295 



THE root IS perennial, long, tapering, branclied, externally 



x;v;rmkled and brown, ^internally yellowifh : the ftenis are flender, 



ro 



mo 



und, branched, trailing, and ufually exceed a foot in length : the 



heart-ihaped, obtufe, entire, veined, of a pale green colour, 

 and placed alternately upon round footftalks, which are about the 

 length of the leaves : the flowers are folitary, and ftaiid upon pedun- 

 cles which arife clofe to the leaf-ftalks : the corolla forms a 

 regular tube than that of the Serpentaria, and is tongue-fliaped at the 

 extremity : the other parts of fruclification are fimilar to thofe de- 

 fcribed of Serpentaria. It is a native of the South of Europe, and 

 flowers from June till Odober. 



The medicinal charader of Ariftolochia was formerly in great 

 repute, and phyficians very generally employed various fpecies of the 

 nt. Thofe received into our pharmacopoeias, were i. Ariftolochia 

 ga. 2, A. rotunda. 3. A. tenuis or clematitis of Linn^us. But 

 the roots of thefe plants have for a long time been gradually fallinp; 



into difufe, and at prefent, we believe, are rarely if ever prefcribed : 

 they are all expunged from the Mat. Med. of the London Pharmaco- 

 poeia, but in that of the Edinburgh the laft fpecies is ftill retained, and 

 therefore, according to our plan, it might have been figured here ; but 

 as thefe different fpecies are generally allowed to be fimilar in their 

 medicinal qualities, we truft that the firfl, which is the moft rare and 

 carious, will be found the moft acceptable to our readers. 



All the Birthwort roots have fomewhat of an aromatic fmell, and 

 a warm bitterifti tafte. That of the long and round fpecies, on firft 

 being chewed, fcarcely difcover any tafte, but in a little time prove 

 naufeoully bitter, accompanied with a flight degree of pungency. 



They give out their virtue, by infufion, both to fpirituous and 

 watery menftrua ; to the firft moft perfedly. In diftillation, pure 

 fpirit brings over little or nothing : with water there arifes, at leaft 

 from the flender-rooted fort, a fmall portion of eiTential oil, pofl^eflTmg 

 the fmell and flavour of the roots." 



The virtues which the ancients afcribed to Ariftolochia were very 

 couliderable, and it was confequently employed in various difeafes, 



Lewis, M. M. p. 112. 



No. 



22 



4 F particularly 



