(S4 ARZSTOZiOCHZA. No.l^ 



Spruce : and a warm bitterish pungent taste. It 

 contains pure camphor, a resin, a bitterish extractive, 

 and a strong essential oil. By distillation a pearly 

 fluid is produced. By infusion in alcohol, it gives a 

 yellow or green tincture ; and in water a brown li- 

 quor : the tincture is most powerful. By decoction 

 or distillation much of its active principles evaporate. 



PROPERTIES— Diaphoretic, tonic, anodyne, an- 

 tispasmodic, cordial, antiseptic, vermifuge, exanthe- 

 matic, alexitere, and a powerful stimulant of the whole 

 system. It was first introduced into Materia Medica 

 as a remedy against snake bites, whence its name, and 

 was used as such by the Indians, with many other 

 plants : it acts then as a sudorific and antiseptic. It 

 is useful in the low stage of fevers to support strength 

 and allay irregular actions : too stimulant in infiam- 

 matory fevers and disorders ; but an excellent auxili- 

 ary to Peruvian bark and other tonics in interniit- 

 tents, enabling the stomach to bear them, and increas- 

 ing their effects. In remittent fevers it is preferable 

 to bark. It is deservedly a popular country remedy 

 in infusion, for pleurisy, exanthems, cachexia, catarrh 

 rheumatism, &c. acting as a sudorific. In bilious 

 pleurisy it has been found highly serviceable : in 

 Hous complaints it checks vomiting and tranquillizes 

 the stomach. In typhus and typhoid pneumonia it 

 has beneficial effects, promoting perspiration, check- 

 ing mortification, and abating the symptoms. 



Thus the Snakeroot may be deemed an active and 

 valuable medicine, it is often associated with other to- 

 nics, and camphor, opium, valerian, &c. to increa?* 



> 



hi 



t 





L 



