘ Let the sky hail kissing-comfits and snow eringoes.”—Merry Wives of Windsor, Act v. Sc. 5. + Morant’s Colchester, p. 92. + Herbal, ed. Johnson, p. 1163. § Lib. iii. c. 24. || Boerh. Hist. Plant. t. i. p. 194. LXX. EUPHRASIA OFFICINALIS. Common Eyebright. Class XIV. Dipynami1a.— Order II. ANGIOSPERMIA. Nat. Ord. ScropHuLaRINnE®. GEN. Cuar. Calyx tubular, four-cleft. Corolla two-lip- ped; the upper lip divided; the lower one of three nearly equal lobes. Cel/s of the lower anthers spurred at the base. Capsule ovate-oblong, two-celled. Seeds striated. Spec. Cuar. Leaves ovate, deeply toothed. Segments of the lower lip of the corolla emarginate. SYNONYMES. i Euphrasia officinarum. Bauh. Pin. 233. Tourn. Paris. 194. Euphrasia. Ger. Em. 663. Raii Syn. 284. Tragus. 328. Fuchs. 248, c. 92. aunties { Eufrasia. Dod Pempt. 54. Euphragia vulgaris. Park Theatr. 1329. Euphrasia officinalis. Lin. Sp. Pl. 841. Eng. Fi. iii. p. 122. , Eng. Bot. t. 1416. French.... Euphraise; Eufraise. Italian...- Eutrasia; Eufragia. Spanish .... Eufrasia. Portuguese. Euphrasia. German.... Augentrost. Dutch .... Odozentroost ; Klaaroog. Danish.... Oientreest. Swedish ... Oegentreest. Polish .... Swieczki. Russ. ..-. Otschanaja pomotsch. Descriprion.—The root is annual, twisted, dark brown, slen- der, and furnished with several minute, whitish fibres. The stems are about three or four inches high, branched from the base, and purplish, occasionally simple, nearly square, slightly pubescent. The leaves are small, disposed in pairs, nearly sessile, tending upwards, somewhat concave, smooth, ovate, deeply toothed, EYEBRIGHT. 289 light green, deeper at the margin, and tinged with purple ; veins branching, prominent beneath. The flowers are solitary and sub-sessile in the axils of the upper leaves, which they rather exceed in length. The calyx is tubular, angular, pubes- cent, light green with purplish ribs, and divided at the margin into four deep, erect, nearly equal, ovate-acuminate teeth. The corolla is bilabiate, white, streaked with purple, yellowish on the palate ; the tube cylindrical, curved; the upper lip slightly concave, over-arching the stamens, bifid, with obtuse, emargi- nate lobes ;_ the lower lip with three deep, nearly equal, emargi- nate lobes. The stamens are didynamous, with thread-shaped filaments; anthers two-celled, purple, spurred at the base. The germen is ovate, four-parted, rather hairy, surmounted by a filiform, downy style, terminated by an obtuse, bifid stigma, fringed with minute glands. The capsule is ovate-oblong, compressed, emarginate, two-valved, and two-celled, con- taining several whitish, striated seeds. Plate 18, fig. 4, (a) the calyx ; (b) the corolla seen in front ; (c) the same opened to show the stamens; (d) the fruit enclosed in the persistent calyx. This lively little plant raises its elegant pencilled flowers on sterile plains and mountainous pastures, throughout the months of July and August, and often to the end of September. It is very generally dispersed over the world, and is met with as far north as Lapland. The pretty aspect of the flower, gemmed as it is with a yellow eye, most probably suggested the name Eyebright, in Latin Euphrasia, apparently derived from the Greek eudosuvy, which signifies joy or gladness. Some consider that the name was given in allusion to its efficacy in diseases of the eyes, but the first writers who record its medicinal properties are Arnoldus de Villa Nova, who flourished at the beginning of the fourteenth century, and Gordon, who published his Lilium Medicine in 1305. The older poets, who have noticed this plant, do so in allusion to the remedial powers with which in their day it was so confidently invested. Milton tells us that— <¢ Michael from Adam’s eyes the film removed, Which the false fruit, that promised clearer sight, Had bred; then purged with euphrasy and rue The visual nerve, for he had much to see.” Par. Lost, book xi. 1. 412. 290 EYEBRIGHT. And Shenstone exclaims— “¢ Famed euphrasy may not be left unsung, That gives dim eyes to wander leagues around.” Quatitirs.—The herb is almost destitute of odour, but somewhat bitter, slightly aromatic, and styptic to the taste. Its astringency is manifested by the dark colour produced in the decoction by sulphate of iron. The juice gives a slight purple tinge to blue paper. Mepicinat Properties anp Usrs.—No plant has been more celebrated for its anti-ophthalmic virtues than this. Hildanus * and Lanzonus {+ attribute to it the restoration to sight of per- sons at the age of seventy or eighty years. Arnoldus, Fuchs, Camerarius, Hoffman {, Lobel§, Francus ||, and a host of others, have extolled its virtues in dimness of sight, cataract, inflam- mation, and other diseases of the eyes. We cannot find any instance recorded by the moderns to corroborate these assertions, and therefore conclude with Bergius that, although we cannot from our own experience pronounce a decided opinion on its value, we think the testimony of the ancients not to be despised. According to Olatsen, the expressed juice of the plant is used by the Icelanders in all affections of the eyes, and Lightfoot states that the Scotch Highlanders make an infusion of it in milk, and anoint the patient’s eyes with it by means of a feather. It has also been commended in jaundice, loss of memory, vertigo, and other similar affections. Eyebright has been given in powder to the amount of one or two drachms, and the juice in doses of one or two ounces, twice a day. The most celebrated preparation was the vinous in- fusion of the herb, which was administered in the dose of two or three ounces. ‘The distilled water, though not greatly to be relied on, is certainly a safe collyrium. A strong decoction of the dried plant is the best substitute for the expressed juice. * Cent. Epist. n. 59. + Opera Omnia.— Lausanne, 1738, t. i. p. 394. } In Schrod. p. 411. § Stirp. Advers. p. 210. || Euphragia herba, medicina polychresta verum oculorum solamen, 1717. @| Mat. Med. tom. i. p. 545. LXXI. FQkNICULUM VULGARE. Common Fennel. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order II. Dicynta. Nat. Ord. UMBELLIFERS. GEN. CuHar. Calyx obsolete. Petals roundish, entire, involute, with a subquadrate, retuse point. Fruit sub- terete. Carpels with five prominent, obtuse, keeled tidges, of which the lateral ones are marginal and a little broader. Channels with single vitte. Seed sub- semiterete.—Involucres wanting. Spec. CHar. Stem terete at the base. Leaves biternate ; leaflets linear, filiform, pinnatifid; segments awl- shaped. SYNONYMES. Greck..... peagubpor. { Feeniculum dulce, &c. Bauh. Pin. 147. Feniculum vulgare. Ger. Em. 1032. Park Theatr. 884. Feeniculum. Fuchs,501. Cam. Epit. 534. Dod. 295. J Feniculum sive Marathrum vulgatius dulce. Lob. Obs. 448. | Anethum Feniculum. Lin. Sp. Pl. 722. Eng. Bot. t. 1208. Ligusticum Feniculum. Roth. Germ. i. p. 124. Meum Feeniculum. Spreng. Prod. p. 32. (Feeniculum vulgare. Gertn. fruct. i. p. 108. French.... Fenouil; Aneth doux. Italian.... Finnochio. Spanish.... Hinojo. Portuguese. Funcho. German... Fenchel; Gartenfenchel. Dutch .... Venkel. Danish.... Fennikel. Swedish... Fenkal, Bohemian. Fenkyl. Polish.... Kopr wlosky. Arabic.... Razianuj. Hindoostanie Mayuri. Sanserit .. Madhurika. Tamool.... Perun siragum. LGR «<< 292 FENNEL. Descrivrion. —The root is perennial, thick, fusiform, whitish, and fibrous. The stems are upright, cylindrical, striated, glau- cous, branched, and three or four feet in height. The leaves are large and twice or thrice winged, placed alternately at the joints of the stem on long amplexicaul, membranous, striated petioles; the leaflets filiform, linear, pinnatifid, with awl-shaped segments of a deep green colour, The flowers are disposed in terminal umbels, destitute both of general and partial involucre. The calyx is an obsolete, tumid margin. The petals are five, regular, ovate, emarginate, with inflexed points, and of a dark yellow colour. The germen is inferior, ovate-cylindrical, trun- cated, smooth, striated, and covered with the disk, which is a large, roundish, yellow, glutinous body, dividing into two parts, from each of which rises a short, thick style, terminated by an obtuse truncated stigma. The fruit consists of two ovate slightly compressed carpels, marked with five prominent keeled ridges, of which the lateral ones are marginal and a little broader. Seeds small, ovate, nearly round, on a transverse section. Plate 19, fig. 4, (a) entire flower magnified ; (6) fruit of the natural size; (c) the same separating at maturity, mag- nified. This plant occurs frequently on chalky cliffs in England near the sea, and near towns at a short distance from the coast, and is very common in gardens. It is a native of Madeira, Spain, the South of France, Italy, and the Caucasus. Fennel is the »apabcoy of the Greeks, and the feeniculum of the Romans, from fanum, hay, the smell of the dried plant re- sembling that of hay. It is called, provincially, Finkel. Though formerly considered a species of Anethum or Dill, this plant, with a few others, now constitutes a distinct genus. The Sweet Fennel (Faeniculum dulce) is by some considered a species of Common Fennel, by others, merely a variety, whose chief differences are produced by climate ; since, after being cultivated for several years in a colder climate, it appears to degenerate into the common sort. The seeds are brought from Italy and Sicily, and these are best for medicinal use, but the root and herbaceous part of the Common Fennel are em- ployed. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usses.—The tender stalks are used in salads: the leaves boiled enter into many fish-sauces, and COWUH OF? . “id rs, FENNEL. 293 are served up with mackarel in many parts of England. The blanched stalks of the Sweet Fennel are eaten with vinegar, oil and pepper as a cold salad, and much esteemed by the Ita- lians, who likewise use them in soups. In Germany, the seeds are used as a condiment in bread and various dishes. The whole plant has a fragrant, aromatic odour *, which is most developed, however, in the leaves and seeds. It is warm, sweetish, and aromatic to the taste, and becomes more agree~ able on being dried. Chemical analysis has procured from the seeds an aromatic and sweet volatile oil, a small quantity of fatty oil which is congealed by cold, an aromatic resinous bit- terish extract, and an aqueous extract, which is almost inert. Water extracts its virtues by infusion very imperfectly, but distillation in that fluid elevates the whole of its active proper- ties, which are also obtained by digestion in alcohol. Accord- ing to Matthiolus, when the stems of this plant are cut, in warm climates, there exudes a gum-resin, which is collected by the inhabitants under the name of fennel gum. Mepicat Properties anp Uses.—Fennel was well known to the ancients. Hippocrates} and Dioscorides t employed it to increase the secretion of milk: the latter says, the herb and seeds if eaten, or boiled in broth, fill the breasts with milk. Pliny reiterates the old opinion, that serpents when they cast their skins resort to this plant to restore their sight §; hence its reputed effects in dimness of sight and blindness ||. It has # « _______ A savoury odour blown, Grateful to appetite, more pleased my sense Than smell of sweetest fennel or the teats Of ewe or goat dropping with milk at even.” Milton, Par. Lost, book ix, 1. 579. + De Morb. Mul. lib. i. sect. v. p. 608. Foes. + Mat. Med. lib. iii. c. 81, p. 205. Sarac. § Feeniculum nobilitavere serpentes gustatu senectam exuendo, oculorum aciem succu ejus reficiendo, Hist. lib. xx. c. 23, p. 538. He also speaks of its medicinal uses,—‘* Prodest hydropicis, item convulsis, calculos vesice pellit, geniture abundantiam quoque modo haustum facit.” J. e. || This gave rise to the ancient distich, “ Feeniculum, Rosa, Verbena, Chelidonia, Ruta, Ex his fit aqua, que lumina reddit acuta.” Translated by Gerard,— e “‘ Of Fennell, Roses, Veruain, Rue, and Celandine, Is made a water good to cleere the sight of eine.” 294 FENNEL. also been commended in obstructions of the viscera, in small- pox and measles, and for shaking of the hands and other symptoms following the abuse of mercury. The moderns have found it useful in provoking the secretion of the urine, and the efflux of the menses, in arresting hic- cough and vomiting, and removing flatulence ; but this success is considered to be owing to its stimulant exciting effects. If these affections, observes M. Broussais, are the consequences of a general state of irritation or local phlogose, or exuberance of the vital forces, it is calculated to do harm*. As a topical application, cataplasms or decoctions of the herb have been found useful in resolving indolent tumours and chronic swell- ings. The root of this plant was considered one of the five greater aperient roots, and was esteemed by Boerhaave equal to the far-famed Ginseng. Its expressed juice, or a decoction of it in wine, was reckoned diuretic and repellent, and was given in intermittent fevers and eruptive disorders. The seeds powdered may be given in the dose of half a drachm to a drachm; taken in a glass of wine immediately before or after dinner, they promote digestion, and obviate the unpleasant symptoms frequently complained of after eating. The seeds are also useful correctives of purgative medicines, such as senna. The distilled water is a good carminative for infants, and a vehicle for nauseous remedies; it has also been recommended as a collyrium for weak eyes. The essential oil given in the dose of two to to six drops on a lump of sugar, is serviceable in flatulencies and. colic. | Externally it has been used in tooth-ache, pain of the ear, and other deep-seated pains. A syrup prepared with the expressed juice, is useful in asthma and old coughs: for this purpose it should be slightly acidulated with lemon-juice or vinegar. Several galactopoietic powders, principally compounded of fennel-seeds, for augmenting the milk of nurses, are recom- mended on the continent. Fennel was an ingredient in the Theriaca Andromachi and the Mithridatium. * Flore Medicale, tom. iii. p. 219. LXXII. TRIGONELLA FOZNUM-GRECUM. Common Fenugreek. Class XVII. DtapetpHia.— Order IV. DECANDRIA. Nat. Ord. WLrcuminose. Gen. Cuar. Calyx campanulate, five-cleft. Carina very small, together with the ale and vexillum, resembling a tripetalous corolla. Leguwmen oblong, compressed, or cylindrical, nearly erect, many-seeded. Spec. CuHar. Legumen sessile, nearly erect, falcate, lon- gitudinally reticulated, many-seeded. Seeds large, ovate, wrinkled, and dotted. SYNONYMES. Greek .... Bovxzeus, Theophrastus, Hippocrates; reais, Discorides. ( Fenum grecum sativum. Bauh. Pin. 348. Park. Theatr. 1096. | Fenum grecum. Ger. Em. 1196. Dod.526. Tragus, 597. Latin . wage Fuchs, 758, c. 308. | Trigonella Foenum-grecum. — Lin. Sp. Pl. 1095. Roth. Ll Germ. ii. 219. _Gertn. Fruc. t. 152. French.... Fenugrec. Ttalian.... Fiengreco; Fienogreco. Spanish... Fenogreco; Alholva. Portuguese. Fenogrego. German... Bockshorn; Kuhkornklee; Foenugrec. Dutch .... UHoornklaver ; Fenigrick. Danish... Foenugreck ; Groeskhoe; Bukkehorn. Swedish.... Fenugrek. Polish .... Fengrek. Description.—The root is annual, long, tapering, whitish, and fibrous. The stem is erect, round, fistulous, nearly simple, slightly hairy, and rises about two feet in height. The leaves 296 FENUGREEK. are shortly petiolate, disposed in threes, with obovate, obso- letely toothed leaflets, contracted at the base, strong scented ; the stipule lanceolate, faleate, entire, and pubescent. The flowers are yellowish white, axillary, solitary or twin. The calyx is campanulate, nearly diaphanous, with five subulate ciliated segments. The corolla is papilionaceous, a little longer than the calyx; the carina or keel is very small; the ale or wings are ovate, entire, reflexed, and elongated at the base; the vexillum or standard is oblong, erect, concave at the base, and indented at the apex. The filamens are ten, nine of which are united, and all furnished with simple anthers. The germen is faleate, surmounted by a short tapering style, terminated by a simple stigma. The fruit is a long, compressed, falcate le- gume or pod, reticulated with longitudinal veins, tipped with a long beak, and containing several rhomboidal seeds, sculptured on the surface, and of a brownish yellow colour. Plate 20, fig. 1, (a) entire flower; (b) stamens and pistil; (c) legume ; (d) seed. This plant is a native of the south of France, Greece, Egypt, Barbary, and several other warm climates. It grows in fields and by road-sides, and is occasionally cultivated in this country. It flowers from June to August. The English name Fenugreek is a corruption of Foenum- Grecum, Grecian hay, the name given by the Romans to this plant, because it was very common in ancient Greece. Pliny calls it silicia, as well as fenugreecum; Columella siliqua, and Varro silicula. Theophrastus designates it Bovxeoas, com’s-horn, in allusion to the shape of the seed-vessel, but the common name with the Greeks was 77415. The present generic name, Trigonella, is a compound of 7geis, three, and ywvia, an angle, because of the triangular appearance of the flower. Fenugreek may be cultivated in this country, but it yields an uncertain produce, on account of the inconstancy of our climate. The seeds are brought hither from the South of Europe. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—This plant was frequently employed for culinary purposes by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans*. The seeds have been roasted as coffee, and are said to afford a yellow dye. The meal obtained from the seeds is * Vide Apicius Celius. De arte coquinaria, p. 159. FENUGREEK. 297 used by grooms and farriers for horses, both as food and medi- cine, and for fattening rabbits. The odour of the seeds is fragrant, resembling that of melilot ; when bruised they are disagreeable, and have an unctuous farinaceous taste, accompanied with a slight bitterness. They contain so large a quantity of mucilage, that an ounce boiled in a pint of water, renders that liquid very thick and slimy. Alcohol extracts their odorous matter and peculiar flavour, the analysis of which is unknown. Mepicinat Properties AND Uses.—The earliest writers speak of the emollient, lubricating, maturating, and discutient pro- perties of the seeds of this plant; they were likewise employed in the form of decoction in ophthalmia, aphthous ulcers of the mouth, chapped lips, and other external inflammations. “ The same preparation has been used in lavements to lubricate the intestinal canal, and to appease irritation consequent to bilious and inflammatory colics, diarrhoea, dysentery, and poisoning by corrosive substances.”* They are also esteemed as assisting the formation of pus in inflammatory tumours, and the meal with that intention is made into a poultice with milk. When the object is merely to relieve pain, a strong decoction of the seeds with chamomile flowers, mullein flowers, or St. John’s wort, is very serviceable as a fomentation, applied by means of flannel as hot as can well be borne. A similar formula is re- commended by Sydenham in erysipelas. The following will be found a carminative injection of great service, to be used occasionally by persons who suffer from flatulence, costiveness, or colics + :— Take of Fenugreek seeds..............- = Wiinseeds, 2. ¢2ti.. sesecs none 9 OF each two drachms ; Leaves and flowers of mullein.... ? Chamomile flowers...... Sa eS of each a handful ; Caraway seeds,....... seeeeeeee one scruple. Boil the whole (after bruising the seeds) in a pint and a half of water or milk, to a pint, and strain. * Flore Med. tom. iii. p. 222. + J. A. Waller, Brit. Dom. Herb. p. 161. . LXXII11. ASPIDIUM FII4X MAS. Male Fern. Class XXIV. Cryprocamia.—-Order I. FInices. Nat. Ord. Ficicks. Gen.Cuar. Soriroundish, scattered. Jzvolucre orbicular, or orbiculari-reniform and fixed at the sinus. Spec. Cuar. Fronds bipinnate; pinnules oblong, obtuse, serrated. Sori near the central nerve. Stipes and rachis chafly. ; SYNONYMES. Greek .wcse FTES. Filix non ramosa dentata. Bauh. Pin, 358. | Filix mas. Ger. Em. 1128. Fuchs, 569. Lob. Obs. 473. Filix mas vulgaris. Raii Syn. 120. Park Theatr. 1036. Latin ....