This isan American plant growing on the sea shore, and 
-_tainous situations, and is sometimes cultivated in gardens, _ pos- 6 
ae ate prmensbe ss I of acrimony, and by distillation fragt 
et. oil is obtained, the smell of which i ae 
= water. Il of which is so strong as to make the x2 
“The fresh plant is a gentle stimulant and diuretic, and is chiefly _ 
oe 2 gente samusant - , and is ¢ 
- used in the cure of the sea scurvy. It is employed externally as@ ; 
gargle in sore throat and scorbutic affections of the and mouth. 
It may be eaten in substance to any quantity, or the jui 
‘ 
SENECA Swakenoor.. Polygala Senegd. The root. 
ed 
. 
Seneca is a perrennial plant, which abounds in nearly all the Uni- 
-ted States, particularly in Virginia and Pennsylvania. .The ste 
foot-stalks; flowers J, white, and |! 
"the thickness of the little finger Vv iy and conte 
- appears as if composed of joints, whence it is supposed to” 
- the tail of the rattlesnake. : : ome 
This root was introduced nearly an hundréd years since, first 
_ in Virginia, and particularly as a specific for the cure of the 
- bite of the rattlesnake. It is an active stimulus, and increases the 
force of the circulation, especially in the pulmonary vessels. It is. 
therefore found useful in typhoid inflammation of the lungs, but is 
apt to disorder the stomach, and induce diarrhea. Some have em- 
_ ployed it in dropsy with success. -There are examples of its occa- 
- sioning a plentiful discharge by stool, urine, and perspiration ; and — 
by this means removing the disease after the common diuretics and _ 
~ hydragogues had failed. Lon thiie Sear ee 
> It sometimes induces salivation, and possesses diuretic, emetic, 
cathartic, expectorant, and diaphoretic powers. It is of great utility 
as a remedy for that fatal disease, the croup, when it should be giver 
_ in decoction ; the strength must be determined by the physician : 
__ it must be so strong as to act sensibly on his own mouth and throat, ~ 
_ in exciting coughing. Half an ounce of the root of seneca, sim- 
mered in a close vessel, in half a pint of water till it is reduced to 
four ounces, will be sufficiently strong, in most cases. -.A tea-spoon- _ 
ful of this to be given every hour or half hour, as the ur en = 
‘symptoms may demand ; and during these intervals, a fer 
- €asionally, to keep up asensible action of medicine i the 
throat, until it acts as an emetic and cathartic. Byt 
the course of two, four, six or eight hours, @ 
discharged by the mouth, one, two, or. hr 
- Seneca has been usefully employed 2 
catarrhs to promote expectoration. 1 
eae 
nbrane is often times” 
inches in length 
