SISYMBRIUM NASTURTIUM. ORD, XXIII. Siliquose. 399 
oval leafits, which commonly fall off by the expansion’ of the 
flower: the stamina are six, four long and two short, and furnished 
with simple antherz: the style is short, with an obtuse stigma, 
the germen is long, slender, and becomes a crooked pod, which 
contains small round seeds. It is a native of Britain, and grows 
commonly in brooks and stagnant waters. 
** The leaves of the Water-cresses have a moderately pungent 
taste, emit a quick penetrating smell, like that of mustard-seed, but 
much weaker. Their pungent matter is taken up both by watery 
and spirituous menstrua, and accompanies the aqueous Juice, 
which issues copiously upon expression: it is very volatile so as to 
arise,* in great part, in distillation, with rectified spirit, as well as 
with water, and almost totally to exhale in drying the leaves, or 
inspissating by the gentlest heat to the consistence of an extract, 
either the expressed juice, or the watery or spirituous tinctures. 
Both the inspissated juice, and the watery extract, discover to the 
taste a saline impregnation, and in keeping throw up crystalline 
efflorescences to the surface. On distilling considerable quantities 
of the herb with water, a small proportion of a subtile volatile 
very pungent oil is obtained.”® 
_ Water-cresses obtain a place in the Materia Medica for their anti- 
‘scorbutic qualities, which have been long very generally acknow- 
ledged by physicians. They are also supposed to purify the blood 
and humours, and to open visceral obstructions ;* they are nearly 
allied to scurvy-grass, but are more mild and pleasant, and for this 
reason are frequently eaten as sallad. In the pharmacopeeias the 
juice of this plant is directed with that of scurvy-grass and Seville 
oranges; and Dr. Cullen has remarked, that the addition of acids 
renders the juices of the plantz siliquosz more certainly effectual, 
by determining them more powerfully to an acescent fermentation.* 
@ This volatile matter has been erroneously vattributed to an alkaline or 
alkalescent quality of the plant. 
b Lewis Mat. Med. 
© Hoffman and Haller thought highly of its powers in this way, | * Mat, Med, 
