520 
The odour of this plant is very ftrong, and peculiarly ungrateful ; 
its tafte is warm and aromatic. It abounds with a yellowiih gummy 
refinous juice, very much refembling opoponax. Its virtues are 
fuppofed to be fimilar to thofe of angelica and mafterwort in expelling 
flatulencies, exciting fweat, and opening obftru&ions ; therefore chiefly 
ufed in hyfterical diforders, and in uterine obftru&ions. A teacupful 
of the juice with rheniih wine, or a deco&ion of the feeds with wine 
or mugwort water, was, by Foreftus,* faid to be a fecret remedy of 
extraordinary efficacy in flow or laborious parturition. The leaves, 
eaten as fallad, are accounted emmenagogue. b The root, which is 
lefs ungrateful than the leaves,, is faid to polfefs fimilar virtues, and 
may be employed in powder. 
See Foreft. lib. 28. obf. 32. in fchol. b Chomel. Ufuelles, t. 2. p. 216. 
f 
■ 
CUMINUM CYMINUM. CUMMIN 
1 
SYNONYMS. Cuminum. Pharm. Lond.& Edinb. Cuminum 
femine Iongiore. Bauh. Pin. p. 146. Cuminum fativum Diofcoridis. 
Gerard. Emac. p» 1066. Cyminum, five Cuminum fativum. 
/ 
.22. Raii Hift. p. 433. Cuminum vulgare. Park 
Tbeat. p. 887. Cuminum. Mor. Umb, 4. Hift. Oxon. Hup. 2 
Fcenieulum orientale, Cuminum didum. fourn. Injl. 312. Ii 
Rivin.. Peniap. t. 40.. 
ClaCs Pentandria. Ord. Digynia. Lin. Gen. Plant. 351* 
. Gen. Ch. Fruclus ovatus,. flriatus. Umbellula 4. Involucra 4-fida 
\ 
THE root is annual, fimple, fibrous: the Halk is round, (lender 
9 
otten procumbent, branched, and rifes about fix or eight inches in 
height : the leaves are numerous, narrow, linear, pointed, grafs-like :. 
the flowers are purple, and produced in numerous fmall umbels, 
which are ufually eompofed of four radii, each fupporting a partial 
umbel of a like number : the general and partial involucra confifl of 
four narrow pointed fegments : all the florets are fertile : the corolla 
is 
