too, Eleutherine bulbosa (D. Taylor 30, Tridaceae) is 
‘* |. used as acure for irregular menstruation and meno- 
pause’. In Peru, L/. plicata (". Woythowsht 5744) pro- 
duces bulbs from which a decoction is made for treating 
hemorrhages. Bulbostylis capillaris (W. A. Archer 4931, 
Gramineae) from Paraguay is ‘‘Sold by herb dealers in 
market at Asuncién. . .as blood purifier in female dis- 
orders’. In El Salvador, Polypremum procumbens (Dr. 
A. Van Severen s.n., Loganiaceae) is believed to be a 
‘‘Remedy for ‘metritis’ ” 
There are three Mexican Compositae of interest: Hap- 
lopappus spinulosus (Dr. Gregg 6) over a century ago 
was decocted for ‘‘. . . disorders of uterus detention of 
eatamenia’’. Mranseria ambrosioides (H.S. Gentry 1336) 
was used as recently as 1935 for ‘‘female trouble’’, the 
roots being cooked in water. In the same year, it was 
reported of Viguiera montana (H. S. Gentry 1288) that 
‘VV omen put leaves on stomach to cause menses to flow, 
‘por sale la sangre’ ” 
Perhaps of greater interest to students of fertility are 
those few species which are claimed directly to be able 
to control human reproduction. These species represent 
the sixth largest category of ethnogynecological notes. 
They are included at this point, out of sequence, because 
of their relationship with the two foregoing categories. 
One might cite here Vochysia lomatophylla (I. Woyt- 
kowshi 6021, Vochysiaceae), collected in Peru in 1960: 
‘* |. perhaps used by Campa tribe as contraceptive ?”’ 
In the Compositae, Tostephane heterophylla (H. S. Gen- 
try 6349) was reported from Mexico in 1941 to have 
tuberous roots ‘‘... decocted for medicine; makes 
women fertile”’. 
The fifth largest category of ethnogynecological notes 
is made up of plants administered during labor, or in 
childbirth. To here, all examples cited have come from 
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