< Polypodium Filix mas. Lin. Sp. Pi. 1551. | Polystichum Filix mas. Roth. Germ. iii. 82. Aspidium Filix mas. Swarts. Syn. Fil. 55. Smith, Fl. Brit. Li, 1121. Eng. Bot. t. 1458. French.... Fougére male. Tialian.... Felce maschio. Spanish ... Helecho macho Portuquese. Feto macho. German.... Farnkraut ; Mannlichen Farnkraut ; Johanniswurzel. Dutch..... Maunetjes Varen; Varen manneke; Bosch Varen. Danish ... Bregne; Needbregne ; Molfoorblom. Bohemian .. Kaprodj. Swedish.... Treejon; Ormbunke. Polisk..... Paproc. Description.—The rhizoma is long, thick, creeping, hgneous, of a dark brown colour externally, covered with thick brown FERN. 299 scales and furnished with many long, black, tough fibres. The leaves or fronds, which are coiled up in vernation, spring imme- diately from the rhizoma; they are large, erect, often three feet in length, growing in a circle, doubly winged, green, smooth, with a short foot-stalk, clothed with reddish brown, nearly transparent, chaffy scales ; the pinnules are alternate, lanceolate, acute; the leafiets numerous, rather confluent at the base, linear- oblong, obtuse, and finely serrated. The fructification is scattered over the back of the leaves, in masses, called sori, which are placed in two rows near the midrib of each leafiet, and are covered by a membranous involucre (indusiwm), which is orbi- cular, somewhat reniform, and fixed by the sinus. Each capsule (theca) is globose, one-celled, attached by a short pedicel and girt with an articulated elastic rmg (annulus), which flies back when the capsule is ripe, and discharges the sporules contained in it. Plate 18, fig. 2, (a) the back of a leaflet, shewing the sori; (b) a portion of the leaflet magnified, exhibiting the involucre, with numerous thecze; (c) a capsule or theea detached, magnified; (d) the same opening to eject the sporules. This beautiful Fern is very common in Britain, and is fre- quent throughout Europe, in woods and on shady banks; producing its fructification for the most part from June till August. The generic name, Aspidium, is formed from arrs, a shield, which the indusia of some of its species resemble. ‘This species is supposed to be the mrzcis of Dioscorides, so called from rrepve, a wing, in allusion to the doubly pinnate leaves. Several superstitious notions respecting Ferns have prevailed among the common people at different periods; such as the following :—Their smell drives away serpents.—If a pregnant woman step over ferns she will misearry.—-The seed scattered in a ring is a defence against enchantments, &c, The sporules being excessively minute, (a single frond has been computed to produce upwards of a million,) the opinion has been long prevalent that ferns must be destitute of seeds; hence in Shakspeare, ‘“‘ we have the receipt of fern seed, we walk invisible.” * The other species of Fern best known in this country is the common female Fern or Brakes, (Pteris aquilina, ) generically * Henry IV., Act. IT. Seen. 1 x2 800 FERN. distinguished by its continuous, linear, marginal sori, and invo- lucres which open outwardly, and are formed of the inflexed margin of the frond. It abounds on all our heaths and commons, and is well known as forming an excellent cover for game, and as useful for many economical purposes. Qua.itizrs AND GENERAL Usrs.—The young shoots of the male Fern have been eaten in the same manner as asparagus. The fronds, in common with those of the female Fern, afford a useful thatch for outbuildings, and an excellent litter for horses and cows, and a fuel for heating ovens. Gunner * informs us that in Norway they are dried and steeped in hot water, and in this state are used as a substitute for hay in times of scarcity ; the herbage also is employed to stuff beds and mattresses. The ashes of the plant, when burnt, contain a large proportion of vegetable alkali, which is much used in the manufacture of glass. The poorer class of people mix these ashes with water, and form them into round masses, which they call fern balls, which being heated im a fire are used as a ley for scouring linen. Delechamp states that the people of Normandy, in times of extremity, have made a kind of bread of the root; although this part is so astringent as to have been employed in dressing leather. The inhabitants of Siberia use it in brewing, and it is probably one of the best substitutes for hops, “ as it contains both gallic acid and tannin, which are absent from most of the other bitter plants which have been proposed as surrogates, and failed, from being unable to precipitate the glutinous mucilage which renders unhopped beer so liable to turn sour.”+ The foregoing account will apply equally well to the Brake or female Fern. The rhizoma { is of a dark brown colour externally, and yellowish white within. Its odour, though feeble, is nauseous, and the taste is at first styptic, but soon becomes sweetish, slightly aromatic, and bitter. The aqueous extract has the smell and taste of the substance itself, but the alcoholic extract is more bitter. According to Morin it contains a trace of volatile oil, fatty oil, sugar, starch, tannin, pectine, malic and * Flora Norveg. P. i. p. 5. + Burnett’s Outlines of Botany, p. 328. + In popular language the root, FERN. 301 gallic acids, combined with lime and potass, phosphate of lime and lignin; the ashes yield silica, alumina, and oxide of iron. Mepicinat Properties AND Uses. —The efficacy of the rhizoma of male Fern as a specific against worms has been credited from the remotest times of which we have any medical record. Theophrastus*, Galen+, Pliny t, and Dioscorides§, all extol its virtues as an anthelmintic. It has also been recommend- ed in gout, rickets, scorbutic affections, hypochondriasis, in- veterate ulcers, and obstructed menses, and it is asserted by Aetius, to provoke abortion, which Olivier || endeavours to confirm. Pauli, Hoffmann, Andry, Marchant, and many others, have administered it with great success against tape- worms as well as other intestinal parasites. Murray ** cites numerous cases. Madame Nouffer, a surgeon’s widow, acquired great celebrity, about half a century ago, by the sale of a secret remedy in the cure of the tape-worm+7}. This, after a trial of its efficacy by the principal physicians of Paris, was bought by the French government for 15,000 francs, and published by their order. “In this, as in almost every other instance,” says Chaumeton, “the Fern root has been accompanied with some powerful cathartic, so that it is difficult to determine which is most efficacious, or whether the success obtained is not attri- butable to the latter only.”t} Wendt §§, however, Gmelin ||||, and others, affirm that given alone, in the dose of two or three * Hist. Plant. lib. ix. cap. 22. + De simp. med. lib. viii. ed. Picci. ~¢ Hist. lib. xxviii. cap. $ § Mat. Med. lib. iv. cap. 186. || Journ. de Med. de Vandermonde, tom. xii. p. 129. @ Quadrip. Bot. p. 333, ed. Fick. ** Apparatus Med. vol. v. p. 456—471. ++ The following is the recipe:—After a supper of panada, and the injection of an emollient clyster, the patient is to take three drachms, or an infant one drachm, of the powdered root of male Fern, in common water ; and in two hours a strong dose of calomel and scammony. If this does not operate speedily, it is to be followed by a dose of purging salts, and if the worm be not expelled in a few hours, the medicine is to be re- peated at proper intervals. +f Flore Med. tom. iii. p. 236. §§ Nachricht,vom clin. Institut zu Erlangen.— Pens. vy. et vi. p. 45. ||| Dissert. consid. gen. filicum. p. 50. 302 FERN. drachms, it has expelled fragments of tape-worm from different individuals. Peschier, of Geneva, appears to have set the ques- tion at rest by his successful employment of the fatty principle of the buds, which he obtains by digestion in sulphuric ether. This preparation has an oily-consistence, and is mixed with some extractive substance to form pills, each containing a drop of the fatty matter. Eight of these pills are eften sufficient, but in some cases it is necessary to augment the dose to thirty drops divided into small doses: the exhibition of this quantity, however, should occupy several days. M. Peschier asserts that the medicine thus exhibited does not fatigue the patient, while it destroys the worms, which may afterwards be expelled by any mild purgative*. If this be correct, the gratuitous assertion so often made, that this long-known remedy owes its efficacy as a vermifuge to its feeble astringent and tonic pro- perties, and that cinchona bark would answer just as well, falls to the ground. The rvhizoma of male Fern is given in substance, powdered, to the amount of one to three drachms, in wine, or milk, or mixed with honey; and in decoction to the extent of half an ounce. Forestus highly extols a decoction of it with dodder, in affections of the spleen, by which he seems to intend a disease of the digestive organs, often occasioned by tenia, and the slimy matter which forms their nidus in the intestines. The expressed mucilaginous juice of the plant has been much lauded as an application to burns. * Magendie’s Formulary, translated by Gregory, p. 191. Plate 26 y y; + Ne i) SS gL A: ong ’ LXXIV. PYRETHRUM PARTHENIUM. Common Feverfew. Class XIX. Syneenesta.—Order I]. PotyGamia SUPERFLUA. Nat. Ord. Composit#. Gen. Cuar. Involucre hemispherical, imbricated with scales, whose borders are membranous. Receptacle naked. Fruit crowned with a membranous border. Spec. Cuar. Leaves petiolate, flat, bipinnate ; segments ovate, cut. Peduncles branched, corymbose. Stem erect. Greek eens Latin ..... French.... Ital. Span. and a German... Dutch .... Danish... Swedish .. Bohemian... Polish.... Ruse. ..... Involucre hemispherical, pubescent. SYNONYMES. mwaebevioy; amapuxoy. Matricaria vulgaris seu sativa. Bauh. Pin. 133. Matricaria. Ger. Em. 652. Rati Syn.187. Dod.35. Tragus, 156. Artemisia tenuifolia. Fuchs, 46, c. 13. Parthenium. Cam. Epit. 649. Matricaria Parthenium. Lin. Sp. Pl. 1255. Pyrethrum Parthenium. Smith. Eng. Fi. iii. p. 451. Matricaire. ( Matricaria. § Mutterkraut. Mater ; Moederkruid. Motrum ; Moderurt. Matram. Matecujk. Maruna ziele. Matoschnaja trawa. Descrivtion.—The root is perennial, rather thick, much branched, with numerous long tufted fibres. ‘The stem is erect, 304 FEVERFEW. firm, smooth, striated, branched, and usually about two feet in height. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, of a light ash- coloured green, pinnated; the pinnules more or less ovate, decurrent, pinnatifid, with incised, somewhat obtuse lobes. The flowers are large, pedunculate, and disposed in a corym- bose manner at the extremity of the stem and branches. The involucre is hemispherical, imbricated with scales which are membranous, and somewhat villous at the margin. The florets of the disk are numerous, perfect, tubular, and _five-toothed, yellow ; those of the ray pistilliferous, short, oblong, nearly round, with three small terminal teeth, white. The filaments five, very short; anthers forming a hollow cylinder. The germen angular, abrupt, with a short filiform style, and a bifid, obtuse, spreading stigma. The receptacle is naked, slightly conical, brownish black, dotted. The fruit is oblong, truncate at the base, smooth, furrowed, whitish, destitute of pappus, crowned with a shallow, slightly toothed, membranous border. Plate 20, fig. 3, (a) the root; (6) floret of the disk magnified ; (c) floret of the ray; (d) scale; (e) vertical section of the flowering axis; (f) seed magnified. This plant is found wild in stony and uncultivated places, and about hedges. Deserted gardens into which it has once been admitted are soon overrun with it. It flowers in July. Feverfew is supposed to be the ragleviov of Dioscorides, so. called from its use in disorders of the uterus, and of which Matricaria, is a kind of Latin version. Pyrethrum is derived from mvs, fire, in allusion to its acrid roots. A variety with double flowers is cultivated in gardens for its ornamental character. In this state, the florets of the disk are so metamorphosed as to resemble those of the ray. The other British species are the Corn Feverfew, (Pyrethrum inodorum,) common in fields, with sessile, bipinnatifid leaves, having ecapil- lary segments; flowers with a large ray, and a very convex disk, and its fruit with an entire border. The Sea Feverfew (Pyre- thrum maritimum) very much resembles the last, except that the flowers are smaller and the border of the fruit is lobed. Quatities.—The odour of Feverfew is peculiar, strong, and pungent, resembling chamomile and tansy, but more developed, and is partly lost in drying. It is bitter, hot, and nauseous to the taste. It contains a small quantity of resin combined FEVERFEW. 305 with a bitter mucilage, and a blueish volatile oil, which se- parates on distilling the plant in water. Its other principles are also obtained by infusion in water and alcohol. The aqueous extract is very bitter, saline, and but very slightly aromatic. Mepicinat Properties anp Usrs.—It has been remarked that the energy of the sensible qualities of plants is indicative of potent medicinal virtues, and Feverfew confirms this asser- tion. This plant exercises a powerful tonic action upon the animal economy, hence result the antispasmodic, stomachic, diuretic, emmenagogue, resolutive, and other properties attri- buted to it. It has been more especially celebrated for its specific action on the uterus, promoting the menstrual evacuation and the lochial discharge, aiding the expulsion of the placenta, facilitating difficult labours, and curing hysteria. In this character it has been regarded, more or less, since the age of Dioscorides *, and is highly recommended by Simon Pauli} and many other physicians, though neglected by practitioners in the present day: few plants however are more extensively em- ployed by country people. It is also asserted by Ray t and Lange § to be-very useful in expelling worms, and Miller || states that two ounces of the expressed juice have been given with advantage in intermittent fevers, an hour before the paroxysm ;—hence the name Feverfew. Gerard] mentions its use in agues. Externally the decoction of Feverfew is em- ployed in fomentations, generally combined with chamomile flowers, and sometimes with wormwood and St. John’s wort. These fomentations are particularly applicable to cases of severe after-pains and windy colics, head-aches, &c. It may be given in powder in the dose of one or two scruples. An infusion of two drachms in a sufficient quantity of water or wine, is a good substitute for the expressed juice, and in the diseases above mentioned may be used in the form of tea, as common drink. * Mat. Med. lib. ili. c. 155, p. 236. + Quadrip. Bot. p. 432. + Hist. Plant. tom. i. p. 357. § Brunsv. Dom. p. 72. || Bot. Off. p. 288. ¢@ He writes, “It is used both in drinks, and bound to the wrists with bay salt, and the powder of glasse (!) stamped together, as a most singular experiment against the ague.’’— Herbal, p. 653. 1 WB. Ye SCROPHULARIA AQUATICA, Water Figwort, or Water Betony. Class XIV. Dipvynamt1a.—Order Il. ANGIOSPERMIA. Nat. Ord. ScropHuULARINE®. Gen. Cuar. Calyx five-lobed, or deeply five-cleft. Co- rolla subglobose, bilabiate ; limb contracted ; upper lip with two lobes and frequently a small scale about, the middle, the lower three-lobed. Capsule two-celled, two-valved, the margins of the valves turned inwards. Spec. Cuar. Leaves elliptical, ovate, nearly cordate, toothed, crenate. Stem winged at the angles. SYNONYMES. Scrophularia aquatica major. Bauh. Pin. 235. Rati Syn. 285. Betonica aquatica. Ger. Em. 715. Park Theatr. 613. Latin ..... + Scrophularia feemina. Cam. Epit. 867. Scrophularia aquatica. Lin. Sp. Pl. 864. Eng. Fl.v. iii. p- 137. Eng. Bot. t. 1544. French.... Scrofulaire ; Scrofulaire aquatique ; Betoine d’eau. Italian.... Scrofularia acquatica. Spanish ... Escrofularia aquatica. Portuguese. Escrofularia dos rios. German..... Wasser-Braunwurz; Wasser Kropfwurz. Dutch..... Water Speenkruid. Belgic...... St. Anthonis kruid ; Beekschuim ; Water Betonie. Russ....... Naryschnik. Descrivtion.—The root is composed of slender tufted fibres, somewhat fasciculate, without tubercles. ‘The stem is erect, smooth, branched, quadrangular, winged at the angles, and rises to the height of three or four feet. The leaves are opposite, petiolate, ovate-oblong, cordate at the base, rather obtuse, crenate and somewhat toothed, nerved, smooth, and of a deep green colour, paler beneath. The flowers form naked terminal panicles, remotely branched, furnished with small lanceolate EIGWORT. 307 bractee. ‘The calyx is divided at the margin into five rounded lobes, edged with purple. The corolla is reddish purple, much longer than the calyx, tubular, nearly globose, with an inflated tube ; limb short, two-lipped ; the upper lip orbicular, with two lobes, and a small scale or abortive stamen within it; the lower lip with three lobes, of which the middle one is reflexed. The stamens are four, didynamous, inclined towards the lower lip, with two-celled anthers. The germen is superior, ovate, termi- nated by a simple style and stigma. The capsule is ovate-acu- minate, two-celled, two-valved, the margins of the valves turned inwards, containing several small seeds. Plate 18, fig. 3, (a) calyx and pistil; (6) corolla; (c) the same opened to show the stamens ; (d) the pistil; (e) capsule; (/) the same cut trans- versely. This plant flourishes by the sides of rivers, and in watery places. Its flowers, which are not inelegant, appear in July and August. Figwort seems to have been unknown to the ancients, it is at least unnoticed in their writings. The generic name was be- stowed in consequence of the reputed efficacy of the plant in scrofula. ‘The species here described is called in some counties Brown-wort, and in Yorkshire Bishop’s leaves. The species best known, perhaps, is the Knotted Figwort, (Serophularia nodosa,) with a large, thick knotty root, heart- shaped triangular acute leaves, doubly serrated at the margin, and greenish purple flowers. It is frequent in woods and moist ground, and is very similar in properties to the one here figured. There are two other indigenous species, Balm-leaved Figwort, (S. Scorodonia,) and Yellow Figwort (S. vernalis). Quatitizs.— Water Figwort exhales when fresh a strong disagreeable odour, which is supposed to be of the narcotic kind and is partly lost in drying. The taste is bitter, rather acrid and nauseous. It yields its active matter both to water and alcohol. ‘The aqueous infusion is but slightly bitter, has the odour and taste of cherry-kernels and is not very unpleasant : a solution of sulphate of iron renders it of a dark semi-opaque green, but it does not affect litmus paper.”* Goats eat this plant, but other animals refuse it. Wasps and bees resort greatly to the flowers. * Alston Mat. Med. vol.i. p. 519. 308 FIGWORT. Mepicinat Properties anp Uses.—Little is known of the medical properties of this plant*, its ancient character as a vulnerary being no recommendation in our day. Its celebrity in this respect appears to have been heightened by its employ- ment at the siege of Rochelle in 1628, when, in defect of other remedies, the soldiers applied it to their wounds, which it speed- ily healed +. Lochnerus+ mentions an instance of a dreadful wound which was cured by the outward application of the juice, the patient at the same time drinking a strong decoction of the herb. The leaves have been much used to correct the disagree- able taste and smell of senna, without altering its purgative pro- perties. Boerhaave § states that half a drachm of the dried leaves mixed with two drachms of senna, has an excellent effect. The decoction and distilled water are recommended as cosmetics. The employment of the tubercled roots of Knotted Figwort in piles and scrofulous tumours ||, is thought to have originated in the visionary doctrine of signatures. Many celebrated physi- cians, however, such as Arnoldus, Henricus ab Heers, Mayerne, Kttmuller, and others, implicitly believed in its efficacy. Ett- muller prescribes from half a drachm to a drachm of the root, sliced and infused in wine, to be taken three or four times in the day; this he affirms will afford relief to the patient, whether the piles be bleeding or not, or in any stage of them whatsoever. The powdered root was employed for the same purpose in the dose of one or two scruples, and to expel intestinal worms. A decoction of an ounce of the root in a pint and a half of water, taken in the dose of a cupful two or three times a-day, has been recommended with the same intent; also as a lotion for cutaneous eruptions. Cataplasms and fomentations with the root, and ointments made of the leaves were not less esteemed applica- tions to hemorrhoids, ulcers and scrofulous tumours. * Linneus calls it ‘‘sudorific and anodyne.” + Chomel Pl. Usuelles, tom. iii. p. 63. + Eph. Nat. Cur. cent. vii. p. 145. § Hist. Pl. Hort. L. B.i. p. 316. || In this disease it was often used as an amulet, to be hung round the neck. We may smile at this practice and call it a superstition of the dark ages, but it was not more absurd than the belief in the prophylactic virtues of a ~hild’s caul. ae LXXVI. ABIES COMMUNIS. Norway Spruce Fir. Class XXI. Monazcta.