BUTTERFLY WEED. 63 
The root of the Butterfly weed when dry is 
brittle and easily reduced to powder. Its taste is 
moderately bitter, but not otherwise unpleasant. 
Its most abundant 'soluble portions are a bitter ex- 
tractive matter and fiecula. No evidence of as- 
tringency is afforded on adding solutions of isin- 
glass or copperas, and hardly any traces of resin 
on adding water to alcohol digested on the root. 
The decoction afforded a flaky precipitate to alco- 
hol; when the infusion did not. Boiling water 
may be considered the proper menstruum for this 
~ plant. pss (ut 
»- 'Phis fine vegetable is eminently intitled to the 
attention of physicians as an expectorant and dia- 
phoretic. It produces effects of this kind with 
great gentleness, and without the heating tenden- 
ey which accompanies many vegetable sudorifics. 
Tt has been long employed by practitioners in the 
Southern States in pulmonary complaints, particu- 
larly in catarrh, pneumonia and pleurisy, and has 
aequired much confidence for the relief of these 
inaladies. It appears to be an expectorant pecu- 
liarly suited to the advanced stages of pulmonary 
inflammation, after depletion has been carried to 
the requisite extent. Dr. Parker of Virginia, as 
cited by Dr. Thacher, having been in the habit of 
employing this root for twenty fiye years, consid- 
