The Botanist's Companion Part 13

219. INULA Helenium. ELECAMPANE. Root. D.--Elecampane root possesses the general virtues of alexipharmics: it is princ.i.p.ally recommended for promoting expectoration in humoural asthmas and coughs; in which intention, it used to be employed in the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia: liberally taken, it is said to excite urine, and loosen the belly. In some parts of Germany, large quant.i.ties of this root are candied, and used as a stomachic, for strengthening the tone of the viscera in general, and for attenuating tenacious juices. Spiritous liquors extract its virtues in greater perfection than watery ones: the former scarce elevate any thing in distillation: with the latter, an essential oil arises, which concretes into white flakes; this possesses at first the flavour of the elecampane, but is very apt to lose it in keeping.

220. JUNIPERUS Sabina. SAVINE. The Tops. L. E. D.--Savine is a warm irritating aperient medicine, capable of promoting all the glandular secretions. The distilled oil is one of the most powerful emmenagogues; and is found of good service in obstructions of the uterus, or other viscra, proceeding from a laxity and weakness of the vessels, or a cold sluggish indisposition of the juices.

Similar Plants.--Juniperus oxycedrus; J. Phoenicea. These should be particularly distinguished, as Savine is attended with danger when taken immoderately.

221. JUNIPERUS communis. JUNIPER. Berries. L. E. D.--Juniper berries have a strong, not disagreeable smell; and a warm, pungent sweet taste, which, if they are long chewed, or previously well bruised, is followed by a bitterish one. The pungency seems to reside in the bark; the sweet in the juice; the aromatic flavour in oily vesicles, spread through the substance of the pulp, and distinguishable even by the eye; and the bitter in the seeds: the fresh berries yield, on expression, a rich, sweet, honey-like, aromatic juice; if previously pounded so as to break the seeds, the juice proves tart and bitter.

222. LACTUCA virosa. WILD LETTUCE. Leaves. E.--Dr. Collin at Vienna first brought the Lactuca virosa into medical repute; and its character has lately induced the College of Physicians at Edinburgh to insert it in the Catalogue of the Materia Medica. More than twenty-four cases of dropsy are said by Collin to have been successfully treated, by employing an extract prepared from the expressed juice of this plant, which is stated not only to be powerfully diuretic, but, by attenuating the viscid humours, to promote all the secretions, and to remove visceral obstructions. In the more simple cases proceeding from debility, the extract in doses of eighteen to thirty grains a-day, proved sufficient to accomplish a cure; but when the disease was inveterate, and accompanied with visceral obstructions, the quant.i.ty of extract was increased to three drams; nor did larger doses, though they excited nausea, ever produce any other bad effect; and the patients continued so strong under the use of this remedy, that it was seldom necessary to employ any tonic medicines.--Woodville's Med. Bot. p. 76.

Similar Plants.--Sonchus arvensis; Lactuca Scariola.

223. LAVANDULA Spica. LAVENDER. Flowers. L. D.--Lavender has been an officinal plant for a considerable time, though we have no certain accounts of it given by the ancients. Its medical virtue resides in the essential oil, which is supposed to be a gentle corroborant and stimulant of the aromatic kind; and is recommended in nervous debilities, and various affections proceeding from a want of energy in the animal functions.--Woodville's Med. Bot. p. 323.

224. LAURUS n.o.bilis. BAY-TREE. Leaves and Berries. L.--In distillation with water, the leaves of bay yield a small quant.i.ty of very fragrant essential oil; with rectified spirit, they afford a moderately warm pungent extract. The berries yield a larger quant.i.ty of essential oil: they discover likewise a degree of unctuosity in the mouth; give out to the press an almost insipid fluid oil; and on being boiled in water, a thicker butyraceous one of a yellowish-green colour, impregnated with the flavour of the berry. An infusion of the leaves is sometimes drunk as tea; and the essential oil of the berries may be given from one to five or six drops on sugar, or dissolved by means of mucilages, or in spirit of wine.--Woodville's Med Bot. p. 680, 681.