—Order VIII. Monape.puia. Nat. Ord. Conirer®. Grn. Cuar. Males ; Anthers two-celled. Females ; Scales imbricated in a round cone, bracteate at the base, digy- nous. Pericarps attached to the inside of the scale, winged, deciduous. Stigma bi- or trifid. Cotyledons three to nine. Spec. Cuar. Leaves solitary, four-cornered. Cones cylindrical ; scales rhomboid, flattened, repand at each end, eroded. SYNONYMES. Greek .wsseee tdarns afi. { Picea major prima, seu Abies rubra. Bauh. Pin. 493. Picea major. Ger. Em. 1354. Abies mas Theophrasti. Rati Syn. 441, Hist. ii. p. 1396. Latin ......< Abiesrubra. Trag. 1117. Pinus Abies. Lin. Sp. Pl. 1421. Roth. Germ. i. p. 411. Abies excelsa. Poir. | Abies communis. Loudon, Encycl. p. 804. French...... Sapin. Tialian...... Abete; Abeto. Spanish .... < ( Allium sativum. Bulbs compound. Stamens three-pointed. SYNONYMES. oxepodov s ayAsdiov. Bauh. Pin. 73. | Allium. Ger. Em. 178. Dod. 671. Park. Parad. t. 511. Allium vulgare et sativum. aii Hist.1125. Trag. 745. | Allium sativum. Lin. Sp. Pl. 425. French.... Ail; Ail cultivé. Ttalian.... Aglio. Spanish.... Ajo. Portuguese. Alho. German... Knoblauch; Gartenlauch. Dutch .... Look; Knoflook ; Knoplook. Danish..... Hvidlog. Swedish... Hwitlek. Bav. & Pol. Czosnek. Russ....... Tschesnek. Persian ... Sir. Arabic..... Sum. Javanese... Bawany- Sanscrit... Lasuva. Hindoostanie Lasun. Description.—The bulb is nearly ovoid, with obtuse projec- tions, covered with thin, membranous, reddish white integuments, beneath which are found several small bulbs, connected together and situated on a kind of plate or disk, from which proceed a number of descending fibres constituting the true root. The BB2 3AS GARLIC, stem or floral peduncle is simple, cylindrical, smooth, about eighteen inches in height, with numerous long, flat, lanceolate leaves towards the base, fewer and shorter upwards. ‘The flowers, arranged in a clustered umbel at the summit of the stem, are enveloped previous to expansion by a membranous spathe. The perianth is single and composed of six, white, ovate-oblong, spreading pieces. The stamens are six, alternately enlarged and three pointed, shorter than the corolla, and furnished with roundish anthers. ‘The germen is superior, short, angular, and supports a simple style, terminated by an acute stigma. The capsule is short, broad, three-sided, three-valved, and three- celled, containing numerous roundish, dark-coloured seeds. Plate 20, fig. 4, (a) flower ; (b) perianth, opened to show the sta- mens ; (c) one of the alternate three-pointed stamens ; (d) pistil. This plant grows spontaneously in Egypt, Sicily, and Greece, and was first cultivated in the English garden about the year 1540. It flowers in July. The generic name is probably taken from ayAsdia or ayAibes, the terms by which the Greeks designated the cloves of garlic. According to Theis it is derived from the Celtic all, which signi- fies hot, burning. The genus is extensive, comprising among others the great round-headed Garlic (4. Ampeloprasum) naturalized in England; the Leek (4. Porrum) ; Homer’s Moly (4. magicum); the Rocambole (4. Scorodoprasum); Shallot (4. ascalonicum) ; Chives (4. Schenoprasum); Common Onion (4. Cepa); and Ramsons, (4. ursinum) which is frequent in woods in this country, flowering in May and June. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—Garlic has been noted for its culinary uses from the remotest antiquity. The Egyptians were very fond of this vegetable, and were commonly reproached for swearing by the Garlic and onions in their gardens; an ab- surdity noticed by Pliny *, and by the keen satirist Juvenal f. * “< Allium cepasque inter Deos in jure jurando habet Agyptus.”— Hist. lib, xix. c. 6. + “ Quis nescit Volusi Bythinice, qualia demens /Egyptus portenta colit. Porrum et cepe nefas violare aut frangere morsu ; O sanetas gentes quibus hee nascuntur in hortis Numina !”’—Sat. xv. v. 9. GARLIC. $49 its strong penetrating odour and caustic taste, though peculiarly offensive to most English palates, is much relished by the Rus- sians, Poles, Spaniards, and especialiy by the Jews. It is eaten with bread, and employed by way of seasoning to various dishes. The juice of this bulb has been used im domestic economy for cementing broken glass and china. The active properties of Garlic appear to depend on an essen- tial oil, which is readily obtained by distillation with water : it is of a yellowish colour, of a thick and ropy consistence, and sinks in water. The expressed juice of the bulb yields a mucilaginous extract, albumen, fibrous matter, and water of vegetation. Sulphur, vegetable albumen, and sugar have been detected in it, and the ashes furnish several salts of potass, phosphate of lime, oxide of iron, magnesia, lime, silica, &c. Dried till it loses one half of its weight, it preserves all its sensible properties, but by coction in water or vinegar they are completely destroyed, and a viscous mucilage is the result, which may be substituted, according to M. Bodard*, for gum arabic and tragacanth. The odour of Garlic is so penetrating and diffusible, that even the external application of it to the soles of the feet or any other part of the body will cause the lungs to exhale its odour, and the taste may be perceived in the mouth. It may be also detected in the flesh and even in the eggs of fowls, geese, &c., that have eaten it. Mepicinat Proprrtizs anp Usrs.— Garlic is commended by Dioscorides ‘| as a remedy for tape-worm, venomous bites, hoarseness, coughs, obstructed urine, &c., and externally for many cutaneous diseases. Celsus } directs it to be mixed with honey for inveterate coughs; he also speaks of its efficacy in preventing the paroxysms of intermittents, which is confirmed by Rosen, Bergius §, and others. It has enjoyed great repu- tation as a preservative against contagious diseases, more parti- cularly the plague || ; hence it formed a principal ingredient in * In Flore Medicale, tom. i. p. 30. + Mat. Med. lib. ii. c. 182. + De Medicina, lib. iv.c. 4. § Mat. Med. tom. i. p. 255. || See the authorities in Zorn. Botan. Med. p. 40; also Chenot de peste, p- 108 ; Diemerbroeck de peste, p. 164. Mr. Waller observes, ‘during the prevalence of a very contagious fever in the vicinity of Somers Town and 350 GARLIC. the “ Four Thieves’ Vinegar,” and it was not less esteemed as a remedy when that fell disease had already commenced its ravages. Its utility as a diuretic in dropsy*, and as an ex- pectorant in pituitous asthmas and other pulmonary affections unattended with inflammation, is also attested by numerous au- thorities +. It exerts a powerful influence on the urinary appa- ratus, assuaging nephritic pains, and facilitating the expulsion of gravel, and in calculous complaints generally it has proved re- markably successful {. As a prophylactic and remedy in scurvy, it has also been highly praised by Lind § and others. Its anthel- mintie virtues are likewise considerable, as it kills the worms while still lodged in the intestines |], which may be afterwards expelled by a cathartic. The acrimony of Garlic has recommended it externally as a rubefacient. Sydenham § applied it bruised to the soles of the feet in cases of confluent small-pox, with the best effects. It has also been applied, bruised and mixed with olive oil or lard, to scrofulous tumours, parts affected with gout, burns, tinea or scald-head, and to remove warts. The juice rubbed on the spine of the back of children affected with hooping-cough, is said to be eminently beneficial ; and inserted on cotton into the ear it is a favourite domestic remedy for deafness, ear-ache, and tooth- ache. *¢ Dr. Bowles, an English physician, much celebrated in his time, employed Garlic as a secret remedy in asthma, and with considerable success. His method was to form a kind of preserve of the bulbs, or cloves, as they are St. Giles’s, the French ecclesiastics, who constantly used this plant in all their culinary preparations, visited hovels the most filthy and infectious with impunity, whilst the English ministers of the same religion were generally infected with the contagion, to which several of them fell victims.” Brit. Dom. Herbal, p. 168. * See the cases related by Forestus, Observ. lib. ix. obs. 27.—Bartho- linus, Hist. Anat. cent. ii. hist. 74.—Sydenham, Opera, p. 500. + Vide Mead, Monita et Pracep. p. 56.—Rosenstein (Hus-och Rese-apot. p- 87) recommends three or four cloves of Garlic, sliced, to be boiled in two pints of milk, with the addition of a little vinegar and honey, to be drunk warm, and repeated if necessary. + See the experiments of Lobb.— De Dissolv. cal-. c. 10. § On Scurvy, p- 182-8. || See Bisset’s Med. Cons. of Gt. Brit. p. 340; Rosenstein om Barns sjukd, p. 385. @ Opera, p. 378. GARLIC. 351 called, by first boiling them till quite tender in a close vessel, then drying them carefully by means of a napkin. To the water in which they had been boiled, an equal quantity of the strongest vinegar was added, and to this as much refined sugar as was necessary to form a syrup, which was poured over the dried bulbs, put into an earthen jar, and carefully stopped for use. The dose was one or two of the bulbs to be taken in a morning, fasting, with one or two table-spoonsful of syrup. This remedy gained great repute for the cure of asthma, and it appears deservedly.”* Of the juice from half an ounce to two ounces, mixed with syrup or sugar, forms a dose. It may also be made into pills, with an equal quantity of soap, containing four grains each, of which four or five may be taken twice a-day. The offensive odour of Garlic may be in great measure counteracted by aro- matics T, particularly the seeds of umbelliferous plants; baked beet-root has been affirmed to be very effectual for this purpose. * J. A. Waller, Brit. Dom. Herb. p. 169. + Noticed by Virgil :— “ Thestylis et rapido fessis messoribus zstu Allia, serpyllumgue, herbas contundit olentes.” Ecl. ii. 1. 11. But Horace exclaims vehemently against it, after partaking of it at sup- per with Mzcenas :— “* Parentis olim si quis impia manu Senile guttur fregerit ; Edit cicutis allium nocentits. O dura messorum ilia !” ' Epodes, lib. v. ep. 3. LXXXV. TEUCRIUM CHAMZEDRYS. Wall Germander. Class XIV. DipyNAmMt1a.—Order I. GYMNOSPERMIA. Nat. Ord. Lastatz. GEN. CHar. Calyx tubular, five-toothed, nearly equal, or two-lipped. Corolla with the tube shorter than the calyx; upper lip bipartite; lower one spreading, trifid. Stamens much exserted ; cells of the anthers confluent, spreading. Spec. CHar. Leaves ovate, deeply serrate, tapering into a footstalk. Flowers axillary, in threes. Stem as- cending. SYNONYMES. Greek .occeee He uemsdous. {Chamedrys major (et minor) repens. Bauh. Pin. 248. Dod. 43. | Chameedrys major (et minor) latifolia. Ger. Em. 656. Latin ..+...< Chamedrys vulgaris seu sativa. Raii Syn. 231. Chamedrys vera mas. Fuchs, 825. | Teucrium Chamedrys. Lin. Sp. Pl, 790. Eng. Fl. iii. | p- 69. Eng. Bot. t. 680. ; French...... Germandrée; Petit Chéne. Ttahan...... Camedrio; Calamandrina; Querciola. Spanish ..+. Camedris; Encinilla. Portuguese -. Camedrio. German ..<«. Gamander; Gamanderlein. Dutch ...... Gamander; Bathengel. Bohemian ... WKamanderl; Ozanka menngj. Swedish ..... HEkegres. Potish ..... « Ozanka. Description.—The root is perennial, slender, yellowish, some- what creeping, and furnished with short, delicate fibres. The a es Gromuhl? Well Gen 5s : oc a : a a | Be Ae GERMANDER. 358 stems are branched, and decumbent at the base, then ascending, simple, obsoletely four-sided, hairy, and from nine inches to a foot in height. The leaves are opposite, shortly petiolate, ob- tuse, spreading, ovate, approaching to wedge-shaped, smooth, pubescent, veined, bright green above, paler beneath, deeply serrate at the margin, and sometimes slightly lobed. The flowers are supported on short peduncles, and are placed two or three together in the axils of the upper leaves, of which the uppermost, or bractez, are nearly entire at the margin. The calyx is angular, hairy, ovate-turbinate, with five, nearly equal, ovate-acuminate, ciliate teeth, of a purplish hue. The corolla is reddish purple, much longer than the calyx, witha short, curved tube, and divided at the limb into two lips, of which the upper is short and bipartite, the lower one three-lobed, the middle lobe large, roundish. The stamens are didynamous, much pro- truded, with slender white filaments, terminated by simple anthers, with two confluent, spreading cells. The germen is four-parted, and from its centre rises a filiform style, longer than the stamens, surmounted by a bifid stigma. The fruit is composed of four achenia or small nuts, each containing a single seed, enclosed in the persistent calyx. Plate 22, fig. 2 (a) calyx; (6) corolla; (c) pistil. This plant is a native of Britain, growing on ruined walls and by the borders of fields, but not common. It flowers in July. Teucrium was the name given in honour of Teucer, prince of Troy, who, according to Pliny, was the first to discover the medicinal qualities of some plant allied to this. It is called Chameedrys from the Greek yan, on the ground, and 2¢us, an oak, in allusion to the oak-like leaves; for the same reason it has obtained the names Quercula in Latin, Petit Chéne in F rench, and Ground-oak in English. In the Herbier de Mayence, pub- lished in 1485, it is called Gamandré; hence the common French and English names of the plant. 3 The species most noted for their uses are the Wood German- der or Sage, (7. Scorodonia,) frequent in woods in this country, distinguished by its cordate, wrinkled leaves, and one-sided racemes of yellowish flowers ; Cat-Thyme Germander, (z: Marum,) a native of Spain, very aromatic; Poly, (7. Polium,) and the subject of the following article. 2 354 GERMANDER. QuaLities AND GENERAL Usrs.—The physical qualities of this plant have recommended it as useful in tanning, in those countries where it abounds. It is eaten occasionally by sheep and goats, but is refused by other animals. The odour of this plant is slightly aromatic, and the taste moderately bitter, diminished by drying. Both water and alcohol take up its active matter; the former most completely, the watery extract containing most of the bitter principle. The decoction is slightly aromatic and bitter; it assumes a greenish hue by the addition of syrup of violets, and a solution of sulphate of iron renders it dark and opaque. It contains a small portion of tannin, but its other constituents have not been examined. Mepicat Properties aND Usrs.—Germander has been re- garded as tonic, diuretic, sudorific, incisive, &c., and has been highly commended in enlargements of the spleen, jaundice, obstructions of the viscera, suppressed menses, fevers, dropsy, asthma, and other chronic diseases of the lungs. It has also been employed in the expulsion of worms, and as a remedy in scrofula, scorbutic affections, and hypochondriasis, but more especially in gout. Vesale* mentions that Charles the Fifth was cured of gout by the vinous decoction of this and some other herbs, taken daily for sixty successive days. It was one of the ingredients in the celebrated antarthritic, or Portland powder +. Prosper Alpinus { states that the Egyptians employ it success- fully in the cure of intermittent fevers, by taking a drachm of the powder an hour before the paroxysm; and Chomel § asserts that an infusion of this plant in wine, combined with the lesser centaury, has cured agues over which Peruvian bark had no power. The infusion of an ounce of this plant in a pint of water, sweetened with honey or capillaire, has been recommended in asthmas ||, old coughs, &c. For its tonic effects, in the diseases already mentioned, it may be employed in decoction with wormwood, lesser centaury, or chamomile. ee * Epist. de China, p. 111.—See also Solenander, Consid. Med. sec. v- p. 475.—Sennerti, Opera, ed. Ludg. t. v- p. 568. + See p. 154. + Med. Egypt. p. 316. § Plantes Usuelles, tom. ii. p. 139. | As a remedy in this complaint, Murray (App. Med. tom. ii. p. 51) cons siders it to agree with horehound ; it is also allied to betony. LXXXVI. TEUCRIUM SCORDIUM. Water Germander. Class, &ce. See Wall Germander. Spec. Cuar. Leaves oblong, sessile, downy, serrated. Flowers few, axillary, stalked. Stem procumbent. SYNONYMES. Greek .sees oxogdiov. (Scordium. Bauh. Pin. 247. Ger. Em. 661. Raii Syn. 246. | Dod, Pempt. 126. Fuchs, 776. reneg Scordium legitimum. Park. Theatr. 111. | Teucrium Scordium. Lin. Sp. Pl. 790. Eng. Fl. iii. p. 68. French.... Scordium; Germandrée aquatique. Ttalian.... Scordeo. Spanish and Q Piicindie: Portuguese. $ German.... Knoblauehs gamander ; Wasserknoblauch ; Skordienkraud. Dutch..... Waterlook. Danish ... Skordium; Leegsurt. Swedish.... Gamander. Polish .... Czosnkowc ziele. Lithuanian Embuiti. Bohemian .. Wodnj czessnek. Arabic.... Scordeon. Latin Descrirtion.—The root is perennial, creeping, and fibrous. The stem is procumbent, branched, quadrangular, hairy, and about a foot in length. ‘Ihe leaves are opposite, sessile, oblong, obtuse, downy, soft, nerved, deeply serrated, and of a light green colour. The flowers are few, mostly two in the axil of each leaf, pedunculate, and rather small. The calyx is tubular, hairy, striated, with five nearly equal, ovate, acute teeth, The corolla is small, and of a pale purple colour ; in other respects nearly resembling Wall Germander. Plate 23, fig. 2, (a) calyx; 356 GERMANDER. (6) corolla viewed sidewise; (c) the same in front; (d) pistil ; (e) anther, magnified. Water Germander grows in low wet meadows and marshy places in this country, but is rather rare. It has been found in Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, and a few other counties ; and in Tipperary, Ireland. It flowers in July and August. This plant was named Scordium from ¢zopdiov, derived from cxopeov, garlic, on account of its alliaceous odour. According to Lobel *, it was first identified with the cxopd:ov of Dioscorides +, by Pelissier, Bishop of Montpellier, and Rondelet, professor of medicine at that place, about the year 1550. It has been called Garlic Germander. The foliage is eaten by sheep and goats, but refused by horses, swine, and cows; the latter, however, will eat it when pressed by hunger, in consequence of which, their milk is said to be imbued with the flavour of garlic. The herb placed among woollen garments defends them from moths, &c. Quatities.—The herb exhales a peculiar odour, somewhat resembling garlie, but combined with an aroma approaching to that of hops. It is rather bitter and pungent to the taste, and becomes disagreeable and at length inodorous on being long kept. Both water and alcohol take up its active matter; the latter most perfectly, as appears from the greater bitterness of the extract, which contains a peculiar gum resin: the watery infu- sion is rendered black by sulphate of iron. Its aroma is thought to depend on an essential oil, which rises with the distilled water, according to Neumann {, but Lewis § was not able to obtain it. : Mepicinat Properties anp Uses.—The most ancient writers on therapeutics attribute to this plant extraordinary virtues as an alexipharmic, sudorific, and antiseptic; with reference to the latter quality, Galen || asserts, that, on a field of battle, the * Advers. p. 220. + Mat. Med. lib. iii. c. 125. $ Chym., vol. ii. P. iv. p. 195. § Mat. Med., p. 596. || “Traditum est a quibusdam celebribus viris, cim in prelio interempto- rum cadavera multos dies insepulta jacuissent, quecunque supra scordium forté fortuna ceciderant, multos minus aliis computruisse, ea presertim ex parte, qua herbam attigerant.’