BOTANIC MATERIA MEDICA, 63 
is a native of Europe, but now found in all the 
sub-tropical countries of the world. It attains 
a height of from 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cen- 
timeters) with a stalk of a brown-red color, 
somewhat wrinkled, surrounded by a tuft of 
fleshy leaf stalks, the inflorescence clustered; 
heads many, corolla pink, many seeded. The 
root is from 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) 
long, and 1 inch (25 millimeters) in diameter, 
with many thread-like rootlets, having a num- 
ber of withered scales near the summit, The 
root contains, according to analysis, muczlage, 
sugar, tannin, inulin and an extractive matter, 
a glucoside and oil. Its medicinal properties 
are feebly aperient; there is no recognized prep- 
aration of it, though a fluid extract is always to 
be found in the stores, the dose of which is 15 
to 60 drops; but is not often prescribed. The 
common names are burdock, clotbur and bat- 
weed. The name is supposed to be derived from 
the Greek words arcfos, a bear, and /adein, to 
lay hold of, from the shaggy and tenacious char- 
acter of its fruit. 
Ligusticum Levisticum, Lovage Levisti- 
cum, officinale.—Natural order Umbellifere. 
This perennial plant is a native of Southern 
Europe, and is cultivated in Liguria, hence the 
name Ligusticum. This plant attains the height — 
of from 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1%4 meters), and bears 
yellow terminal flowers in umbels; leaves ter- 
nate and compound; the root is 6 inches (15 cen- 
timeters) long and from 1 to 3 of aninch (4 cen- 
timeters) in diameter, having two or more heads, 
annulated and having a number of branches 
from the main root, 6 or 8 inches (15 to 20 cen 
