No. 84. SCUTELLARIA. 81 



stimulant. In confirmed phthisis, it is only a palliative. 

 It must not be given to pregnant women, since it is 

 known to act on the uterus powerfully, and even cause 

 abortion j whence its use in amenorrhea. It may be 

 used in powder, electuary, pills, syrup, extract^ decoc- 

 tion, wine tincture, and common tincture ; but the 

 doses must be regulated by the cases : it loses much of 

 its strength by keeping, after powdering or preparing in 

 any way j but the dry roots keep very well. 



Although the roots alone are commonly used, the 

 leaves have some of the same properties, and are power- 

 ful, nay, deleterious stimulants. The farriers use them 

 in diseases of horses, to make them sweat, shed their 

 coat, &c. The seeds are violent narcotics, similar to 

 those of Stramonium^ producing fever, delirium, diluted 

 pupil, &c. They have been used as incitants, diapho- 

 retics, and diuretics, but are dangerous and deleterious- 

 They are seldom collected, although the roots are com- 

 monly collected in summer, when they are ripe. 



No. 84. SCUTELLARIA LATERIFLORA. 



_ ■ 



Name^. Officinal Scullcap* Fr. Toque lateriflora 

 Vulgar. Madweed, Hoodwort, Blue Pimpornel. 

 Classijfl Nat. Order of Labiate. Didynamia gjTn- 



nospermia L. 



Genus Scutellaria. Calyx bilabiate, persistent, up- 

 per lip with a lid covering the seeds like an operculum. 

 Corolla bilabiate, upper lip concave entire, lower tri- 

 lobe. Stamens cliclynamom. Four seeds in the closed 



calyx - 



Sp. Scutellaria lateriflora. L. Branched and smooth ; 



leaves petiolate and thin, ovate dentate, the lower ones 

 subcordate : racemes axillary, leafy- 



DESCRIPTION. Root perennial, fibrous, yellow. 

 Stem erect, one to three feet high, much branched, dif- 

 fuse, smooth, quadrangular : branches opposite divari- 

 cate. Leaves on long petioles^ thin or nearly membra- 

 naceous, opposite distichal, subcordate on the stem, 

 ovate on the branches, dentate, acute, somewhat rugose. 



