Mother's Remedies Part 95

BETHROOT. Birth Root. Ground Lily. Lambs Quarter. Wake Robin. Indian Balm.

Three-Leaved Night-Shade. Trillium Purpureum.

Internally used for.--Astringent, tonic, antiseptic. For bleeding from lungs, kidneys and womb, for leucorrhea and for confinement. Also for diarrhea, nose-bleed.

Externally.--The root is used as a poultice for tumors, lazy ulcers, buboes, carbuncles, stings of insects.

Part used.--The root. This contains volatile oil, tannic acid, etc.

Gather.--In autumn.

Flowers (when).--In May and June.

Grows (where).--In middle western and southern states.

Prepared (how).--As a poultice, powder and infusion. Use one to one and one-half ounce of root to a pint of boiling water for infusion.

Diseases, Dose, etc.--For female weakness, bleeding, leucorrhea, and bearing down particularly, b.l.o.o.d.y urine, two to four ounces, of the strong tea, four times daily, and also used as an injection in leucorrhea, once daily. For bleeding from the lungs, one ounce every hour for a few doses.

For dysentery and diarrhea boil one ounce in a pint of milk and use two ounces every two to four hours. Powdered root, given in hot water, may be used in doses of one-half to one teaspoonful three times a day, instead of infusion. Taken after confinement, use the infusion four times a day, smell of the red bethroots.

[HERB DEPARTMENT 413]

BLACKBERRY. Dewberry or low blackberry. Red Raspberry.

Internally, used for.--Tonic and astringent, diarrhea, bleeding from the bowels and womb, injection for leucorrhea.

Externally, used for.--Gonorrhea, gleet.

Part used.--Leaves of the raspberry and the bark of the other two.

Flowers (when).--Spring.

Grows (where).--Almost everywhere.

Prepared (how).--Use one ounce of the leaves of raspberry or bark of either of the others, to a pint of water and boil to make a decoction.

Diseases, Dose, etc.--For diseases mentioned, such as diarrhea, take one tablespoonful every four hours. For injection use the decoction. This is used once daily for leucorrhea, gleet, gonorrhea, falling of the womb and bowel. Internally it is also used as a diuretic.

BLACK HAW. Viburnum Prunifolium.

Internally, used for.--Tonic, astringent, diuretic and alterative. Tonic for the womb, for threatened abortion and prevention of miscarriage. Good for severe after-pains, and for bleeding from the womb.

Part used.--Bark of the root.

Flowers (when).--From March to July.

Grows (where).--Most abundant in the middle states and southern.

Prepared (how).--As an infusion and tincture (or fluid extract). Prepare infusion by adding one ounce of bark of the root to a pint of boiling water.

Diseases, Dose, etc.--For threatened abortion or miscarriage use infusion three or four times daily, in two teaspoonfuls doses, a week or two before, it usually has occurred; or the tincture in ten to twenty drop doses five times daily. For bleeding from the womb take ten to twenty drops, four times daily, a few days before the time for the flow.

BLOOD ROOT. Red Puceoon. Red Root. Sanguinaria Canadensis.

Internally, used for.--Tonic, emetic, and for sick headache.

Externally, used for.--Ulcers, ringworms and warts.

Part used.--Root and should be kept dry.

Flowers (when).--Appears early in March and April.

Grows (where).--Most parts of United States in woods, groves, in shaded banks, in rich light soil.

[414 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

Prepared (how).--An Infusion and powder. For an infusion one ounce to one pint of vinegar.

Diseases, Dose, etc.--Dose of powder as an emetic, ten to twenty grains.

Dose of infusion as an emetic one to four teaspoonfuls: For ringworm, tetter and warts, it is applied locally, freely. Applied to ulcers and growths, it often cures, and removes the growths. As a tonic for the stomach, the dose should be small, one to one and one-half teaspoonful of the infusion four times daily, and for sick headache it should be half as much and not repeated oftener than twice, a half hour apart.

BLUE FLAG. Flower de Luce. Flag Lily. Snake Lily. Liver Lily. Iris Versicolor.

Internally, used for.--Chronic liver troubles, sick or bilious headache, cathartic, catarrh of the upper bowel, jaundice, round worms, indigestion, chronic rheumatism.

Part used.--The root. Make a tincture immediately or dry it quickly before the fire, clean, powder, and bottle tight for use.

Gather.--In the fall. It must be kept fresh.

Flowers (when).--May or June.

Grows (where).--Found in all parts of the United States, growing in wet places, in meadows and borders of swamps. Prepared (how).--In powder, tincture or fluid extract. They can all be bought.

Diseases, Dose, etc.--As a cathartic, five to twenty grains of powder. If it nauseates, mix with it a few grains of capsic.u.m or ginger. Dose of saturated tincture, ten to sixty drops. Fluid extract, twenty to sixty drops. For sick headache one drop doses every hour. For chronic liver troubles, five to ten drops of tincture, four times daily. Same dose for all chronic diseases. For round worms, large doses must be used, enough to move the bowels. Following is good for indigestion and biliousness: Fluid extract of blue flag and golden seal each; one-half ounce, simple elixir, one ounce. Take a dessertspoonful in hot water, before meals.

BONESET.--Thoroughwort. Fever Wort. Sweating Plant. Cross Wort. Indian Sage. Ague Weed. Vegetable Antimony. Eupatorium Perfoliatum.

Internally, used for.--Ague, malarial fevers, influenza, colds, tonic, cathartic.