VALERIAN 339 



rheas connected therewith. The mucilaginous qual- 

 ities render the powdered bark peculiarly adapted to 

 the making of poultices, and in this direction it was 

 known to all the early settlers of America, and was by 

 them introduced to the medical profession. 



UVA URSI (Bearberry) 



Official in every edition of U. S. P., from 1820 to 1910. 



Bearberry, uva ursi, (Arctostaphylos Uva ursi) (Lin- 

 ne"), which takes its name from the fact that its berries 

 are eaten by the North American bear, is a low ever- 

 green shrub, common to the northern countries of Eu- 

 rope and America. The leaves, which are used in medi- 

 cine, are an article of commerce in the northern sec- 

 tions of Europe, America, and some parts of Asia. 

 Being used in tanning, in Sweden and Russia, according 

 to Rafinesque (535), they established the well-known 

 "Russia" leather. The astringent leaves were once 

 highly valued in Europe, but have since fallen into 

 disuse. The domestic employment of the drug intro- 

 duced it to American medicine, Drs. Wistar, Barton 

 (43) and Bigelow (69) recommending a decoction of it 

 as a wash for leucorrhea and as an injection in gonor- 

 rhea and catarrh of the bladder. For these purposes, 

 as based on its domestic employment, the plant has its 

 professional record, but it has never been very impor- 

 tant. 



VALERIAN (Valerian) 

 Official in all editions of U. S. P., from 1820 to 1910. 



The herbaceous perennial Valeriana officinalis is 

 found throughout Europe from Spain to Iceland, ex- 

 tending also from the Crimea over northern Asia into 

 China. It not only grows wild, but in England espe- 