? Galen de Antidotis, lib. i. c. 12. =. GERMANDER. SHY 6 bodies which lay on these plants were much slower in putrefy- ing than the rest ; and from this fabulous relation its anti-pu- trescent character seems to have originated, and, most likely, its employment (with a host of other medicines) in the alexi- terial and epidemic waters, Mithridatium, Theriaca, the dia- scordium of Francastorius*, &c., as a specific against the plague +, contagious diseases in general, and gangrene. It has also been lauded in cases where there is want of tone in the stomach, and in flatulence, dropsy, anasarea, amenorrhcea, and humid asthma; likewise in various cutaneous diseases, and to expel intestinal worms. It has been applied as a topical stimulant in the form of cataplasm, fomentation, or in powder, to atonic ulcers and hospital gangrene. Of the powdered herb, one or two drachms is a dose ; and combined with some aromatic or opium, it forms a good remedy in chronic fluxes or diarrhoea. The infusion made by pouring ‘a quart of water on an ounce of the recently dried plant, may be taken in doses of a cupful. It may also be made into a syrup, with one part of the herb and two parts of water, digested for two hours, then strained, and a sufficient quantity of sugar added. The distilled water has been given to the amount of one to three ounces, and the tincture is thus pre- pared :— TINCTURE OF WATER GERMANDER {. Take of Water Germander ....- eeoee three ounces ; Alcohol. 5.....cccccescsee SIXCCER OUNCES. After digesting for three days, pour the liquid upon Water Germander ......+.--- two ounces. Let them macerate for some time, then express and filter. Excitant, reputed alexipharmic and diaphoretic.—Dose sixty drops. * Hieronymus Francastorius was physician to Pope Pius III. (who died in 1553.) + See Diemerbroek de Peste, and Chenot de Peste. /. ce. + Pharmacopeia Wirtembergica. LXXXVII. SOLIDAGO VIRGAUREA. Common Golden-Rod. Class XIX. Syneenesta.—Order II. PotyGamia SUPERFLUA. Nat. Ord. Compostra. Gen. Cuar. Involucre closely imbricated, its scales connivent. Recéptacle naked. Florets of the ray about five (yellow). Pappus simple, sessile. Spec. CuHar. Cauline leaves lanceolate; lower ones elliptical. Racemes panicled, erect, crowded. SYNONYMES. { Virga aurea latifolia serrata. Bauh. Pin. 268. Virga aurea Arnoldi Villanovi. Ger. Em. 430. Virga aurea, &c. Raii Syn. 177. Latin ..... Virga aurea serratis foliis. Park. Theatr. 512. Solidage Saracenica. Dod. Pempt. 141. Solidago Virgaurea. Lin. Sp. Pl. 1235. Eng. Fl. iii. p. 438. Eng. Bot. t. 301, French.... Verge d’or. Ttalian..... Verga d’oro. Spanish... Vara de oro. Portuguese. Vara d’oiro. German... Goldruthe; Heidenwundkraut. Dutch .... Guldroede. Bohemian... Swalnjk prostrednj. Riuss....... Solotoschnik. Japanese .. Seubli. pee Description.—The root is perennial, consisting of long sim- ple fibres. The stem is leafy, angular, striated, rough, some- GOLDEN-ROD. 359 what downy, curved below, then erect, and from one to three feet in length. The leaves are alternate, acute, sharply toothed, harsh, covered with short rigid down, slightly dotted above, paler beneath ; the lower ones obovate or elliptical, on winged foot- stalks ; the upper lanceolate, sessile, nearly entire. The flowers are produced in terminal and axillary clusters, forming a pani- cled leafy raceme, very variable in compactness. The invo- lucre is closely imbricated with scales, which are oblong, acute, downy, with a membranous border. The florets of the ray vary from five to ten, they are ligulate, three-toothed, pistilli- ferous, and of a bright yellow colour; those of the disk are nu- merous, perfect, tubular, with five equal spreading segments. The five filaments are hair-like, short, with the anthers united into a cylindrical tube. The germen is oblong, with a filiform style, and two revolute stigmas. The fruit is obovate, crowned with the sessile, hair-like pappus, which is rough when magni- fied. The receptacle is naked and nearly flat. Plate 22, fig. 3, (a) floret of the ray magnified; (6) floret of the disk magni- fied. This plant is frequent in woods and thickets, on heaths and among furze in the British islands, and is common in most countries of Europe. It flowers from July to September. The generic name is a derivative of solidari, to unite, because of the vulnerary qualities of the plant*. It was formerly called Solidago Sarracenica, and was said to have been brought over by the Christians who returned from the Saracen wars. It received its specific name from the Latin virga, a rod, aurea of gold, in allusion to its racemes of yellow flowers. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—Both the flowers and leaves of this plant are highly recommended by Bechstein as affording a yellow dye superior to that obtained from weld or dyer’s- weed (Reseda Luteola). The foliage is eaten by cattle in general. The odour of the recent herb when bruised resembles that of the wild carrot; and its taste is sub-astringent, bitter, and * Gerard gravely informs us, that ‘‘ Saracens Consound is not inferiour to any of the wound-herbes whatsoeuer, being inwardly ministred or out- wardly applied in ointments or oyles. With it I cured Master Cartwright, a gentleman: of Grayes Inne, who was grievosly wounded into the lungs, and that by God’s permission in short space.” Herbal, p. 429. 360 GOLDEN-ROD. slightly aromatic; these qualities it yields both to water and alcohol. The watery infusion is rather aromatic, herbaceous, and. bitterish to the taste, and of a reddish hue, which is ren- dered dark brown by the addition of sulphate of iron, and does not redden litmus paper. The inspissated spirituous extract is stronger than the aqueous, Mepicinat Propertirs ann Usrs.—This plant was first brought into notice by Arnoldus de Villa Nova *, who highly ex- tolled it as a remedy for stone in the bladder, and for its vul- nerary qualities}. Barclaius, Solenander, Piso, and others, relate instances of its good effects in gravel and other diseases of the urinary organs, given either in powder or infusion ft. Lischwitz § asserts that an ulcer of the urethra was completely cured by means of this remedy ; and Ettmuller considered it very useful in ulcers and wounds of the bladder. Hoffmann || recommends it in hectic fever, incipient dropsy, and obstructions of the viscera. Although quite neglected in the present day it is cer- tainly not inert as a medicine, and may be found useful in cases where astringents are admissible, as in chronic diarrhceas, dy- senteries ; and externally in ulcers of the mouth and throat, putrid gums, &c. It may be taken in infusion or decoction, at pleasure; an extract and a tincture may also be prepared from it. * Opera, p. 1266. + Gerard had a very great opinion of it as an application to bleeding wounds and ulcers, and he gives the following apposite account of its disuse 2 “TY haue known the dry herbe which came from beyond the sea sold in Bucklersbury for halfe a crowne an ounce. But since it was found in Hampstead wood, euen as it were at our townes end, no man will giue halfe a crowne for an hundred weight of it; which plainely setteth forth our inconstancie and sudden mutabilitie, esteeming no longer of anything how pretious soeuer it be, than whilest it is strange and rare.”— Herbal, p- 430. ~ Murray, App. Med. voi. i. p. 258, § Diss. de Virg. Aureis, p. 87. || Med. Off. p. 238. LXXXVIII. CHENOPODIUM OLIDUM. Stinking Goosefoot. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order II. DiIeGynIia. Nat. Ord. CHENopopEs. GEN. Cuar. Perianth single, inferior, five-cleft, per- sistent, embracing the fruit. Seed solitary, orbicular. Spec. CHar. Stem diffuse. Leaves ovate-rhomboid, en- tire. Flowers in dense, clustered, axillary spikes. SYNONYMES. Atriplix foetida. Bauh. Pin. 118. Atriplex olida. Ger. Em. 327. Park Theatr. 749. Blitum feetidum, Vulvaria dictum. Raii Syn. 156. Latin .....< Garosmus. Dod. Pempt. 605. Chenopodium vulvaria. Lin. Sp. Pl. 321. Chenopodium olidum. Curt. Lond. t. 20. Eng, Fi.ii. p. 18. | £ng. Bot. t. 1034. French.... Vulvaire; Arroche puante. ltalian.... Vulvaria. Spanish... Vulvaria; Armuella hedionda. German.... Hundsmetten ; Stinkender Ginsefuss. Dutch..... Stinkend Melde; Stinkend Ganzewoot. Swedish.... Steeggan. Sere Descrirtion.—The root is annual, small, and fibrous. The stems are diffuse, channelled, with procumbent branches, and from six to twelve inches in Jength. The leaves are numerous, small, ovate, approaching to rhomboid, entire, greasy to the touch, and covered with a greyish, pulverulent, fetid substance. The flowers are very small, of a light greenish colour, and ar- ranged in dense clustered spikes in the axils of the leaves. cc 362 GOOSEFOOT. The perianth is single, inferior, deeply divided into five, ovate, concave, permanent segments, membranous at the edges. The stamens are five, with subulate filaments, and roundish two- lobed anthers. The germen is globose, supporting two short styles, termmated by obtuse stigmas. The fruit is globose, depressed, clasped, but not entirely enveloped by the persistent calyx, and contains a single lenticular seed. Plate 21, fie. 4, (a) the flower ; (b) the fruit. This plant grows in waste places and near walls in the vici- nity of towns, especially near the sea, and is’a native of Europe, from the south of Italy to Sweden. It flowers in August. The generic name is derived from x7, y405, a goose, and mous, a foot, in allusion to the shape of the leaves in some of the species. It has also been called Garosmus and Vulvaria* from its fetid smell. Quatities.—The odour of the recent plant is extremely fetid, resembling that of putrid fish; the taste is herba- ceous and nauseous. It gives a strong impregnation to water both by infusion and distillation ; its active matter is also extracted by alcohol. It contains a large portion of subcar- bonate of ammonia and nitrate of potass, albumen, osmazome, an aromatic resin, a bitter matter, and acetate, phosphate, and tartrate of potass. Chevallier mentions the remarkable fact that it exhales pure ammonia during its whole existence. The ashes yield a large quantity of potash. Mepicinat Properties anp Uses.—This plant was celebrated by many of our old physicians for its efficacy in hysterical diseases. Needham + recommends the leaves to be made into a conserve with sugar as a remedy in hysteria, and Fuller + with the same intention prepared his Electuarium hystericum, with four ounces of the conserve and forty-eight drops of oil of amber ; a piece to be taken the size of a chestnut. Tournefort § commends a spirituous tincture of the plant. Dale || has the following observations on it, “uterina est, menses provocat, foetum mortuum secundinamque expellit, in hystericis multum * © Vulvaria allicit canes ut mingant in eum qui portat.”—Linneus. + In Raii Hist. Plant. vol. i. p. 198. + Pharmacopeia Extemporanea, (ed. v.) 1740, p. 109. § Hist. des Plantes de Paris, tom. i. p. 30. || Pharmacologia, p. 75. GOOSEFOOT, 363 prodest ;” and Cullen* speaks highly of its antispasmodic qualities. It has since relapsed into oblivion, until Mr. Houlton, an enterprising and skilful practitioner, a short time ago, directed his attention to its valuable properties, and from his investiga- tions it appears to be one of the very few medicines which can properly be styled emmenagogue. He directs the infusion to be carefully evaporated in vacuo, to a proper consistence to form into pills, in which state it is not offensive to the palate or stomach: the dose is from ten to fifteen grains, twice a day. In several cases of suppressed menstruation it has been emi- nently successful, especially in pale and cachectic patients. * Mat, Med. vol. ii. p. 363. EXX XG: LITHOSPERMUM OFFICINALE. Common Gromieell. Class V. PENTANDRIA.—Order I. MonoeGynta. Nat. Ord. BoracinEz. Gen. Cuar. Calyx in five deep segments. Corolla fun- nel-shaped ; orifice naked. Anthers included. Stigma obtuse, bifid. Spec. CHar. Stem erect, much branched. Leaves broad, lanceolate, acute, veiny. Corolla scarcely longer than calyx. Nuts smooth. SYNONYMES. (Lithospermum majus erectum. Bauh. Pin. 258. Tourn. | Paris. 283. Lati ) Lithospermum minus. Ger. Em. 609. cee a | Lithospermum seu Milium solis. Raii Syn. 228. Lithospermum officinale. Lin. Sp. P1.189. Eng. Fl. i. p. 254. L Eng. Bot. t. 134. French.... Gremil; Herbe aux perles. Ttal.& Span. Lithospermo. Portuguese. Aljofar. German... Steinsame. Dutch .... Paarlkruid ; Steenbreek ; Steenzaad. Danish .... Steenklinte. Swedish.... Stenfree. Description.—The root is perennial, woody, tapering, whitish, and fibrous. ‘The stem is erect, cylindrical, branched, beset with short rigid hairs, and from twelve to eighteen inches high. The leaves are alternate, sessile, acute, nerved, rough above, hairy beneath, and of a greyish green colour. The flowers situated towards the summit of the branches are small, axillary, and supported on short peduncles. The calyx is cleft into five deep segments, which are narrow, acuminate, and hairy. The corolla is funnel-shaped, of a pale yellow colour, its orifice GROMWELL. 365 naked ; tube short; limb divided into five obtuse segments. The stamens are five, with oblong anthers, included in the tube. The germen is four-parted, with a filiform style, and a bifid, obtuse stigma. The fruit consists of four, hard, polished, whitish brown nuts, (seldom more than two or three coming to ma- turity,) seated in the persistent calyx. Plate 22, fig. 1, (a) calyx ; (6) corolla opened ; (c) pistil; (d) fruit. Common Gromwell is frequent in dry and uncultivated places, especially in gravelly and calcareous soil. It flowers in May and June. ; The generic name is formed from i405, a stone, and orepua, a seed, on account of the stony hardness of the nuts*. In like manner Gromwell is derived from the Celtic graun, a seed, and mil, a stone. It is also called Greymill and Grey Millet. Quauities.—The nuts have no smell and merely a farina- ceous taste. Grew states that the stony shells produce effer- vescence in powerful acids, but other observers have not con- firmed this. The shells afford a considerable portion of pure szlica, sulphate of lime and iron. The seeds contain a small quantity of oily matter, but in other respects nearly resem- ble the cereal grains, for which they have even been proposed as a substitute. Mepicinat Properties AND Uses.—The lithontriptic virtues of these nuts appear to have been deduced from the fallacious doctrine of signatures ; their stony consistence being accounted typical of their efficacy as dissolvents of stone in the human bladder. Modern writers, though they attach no credit to these illusory qualities, consider the seeds as diuretic and useful in emulsion, in cases where there is strangury or heat of urine, gonorrhcea, &c. Externally the decoction of the seeds or roots, applied hot, is recommended for relieving pain in the urinary and genital organs, and in the sequel of difficult or painful la- bours. According to Haller { the whole herb is narcotic. * Pliny considered them as one of the greatest curiosities in the vegetable world :—‘*‘ Nec quicquam inter herbas majore quidem miraculo aspexi. Tantus est decor velut aurificum arte alternis interfolia candicantibus margaritis ; tam exquisita difficultas lapidis ex herba nascentis.”’—Zisé. lib. xxvii. c, 11. + Mixt. corp. p. 22. + Hist. Stirp. Helv. n. 595. XC. GLECHOMA HEDERACEA. Ground-Ivy. Class XIV. Divynamtia.-—Order 1. GYMNOSPERMIA. Nat. Ord. WLa,iatTz. Gen. Cuar. Calyx tubular, many-nerved, with five nearly equal teeth. Corolla with the tube exserted ; upper lip bifid; lower lip three-lobed, the middle lobe large, plane, emarginate. Anthers before bursting co- hering in pairs, in the form of a cross. Spec. CHar. Leaves reniform, crenate. SYNONYMES. Greek ces... . RUPLUNKITTOS. ( Hedera terrestris vulgaris. Bawh. Pin. 306. Hedera terrestris. Ger. Em. 856. Raii Hist. 567. Park. Latin ete ee: } Calamintha humilior folio rotundiore. Raii Syn. 243. Glechoma hederacea. Lin. Sp. Pl. 807. Eng. Fi. iii. \ Pp. 88. Eng. Bot. t. 853. French .... Lierre terrestre; Terrette. Ttalian...... Edera terrestre; Ellera terrestre. Spanish....... Yedra terrestre. Portuguese... ira terrestre. German...-+. Gundermann ; Erdepheu. Dutch....... Hondsdraf; Aardveil; Onderhave. = Danish....... Jord Vedbende. Swedish....... Jordrefwa. Description.—The root is perennial, small, fibrous, and creeping, sending out long runners. ‘The stems are creeping, with upright branches, slender, quadrangular, rather hairy and about a foot in height. The leaves are opposite, petiolate, downy, reniform, nearly round, crenate ; the petioles of the lower leaves are long, channelled, hairy and spreading. ‘The flowers are disposed three or four together in the axils of the leaves on short peduncles, at the base of which are a few GROUND-IVY. 367 subulate bractee. The calyx is short, tubular, - striated, hairy, with five nearly equal acuminate teeth. The corolla is purplish blue, bilabiate, with the tube much longer than the calyx; the upper lip bifid, erect; the lower lip three-lobed, the middle lobe large, emarginate, variegated near the palate, the side lobes narrower and shorter. The stamens are didy- namous, covered by the upper lip, with whitish anthers, ap- proaching so as to form a cross. The germen is ovate, four- cleft, surmounted by a filiform curved style, terminated by a bifid acute stigma. The fruit consists of four akenia or small nuts enclosed within the persistent calyx. Plate 22, fig. 4, (a) the fruit; (6) the calyx and pistil ; (c) corolla seen in front ; (d) the calyx opened to show the four-parted germen. This plant is very common under hedges, by old walls and waste places, and is a native of Europe from Italy to Sweden. It flowers in April and May. The name Glechoma is derived from yayxwv, given by the Greeks to a species of mint. This species was formerly called Hedera terrestris, as now Ground-Ivy, from a similarity in the form of the leaves to those of common Ivy, (Hedera Heilix,) and probably with some allusion to the odour of the two plants. It has received the vernacular names of Alehoof, T'unhoof, Gill- go-by-the-ground, and Cat’s-foot. Quatitirs anD GENERAL Uses. — Ground-Ivy has been used to clarify and preserve malt liquors, for which purpose it was much employed formerly *. Cows, swine, and goats refuse it, but sheep are fond of it, and horses eat it occasionally. It has been recommended as food for silk-worms. This plant has a strong and aromatic odour when bruised, and is slightly acrid, warm, and bitter to the taste. It contains a small quantity of volatile oil}, which rises in distillation, with water. ‘ Water extracts all its virtues by infusion, and on inspissating the filtered liquor only the unpleasant smell of the herb exhales, its more valuable part remaining concentrated in the extract, which to the taste is at first sweetish, then bitter, * Hence the names Alehoof and Tunhoof, and the house at which such medicated beverage was sold was called gi/l-house. + This substance is contained in small glandular dots which beset the under surface of the leaves. 368 GROUND-IVY. and subsequently very pungent.’* Sulphate of iron speedily blackens the aqueous infusion. Mepicinat Properties anp Uses.—Ground-Ivy ranks among those plants which have been at one time extravagantly lauded and at another unduly neglected. Its properties have been described by different authors as tonic, stomachic, aperient, diuretic, expectorant, vulnerary, errhine, &c., and it was hence considered a potent remedy in pulmonary t and nephritic } complaints, dropsy, dyspepsia, hypochondriasis, and colic. It is still resorted to by the poor for the cure of obsti- nate coughs; they use it in the form of tea sweetened with honey, liquorice, or sugar, and frequently experience its bene- ficial effects. In the early stage of consumption the free use of the infusion has been strongly recommended, and for its sedative qualities it has likewise been employed in cases of insanity and melancholy with decided benefit. Mead§ speaks of its being usefully jomed with fermenting ale, in gravel and other diseases of the kidneys. Ray || asserts that the expressed juice snuffed up the nostrils, has cured the most violent and inveterate head- aches. It may be given in substance in the form of powder, or in pills, or suspended in any convenient liquid, to the amount of two or three scruples. Of the expressed and clarified juice (which is the best form) a wine-glassful may be administered twice or thrice a day. The infusion in water, either alone or with the addition of elecampane leaves and liquorice root, may be taken at pleasure. The conserve and syrup have not much efficacy, but the extract is a good substitute for the expressed juice. * Lewis, Mat. Med. p. 300. + Willis, Pharm. rat. sect. 1. c. 6.