95-2 
in turn reflexes, disclosing the fruit as a beautiful, white, globular, feathery head, 
exposing upon its coronate receptacle the ripe seeds ready to be dissipated and 
wafted to new fields by the first summer zephyr that passes by. 
Tufts of this plant are eagerly gathered by the poor, in early spring, and 
cooked, furnishing thus an excellent and palatable pot-herb; they are also in many 
localities bleached like, and used in lieu of, endive,* as a salad. The leaves are 
eaten raw or cooked by the Digger and Apache Indians, who value them so highly 
that they scour the country for many days’ journeys in search of sufficient to appease 
their appetites. So great is their love for the plant, that the quantity consumed 
by a single individual exceeds belief} In many parts of Europe, especially in 
Germany, the dried roots “are roasted and substituted for coffee by the poorer 
inhabitants, who find that an infusion prepared in this way can hardly be dis- 
tinguished from that of the coffee berry.” { 
Taraxacum has been used in medicine from ancient times; it is one of those 
drugs, overrated, derogated, extirpated, and reinstated time and again by writers 
upon pharmacology, from Theophrastus’ apéxn and xvyopioy to the present day. 
It has been considered as a mild detergent, aperient, and diuretic ; Bergius recom- 
mends it in hepatic obstruction, hypochondriasis, and icterus; and many authors 
give it repute in dropsy, pulmonic tuberculosis, various skin disorders, gastric 
derangements, biliary calculi, incipient visceral scirrhus, etc., etc. Children often 
play with the scapes at making chains, bracelets and “curls.” The curls are formed 
as follows: A split is started in four directions at the smaller end of a scape, into 
which the tongue is deftly and gradually inserted, causing a slow separation 
into sections that curl backward, revolutely, being kept up to their form by the 
tongue, when the scape is curled to the end it is drawn several times through 
the operator's mouth and partially uncurled into graceful ringlets. In its manu- 
facture a child usually gets full benefit of the milky, bitter juice, and, if susceptible, 
verifies the common name of the plant as applied in England: . . . guast lectminga 
et urinaria herba dicitur—plus lott derivat in vesicam gudm pueruli retinendo sunt, 
preasertim inter dormiendum, edque tunc imprudentes et inviti stragula permingunt§ — 
Taraxacum is officinal in the U.S. Ph., its preparations being: Lxtractum 
Taraxact and Extractum Taraxaci Fluidum. The same preparations are offici- 
nal in Eclectic pharmacopeeias, also Decoctum Taraxact, and Pilule Taraxact 
Composite.|| : 
PART USED AND PREPARATION.—The fresh root, gathered in March, 
July or November, is chopped and pounded to a pulp and pressed out in a piece 
of new linen. The expressed juice is then, by brisk agitation, mingled with an 
equal part by weight of alcohol. This mixture is allowed to stand eight days 
in a dark, cool place. 
The tincture, separated from the above mass by filtration, should have a light 
orange color by transmitted light, a bitter, somewhat acrid taste, and an acid 
reaction. 
* Cichorium endiva. {~ Murray Ae Med., p. 107. 
t Dodge, U. S. Agric. Rep., 1870, p. 423. @ Raitt Hist. Pl., p. 244. 
|| Sanguinaria, Podophyllin, Taraxacum, and Mentha viridis, 
