138 



Notes on Medicinal Plants- 



The various '* Loco-weeds,'* Astragalus fnolissiimis, Terr., A. 

 lentiginosics, Dougl., A. Mortoni, Nutt., and other species of As- 

 tragalouSy with Oxytropus Laviberti, Pursh, have periodically 

 attracted notice in the medical press for many years. Of late 

 they have received considerable attention from experimenters. 

 The Homceopathic Recorder, in its issue of September last, 

 devotes eleven pages to a detailed account of experiments made 

 with the homoeopathic preparations of O, Laniberti, under the 

 direction of Prof. Wm, S. Gee, by five of his students, covering a 

 period of nearly three weeks. From the very first, an infinity of 

 symptoms were noted. We remember once taking, while col- 

 lecting in central Arizona, at a single experimental dose, many 

 times more than all these experimenters took in the course of 

 the entire three weeks, but without result except a slight nausea, 

 due to the unpleasant taste of the plant. Studies made at the 

 University of Pennsylvania have failed to find in the plants any 

 poisonous principle whatever, though it is admitted that their 

 long continued and excessive consumption produces important 

 destructive mental, followed by nutritive, changes in stock. 



ai, of Japan, reports the discovery in Ephedra vul- 

 garis. Rich., of the alkaloid Ephedrin, which is an efficient myd- 

 riatic. The American species are now being examined for the 

 presence of this compound. 



A new anthelmintic is the Mysinaceous plant Embelia Ribes, 

 Burm., of the East Indies- 



Lallemantia Iberica, F. 82: M., a very near relation of Ccdron- 

 ella, indigenous in Asia Minor, seems likely to become an im- 

 portant source of a new commercial oil. 



The Magnoliaceae are furnishing the market with a new febri- 

 fuge bark from Michelia Nilagirica, Zenk., of India. 



The Anchietea sahctaris, St. HiL, a violaceous vine of Brazil, 

 whose properties have long been known to the aborigines of its 

 own country, is attracting some attention In Europe, in the 

 treatment of diseases of mucous membranes. 



A species of Pterocarpiis, described by Aublet as Vatairea 

 Guianensis, is found to be of service in skin diseases. It would 



