MENTHA VIRIDIS. ORD. XIX. ‘Verticillate. $41 
fore less employed as a cephalic; but it acts very powerfully on 
‘the parts to which it is immediately applied, and therefore con- 
siderably on the stomach, invigorating all its functions. It acts 
especially as an antispasmodic, and therefore relieves pains and 
cholic depending upon spasm, It will also stop vomiting, depend- 
ing upon such a cause; but there are many cases of vomiting in 
which it is of no service: and in these cases, anywise depending 
upon inflammatory irritation in the stomach itself, or in other parts 
of the body, it aggravates the disease, and increases the vomiting. 
Practitioners hive shousht, and I think justly, that the infusion of 
mint in warm water, agrees better with the stomach than the 
distilled water, which is often somewhat empyreumatic.”’ 
Lewis observes,’ “ that it is said by some to prevent the coagula- 
tion of milk; and hence it has been recommended to be used along 
with milk diets, and even in cataplasms and fomentations for resol- 
ving coagulated milk in the breasts: upon experiment, the curd of 
milk, digested in a strong infusion of mint, could not be perceived 
to be any otherwise affected than by common,water; but milk, in 
which mint leaves were set to macerate, did not coagulate near so 
soon as an equal quantity of the same milk kept by itself." 
The officinal preparations of Spear-mint are an essential oil, a 
conserve, a simple water, and a spirit, : 
: Cullen, M. M. vol. ii. p.149. 4 Lic. 
¢ We are told, that ‘* when cows have eaten the mentha arvensis, as they will 
do largely at the end of summer, when the pastures are bare, and hunger distresses 
them, their milk can hardly be made to yicld cheese; a circumstance which some— 
times puzzles the dairy-maids.” With. l. c. 
No. 29,—vo1. 3. AR 