225. LAURUS Sa.s.safras. Sa.s.sAFRAS-TREE. Bark. L. E. D.--Its medical character was formerly held in great estimation; and its sensible qualities, which are stronger than any of the woods, may have probably contributed to establish the opinion so generally entertained of its utility in many inveterate diseases: for, soon after its introduction into Europe, it was sold at a very high price, and its virtues were extolled in publications professedly written on the subject. It is now, however, thought to be of very little importance, and seldom employed but in conjunction with other medicines of a more powerful nature.

Dr. Cullen found that a watery infusion of it taken warm and pretty largely, was very effectual in promoting sweat; but he adds, "to what particular purpose this sweating was applicable, I have not been able to determine." In some const.i.tutions sa.s.safras, by its extreme fragrance, is said to produce headache: to deprive it of this effect, the decoction ought to be employed.--Woodville's Mat. Med. p. 677.

226. LEONTODON Taraxic.u.m. N EBION. Root. L.--The roots contain a bitter milky juice; they promise to be of use as asperient and detergent medicines; and have sometimes been directed in this intention with good success. Boerhaave esteems them capable, if duly continued, of resolving almost all kinds of coagulations, and opening very obstinate obstructions of the viscera.

227. LINUM usitatissimum. FLAX. The Seeds. L. E.--Linseed yields to the press a considerable quant.i.ty of oil; and boiled in water, a strong mucilage: these are occasionally made use of for the same purposes as other substances of that cla.s.s; and sometimes the seeds themselves in emollient and maturating cataplasms. They have also been employed in Asia, and, in times of scarcity, in Europe, as food: but are not agreeable, or in general wholesome.

228. LINUM cathartic.u.m. PURGING-FLAX. The Herb. L. D.-This is a very small plant, not above four or five inches high, found wild upon chalky hills, and in dry pasture-grounds. Its virtue is expressed in its t.i.tle: an infusion in water or whey of a handful of the fresh leaves, or a dram of them in substance when dried, is said to purge without inconvenience.

229. LOBELIA siphylitica. BLUE CARDINAL FLOWER. The Root. E.--Every part of the plant abounds with a milky juice, and has a rank smell. The root, which is the part directed for medicinal use, in taste resembles tobacco, and is apt to excite vomiting. It derived its name, Siphylitica, from its efficacy in the cure of Siphylis, as experienced by the North American Indians, who considered it a specific to that disease.

A decoction was made of a handful of the roots in three measures of water. Of this, half a measure is taken in the morning fasting, and repeated in the evening; and the dose is gradually increased till its purgative effects become too violent, when the decoction is to be intermitted for a day or two, and then renewed till a perfect cure is effected. But it does not appear that the antisiphylitic powers of Lobelia have been confirmed by any instances of European practice.-- Woodville's Med. Bot. p. 251.

230. LYTHRUM Salicaria. WILLOW HERB. The Herb. D.--This is used internally in dropsies, obstinate gleets, and leucorrhoea.

Similar Plants.--Epilobium pal.u.s.tre; Epilob. angustifolium; Epilob.

hirsutum.

231. MALVA sylvestris. COMMON MALLOW. Herb. L. E.--The leaves are ranked the first of the four emollient herbs: they were formerly of some esteem, in food, for loosening the belly; at present, decoctions of them are sometimes employed in dysenteries, heat and sharpness of urine, and in general for obtunding acrimonious humours: their princ.i.p.al use is in emollient glysters, cataplasms, and fomentations.

232. MARRUBIUM vulgare. HORFHOUND. Herb. E. D.--It is greatly extolled for its efficacy in removing obstructions of the lungs and other viscera. It has chiefly been employed in humoural asthmas. Mention is made of its successful use in scirrhous affections of the liver, jaundice, cachexies, and menstrual suppressions.--Woodville's Med. Bot.

p. 333.

Similar Plants.--Ballota nigra; B. alba.

