No. 98. GALIUM. ng 



r 



is laxative, but in full doses it purges the bile and cleans 

 the system of the morbid or superfluous bile, removing 

 the yellowness of the skin in jaundice and liver diseases. 

 The dose is a drachm of the powdered leaves 3 times 

 daily. The wine of it in small repeated doses, has nearly 

 the same effect, although neither so speedily nor vio- 

 lently. The Indians use a strong decoction of the whole 

 plant in eruptive diseases, biles, hemorrhoids, sores, &c. 

 Few plants promise to become more useful in skilful 

 hands 5 it ought to be tried in yellow fever and bilious 

 fevers, the tropical liver complant, &c. It may be ad- 

 ded to many wine bitters, and antibilious medicines. 



Tetrandrla mono- 



No. 98. GALIUM VERUM. 



Names. Common Cleavers. Fr. Caillelait commun. 

 Vulgar. Bedstraw, Cleave wort. Goose grass, Savoyan, 

 Clabbergrass, Milk sweet. Poor Robin, Gravel Grass. 



Classy^. Nat, Order of Rubiacea. 

 gynia L- 



Genus Galium. Calyx superior 4 toothed. Corolla 

 rotate 4 cleft. Stamens 4. Stigmas 2. Seeds 2 globose, 

 smooth or hispid, leaves in whorls. 



Sp. Galium Verwn. L. Stem erect j whorls common- 

 ly of 8 leaves, linear, grooved, scabrous ; flowers in 

 dense terminal panicle and yellow : seeds smooth- 



DESCRIPTION. Root perennial. Stem upright, 

 slender and weak, 1 or 2 feet high, somewhat branched, 

 angular. Leaves small sessile in whorls of 8, seldom 7 

 or 9, linear acute, grooved above, rough, often reflexed. 

 Flowers small in large terminal, dense and yellow pani- 

 cles, with small leaves interposed : each flower pedun- 

 culate, small calyx with 4 acute crowning the adherent 

 pistil. Corolla quite flat and rotate, with 4 spreading 

 acute segments. Stamens 4 short. Two short styles, 

 stigmas capitate. Fruit bipartible into two globular 

 smooth seeds. 



HISTORY. Tournefort called this genus Jparine^ 

 a very ^ood name, improperly changed to Galium by L. 

 too similar to ^11 itnni The species with rough seeds 



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