— Morton, Phthisiologia, lib. iii. cap. 5. Riv. Prax. P. 1. p. 349.—Ettmuller, Opera, t. i. p. 580. (ed Westphali.)— Scardona, Aphorismi, lib. ii. p. 69.—Sauvages Nosol. t. iii. p. 2. cap. De phthisi. + Pauli Quadrip. bot. p. 74.—Sennertus Opera, t. ili. p. 576.—Plater Prax. tom. ii. p. 499.—Revsn. Obs. med. p. 90. apud Welsch. § Monita et preecep. med. p. 97. || Hist. Plant. tom. i. p. 567. «| The Dutch, by repeated infusions of the plant in gin, make a kind of tincture which they esteem very efficacious in the gravel. XCI. AJUGA CHAM#PITYS. Ground-Pine. Class, &c. See Bugle. Spec. Cuar. Stem diffuse, hairy. Leaves tripartite, with linear, entire segments. Flowers axillary, solitary, shorter than the leaves. SYNONYMES. Greck ...0. apuimiros. ( Chamepitys lutea vulgaris seu folio trifido. Bauh. Pin. 249. Chamepitys mas. Ger. Em. 525. _j Chamepitys vulgaris. Rati Syn. 244. Park Theatr. 283. } Teucrium Chamepitys. Lin. Sp. Pl. 787. Bugula Chamepitys. Scop. Carn. 718. Ajuga Chamepitys. Eng. Fl. iii. p. 67. Eng. Bot. t. 77. French.... Ivette ; Ivette commun. Ttalian.... Camepizio. Spanish.... Camepitios ; Pinillo. Portuguese. Chamepite. German.... Schlagkraut ; Feldcypresse ; Erdweihrauch. Dutch .... Veld cypress. Bohemian.. Ywa; Polnj cypris. Polish .... Iwinka; Piznowa. Latin ....- Description.—The root is annual, descending, somewhat branched, and fibrous. The stems are several from the same root, spreading, branched, leafy, quadrangular, of a reddish- purple colour, clothed with whitish hairs, and from six to twelve inches in height. The leaves are placed in pairs at the joints of the stem, and are sessile, hairy, about an inch long, and of a yellowish-green colour, three-parted to the middle, with linear revolute segments; the lowermost broader and nearly entire. The flowers are sessile, solitary, and axillary, shorter than the leaves. The calyx is ovate-turbinate, hairy, 370 GROUND-PINE. five-cleft; the segments erect and acute. The corolla is bila- biate, of a yellow colour spotted with red; the tube longer than the calyx; the upper lip very small, bifid, erect; the lower elongated, trifid, the middle lobe largest, emarginate, obtuse. The stamens are didynamous, bent towards the upper lip. The germen is superior, four-parted, with a setaceous style, longer than the stamens, and an acute stigma. The fruit consists of four achenia, or small nuts, enclosed in the per- sistent calyx. Plate 23, fig. 1, (a) calyx; (b) corolla ; (c) stamens; (d) pistil. This plant is not uncommon in sandy and gravelly fields in the eastern parts of England, especially in Kent. It is a native of the south and middle of Europe, Palestine, Southern Africa, and Virginia, flowering in April and May. Chameepitys *, the name by which this plant has been long known, is derived from yoanai, on the ground, rirus, a pine, from the resemblance it bears in the form of its leaves and its balsamic smell to the pine tree. It has been called provincially Herb-ivy, Field-cypress, and Forget-me-not. Quatities.—Ground-Pine is viscid to the touch and has a resinous smell, with a bitter and somewhat styptic taste. The aqueous infusion is bitter and nauseous, and is rendered brown and opaque by sulphate of iron ; it appears to contain no acid nor ammoniacal salt. The aqueous extract is bitter and austere; the spirituous warm, sweetish, and bitter; hence alcohol would seem the better menstruum. Menpiciwat Properties anp Usrs.—The flowers and leaves of this plant have been held in much repute for their efficacy in gout and rheumatic affections ef the joints +, hence it was called by the older botanists Iva arthritica, and formed an ingredient in the celebrated Portland-powder ¢. Its reputed tonic, sto- machic, diuretic, and resolvent qualities have also recommended it in visceral obstructions, jaundice §, and intermittent fevers, paralysis, hysteric and hypochrondriacal affections, obstructed * “ Chamepitys Latine abiga vocatur, propter abortus, ob aliis thus terra cubitalibus ramis, flore pinus et odore.”— Plin. Hist. lib. xxiv. c. 6. + Sennertus, Opera, t.v. & vi. p. 177.—Claudin. Consult. xix. p. 49.— Matthiol. in Dioscor. p. 669. + See p. 154. § Fernel. Method. Med. lib. v. c. 7. CE - a» ae GROUND-PINE. 301 menses, and chlorosis. ‘It may also be given advantageously with the decoction of dandelion or agrimony, in diseases of the mesenteric glands or of the liver, and indeed in almost all those cases where mercury is so profusely given by modern practitioners.”* It has been applied externally to ulcers and various tumours, and is said to have proved beneficial against cancer |. A drachm of the powdered leaves has been directed to be taken in a glass of wine. The infusion is made with half an ounce of the dried plant to a pint of boiling water, of which a glassful may be administered twice or thrice a day: in this form it is usually combined with germander. The alcoholic extract in the dose of a scruple to a drachm, though seldom employed, appears to be one of the most efficient preparations of the plant. * J. A. Waller, Brit. Dom. Herb. p. 180. + Morgagni de sedibus et caus. morb. Epist. 39, § 35.— Peyrilhe Diss. de Cancro. XCII. SCOLOPODENDRIUM VULGARE. Common Hart’s-tongue. Class XXIV. Cryprocamia.—Order I. Fics. Nat. Ord. Fitcszs. GEN. CHAR. Sort linear, transverse, on lateral nerves. Involucre double, occupying both sides of the sorus, opening by a longitudinal suture. Spec. Cuar. Frond simple, cordate-ligulate, smooth be- neath. Stipes scaly. SYNONYMES. Greek.ews.. Quararris. f Lingua cervina officinarum. Bauh. Pin. 353. Phyllitis. Ger. ¥m.1138. Raii Syn. 116. Dod. Pempt. 464. Eatin ; Hemionitis. Fuchs, 294. | Asplenium Scolopendrium. Lin. Sp. Pl. 1537. Scolopodendrium vulgare. Engl. Fl. iv. p. 318. Eng. Bot. t. 1679. French.... Scolopodendre ; Langue de cerf ; Doradille. Italian.... Scolopodendra; Lingua di cervo. Portuguese. Lingua cervina. German... Hirschzunge. Dutch..... Hartstong. Danish.... Hiortetongue. Swedish... Hiortunga. Descriprion.—The root (rhizoma) is perennial, and furnished with numerous brown fibres. The leaves or fronds, which spring immediately from the root, are about a foot in length, and from one to two inches broad, somewhat coriaceous, light vivid green, smooth, plane, oblong, acute, cordate at the base, entire, undulated at the margin, and supported on petioles, which are clothed with mossy hairs or reddish scales. The os — 0 ee ee ee HART’S-TONGUE. 3738 fructification is placed on the back of the leaves, on each side of the midrib, in oblique lines of a yellowish brown colour, called sort. The involucre is double, membranous, opening as it were longitudinally, and is turned back and concealed by the promi- nent capsules. Each capsule is one-celled, stalked, globose, ‘and furnished with an elastic ring, which opens and ejects the sporules in the form of a fine powder. Plate 24, fig. 1, (a) part of the frond showing the sori; (6) a capsule magnified ; (c) the same open. This elegant plant is common on moist shady banks, old walls, rocks, and at the mouths of wells and caverns, producing its fructification in August and September. The generic name refers to the resemblance between the lines of fructification on the back of the frond and the insect called Scolopodendra. Hart’s-tongue, or, as it is sometimes called, Hind’s-tongue, is expressive of the shape of the frond. QuatiTi£s.—The plant has a faint, herbaceous, earthy smell, and a sweetish, sub-astringent taste; in drying it becomes slightly aromatic. It contains mucilage and a slight astringent principle, which, together with its slight aroma, it yields to water by infusion. MepicinaLt Properties AND Usrs.—The ancient physicians considered Hart’s-tongue a very valuable medicine, and freely invested it with astringent, resolutive, alterative, diuretic, and vulnerary properties. Galen, among others, recommends it in diarrhoea and dysentery, and it was deemed very useful to strengthen the viscera, restrain hemorrhages and alvine fiuxes, expel gravel, and remove obstructions of the liver and spleen. It was also reckoned demulcent and pectoral, together with golden and common maidenhair, wall-rue, and common spleen- wort, called the five capillary herbs. Simon Pauli mentions that the Germans used it with advantage, infused in beer, against enlargements of the spleen and hypochondriacal affec- tions. Ray * recommends a drachm of the powdered leaves, in any convenient vehicle, for palpitations of the heart, and the hysterical affections and convulsions of women, but neither in these nor in the other diseases above enumerated is it much used in the present day. * Hist. Plant. p, 135. XCIIl. SISYMBRIUM OFFICINALE. Common Hedge-Mustard. Class XV. TETRADYNAMIA.— Order II. Si IL1quosa. Nat. Ord. Cructrer@. GEN. CuaR. Calyx patent, sometimes erect. Pod sessile, rounded or angular. Cotyledons plane, incumbent, sometimes oblique. Spec. CHAR. Pods subulate, pubescent, close-pressed to the main stalk. Leaves runcinate, hairy. Stem hispid. SYNONYMES. Greek .... spuoweov. Hippocrates. (Erysimum vulgare. Bawh. Pin. 100. Tourn. Inst. 228. Erysimum Dioscoridis Lobelii. Ger. Em. 254. | Eruca hirsuta siliqua cauli adpressa Erysimum dicta. Rati : Syn. 298. ee 4 Verbena feemina. Trag. 102. Erysimum officinale. Lin. Sp. Pl. 922. Eng. Fl. iti. p. 196. Eng. Bot. t. 735. (Sisymbrium officinale. Dec. Syst. ii. p. 460. French..... Velar; Velar des boutiques ; Tortelle. Ttaliam.... Erisamo. = Spanish.... Erisimo ; Jaramago. German.... Wegsenf; Hederich ; Wassernfhederich. DuUtols..- 0% Steenraket. Danish .... Vild Senep. Swedish... Voeggkressa. Polish .... Gorezyka polna. Descrivtion.—The root is annual, tapering, and furnished with long fibres. The stem is erect, cylindrical, leafy, pubes- cent, with spreading branches, and rises from one to two feet in height. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, somewhat villous, Ve Germander Z we lewige. Le See A wy, HEDGE-MUSTARD. 375 scabrous beneath, deeply divided on both sides into two or three oblong, tooth-serrate lobes, the terminal one very large, roundish in the lower leaves, and oblong in the upper. The flowers are disposed in long terminal, spike-like racemes ; the pedicels very short and erect. The calyx is very small, composed of four oblong, concave, spreading, deciduous sepals. The four petals are very small, pale yellow, oblong, obtuse, unguiculate, entire. The stamens are six, tetradynamous, with subulate, erect fila- ments, and cordate anthers. The germen is linear, sessile, with a very short style, and a clavate, emarginate stigma. The silique, or pod, is erect, close-pressed to the main stem, roundish, subulate, with concave valves, and a membranous, bilocular dissepiment. The seeds are small, oblong, dingy yellow, and arranged in a single row. Plate 23, fig. 3, (a) radical leaf; (b) calyx; (c) petal; (d) stamens. This plant grows by way-sides and hedges among rubbish, in this country, and in nearly all Europe, flowering from June co August. Sisymbrium was the name given by the Greeks to a species of mint, or some mint-like plant, while this species was called by them eguciuov. It has received the several provincial names of Bank-cresses, Scrambling Rocket, and Worm-seed. ~ QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usrs.—Hedge-Mustard has been used as an early pot-herb, but it has not much to recommend it. It is relished by sheep and goats, but horses, cows, and swine refuse it. The herb is almost inodorous, with a slight acrid, warm flavour, resembling that of nasturtium. ‘ The seeds are pun- gent, and their acrimony like that of mustard-seed is wholly extracted by water, and partially by alcohol, and strongly im- pregnates water in distillation.” Mepicinat Prorerties AND Uses.—Dioscorides * recommends the seeds of this plant taken in honey for diseases of the chest, purulent spittings, coughs, and jaundice, also as an external application to cancers, tumours, &c. The herb has been most celebrated for its incisive and expectorant properties {+ ; hence * Mat. Med. lib. ii. cap. 188. + As a proof of the penetrating qualities of this plant, it has been as- serted that its peculiar flavour is perceived in the expectorated matter. 376 HEDGE-MUSTARD. the good effects attributed to it by Lobel * and others, in asthma and old coughs, as also in restoring the voice and removing hoarseness, for which purpose a syrup was prepared from it, which bore the name of Syrupus cantatoris, or singer’s syrup. Rondeletius informs us that hoarseness occasioned by loud speaking was cured by this means in three days. ‘‘ Ettmul- ler commends the seeds of Hedge-Mustard as an excellent medicine in suppression or difficulty of urine, in the dose of a drachm in powder, taken in a glass of white wine. It is not, however, in these affections, merely, that this plant may be employed with advantage; the same decided effects will be found to result from its use in accumulations of viscid pituitous matter in the stomach and bowels. In these cases an infusion in wine will be found peculiarly efficacious.” + “Externally, this plant has been greatly celebrated as an application to occult cancer and indurated tumours, wherever situated.” f The juice may be made into a syrup with an equal quantity of honey or sugar: or a decoction of an ounce of the dried plant to a pint of water, may be sweetened in the same manner ; in this form it has been recommended in ulcers of the mouth and throat. The roots and seed have been likewise employed. It must be kept in mind that preparations of this plant will not allow of an excessive degree of heat, or of its long con- tinuance. * Advers. nov. stirp. p. 69. + J. A. Waller, Brit. Dom. Herb. p. 183. + dhid. Vc. XCIV. LAMIUM PURPUREUM. Purple Hedge-Netile, or Dead-Nettle. Class XIV. DipynamiaA.—Order I. GYMNOSPERMIA. Gen. CHar. Calyx campanulate, ten-ribbed, with five nearly equal, aristate teeth. Corolla with the throat inflated; upper lip erect, entire, vaulted; lower lip patent, two-lobed, with one or two small reflexed teeth on each side at the base. Spec. Cuar. Leaves cordate, obtuse, crenate-serrate, stalked, the uppermost crowded. Corolla closed inter- nally near the base with hairs. SYNONYMES. ( Lamium purpureum fcetidum, folio subrotundo sive Galeopsis | Dioscoridis. Bauh. Pin. 230. Beaten isised Lamium rubrum. Ger. Em. 703. Raii Syn. 240. Urtica iners altera. Dod. 153. Lamium purpureum. Lin. Sp. Pl. 809. Eng. Fl. iii. p. 91. L Eng. Bot. t- 1933. French.... Wamier pourprée; Ortie morte puante,. Tialian.... Ortica morta. Spanish.... Ortiga muerta. German... Purpura Todtennessel. Dutch..... Stinkende Doove Netelen. Danish.... Deceduelde. . Swedish.... Blind nesla. Polish .... Pokozywa martwa. Persian.... Kargasina. Description.—The root is annual, slender, and fibrous. The stems are curved at the base and branched, then erect, naked, but thickly clothed with leaves at the summit, quadrangular, nearly smooth, and from six to nine inches in height. The leaves are cordate, obtuse, crenate-serrate, stalked, clothed with silky hairs, the uppermost with a purplish tinge. The DD 378 HEDGE-NETTLE. flowers are disposed in crowded whorls at the top of the stem. The calyx is campanulate, ten-ribbed, with five awn-tipped teeth, often purplish. The corolla is ringent, purplish-red ; the upper lip entire, arched ; the lower lip patent, obcordate, two- lobed, with one tooth on each side. The four stamens are didynamous, covered by the upper lip, with oblong anthers con- taining scarlet pollen. ‘The germen is four-parted, with a fili- form style, and a bifid spreading stigma. The fruit consists of four achenia, somewhat triangular, and convex on one side, seated in the persistent calyx. Plate 23, fig. 4, (a) corolla mag- nified ; (6) anther; (c) calyx and pistil. This very common plant flourishes under hedges, and by the borders of fields, especially in cultivated ground, flowering from May to September. Various etymologies of the word Lamium are given by authors. Some derive it from Aasos, the throat, on account of the shape of the flower ; others from Lamia, a celebrated sea-monster or sorceress, whose visage it was supposed to emulate. It does not appear to be the Lamium of Pliny*. This species is called provincially Red Archangel and Dee Netile +. The plant is occasionally eaten by horses, goats, and sheep, but refused by cows. The young shoots are used as greens in some parts of Northern Europe. QuatitiEes.—The plant diffuses a heavy and disagreeable odour, espe- cially when bruised, and a nauseous, herbaceous, sub-astringent taste. Water extracts the whole of its sensible qualities. MeEpicaL PROPERTIES AND UsEs.—The decoction of this plant has been chiefly commended in dysentery, also in pleurisy, inflammation of the kidneys, scrofula, and various diseases of the digestive organs. It was likewise esteemed useful as an external application to swellings, whether inflammatory or otherwise, also to foul, obstinate ulcers and wounds, and to burns and scalds when suppurating freely. The flowers {-of the White Dead-Nettle were considered almost a specific in fluor albus and other female disorders, but apparently with no just foundation. ‘‘ In the inflammatory complaints above enumerated, the infusion of this plant, from its diuretic and sudorific properties, may be found useful as common drink ; and with a little pains it may be rendered sufficiently palatable.”’§ * Hist. lib. xxii. c. 14. + The common White Dead-Nettle (Lamium album) is distinguished at ence by its larger size, large white flowers, and rough acuminate leaves ; besides which it is perennial. $ Probably on account of their colour. 6 J.A Waller, /. c. p. 185. Ne HELLEBORUS NIGER. Black Hellebore, or Christmas Rose. Class XIII. Potyanpria.—Order III. Potyeynia. Nat. Ord. RANUNCULACE. Gen. Cuar. Calyx of five persistent leaves. Petals eight to ten, small, tubular, two-lipped, nectariferous. Pericarps or follicles nearly erect, many-seeded. Spec. Cuar. Radical leaves pedate, very smooth. Scape leafless, one or two flowered, bracteate. SYNONYMES,. ( Helleborus niger flore roseo. Bauh. Pin. 186. | Helleborus niger verus. Ger. Em. 976. Raii Hist. 697. Park. Theatr. 212. eratrum nigrum. Dod. Pempt. 385. | Helleborus niger. Lin. Sp. Pl. 783. Curt. Bot. Mag. t. 8. L Dec. Syst. i. p. 310. French.... Ejllébore noir; Hellébore noir; Rose de Noél. Italian.... FElleboro nero. Spanish... Eleboro negro; Yerba de Ballestero. German... Schwarze Nieswurz; Schneerose; Christwurz. Duich .... Nieskruid ; Maankruid ; Herssenkruid. Danish... Short Nyserod. Swedish.... Swart Prustort. Bohemian.. Ellebor cerny ; Cerna cemerice. Polish..... Czarna ciemerzyca. Persian.... Kherbecksiya. Hindoosianie Kali koothie. Tamool.... Kadagaroganie. Arabic.... Kherbekaswed. Latin «+206 < Vv Description.—The root consists of numerous thick, fieshy, descending fibres, proceeding from a large, transverse, knotted stock, externally nearly black, internally yellowish, shooting up DDZ 380 HELLEBORE. naked, thick, cylindrical scapes, four or five inches high, simple or bifurcate at the summit, with one or two terminal flowers subtended by two or three ovate bracteze. The leaves expand with the scapes, or immediately after them ; they are all radical, on long petioles, large, smooth, coriaceous, deep green, often spotted with reddish brown, pedate, with ovate, lanceolate, acute, serrated leaflets. The calyx consists of five large, roundish, obtuse, petaloid sepals, white, often tinged with rose-colour. The petals are very short, tubular, two-lipped, and nectariferous. The stamens are very numerous, with capillary filaments rather longer than the petals, and yellow roundish anthers. The germens, about six in number, are surmounted by as many subulate styles and roundish stigmas. The fruit consists of five or six coriaceous pericarps or follicles, which are ovate, com- pressed, mucronate laterally at the summit, arcuate at the border, opening by two valves, and containing many black shining seeds, disposed in a double series. Plate 24, fig. 2, (a) tubular petal (nectary of Linnzeus) ; (6) pistils. This plant is a native of Austria, the Apennines, Italy, and Greece, and is often cultivated in our gardens, flowering from December to February, whence it has obtained the appellation of Christmas Rose. Black Hellebore was, for a long time, thought to be the errcBopos weds of Hippocrates, but the researches of modern botanists have proved that to be a distinct species, called by Willdenow Helleborus Orientals. ‘Their properties appear to be similar. This is the Melampodium of the old pharmacopeeias, so called from Melampus, its discoverer *. Quatities.