J£1V INTRODUCTION". 



If the bee can suck nectar from poisonotis planfSjr 

 why should not man discover their properties, and 

 derive benefit by employing them as remedies for 

 ills ? " In for^nica non modo sen-sus^ sed eiiofn 7nenSy 

 ratio^ et memorta." What vast medicinal treasures 

 do the varied productions of the Himalaya Moun- 

 tains offer to the inhabitants of India ! Could they 

 be made to appreciate their value, how readily would 

 they employ them. 



As the efficacy of a medicine depends upon its 

 being properly prepared, I advise physicians in India 

 to keep such plants as the Ranunculaceae (which 

 grow abundantly in the Himalaya Mountains 

 and in the valley of Cashmere, and which contain 

 volatile substances) in well-closed vessels. They 

 ought to be prepared on the spot, either as an 

 essence, or, as as a conserve, and kept in a temperate 

 place, secure from the decomposing rays of 

 the sun. The supply should also be renewed once 

 a year, at least. Such precautions are absolutely 

 necessary, if we really desire to attain our object. 

 Dried herbs, from the apothecary or druggist, are of- 

 ten ineflfectual, from being old and spoiled. It must 

 not, however, be inferred, that the volatile parts 

 alone are valuable ; brewers, from long experience, 

 consider old hops more powerful than new ; and as- 

 arabacca acts in its fresh state as an emetic, and 

 when old as a purgative. 



Much depends upon the soil in which plants grow, 

 as also on the climate. " Diffcre qiioque pro natiira 

 locorum genera inedLcinae!' Celsus Med. Libr. 

 proefat. 



Thus, Cannabis Indica grows higher, stronger, 

 and more lu.xuriantly in Cashmere than in the plains 



