No, 61. LYCOPUS. 29 



contain also a little tanniif, although they are scarcely 

 astringent, yet Schoepf says they dye black with vitrioL 

 PROPERTIES. The L. virginicus is an excellent 

 sedative, subtonic, subnarcotic, and subastringent. It 

 has only lately been taken notice of,^when the Z. rw^ 

 garis was extolled in Europe for fevers. Schoepf only 

 mentions its qualities, and it is omitted in all the books 

 of Materia Medica, except Ives and ZoHickoffer, The 

 first inquirers on its properties were Drs.^ Pendleton 

 and Rogers, of New York, who have published several 

 cases of, Hemoptysis and incipient phthisis cured by it. 

 This has been confirmed by Drs. J. M. Smith, Ives, 

 liawrence, and myself. It is now much used in New 

 York and New Jersey- The -svhole plant is employed; 

 it has a balsamic terebinthaceous smell, peculiar to itself, 

 when bruised, w^hich is stronger in the seeds. The taste 

 is pleasant, balsamic, and slightly bitter, but to some it 

 appears mawkish and nauseating- It is described as 

 partaking of the properties of tUgitalis^ Sanguinaria, 

 SotrophiSj and Spigelia; but it is neither emetic nor 

 anthelmintic, and is rather one of the mildest and best 

 narcotics in existence. It acts somewhat like Digita- 

 lis, and lowers the pulse, without producing any of its 

 bad effects, nor accumulating in the system. It is, 

 therefore, altogether preferable to it, and not only 

 an equivalent, but even a valuable substitute, as I have 

 ascertained upon myself and many others- Volumes have 

 been written on the Digitalis, a rank poison, and this 

 excellent substitute is hardly noticed yet. It has, how- 

 ever, been used in the New York Hospital, and found 

 very beneficial? it lessens the frequency of the pulse, 

 allays irritation and cou^h, by equalizing the blood. It 

 is said to be most useiul ^hen febrile excitement has 

 been subdued^ but I have seen it to subdue it by itself, 

 or with other tonics. I have made many experiments 

 on this plant, and the results are, that although it does 

 not cure the consumption, nor heal the lungs, it is very 

 useful in hemoptysis, a plethoric habit, and internal in- 

 flammation. I consider it as a very good substitute to all 

 narcotics, Prussic acid, and even to bleeding, since it 

 produces tlie same state of the pulse and arterial system, 



2 