—The fibres of the root, which are the parts used medicinally, are about the thickness of a small quill, and when recent, are white or reddish internally, and covered with a pale brown epidermis. Their odour is nauseous; the taste bitter, somewhat acrid, and persistent. When chewed, they affect the tongue with a stupifying sensation; “or as if it had been a little burnt with eating or supping anything too hot.’ ‘These qualities are impaired by keeping, and the epidermis becomes dark brown or nearly black. The active matter appears to be of a volatile nature as it * Bear’s-foot, or Stinking Hellebore, has been already described. pe a a HELLEBORE. 381 nearly all passes over in distillation with water, and the root may be almost deprived of its acrimony by successive decoc- tions. Alcohol also extracts its virtues, which would hence appear to depend on its resinous part. Feneulle and Capron* have discovered in it volatile oil, containing an acid, resin, an acrid and bitter principle, mucus, &c. Poisonous PropertTiEs.—Biack Hellebore, incautiously given, pro- duces upon the animal system all the effects of a violent acrid poison, com- bined with some narcotic effects. Orfila found that two or three drachms of the root swallowed, killed a dog in a few hours; and a smaller quantity applied to a wound, produced the same effect more speedily. A decoction of an ounce of the root in water, caused death in eight hours. Schlabel relates that ten grains of the extract introduced into the windpipe, killed a rabbit in six minutes. The chief symptoms were violent efforts to vomit, giddiness, palsy of the hind legs, and insensibility. The bulletins of the Medical Society of Emulation, mention two charac- teristic cases which arose from the ignorance of a quack doctor. Both persons, after taking a decoction of the root, were seized in forty-five minutes with vomiting, then with delirium, and afterwards with violent convulsions. One died in two hours and a half, the other in less than two hours. Morgagni has related a case which proved fatal in about sixteen hours, the leading symptoms of which were pain in the stomach and vomiting. The dose in this instance was only half a drachm of the extract. The morbid appearances were inflammation of the digestive canal, parti- cularly in the great intestines. In a case, not fatal, related by Dr. Fahrenhorst, the symptoms were those of irritant poisoning generally, that is, burning pain in the stomach and throat, violent vomiting, to the extent of sixty times in the first two hours, cramps of the limbs, and cold sweats. The most material symptoms were at this time quickly subdued by sinapisms to the belly and anodyne demulcents given internally, and in four days the patient was well +. For the treatment of poisoning by this vegetable, see the articles Aconite, Bear’s-foot, Colchicum, &c. Orfila particularly recommends, to combat the stupefaction produced by Hellebore, infusions of coffee and camphor, in small doses frequently re- peated, and if these be rejected a short time after they are swallowed, the same remedies should be employed in lavements and by friction. Demulcent drinks are also proper. Mepicat Propertizs AND Usss.—The root of Hellebore has been famous from time immemorial, as a remedy for insanity. * Journal de Pharmacie, vii. p. 563. + Christison on Poisons, 5d Ed. p. 786. 882 HELLEBORE. From its abundance in the isle of Anticyra, arose the proverb, “ naviga ad Anticyras,” take a voyage to Anticyras, which was the advice given by the ancients to those who had lost their reason*. Its repute in maniacal disorders appears to have arisen from its drastic purgative property of expelling the atra bilis, from which such maladies were invariably thought to originate; but they doubtless attributed some efficacy to the other medicines combined with it, and which tended to modify its violent action}. Its properties, however, vary much according to age; when recent, it is acrid and poisonous, and produces vesication of the skin; properly dried, it causes vomiting and purging, excites sneezing, and provokes the men- strual evacuation, &c., but after being long kept, it retains merely a slight purgative virtue. To this difference in the sensible qualities of the root, are attributable the contradictory statements given of its action, The anti-maniacal powers of the Hellebore of the ancients, were again promulgated by Antonius Musa Brassavolus {, and more recently by Pechlinus §, Lorry ||, and Vogel§]. Its emmenagogue effects are strenuously insisted on by Mead**, and though it has often failed, as with * Thus Horace, who considered avarice a mental disease, says :-— ‘¢ Danda est ellebori multa pars maxima avaris: Nescie an Anticyram ratio illis destinet omnem.” Sat. iii. lib. 2. + ** They werevery careful to giveit only to persons of robust constitutions, carefully directing that it should never be prescribed for children or old persons, or those of either sex whose habit of body was delicate. They pre- pared the patient for seven days previous to its exhibition, by a regulated diet, and frequent gentle aperient medicines. They had also several modes of preparing and correcting it, which are unknown to us, except that they selected only the fibres of the root, which they macerated a short time in water, and then separated the bark and dried it in the shade. This was administered (when powdered) in honey, or the pulp of raisins, to which they generally added some aromatic seeds. Ettmuller states, that an apple, particularly sweet, was chosen, and stuck full of the fibres of Hellebore root, then roasted under hot embers, the fibres were then withdrawn, and the apple eaten by the patient, which operated mildly, but effectually.” Wailer 1. c. + De Medicamentis catharticis. § De Purgant. p. 315. || De Melanch. tom. ii. p. 343. @ Diss. de insania longa, p. 21. ** Monita et precep. med, p. 138. nite eRe oe ee ee ee ye oe HELLEBORE. 383 Home* and Pasta}, it sometimes proves beneficial in plethoric habits. It has also been found useful in hemorrhoidst, and obstinate quartan fevers§, but more especially in dropsies|| and some cutaneous diseases§]. Quincy recommends it in gout and rheumatism**, and it has also been given in epilepsy, paralysis, and against worms. Mr. Waller ++ has the following observa- tions on the effect of Hellebore root as an errhine. *¢ In the depot for French prisoners of war at Norman Cross, in the year 1806, a peculiar disease, called Nyctalopia, was very prevalent among them. The symptoms which distinguish this disease are, that the patient becomes by degrees perfectly blind from the moment of sunset till the re-appearance of the bright luminary next morning. This disease affected a great number of the prisoners, who were obliged to be led about by their comrades im- mediately after sunset, and all of them at the same time were labouring under symptoms of extreme dyspepsia. After a variety of treatment inef- fectually applied, the powder of black Hellebore was given them as a snuff. As they were most of them attached to the use of snuff, and had been for a long time deprived of it, they took the Hellebore with avidity, and generally recovered from their nyctalopia in the course of a very few days, and the dyspeptic symptoms were at the same time greatly relieved. There is no doubt that in many other affections of the head the same treatment would be found extremely efficacious, and is well worthy of trial in many chronic diseases of the eyes, particularly in the early stage of gutta serena.” Bacher’s hydragogue tonic pills, a celebrated remedy in dropsy, were composed of extract of black Hellebore t+ one ounce ; myrrh, one ounce ; powdered leaves of blessed thistle, ten scruples ; to be made into pills of one grain, of which from ten to twenty were directed to be taken in the day. * Clinic. Exper. &c. p. 410. + Dissertaz. mediche sopra i mestrui delle Donne, p. 192. + Schulzius, Mat. Med. p. 151. § Hildanus Opera, p. 914. || Friend observes, ‘‘ According to Micenna, it provokes urine and the menses. I have made frequent trials of this medicine, and in dropsies I have seen most wonderful effects from it. Menzoar asserts that the flowers of the Water Lily are the best correctors of this root.”? Hist. vol. ii. p- 102, sqq- See also Gesner Libell. p. 121. Klein Sel. Med. p. 108. @ Aretzus (Opera ed Boerh. p. 156.) Celsus (ed. Lee, vol. i. p- 232.) Haller Collect. Disp. Pract. t. vi. p. 83. Hildanus Op. 7. c. ** Pharm. p. 183. ++ Brit. Dom. Herb. p. 189. Sis For the mode of preparing this extract, according to Bacher’s method, see Jourdan’s Pharmacopeé Universelle, tom. i. p. 491. 584 HELLEBORE. EXTRACT OF BLACK HELLEBORE ROOT*. Take of Hellebore root, any quantity ; having sliced and bruised it, pour upon it eight times its weight of boiling water, boil down to one. half, express the liquor strongly, and strain it. Evaporate the decoction imme- diately to the consistence of thick honey, in a bath of boiling water, satu- rated with common salt. To produce its cathartic effects, from ten to twenty grains are necessary ; as an emmenagogue, from three to ten grains. The dose of the root, as a purgative, is from ten to twenty grains, but as an alterative for attenuating viscid humours, promoting the uterine and urinary secretions, &c., from two to three grains are sufficient. Of the decoction made with two drachms of the root to a pint of water, an ounce may be given every three or four hours. The tincture is thus prepared :— TINCTURE OF BLACK HELLEBORE. Take of Black Hellebore root, bruised .........++ four ounces ; Prool Spirit |... 01... «isialeels)calelajaeiesieisc.« om UW PUESE Macerate for fourteen days, and filter. Recommended in uterine obstructions, and in gout. —Dose, a tea-spoonful twice a day. Bisset asserts that an infusion of the leaves of Black Helle- bore, in the dose of a drachm when fresh, or from fifteen to twenty-four grains in a dried state, forms an excellent febrifuge for children, persevered in for some days. * Extractum Radicis Hellebori nigri. Pharm. Ed. XCVI. CONIUM MACULATUM. Common Hemlock. Order I1. DiGynia. Nat. Ord. UMBeEt.iFER. Class V. PENTANDRIA. GEN. CHar. Calyx obsolete. Petals obcordate, with an inflexed point. Fruit ovate, laterally compressed. Carpels with five prominent waved, crenulate, equal ridges, of which the lateral ones are marginal. Channels with many striz, destitute of vitte. Seed with a deep narrow furrow.—Involucres of three to five leaves, partial on one side. Spec. CHAR. Stem branched, shining, spotted. Partial Involucre shorter than the umbellules. SYNONYMES. Greek..... xwyveioy 3 xovetoy. (Cicuta major. Bauh. Pin. 160. Cord. fol. 162. | Cicuta. Ger. Em.1061. Raii Syn. 215. Fuchs, 399. Tragus, j) 474. Dod. Pempt. 458. | Cicuta vulgaris major. Park. Theatr. 933. | Conium maculatum. Lin. Sp. Pl. 349. Eng. Bot. t. 1191. \Goriandrum maculatum. Roth. Ji. germ. i. p. 130. Lahn eres French.... Cigue; Grande Cigue; Cigue ordinaire. Ttalian.... Cicuta; Cicuta grande. Spanish .... Cicuta; Cicuta manchada. Portuguese. Ciguda. German... Schierling ; Erdschierling ; Geflechter Schierling. Dutch..... Scheerling; Dalle-Kervel. Danish.... Scharntyde. Swedish ... Spreeclig odert. Bohemian.. Bolehlaw. Polish. .... Swinia wesz. TET OBS - Boligalow. Description.—The root is biennial, somewhat fusiform and branched, whitish, about the thickness of the little finger, from eight to ten inches long, and exudes, when young, a milky juice. The stem is erect, cylindrical, smooth, fistulous, striated, of a 386 HEMLOCK. light shining green, spotted with purple or brown, and often covered with a blueish exudation, from three to five feet high, and much branched upwards. The lower leaves are very large, tripinnate, alternate, on long striated, concave petioles ; the upper leaves are bipinnate, opposite the branches ; the leaflets are pinnatifid, with lanceolate, obtuse, inciso-serrate segments of a shining green colour above, and paler beneath. The flowers are disposed in umbels of many, spreading radii, with a general involucre of about five leaves, and a partial one of three or four lanceolate leaves, placed externally on one side. The calyx is an obsolete margin. The petals are five, white, obcordate, witha short inflexed point, the outer slightly radiant. The stamens are five, with white capillary filaments, and roundish anthers, scarcely as long as the corolla. The germen is inferior ovate, green, crowned by the whitish disk, supporting two filiform reflexed styles, and obtuse stigmas. The fruit is brownish when ripe, ovate, slightly compressed laterally, divid- ing into two carpels, each of which is marked with five promi- nent undulated or crenate ridges, the channels much striated and without vitte. The seed has a deep, narrow groove in front. Plate, 24, fig. 4, (a) entire flower magnified ; (0) fruit. This plant is not infrequent in waste places, by hedges and road sides, and near dunghills in this and other European countries. It flowers in June and July. To discriminate between this plant and those with which it is sometimes confounded, it is sufficient to observe its shining spotted stem, fetid smell when bruised, the waved ridges of the fruit, the presence of involucres, of which the partial is on one side, and not near so long and pointed as in the Fool’s Parsley ( Atthusa Cynapium ) ; while it is nearly thrice the size of the latter. The Rough Chervil (Cha@rophylium temulentum), having a spotted stem, is sometimes gathered for Hemlock, but it is distinguished by its swollen joints, together with other obvious characters. The name is derived from xwyos, a top, “‘ whose whirling motion resembles the giddiness produced in the human brain by a poisonous dose of the juice of this plant.” Common Hemlock is supposed to be the xove1ov and cicuta of the ancients, as it corresponds in many particulars with the descrip- tion given by Dioscorides and Pliny in their respective works ; aa ati ae Ss PAMPER 7Le HEMLOCK. 387 but so vague were the terms employed in those remote times, in delineating plants having so many common characters as the Umbellifere, that certainty on this point is unattainable. Indeed, as the term cicuta*, was also applied to that part of fistulous stems between the joints, so coniwim appears to have denoted more than one poisonous plant, which gives a colour to the opinion that the death-drinks of the Greeks were composed of the juices of several pernicious vegetables. Theophrastus} relates, that a cer- tain Thrasyas boasted of having discovered a potion compounded of the juice of conium, poppy, &c. which would destroy life without pain ; and Alian tells us, that the Cean old men, when they had become useless to the state and tired of the infirmities of life, invited each other to a banquet, and having crowned themselves in festive mood, drank the Conium, and terminated their exist- ence. The tranquillity maintained by Socrates { after swallow- ing the deadly potion decreed by the Areopagus, will scarcely accord with the known effects of Hemlock-juice, but that it was an ingredient in the fatal cup seems exceedingly probable, as the plant is very common in Greece, and a southern climate appears greatly to augment its energetic properties. Quatities.— The recent plant has a disagreeable odour, re- sembling that of mice or cat’s urine. The odour of the properly dried leaves § is strong, heavy, and narcotic, and the taste slightly bitter and narcotic. “The green leaves distilled impregnate the water in the receiver with an insupportably * See Virgil, Ecl. ii. 1, 36, and v. |. 85.—Persius Sat. iv. From cicuta rffost likely is derived kecks, denoting hollow stalks, and kecksies, the name for Hemlock and other plants with fistulous stems in many English counties, while in Wales the true Hemlock is called cegid, and Fool’s-Parsley hemlock. Shakspeare distinguishes between them :— —— “ Her fallow leas The darnel, hemlock, and rank fumitory, Doth root upon. * bs = s — And nothing teems But hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burs, Losing both beauty and utility.”— Henry V. act v. sc. 2. + Lib. ix. c. 17. + See the Phedon of Plato. § For medical use, the leaves should be gathered just before the flowers expand, and the foot-stalks being rejected, dried nearly as directed for Fox- glove, (see p. 334). Great care must be taken to keep them from the action of air and light. 388 HEMLOCK. bitter taste; this circumstance, and likewise the fact that the dried leaves become inert by age and exposure, render it pro- bable that the chief medicinal efficacy resides in a volatile portion of the plant.” Dr. Bigelow was unable to detect any volatile oil in this fluid; Geiger, however, has obtained a volatile oil possessing alkaloidal properties: this he has named conia, and he states that the dried leaves of Hemlock contain very little of it, and that even an extract of the fresh leaves contains very little, unless prepared with a gentle heat, yet speedily. “The coma of Geiger is colourless, lighter than water, of a very powerful repulsive odour, and intensely acrid. It has a strong alkaline action on reddened litmus or turmeric. It is readily soluble in different acids, which it neutralizes, and is sparingly soluble in water, to which it imparts its power and taste.”* It is extremely poisonous. Porsonous Prorerties.—Asses, sheep, and goats + eat the foliage of this plant without inconvenience, but it is re ported to be noxious to kine; and dogs, wolves, rabbits, &c., are very readily destroyed by it. Several birds, and thrushes in particular, feed on the fruit. Orfila found that an ounce of the extract of the leaves destroyed a dog in forty-five mi- nutes, and twenty-eight grains, introduced through a vein, killed another in two minutes. Hence, he concludes, that the poison is carried into the blood, and acts upon the nervous system, and principally upon the brain. The most prominent symptoms were convulsions, paralysis, and insensibility. Several cases are recorded of the deleterious effects of this plant on man. Dr. Watson + mentions two cases in which it proved fatal. The sufferers were two Dutch soldiers, who had taken the leaves mixed with other herbs in broth ; they were seized with giddiness, coma, convulsions, and death. Agasson § speaks of a man, who after taking a poisonous dose was affected * See an excellent paper by Dr. Christison, in the London Med. Gazette, April 23 and 30, 1836. + ——‘“ Pinguescere szpe cicuta Barbigeras pecudes, homini que est acre venenum,.”— Lucretius. { Philos. Transactions, vol. xliii. No. 473, p. 18. § In Orfila, Traité des Poisons, tom. ii. p. 307.—For other cases, see Corvisart’s Journ. de Med. xxix. p. 107. Heins. Pharm. Rat. p. 570. Wolf in Comment. lit. Nor. 1746—69. Wepfer Cicut. p. 71—312. Ortfila, 7. c. HEMLOCK. 389 with convulsions in the upper part of the body, while the inferior extremi- ties were paralysed. In others he remarked furious delirium. On exami- nation after death, the vessels of the head have been found much congested, and the blood remarkably fluid. Very different accounts are given of the pro- perties of the roots of this plant. Ray * states, that three or four ounces of the root have been swallowed without any remarkable effect. Mr. Curtis speaks of a gentleman who had some of the large roots boiled, and found them as agreeable eating at dinner with meat, as carrots. On the other hand, Stérck relates, that a drop or two of the milky juice applied to his tongue produced great pain and swelling of that organ, and for some time deprived him of the power of speech. Orfila gave two ounces of the juice, obtained from three pounds of the fresh root, toa dog, without any remark- able effects, while Wepfer relates the case of two monks, who became raving mad after eating the roots; and Vicat+ mentions an instance of a vine-dresser and his wife, who mistook the roots for parsnips, and after partaking of them at supper, awoke in the night delirious, knocking them- selves rudely against the walls of the room. The only way in which these discordant statements can be reconciled is by remembering the influence of climate. Fee informs us, that in Russia and the Crimea, Hemlock is inert and eatable, and that in the South of Europe, it is extremely poisonous. Soil and situation, and time of year, have also an influence on this plant, as on the Colchicum and others. The treatment to be pursued in cases where this poison has been swallowed is nearly the same as directed under Fool’s- parsley and Foxglove. The efficacy of vegetable acids, espe- cially vinegar and lemon-juice t, in counteracting its deadly effects has been much insisted on ; the poisonous substance having been first evacuated by the means already mentioned. Mepicat Properties and Usrs.