No. 60. LOBELIA. 23 



HISTORY. The genus Lobelia is dedicated to Lo- 

 bel, an old botanist It contains a great variety of 

 species, fifteen of which grow in the United Statesj 

 many are handsome ornamental plants. This species is 

 not such, but has very important qualities. It grows all 

 over the United States in fields and woods, blossoming 

 from July to November ; the flowers are very small, but 

 singular^ when broken, a milky acrid juice is emitted; 

 the root is fibrous, yellowish white, acrid and nauseous: 

 it is biennial, throwing out the first year only a few ra- 

 dical roundish leaves. When horses and cattle eat it, 

 they are salivated, producing what is commonly called 

 the Slavers, which debilitates them, and for which cab- 

 bage leaves are said to be a remedy. I was informed 

 that some horses eat it on purpose to medicate them- 

 fielves; several Euphorbias produce the same effect. It 



produces many varieties, such as — 1. Simplex* 2. Ela^ 

 tior* 3. Jilbijlora. 4. Aigustifolia, &c. 



PROPERTIES. One of the most powerful and effi- 

 cient emetic, narcotic, expectorant, anti-spasmodic, su- 

 vorific, diuretic, anti-asthmaic, and sialagogue. It con- 



tains an acrid principle, caoutchoue, and extractive, ac- 

 cording to Dr. Bigelow. In its effects it acts very much 

 like tobacco, but the action is more speedy, diffusible, 

 *nd shortj besides, affecting even those who are accus* 

 tomed to tobacco. The herbalist, Samuel Thompson, 

 claims in his guide of health to have discovered the pro- 

 perties of this plant towards 1790; but the Indians knew 

 sotne of themj it was one of their puke weeds, used by 

 them to clear the stomach and head in their great coun- 

 cils. Its medical properties have since been confirmed 

 and elucidated by Doctors Cutler, Dorsey, Thatcher, 

 Bigelow, Barton, Bradstreet, Randall, Eberle, &c. It 

 is now extensively used, although many physicians con- 

 sider it as a deleterious narcotic, uncertain and dange- 

 rous in practice: while Thompson denies it, and consi- 

 ders it as harmless, depending almost altogether upon it 

 in his new and singular practice of medicuie, borrowed 

 chiefly from the steaming and puking practice of the 

 Indian tribes. The whole plant is used, but the most 

 powerful part are the seeds, as in Hyosdamus. The 

 medical effects are speedy and very powerful, but va- 



