MEDICINAL PLANTS OF JAMAICA. ^ 211 



land, Jamaica, who first shewed me this plant, assured me 

 that he had often given a table-spoonful of the juice as a safe 

 and effectual vermifuge ; and that in some species of dropsy 

 it promotes a flow of urine, and cures the disease. The juice 

 is in great esteem amongst the Negroes, for the cure of go- 

 norrhoea and lues venerea. 



49. Eupatorium Dalea. 



This is frequent in the mountains of Jamaica. It is woody 

 and perennial, and about four feet high. The flowers are 

 yellow ; the seeds downy. 



The withered ears or leaves, just dried, have a most sweet 

 smell, nearly equal to the vanilla ; and we find them often 

 amongst the Spanish cigaroes, as a perfume, instead of va- 

 nilla. 



50. Fevillea scandens. — Cacoons. 



This is common in all waste lands and by the skirts of the 

 woods. It is a climbing vine, which runs on trees and bushes 

 for a great way, covering them like ivy. 



It has its male flowers on one vine, and the female on an- 

 other. The blossoms are small and yellow. The fruit is a 

 round calabash, containing about twelve large flat seeds or 

 nuts. When the fruit is ripe, the seeds fall out at the bottom, 

 from a round circular ring or trap-door. 



The cacoon tastes very bitter, and is oily. The common 

 people employ them as antidotes against vegetable and fish 

 poison, as well as in pains and weakness of the stomach. 



(I am so far from agreeing in this opinion, that I find the 

 disorder rapidly advances under its use, and that the patient 

 gets into a dropsy and dies. 



Pain in the stomach is a very prevalent disease in Jamaica, 

 and very little understood. Its seat is generally in the liver, 



o2 