—The root, leaves, herb, and especially the juice of Hemlock, were in former times con- sidered softening, resolvent, anodyne, &c., and were employed externally in procidentia ani, affections of the eyes, tumours, and against rheumatism, gout, erysipelas, and other exanthemata. Aretzus § attributes to it the peculiar power “ frangere stimu- lum venereum,” while Storck, Bergius ||, and other modern * Phil. Trans. vol. xix. p. 634. + Histoire des plantes veneneuses de la Suisse, p. 274. + There would thus appear to be a considerable analogy between Hem- lock and the Ranunculus tribe of plants, as also in the volatility of their active principle; in both cases, repeated boiling in vinegar is said com- pletely to dissipate the noxious quality. The Russian peasants, who are said to eat hemlock with impunity, take the precaution of boiling it in several waters. § De Morb. Acut. lib. ii. c. 11. || Mat. Med. vol. i. p. 195. 390 HEMLOCK. writers, assert that it has just the opposite quality. Avicenna * recommended a plaister of it for resolving tumours of the testes and female breast, and for preventing the coagulation of milk in the latter. It is chiefly, however, to the enterprising Baron Storck + that we are indebted for a knowledge of the therapeutical effects of this important plant, and though some of his state- ments are doubtless exaggerated, many of them have been confirmed. He employed it in various indurations of the viscera, scirrhus, ulcers, tumours, cataract, gout, diseased bone, syphilis, leucorrhcea, jaundice, phthisis, &c. Although British practitioners have not found it equal to the cure of cancer, it has proved very efficacious in allaying the pain and correcting the fetid discharge from cancerous sores; also in chronic rheuma- tism, glandular swellings, and various fixed and periodical pains. Dr. Bigelowt speaks highly of its effects in jaundice, and im some cases of tic doloureux. As a sedative it is a good substitute for, or adjunct to, opium, relieving the irritability of the system in cancer, and procuring sleep in many nervous diseases. In hooping-cough, combined with ipecacuanha, it is a valuable remedy; likewise, in the pro- tracted coughs which supervene to pleurisy and other affections of the chest; and in phthisis, either alone or combined with ipe- cacuanha or sulphate of zinc, it will allay the irritability of the lungs, and mitigate the sufferings of the patient. Like other powerful medicines, it acts very differently on some in- dividuals, in consequence of idiosyncrasy, and instead of afford- ing relief, produces dimness of the eyes, giddiness, singing in the ears, head-ache, and even convulsions. The powder of the leaves properly dried is the best form of administering Hemlock, until some mode of attaining uniformity inthe preparation of the extract be discovered. The commencing dose is two or three grains, gradually increased until slight vertigo forbids us to proceed. “ Hufeland recommends the fresh expressed juice, from twelve to sixty drops for a dose.” § * Canon. Med., ed. F. Paulinus, tom. i. lib. ii. cap. 669. See also Plinii Hist. lib. xxvi. c. 22. emery, in Ehrhart Diss. de Cicuta, § 11. + Libellus de Cicuta, 1 & 2.—Supplementum.—Libellus quo contin. exper. passim. + American Med. Botany, vol. i. pt. ii. p. 120. § Thomson’s Dispensatory, p. 302. HEMLOCK. 391 The British colleges order an extract, a tincture, an ointment, and a cataplasm. EXTRACT OF HEMLOCK *, Take of fresh Hemlock leaves........ a pound. Bruise them in a stone mortar, having sprinkled a little water upon them, then express the juice, and without suffering the dregs to subside evaporate it toa proper consistence. The extract is apt to vary very much in strength; by com- mencing, however, with a small dose, its power is soon ascer- tained. Four or five ‘grains for an adult, and one grain for a child, three or four times a day, gradually increased as the pa- tient can bear it. It may be given either in the form of pill or in solution. The extract from the seeds is said to be more powerfully narcotic than the preceding. TINCTURE OF HEMLOCK 7. Take of dried leaves of Hemlock..... --.one ounce; Cardamom seeds bruised ......--half an ounce; FSEOO|S PUCIth slatatelaleloreiee ++eees Sixteen ounces, Digest for seven days and filter through paper. Dose from six to twenty drops. Externally, the powder mixed with a bread-and-water poul- tice, is the usual method of applying it, but the fresh herb is preferable when it can be obtained. * Extractum Conii.— Pharm. Lond. + Tinctura Conii.—Pharm. Ed. and Dubl. XCVII. EUPATORIUM CANNABINUM. Common Hemp-Agrimony. = Class XIX. SyneGENEsta.—Order I. PoLyGAMIa AL QUALIS, Nat. Ord. Compositz. GEN. Cuar. IJnvolucre imbricated, oblong. Florets few. Receptacle naked. Pappus rough. Spec. Cuar. Leaves opposite, subpetiolate, three or five partite ; segments lanceolate, deeply serrate. SYNONY MES. ( Eupatorium cannabinum mas. Ger. Em. 711. Hepatorium vulgare. Dod. Pempt. 28. y Eupatorium adulterinum. Fuchs. 266. c. 101. | Eupatorium cannabinum. Bauh. Pin. 320. Raii Syn. | 179. Lin. Sp. Pl. 1173. Eng. Fl. iii. p. 400. Eng. L Bot. t. 428. ¢ Eupatoire ; Eupatoire commun; Eupatoire a feuiiles de French..... *< chanvre; Eupatoire d’Avicenne ; Herbe de Sainte Cune- gonde. Ital. & Span.. Eupaterio, German..... Wasserhanf ; Wasserdost ; Kunigundenkraut. Dutch....... Boelkens-kruid ; Koninginne-kruid. Danish...... Kunigundsurt. Swedish ..... Floks. Polish ....... Sandriek. Description.—The root is perennial, oblique, moderately thick, and furnished with many whitish fibres. The stem is erect, cylindrical, tomentose, green, tinged with purple, full of white pith, branched, and from three to four feet in height. The leaves are shortly petiolate, opposite, divided into three or WEMP- AGRIMONY. 393 five lanceolate lobes; the middle lobe longest, of an ash- coloured green, slightly pubescent on the upper surface. The flowers are very numercus, and thickly crowded in terminal corymbs. ‘The involucre is composed of oblong, obtuse, imbri- cated scales, coloured at the summit ; for the most part form- ing calyces, which enclose about five salient florets. The co- rollas are uniform, tubular, perfect, with a regular five-lobed limb, of a pale reddish-purple colour. The filaments are ca- pillary, very short, with the anthers united into a tube. The germen is oblong, small, with a filiform style, longer than the corolla, and deeply cleft; stigmas downy, spreading. The fruit is oblong, angular, crowned by the sessile, pilose pappus. The receptacle is smal] and naked. Plate 25, fig. 1, (a) group of five flowers detached from the corymb, (6) floret, isolated, (c) fruit. This plant flourishes on the banks of rivers and in watery places, flowering in July and August. The name Eupatorium, according to Pliny*, was given in ‘honour of Eupator Mithridates, King of Pontus, who first dis- covered its medicinal properties. It is uncertain whether this plant was known to the ancients ; it appears not te be the Hu- patorium of the Greeks nor of Avicenna. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Uszrs.—The leaves of this plant, with the addition of logwood boiled in a solution of green vitriol, yield a good black colour. Dambourney obtained a yellow dye by making a decoction of the whole plant. It is not eaten by any animal except the goat. Hemp-Agrimony has a strong odour, somewhat resembling that of umbelliferous plants, such as wild parsnep. Every part of the plant, and especially the root, has a bitter, pungent, and aromatic taste; but the leaves have most bitterness. It con- tains a small quantity of resin, united with an abundant, acrid, bitter mucilage, soluble in boilmg water, while the resinous part is soluble in alcohol. In distillation with water, it yields a volatile oil. Mepicat Properties anp Uses.—Gesner } found by experi- ment that the root of this plant infused in wine produced vo- miting and copious evacuations both by stool and urine, * Hist. lib: xxv. c. 6. + Epist. fol. Ixiii. et cxxi. 394 HEMP-AGRIMONY. Schroder recommends the herb in cachexia, coughs, and sup- pression of the menses. Tournefort* speaks highly of its ef- fects in obstructions of the viscera, intermittent fevers, and dropsy. Boerhaave} calls it rusticorum panacea, and states that the turf-diggers in Holland use it with great benefit in jaundice, scurvy, foul ulcers, and those swellings of the feet to which they are much exposed. It has also been applied ex- ternally in the form of a cataplasm to various tumours, particu- larly hydrocele, and to ulcers ; and the expressed juice united with vinegar and common salt has been a favourite application to some cutaneous diseases. In the internal complaints mentioned above, Geoffroy recom- mends a handful of the leaves and tops to be boiled in two pints of water or whey ; or the expressed juice in the dose of two or three ounces, either alone or combined with that of fumitory. ‘Fhe dried leaves may be used in the form of tea. An ounce of the root boiled in half a pint of water is useful in dropsies, frequently taken; a larger dose causes sickness. The extract may be given alone or united with sugar, to the amount of one or two drachms and more. * Hist. des Plantes, tom. i. p. 329. + Hist. Pl. Rom., pt. i. p. 175. XCVIII. HYOSCYAMUS NIGER. Common Henbane. Ciass V. PENTANDRIA.—Order I. MonoGynia. Nat. Ord. SoLanez. Gen. Coar. Calyx tubular, five-cleft. Corolla funnel- shaped, oblique. Stigma capitate. Capsule two-celled, opening by a lid. Spec. Car. Radical leaves pinnatifid, sinuate ; upper amplexicaul. Flowers nearly sessile. SYNONYMES. Greek.......... vorxvauos. J)ioscorides. ( Hyoscyamus vulgaris vel niger. Bau. Pin. 169. Park. Theatr. 363. ) Hyoseyamus flavus. Fuchs, 833. | Hyoscyamus vulgaris. Rati Syn. 274. Hyoscyamus niger. Ger. Em. 353. Lin. Sp. Pl. 257. Lng. Fl. i. p. 315. Eng. Bot. t. 591. French...... Jusquiame ; Hanebane. Ttalian....... Giusquiamo. Spanish....-.. Beleno. Portuguese.... Yosciamo; Meimendre. German.....+. Bilsenkraut ; Schwarze Bilsenkraut. Dutch........ Zwart Bilzenkruid ; Dolkruid. Danish ...... Fandensnosser ; Sodbonne ; Bulmeurt. Swedish ..... Bolmert. Bohemian .... Blyn. Polish....... Bielun; Szaley; Lulek. Russ. .....- Belena. Arabic ...-+» Buzirulbunj; Urmanikiun ; Sikran. Descrirtion.—The root is annual, thick, fusiform, wrinkled, somewhat branched, brown externally, and whitish within. The stem is erect, cylindrical, branched, covered with clammy woolly hairs, and rises from one to two feet in height. The leaves are large, alternate, amplexicaul, soft, woolly, clammy, ovate -lanceolate, acute, sinuated, and irregularly lobed. The EE? 396 HENBANE, flowers are nearly sessile, and terminate the stem and branches in a long leafy spike, all turned in one direction, and somewhat pendulous. The calyx is tubular, five-cleft, veined, persistent. The corolla is funnel-shaped, divided into five obtuse lobes ; the tube nearly white, purplish at the orifice, and the limb pale yellow or straw colour, elegantly reticulated with brownish pur- ple veins. The five filaments are subulate, downy at the base, and tipped with cordate purple anthers. The germen is round- ish, surmounted by a filiform purple style, as long as the stamens, terminated by a capitate stigma. The capsule is ovate, with a furrow on each side, two-celled, opening by a lid, and firmly inclosed in the calyx. ‘The seeds are numerous, obovate, curved, brown, hard, and covered with minute depressions. Plate 24, fig. 3, (a) calyx, (6) corolla, opened, (c) pistil, (d) capsule detached from the calyx. This plant oceurs in waste places, especially in chalky soil, aecar towns and villages. It is found in most parts of the civilized world. It flowers in July. The generic name is compounded of vs, vos, a hog, and xvay.os, a bean, the fruit beg eaten with impunity by hogs. The common English name refers to the fatal effects of the plant upon poultry. Quatities.—The lurid appearance, and heavy odour of this plant, together with its clamminess to the touch, seem to indi- cate its noxious qualities. ‘The odour somewhat resembles that of the black currant, but it is stronger and more disagreeable. The herb is almost insipid to the taste, and the root sweetish. The leaves when burnt have somewhat the odour of tobacco, and they sparkle with a deflagration like nitre. Geiger and Hesse * have lately discovered in this plant a substance which they consider the pure active principle, and have named it hyoscyamine. It has the form of fine silky crystals, is in- odorous, very acrid, soluble in alcohol and ether, and but sparingly so in water, while the hyoscyamine of Brandes is oleaginous, and diffuses a fetid odour. An empyreumatic oil of a very energetic nature, is also obtained from it. “The vir- tues of Henbane are completely extracted by dilute alcohol. The watery infusion is of a pale yellow colour and insipid, * Jounal de Pharmacie, xx. p. 992. HENBANE. 397 and has the narcotic odour of the plant. It is not altered by the acids. The alkalies change it toa deep greenish yel- low, which, on the addition of an acid, disappears, and a brownish flocculent precipitate is produced. Sulphate of iron strikes with it a black colour, and a dark precipitate is slowly formed ; a copious white precipitate is produced by acetate of lead, and black ones by nitrate of silver. Thence Hen- bane appears to contain resin, mucus, extractive, a peculiar alkaline salt, and gallic acid.” * Potsonous Prorerties.—Goats, sheep, and swine are said to eat this plant with impunity; and Renard ¢ states, that horse-dealers are accustomed to mix the seeds with oats in order to fatten their horses. It is injurious to stags, and fatal to most birds, especially the gallinaceous tribe, also to fishes, and to nearly all insects t+. The smell is said to drive away rats. “‘ According to the experiments of Orfila, the juice of an extract procured from the leaves, stems, and especially the root, pro- duces in animals a state of sopor, much purer than that caused by opium. It is most active when injected into the jugular vein, less so when applied to the cellular tissue, and still less when introduced into the stomach. Except occasional pa- ralysis of the heart, indicated by florid blood in its left cavity, no morbid appearance is to be found in the dead body. Six drachms of the pharmaceutic extract of the leaves killed a dog in two hours and a quarter, when swallowed; and three drachms killed another in four hours through a wound in the back. Its action appears to be exerted through the medium of the blood-vessels, and is purely narcotic.” § The whole plant appears to be poisonous to man; Sir J. Smith, however, and Professor Martyn assert that they have swallowed the seeds without inconvenience, while several other writers mention instances of their dangerous and even fatal effects ||. Perhaps the oil contained in the seeds when taken in * Thomson’s Dispensatory, p. 392. + Journal de Medicine, tom, xxviii. p. 243. + Except a species of Cimex, or bug, and Chrysomela, or beetle, which feed upon it. § Christison, 1. c. from Orfila. || Hippocrates (de Morb. Mul. lib. i. ed. Fas, p. 629) states that they cause delirium. Sir Hans Sloane (Phil. Trans. vol. xxxviii. p. 99) adduces an instance of four children who eat the seeds, mistaking the capsules for filberts. The symptoms were great thirst, giddiness, dimmness of sight, 398 HENBANE. small quantities modifies their narcotic effects, and thus the “bane and antidote’? may accompany each other: they cer- tainly contain a poisonous principle, since they yield by analysis more hyoscyamine than the leaves *. Even the emanations of the plant have produced unpleasant effects, and the roots +, eaten by mistake for those of parsnep, have often caused death. Choquet } describes the effects of Henbane on two soldiers who eat the young shoots dressed with olive oil. They soon experienced a sensation as if the ground were reeling beneath them ; they had a stupid appearance and their limbs were swollen; subsequently the eyes became haggard, the pupil excessively dilated, and the sight dull and fixed ; the pulse was small and intermittent, the breathing difficult, the jaw locked, and the mouth distorted by the risus sardonicus; there was also that union of delirium and coma termed typhomania: the limbs were cold and palsied, the arms: agitated by convulsive movements, and to all these alarming symptoms was added carpologia. By the exhibition of emetics and purgative lavements,. one of the men was soon relieved, the other continued delirious until the next day, but by means of frictions, copious doses of vinegar, and strong purgatives, he ultimately recovered. Although Henbane ranks as a pure narcotic, the treatment recom- mended when speaking of Foxglove, Hemlock, &c., will equally apply to this plant ; viz., the administration of emetics, and sub- sequently purgatives and vegetable acids. Mepicat Propertizs anp Uses.—-Henbane was well known to the ancients, as appears from the writings of Dioscorides §, but little use appears to have been made of it except as an ravings, and profound sleep.—See also the case mentioned by Haller, (Hist. Stirp. Helv. n. 580,) of a fellow student of his who narrowly escaped with his life—Helmont, Ort. imag. morbos, p. 306.—Essays and Observations, phys. and lit. vol. ii. p. 243. é » Has the immaturity of the seeds any influence upon their qualities > Poppy seeds when unripe are said to be hurtful, but when quite mature they are bland and nutritive. + The effect of season and vegetation on the energy of the root seems to be very great. Ortila found that the juice of three pounds of the root col- lected in April, when the plant had hardly begun to shoot, killed a dog in two days; while a decoction of an ounce and a half, obtained on the last day of June, when the plant was in full vigour, proved fatal in two hours and a half. + Journal de Leroux et Corvisart, Avril 1813, p. 355. For cases of poisoning by the roots see Wepfer de Cicuta, &c. p. 230.—Phil. Trans. vol. xl. p. 446.—Orfila, Traite des Poisons, tom. ii. p. 189.—Wilmer on the Pois. Veg. of Great Britain, p. 3. & Mat. Med. lib. iv. c. 69. HENBANDE. 399 Secasional topic*. Celsus-+ recommends the leaves to be made into a collyrium with yolk of egg, and the seeds as an ingredient in pills for procuring sleep. Plater { considered the seeds useful in hemorrhoids and hemeptysis, and Boyle highly commended an electuary composed of equal quantities of the seeds of Henbane and white poppy, with conserve of red roses, as a remedy in hemorrhages. ‘To Storck §, however, almost exclusively belongs the merit of discovering the true character and value of this plant. He administered the extract of the leaves in convulsions, epilepsy, palpitations of the heart, and inveterate headache, likewise in mania, melancholy, and hemoptysis with the best effects. In the hands of later practi- tioners it has not proved equally successful in all these affec- tions, but it forms an excellent substitute for opium in those cases where the latter produces sickness and head-ache, or cos- tiveness, as it tends rather to relax the bowels and promote diaphoresis. Although in general it induces pleasant sleep, in some constitutions it occasions head-ache, nausea, feverishness, colic pains, and a copious flow of urine ||. It has been found very serviceable in various spasmodic affections, hysteria, pyrosis or water-brash, gout, rheumatism, and in gall-stones when they occasion spasms of the duct In phthisis it allays the cough and general irritability of the system, and in colica pictonum it proves very useful combined with purgatives, such as colocynth, the griping effect of which it * It has been famous, however, for the purposes to which it has been abused by designing persons, such as fortune-tellers, conjurors, cunning- men, &c. From the leaves was prepared the sorcerer’s ointment, and from the root the celebrated anodyne necklaces “‘to be hung about children’s necks, to prevent fits and cause an easy breeding of the teeth.’