233. MELISSA officinalis. BALM. Herb. L. E.--This herb, in its recent state, has a weak roughish aromatic taste, and a pleasant smell, somewhat of the lemon kind. On distilling the fresh herb with water, it impregnates the first runnings pretty strongly with its grateful flavour. Prepared as tea, however, it makes a grateful diluent drink in fevers; and in this way it is commonly used, either by itself, or acidulated with the juice of lemons.--Woodville's Med. Bot. p. 335, 336.

234. MENTHA viridis. SPEAR-MINT. Leaves. L. D.--The virtues of Mint are those of a warm stomachic and carminative: in loss of appet.i.te, nauseae, continual retchings to vomit, and (as Boerhaave expresses it) almost paralytic weakness of the stomach, there are few simples perhaps of equal efficacy. In colicky pains, the gripes to which children are subject, lienteries, and other kinds of immoderate fluxes, this plant frequently does good service. It likewise proves beneficial in sundry hysteric cases, and affords an useful cordial in languors and other weaknesses consequent upon delivery. The best preparations for these purposes are, a strong infusion made from the dry leaves in water (which is much superior to one from the green herb) or rather a tincture or extract prepared with rectified spirit.

The essential oil, a simple and spirituous water, and a conserve, are kept in the shops: the Edinburgh College directs an infusion of the leaves in the distilled water. This herb is an ingredient also in the three alexitereal waters; and its essential oil in the stomach plaster and stomach pills.--Lewis's Mat. Med.

235. MENTHA Piperita. PEPPER-MINT. Herb. L. E. D.--The leaves have a more penetrating smell than any of the other mints, and a much warmer, pungent, glowing taste like pepper, sinking as it were into the tongue.

The princ.i.p.al use of this herb is in flatulent colics, languors, and other like disorders; it seems to act as soon as taken, and extends its effects through the whole system, instantly communicating a glowing warmth. Water extracts the whole of the pungency of this herb by infusion, and elevates it in distillation. Its officinal preparations are an essential oil, and a simple and spirituous water.

236. MENTHA Pulegium. PENNYROYAL. Herb. L. E. D.--Pennyroyal is a warm pungent herb of the aromatic kind, similar to mint, but more acrid and less agreeable. It has long been held in great esteem, and not undeservedly, as an aperient and deobstruent, particularly in hysteric complaints, and suppressions of the uterine purgations. For these purposes, the distilled water is generally made use of, or, what is of equal efficacy, an infusion of the leaves. It is observable, that both water and rectified spirit extract the virtues of this herb by infusion, and likewise elevate greatest part of them in distillation.--Lewis's Mat. Med.

237. MENYANTHES trifoliata. BUCK-BEAN. Leaves. L. E. D.--This is an efficacious aperient and deobstruent; it promotes the fluid secretions, and, if liberally taken, gently loosens the belly. It has of late gained great reputation in s...o...b..tic and scrophulous disorders; and its good effects in these cases have been warranted by experience: inveterate cutaneous diseases have been removed by an infusion of the leaves, drunk to the quant.i.ty of a pint a-day, at proper intervals, and continued some weeks. Boerhaave relates, that he was relieved of the gout by drinking the juice mixed with whey.

238. MOMORDICA Elaterium. SPIRTING CUc.u.mBER. Fruit L. E. D.--Elaterium is a strong cathartic, and very often operates also upwards. Two or three grains are accounted in most cases a sufficient dose. Simon Paulli relates some instances of the good effects of this purgative in dropsies: but cautions pract.i.tioners not to have recourse to it till after milder medicines have proved ineffectual; to which caution we heartily subscribe. Medicines indeed in general, which act with violence in a small dose, require the utmost skill to manage them with any tolerable degree of safety: to which may be added, that the various manners of making these kinds of preparations, as practised by different hands, must needs vary their power.

239. MORUS nigra. MULBERRY. Fruit. L.--It has the common qualities of the other sweet fruits, abating heat, quenching thirst, and promoting the grosser secretions; an agreeable syrup made from the juice is kept in the shops. The bark of the roots has been in considerable esteem as a vermifuge; its taste is bitter, and somewhat astringent.--Lewis's Mat.