706 



ASTERACE^. 



[Epigynous Exogexs. 



kinds of Wormseed called Semen Ciuse levanticum, or Semen cinse in granis. It is col- 

 lected in the North-east of Persia. The A. alba, and other species, serve as nourish- 

 ment to the herds of the Kii'ghese and Calmucks. — Annales de Chem. 1. 49. The flower- 

 heads of A. caerulescens, a Mediterranean plant, are the anthelmintic known under the 

 name of Semen Seriphii, or Barbotine ; A. camphorata has a similar action, as also has 

 A. gallica, called in France Sanguerie or Sanguerite. The natui'e of Tansy, Tanacetum 

 vulgare, is not very different. 



The Achilleas, or ]\Iilfoils, have an ethereal oil and a bitter, resinous, astringent mat- 

 ter in theu' foliage. Achillea millifolium is highly astrmgent, and the Highlanders are 

 said to make of it an ointment, which dries and heals wounds. — Hooker Brit. Fl. p. 368. 

 The Achilleas setacea, nobilis, and others, are slightly stimulating and tonic. A. Age- 

 ratum, a South of Em-ope species, is a very powerful stimulant ; the French regard it 

 as a vulnerary, and call it Herbe au Cliarpentier. The Ptarmicas, formerly considered 

 Achilleas, are similar in their action. The heads of P. nana, atrata and moschata, are 

 used in the Swiss Alps as tea ; P. moschata is the basis of the aromatic liqueur called 

 Esprit d'lva ; of P. \nlgaris, the whole plant is pungent, provoking a flow of saliva ; its 

 dried leaves produce sneezing, but this is thought to be owmg to their sharp marginal 

 teeth ; the root is aromatic. 



The ethereal oil, so abundant in these plants, is sometimes acrid, sometimes bitter ; it is 

 more especially secreted in the flower-heads of many species, wliich are in that fonn 

 employed for various purposes. First among them ranks Chamomile ( Anthemis nobilis), 

 a plant abotmding on commons and similar wild places, where it is closely cropped by cat- 

 tle : it is a well knowTi stimulating tonic, and its warm infusion is employed to excite vomit- 

 ing. The flower-heads of Santolina fragrantissima are extremely fragi-ant when dry, 



and are sold in the shops of Cairo 

 as a substitute for Chamomile, 

 under the name of Babouny or 

 Zeysoum. Forskahl says the fresh 

 juice of the plant is applied in 

 affections of the eyes. IVIatricaria 

 Chamomilla and Pp'ethnim Par- 

 thenium (Feverfew) have a similar 

 action, but are not in general use ; 

 the smell of the latter is said to be 

 peculiai'ly offensive to bees, which, 

 it is added, may be easily kept at a 

 distance by carrying a handful of 

 the flower-heads. 



Others seem to be offensive to 

 other animals. We are assm-ed by 

 Prof. Cantraine that Chrysanthe- 

 mum Leucanthemum is a certain 

 remedy against fleas. The Bos- 

 nians place the plant in the bed of 

 domestic animals, and the fleas are 

 destroyed in a very short time. — 

 Bull.Ac.r.Brux,\\i\. 234. In some 

 cases the stimulating action is so 

 much increased as to assume au 

 acrid form. jSIainita foetida is a 

 weed, every part of which is foetid 

 and acrid, blistering the skin when 

 much handled ; its decoction is a 

 strong and active bitter, in the dose 

 of a tea-cupful producing copious 

 vomiting and sweating. With this 

 may be associated Anthemis tinc- 

 toria and Santolina Chamaecj'pa- 

 rissus, both obsolete remedies. In 

 some instances this same ethereal 

 oil acquires a remarkable pungency, 

 as in Anacyclus Pyrethrum, the 

 Pellitory of Spain, whose fleshy 

 root when fresh produces on the 



Fig. CCCCLXXVII. 



Fig. CCCCLXXVII.— Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum. 