? A very different quality is attributed to the seeds of Henbane by a German writer in the Ephemerides Germ. vii., viii. decur. 3, p. 106: he states that the fumes of the seeds proceeding from a stove caused 2 violent quarrel between a man and his wife who had previously lived in the utmost harmony. + De Medicina, lib. y. c. 25, lib. vi. c. 6. + Prax. Med. p. 635. § Lib. de Stramonie, Hyoscyamo, &c. p. 26, sq. || ‘‘In a full dose the delusions it presented to the mind in the first in- stance were the most delightful that can be conceived. The scenes before the eyes were of a most enchanting description, and every sense was ra- vished with the utmost excess of pleasure. These scenes, however, were as transient as they were delightful: in a few hours the senses were as much annoyed as they had before been gratified, and the utmost irritability of mind succeeded to the most delightful tranquillity.””-— Waller, 7. ec. +400 HENBANE, greatly diminishes. It has been employed with decided ad- vantage in mania in combination with camphor *, and is very efficacious in allaying the irritation occasioned by red sand in the kidneys +. As an external application its sedative effects are very conspicuous. A cataplasm of the leaves has been found useful in assuaging gouty and rheumatic pains, and various inflammatory swellings. Tournefort | recommends a decoction of the same in milk to dissipate coagulated milk in the female breast. Fomentations with a decoction of the leaves are also stated to be beneficial in sprains, luxations, and bruises, scrofulous and cancerous ulcers, hemorrhoids, &c. Hufeland recommends the leaves and marsh-mallow flowers boiled in milk, with the addition of a few grains of acetate of lead, as a topical applica- tion in scrofulous ophthalmia. An infusion of this plant dropped into the eye causes dilatation of the pupil like belladonna, and being milder in its action, it is sometimes employed prior to the operation for cataract. The smoke of the dried leaves, or of the seeds received through a funnel, is a popular remedy for tooth-ache. The extract §, prepared in the same way as that of hemlock» is the usual form of administering this remedy. The dose is from three to five grains, gradually increased to one scruple, made into pills. In chronic rheumatism it is usefully combined with blue pill and compound powder of ipecacuanha. TINCTURE OF HENBANE ||. Take of dried leaves of Henbane.. four ounces; Proof spirit .......+..++.two pints. Macerate for fourteen days and filter. This is a valuable narcotic, in the dose of a drachm at bed- time, to be taken in a saline draught. In diarrhoea, a few drops of laudanum should be added to correct its laxative effects. The depurated juice of the plant and the powdered leaves are now rarely administered ; the latter were given in the dose of two to ten grains.. The leaves, mixed with lard and simmered over a slow fire, are made into an ointment, and in the same manner with different resins into a plaister, to be applied to tumours and other painful affections. * 'Thomson’s Dispensatory, p. 393. + Brande’s Pharmacy, p. 125. + Plantes de Paris, tom i. p. 342. § Extractum Hyoseyami.—Pharm. Lond. Dubl. Ed. \| Tinctura Hyoscyami.—Pharm. Lond. Ed, Dubi. a XCIX. PARIS QUADRIFOLIA. Common Herb-Parvis. Class VIII. OctTanpria.—Order Ill. 'TETRAGYNIA. Nat. Ord. Sminacezx. Gen. Cuar. Calyx of four sepals. Petals four. Anthers attached to the middle of the filament. Berry four- celled; each cell with several seeds in two rows. Spec. Cuar. Leaves ovate, usually four in a whorl. SYNONYMES. (Solanum quadrifolium bacciferum. Bauh. Pin. 167. Herba Paris. Ger. Em. 405. Raii Syn. 264. Park. Theatr. 390. : Latin ...+.< Aconitum pardalianches. Fuchs, 91, c. 30. Aconitum salutiferum. Tabern. Hist. 720. Paris quadrifolia. Lin. Sp. Pl. 526. Eng. Fl. ii. p. 241. Eng. Bot. t. 7. French.,.. Parisette; Herbe a Paris; Raisin de renard. Ttalian.... Uva di volpe. Spanish .... Uva dezorro. Portuguese. Parisetta. German.... Einbeere ; Wolfsbeere; Fuchstraube. Dutch .... Wolfsbezie. Danish.... Elbeer. Swedish ... Trallbcer. % Polish .... Wronie oko. re Descrirtion.—The root (rhizoma) is perennial, creeping, fleshy, somewhat jointed, and furnished with a few fibres. The stem is erect, simple, cylindrical, smooth, naked below, obso- letely striated, and about a foot in height. The leaves are gene- 402 HERB-PARIS. rally four in a whorl, towards the summit of the stem, ovate, acute, entire, three-nerved, of a deep dull green colour, sessile, and spreading horizontally. The peduncle is terminal, erect, one-flowered, and shorter than the leaves. The calyx consists of four, pale green, linear-lanceolate, acute, reflexed, persistent sepals. The corolla is composed of four linear-subulate, yel- lowish-green, reflexed petals, rather shorter than the calyx. The stamens, eight in number, have subulate filaments, with long, linear, two-celled, yellowish anthers attached to their middle. The germen is superior, roundish, dark purple, sup- porting four spreading styles, shorter than the stamens, with simple stigmas, which are downy above. The fruit is a globose berry, obsoletely four-sided, purplish-black, shining, about the size of a small cherry, with four cells, each containing several ovate globose seeds arranged in two rows. Plate 25, fig. 2, (a) the flower seen in front with its sepals, petals, and stamens ; (6) the pistil; (c) the berry; (d) a vertical section of the same to shew the seeds ; (e) seed. This singular plant is by no means common, but it generally occurs in profusion if at all, preferring moist and shady dells in woods and coppices, where it flowers from May to the end of June. It is a native of Europe, from Spain to Lapland. ‘The generic name is said to be derived from par, paris, equal, in allusion to the regularity of the parts of the flower and fruit ; the number four prevailing. In addition to the term Herb-Paris it has also been called One-Berry and True-Love™*. QUALITIES AND GENERAL Usts.— Bohmer asserts that the dried leaves of this plant impart a fine yellow colour to yarn or dinen cloth previously soaked in alum water. The foliage is eaten by goats and sheep, but refused by horses, cows, and swine. The berries are poisonous to poultry. “« The recent root has a narcotic odour resembling smoke,” + and rather a nauseous taste, which becomes more agreeable on drying. The fresh herb has also a narcotic smell and an herbaceous, subglutinous, sweetish taste, re- sembling that of an unripe pea. The berries are similar in taste and smell to the leaves. Herb-Paris ranks with the acrid narcotics, and if taken into the system * “ Herbe-Paris hath foure leaues directly set one against another in man- ner of a Burgundian crosse or true-loue knot ; for which cause among the antients it hath been called Herbe True-loue.”’— Gerard. + Bergius. HERB-PARIS. 4.03 may produce effects similar to colchicum, foxglove, &c. The berries are said to have proved noxious to children. Mepicat Prorerties ano Uses.—This plant was recom- mended by Tragus, Camerarius, and other of the old writers, as an excellent remedy in the form of cataplasm to inflammatory tumours, cancers, pestilential buboes, &c. The berries were used for the same purpose and were likewise esteemed benefi- cial in diseases of the eyes *. Gesner +, however, made some experiments which placed the virtues of the plant in a new light, but which do not prove it superior to others of the same class. He gave ten grains of nux vomica to two dogs; one of them died in four hours, the other, which was made to swallow half a drachm of Herb-Paris, escaped unhurt, being seized with vomiting {. He also himself took a drachm of the leaves in wine, which caused profuse perspiration and dryness of the throat. Hence probably the character of the plant as an alexi- pharmic and remedy in the plague, in which it was frequently prescribed. Linnzus § recommends the root in doses of thirty to forty grains as an emetic in lieu of ipecacuanha. Coste and Willemet || confirm this assertion, and state that its operation is rendered more certain by the addition of a little emetic tartar. Bergius {| gave a scruple of the dried leaves every night to a child labouring under hooping-cough ; by this means the bowels were gently opened, and tranquil sleep followed. He speaks of its efficacy in other convulsive diseases, and had known it commended in mania. The precise value of this plant as a therapeutical agent, is not however, well understood, and its properties need to be further explored. It has*been compared to opium, while its botanical affinities place it very near meadow-saffron (Colchicum autum- nale). " * By the peculiar induction of those who believed in signatures ;—the dark purple berry having some resemblance to the pupil of the eye. + Epist. med. p. 53. + A similar experiment with arsenic and eorrosive sublimate is men- tioned by Lobel. -§ Flora Lapponica, ed. Smith, p. 124. || Essais sur quelques plantes indigenes, p. 12. @ Mat. Med. tom. i. p. 313. CG; GERANIUM ROBERTIANUM. Herb-Robert, or Fetid Crane’s-Bill. Class XVI. Monave.puia.— Order II. DEcANDRIA. Nat. Ord. GERANIACER. GEN. CHAR. Calyx of five sepals. Corolla of five regu- lar petals. Glands five, nectariferous, at the base of the longer filaments. Fruit beaked, separating into five one-seeded capsules, each with a long smooth awn. Spec. Cuar. Peduncles two-flowered. Leaves three or five-parted ; leaflets pinnatifid, with mucronate seg- ments. Petals entire, twice as long as the angular, hairy calyx. Capsules wrinkled. SYNONYMES. Greek .o...-. yépaviov. (Geranium robertianum primum. Bawh. Pin. 319. | Gratia dei, vel Geranion. Tragus, 108. Latin .«+e+. < Geranium robertianum. Ger. Em.939. Raii Syn. 358. | Lin. Sp. Pl.955. Eng. Fl. iti. p. 235. Eng. Bot. t. L 1486. French ..... Geranion; Bec-de-grue robertin ; Herbe a Robert. Italian ....-. Geranio Robertiano. Spanish....... Geranio hediondo ; Pico de grulla. * § Storchschnabel; Stinkender storehschnabel; Ruprechst- GervManseoe } kraut. Dutch... +. . Robbert’s-kruid ; Roode Oijevaarsbek. Description.—The root is annual, slender, branched, fibrous, and of a yellowish-white colour. The stems are about a foot high, trailing, and much branched at the base, hairy, jointed, and of a \ \S ~ \ N QS . \ ™~) . 7 4g 7 oe ae eA Cc HERB-ROBERT. 4035 reddish hue, brittle and shining. The leaves are opposite, petio- late, three and five-parted, with trifid, pinnatifid leaflets, the segments shortly mucronate, tinged with red, shining, and sprinkled with whitish hairs; the stipule short, acute, enlarged at the base. The flowers are axillary, two together on a bifid peduncle, longer than the petioles. The calyx is hairy, striated, angular, ventricose, composed of five lanceolate, mucronate sepals, of a reddish hue. The corolla is of a bright roseate purple colour, streaked with white lines, and consists of five regular, entire, oblong, spreading petals, twice as long as the calyx. The sta- mens are ten, the filaments united at the base, five alternately shorter, with elliptical two-celled anthers; at the base of the longer filaments are five nectariferous glands. The germen is roundish, five-lobed, with a subulate style, and five cylindrical, recurved stigmas. ‘The capsules or carpels, five in number, are reticulated and wrinkled in their upper half, and furnished with long naked awns, separating in a spiral manner from the base to the apex of the common axis; each containing an oblong, smooth seed. Plate 25, fig. 3, (a) calyx, stamens, and pistils ; (b) petal ; (c) tube of the stamens opened ; (d) the five capsules separating from the common axis; (e) one of the capsules or carpels. This plant is frequent in woods, thickets, and waste ground, on old walls, and among stones, and the debris of rocks. A small variety is common by the sea-side, and it is sometimes found with white flowers. It flowers from the end of April to October. The name of the genus, the yesuviov of the Greeks, is derived from yeeavos, a crane, in allusion to the shape of the fruit, which has some resemblance to the beak of that bird. This species was named Herb-Robert from its coming into flower about St. Robert’s day *, the 29th of April. There are about thirteen native species of Geranium, of which the one here figured is perhaps the most common. The culti- vated Geraniums form a distinct genus, Pelargonium. QUALITIES AND GENERAL UsEs.—Herb-Robert has been employed in some parts of the continent, in the process of tanning, and a yellow dye, it * St. Robert flourished in the eleventh century; he was the founder of the Cistercians. 406 HERB-ROBERT. is said, may be obtained from the leaves. According to Linnaeus it is eaten by horses and goats, and occasionally by cows, but is refused by sheep and swine. He also states that the bruised herb drives away bugs. It has been much used by farmers as a remedy for the staling of blood and the bloody flux in cattle. The recent plant has astrong peculiar odour, resembling that of the dead- nettle or wood-strawberry, but more powerful and less pleasant; and a slightly bitter, saline, and austere taste. Its astringency is manifested by the dark colour and precipitate produced in the decoction by sulphate of iron. The astringent principle is taken up both by water and alcohol, and remains undiminished in the respective extracts. The odoriferous matter is separated by distillation with water, but no essential oil has been ob- tained. Mepicat Properties anp Uses.—This plant was formerly much celebrated for its vulnerary powers, and as an efficacious remedy in hemorrhages *, alvine fluxes, and in calculous and gravelly complaints +, jaundice {, and scrofula; and Haller asserts that it has proved beneficial in intermittent fevers. Ex- ternally it has been commended in various affections; in epi- lepsy §, tumours of the female breast, cancer ||, cedematous swellings of the feet 4], and scald-head. The plant reduced to powder has been given in the dose of a drachm in wine; a preferable form would be the infusion or decoction which might be given in diseases where a slight as- tringent is indicated. Externally it has been recommended in the form of cataplasm, and the powder is said to have arrested bleeding at the nose, when introduced into the nasal fosse, and to act as a useful detergent when sprinkled on wounds and ulcers. Further experiments are necessary to ascertain the medicinal value or inertness of this plant. * Stocker, prax. aur. lib. i. c. 17, p. 119.—Hinderer, Diss. de Geranio Robertiano.—Theodorus Tabernaem. Krauterbuch, vol. i. p. 129. + Theod. Tabern. 1. c. + A. Murray, Diss. de methodo luis venerez curande, p. 30. § Theod. Tabern. /id. cit. p. 127.—Tissot Avis au peuple, p. 354. | Sennertus, lib. iv. P. 3. c. 7. Hildanus, Obs. et Curat. Cent. 6, obs. 75- Simon Pauli Quad. Bot. p. 73. 4} Chomel, Usuelles, tom. ii. p. 301. i tS CI. PEUCEDANUM OFFICINALE. Sea Hog s-Fennel, or Sea Sulphur-wort. Class V. PENTANDRIA.— Order IJ. DIGyYnIA. Nat. Ord. UMBELLIFER. GeN. Cuar. Calyx of five teeth. Petals obovate, with an inflexed point. Fruit much compressed dorsally, girt with a broad thin margin. Carpels with nearly equidistant ridges ; the three intermediate ones filiform; the two lateral ones contiguous to, or combined with, the margin. Channels with single vitte. Seed flat on its inner face—General involucre various; partial of many leaves. Spec. Cuan. Leaves five times tripartite, with linear, acute, flaccid segments. Involucre of about three seta- ceous, deciduous leaves. SYNONYMES. Greek .... srevzedaves. (Peucedanum Germanicum. Bauh. Pin. 149. | Peucedanum. Ger. Em. 1054. Raii Syn. 206. Litin J Peucedanum vulgare. Park Theatr. 880. sseee*\ Peucedanus. Fuchs, 872, c. 228. | Peucedanum officinale. Lin. Sp. Pl. 353. Eng. Fi. ii. p. wy. L Eng. Bot. t. 1767. Dec. Prod. iv. p. 177. French..... Peucédan; Fenouil de pore; Queue de pourceau. Ttalian.... Peucedano; Finnoccio porcino. Spanish.... Peucedano; Servato. German.... Haarstrang ; Scwefelwurzel Haarstrang ; Saufenchel. Witches: = =< Hairsireng; Varkens-Venkel. Danish .... Svinekenkel. Swedish... Svinfinkel. Polish .... Wieprzniec. DeEscriptTion.—The root is perennial, fusiform, thick, long, of a dark colour externally, whitish within, and containing a fetid resinous juice. The stem is erect, cylindrical, striated, branched, smooth, leafy, tough, and about three feet in height. The leaves are long, rigid, and divided five or six times successively into three leaflets; the segments linear, nearly flat, aeute, flaccid, and entire. The flowers are disposed in large, many-rayed, concave umbels, with a general and partial involucre, of a few setaceous, deciduous leaves. The calyx consists of a five-toothed, inflexed margin. The five petals are obovate, equal, with an acute inflexed point and of a yellow colour. The five stamens have capillary filaments, longer than the 4.08 HOG S-FENNEL. petals, tipped with roundish anthers. The germen is oblong, supporting two small recurved styles, terminated by obtuse emarginate stigmas. The fruit is broadly elliptical, tawny. (See Gen. Char.) Plate 25, Fig. 4, (a) entire flower magnified ; (4) calyx, germen, and styles ; (c) the fruit, some- what magnified ; (d) the two carpels separating at maturity. This plant, a native of the south and middle of Europe, has been long naturalized in England, though rare, being only found in salt marshes and ditches in the south-eastern parts of the island, flowering from July to September. The genus takes its name from the zzvxsdavev of Dioscorides and the other Greek writers, which is supposed to be identical with this plant ; so called from +vx2, a pine-tree, in allusion to the bituminous odour of the root. This odour has also been compared to that of sulphur, which, to- gether with the yellow colour of the juice, has suggested the name sviphur- wort. It has also been called horestrong, horestrange, and harestrong, corruptions apparently of the German haarstrang. Quatitrres.—The fresh root has a strong, fetid, sulphureous smell, and a heavy, unctuous, subacrid, bitterish taste. The roots wounded in spring exude a large quantity of yellow juice, which soon concretes into a hard gum.-resin, having all the sensible properties of the plant. MepicaL Properties AND Uses.—The root of this plant was a favourite remedy with Hippocrates and his immediate successors *, and was recommended in coughs, phlegmatic obstructions of the lungs, nephritic pains, flatulencies, and difficult labours, and externally in hemicrania, ulcers, and painful tumours. By modern writers it is almost totally dis- regarded, and is seldom or never used in the present day; nevertheless, it is by no means inert, and might probably be substituted occasionally for the gum-resins ammoniacum and galbanum. Bergius, indeed, designates the root as anti-hysteric, diuretic, and emmenagogue; and Delius-+ men- tions a case of suppressed menses which yielded to it, as well as an ob- stinate scorbutic complaint, in which the persevering use of the decoction and vinous extract *proved beneficial. The vinous extract in the dose of twenty to thirty grains has been much lauded in hysteric affections and hypochondriasis. The inspissated juice or the extract has also been made into a syrup, either alone or with the addi- tion of liquorice-root and leaves of coltsfoot, as a remedy for asthmas and inveterate coughs. ‘ Externally it is recommended for the cure of certain cutaneous eruptions of the leprous kind, for which purpose a decoction of it should be used for a bath, and in this manner.there is little doubt that it would prove efficacious.” + * Vide Galen de Simpl. lib. viii —J. Bauhin Hist. tom. iii. p. 376. + Diss. de Peucedano germanico, p. 52, sq. + J. A. Waller, Brit. Dom. Herbal, p. 141. END OF VOL. I. G. Woodfall, Printer, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London. “ ‘he ae 3 g 4 e re 7 tl care ee . ? » * - s = " -ay- ~ “ae? ~ a ERAN Sie SS ss LE ey fl’ 7 ge CS eS aK Coe Gi is : « } “ - ee ¥ Sa 3 “? on ‘ Sp —4 > . oes i Ait. Y sf “a ‘ Gf : 7 y LQG fs "le y aw ee oo. S “ \ { Baap ETS ol ; oF Gl Poy i 3 Z = \ \ 5 Ce i yo y rl 7 iY A a —z£ , A SS £6 Z Jug a Ge if | IRON < ai \ e wg Ss ee" Y pe Ce ai. Se ac i te G “&i ; LF ig y - LEO ss cf ™ ‘Stee ee A Nee <- J A, \Y Ge 4 Sie | | ar A, Z PRPSLN IES , RACAL eee . itHiae 2 Z ee LPT ri a ‘ : . ary ae ae , - ra 4 ait F Fe ne AS eet easy