16G MEDICINAL AND POISONOUS PLANTS 



in the root of the Hcorice plant (Fig. 162) is a bitter-sweet, 

 yellowish compound forming a jelly with water. 



The astringents present in vegetable drugs, or extracted 

 from them, are various tannins, significant properties of 

 which have already been described in section 57. As ex- 

 amples of drugs used more or less for their astringency may 





Fig. 158. — Marshmallow (Althwa officinalis. Mallow Family, Malvacecp). 

 Flowering top. (Baillon.) — A perennial herb about 1 m. tall, downy 

 throughout; leaves pale purplish; fruit dry. Native home, Eastern 

 Europe. 



here be mentioned the root of rhubarb (Fig. 163) and the 

 Imrk and leaves of witch-hazel (Fig. 164), from l)oth of which 

 fluid extracts and other medicinal preparations are obtained. 

 As examples of fired oils much used in medicine for their 

 lubricating or soothing effect, there are in common u.se the 



