

is- 



^ 



If 



2 



47 



This plant has a place in the Materia xMedica of the Edinburgh 

 Pharmacopoeia only on account of its roots, which abound with a 

 glutinous Hiiny juice, of a fweetifli taiie j to the fmell they are fiiint,. 

 and fomcwhat unpleafant. • 



This mucilaginous or gelatinous quality of the Orchis root has 

 recommended it as a demulcent, and it has been generally employed 

 with the fame intentions and in the fame com.plaints as the root of 

 althaea and gum arabic, both of \vhich vie have alreadv noticed. 





Salep, which is imported here from the Eaft, and formerly held in 

 great eftimation, is now well known to be a preparation of the root of 

 Orchis il which was hrfl fiiggefted byMr. J. Miller, jand ^ 

 of preparing it have been fnice propofed and'pradifed : of thefe the 

 lateft and m.ofl approved is that by Mr. Mault, of Rochdale,' vvhich 

 vs^e ihall tranfcribe from the words of Dr. Percival ' who follows Mr. 



fc> 



the cultivation of a plant in Britain wh 



i 



IVlaiilt in recomm,endii 



promifes to afford fo ufeful and wholefom.e a fo 



Dr. Percival fays, " Mr, Mault has lately favoured the public with 

 a new manner of curing the Orchis root, and as I have ken many 

 fpecimens of his Salop, at leaft equal if not iuperior to any brought 

 ii-om the Levant, I can recommend the following, which is his p 

 from my own knowledge of its fuccefs. The new root is to be ^ 



? 



aihed 



in water, and the fine brown &in which covers it is to be feparated 

 by means of a fmall brufh, or by dipping the root in hot water, and 



bbing it with a coarfe linen cloth. When a fdfficient numJjer of 



f 



roots have been thus cleaned, they are to be fpread on a tin plate,. 

 and placed in an oven heated to the ufual degree, where they are to 

 remain fi^x or ten minutes, in which time they will have loft their 

 milky v^hiteneis, -and acquired a traniparency like horn,. without any 



dmiinutioii of bulk. Being arrived at this flate, they are to b 



d, in order to dry and harden in the air, which will 



r 



qui 



^ 



Orchis mafcula, though the chief, is not the only Tpecie^ from which the Salep is, 



prepared. • . • • • . ._ 



t Jofeph Miller (Bjjtan.- ofpc. 1722. p. 385) to v/hich we may add the names of 

 heha and H,iJ},r. This was firft confirmed by Buxbaum (Plant, nw:. co^n. Cent. % p. c/) 

 ^^^ Murray, J^,. Med. vol. s- f- 2?^0. ^ '^ ■ ^ ■ or.-i-^ 



1^ 



a 



See P/;/7. Tranf. vol. 59. p. 1. 



No.' I a 



^* 



'' Percival's E%s Med. h Exper. vol. ii. p. 39, 



R 



feveral - 



J 



