^ 



206 



All the varieties of Parlley have been long very generally cultlvat 1 



ill England/ and its frequent ufe for culinary purpofes renders 't 

 more familiar than moft of the plants w^hich our kitchen "-arden 

 produce. Both the roots and feeds of Pariley are direded 

 London College for medicinal ufe ; the former have a fweetifh tafte' 

 accompanied with a flight v^armth or flavour, fomewhat refemblirifr 

 that of a carrot : the latter are in tafle w^armer, and more aromatic 

 than any other part of the plant, and alfo manifefl confid 



bitternefs.^ In diftillation, three pounds yielded above an ounce of 

 ITentlal oil, a great part of wrhich funk in the fluid. Th 



7 g 



out little of their qualities by infufion in watery menllrua, but 

 readily impart all their virtue to " " ' 



redified fpirit. The roots, by dif- 

 tillation in water, were found to yield a very confiderable portion of 

 elTential oil, not above two or three drams from as many hundred 

 pounds of the root.' Thefe roots are faid to be aperient and diuretic, 

 'and have been employed in apozems, to relieve nephritic pains, afid 



_/ 



obflrudions of 



In this way they have been prefcribed 



Dr. Cullen without producing any diuretic efPed, and this he thinks 

 may m fome meafure be attributed to the lofs of their adive matter, 

 which they fuflain in boiling.'^ The feeds, like thofe of many other 



mbelliferous plants, poffels a fhare of aromatic and carminative 



power; but as this is inconfiderable they are now feldom employed.^ 



1 he bmifed leaves have been fuccefsfully ufed as a decutient poultice 



to various kinds of tumours.'^ Although Parlley is fo commonly 



ufed at table, it is remarkable that fads have been adduced to prove 

 Jhat in lonie conflitutions it occafions epilepfy, or at leafl aggravates 

 the epileptic fits in thofe who are fubjed to this difeafe.^ It has been 



luppoled alfo to produce inflammation in the eyes ^ • 



^LITmI^'mVI'' ^--: f^-M-^- i.A- Diiii. vide Jkon^s Hort. K 



l.ewis, Mat. Med. p. 499. c See Hoffman and others. ^ A^at. M.J ^^ rcn. 



chldref '' VidVr ^ ^ M- ^''^.i^^^^^Z^ondy ufed for deflroying c........ 



Children. Vide Con. Mich. Valentin! J,l. Nat. Cur. vol. i. p. 285. and Rofenfte 



Med. p. 159 



3•^533 



fucceeded 



de MTt'lTr^T. ^''\ f'- S":- ^'^- 3- ^. 3- A 78. And Marriotte in J««- 



f ^AnH il..^ Jl'Jl'f' ^^<"*> <■ '■ / 503- Anion's Led. on M. U 



RIBES RUBRUM^ 



vol. L p. ^2 1. And cited by Murray, 



