168 Medical Botany. 



and white; that of the branches being uniformly ash-coloured, striated, and 



marked with fissures The flowers are pale blue, on simple, axillary, 



clustered stalks, shorter than the leaves," which are smooth, dark green, 

 opposite, and abruptly pinnate. The wood was first employed in medi- 

 cine by the natives of St. Domingo. Guaiac may be said to be a stimu- 

 lating medicine ; proving diaphoretic in a dose of a scruple or half a 

 drachm ; and purgative, in large doses. — ^'rbutus U'va ursi ; Ericas. A 

 pretty evergreen shrub, both of the old and new continents. The root is 

 perennial, long, and fibrous; the leaves not unlike those of the box ; and the 

 flowers are produced in June, and grow in small clusters at the extremities 

 of the branches. It has been much used as a diuretic for calculous affec- 

 tions, particularly when attended by purulent discharges. 

 No, XXlII.for November, contains 



92 to 95. — Citrus ilfedica, the Lemon Tree. Candied lemon peel is made 

 by boiling lemon peel with clarified syrup, and then exposing it to the air 

 till the sugar crystalHses. — Pyrola umbellata. Abundant in North Ame- 

 rica ; the most beautiful of all the genus, and lately celebrated in this coun- 

 try as a tonic and diuretic. — Coriandrum sativum. From the East, but 

 naturalised in some parts of Essex. The bruised seeds smell like the bug, 

 whence the name {koris, a bug) ; they are carminative and stomachic. — 

 Eugenfa caryophyllata. (See CaryophjUus aromaticus. Vol. III. p. 66. 

 fig. 27.) 



No. XXIV. for December, contains 



96 to 99. — Zingiber officinale. From Asia, but now cultivated in the 

 West India Islands, whence it is chiefly imported into Europe. Employed as 

 an adjunct to other remedies. — ^'nthemis Pyrethrum, Pellitory of Spain. 

 The root is a powerful stimulant, and, if applied in its recent state to the 

 skin, it produces inflammation like ilfezereon. Used for the toothache and 

 rheumatic affections. — Pastinaca Opoponax. A native of the Levant ; af- 

 fording, by incision of the root, the gum-resin called opoponax, an article 

 of httle medical value. — Rosa gallica, the powder of the petals of which 

 ai'e used as an elegant colouring matter to other medicines. 



No. XXV. for January, 1829, contains 

 99 to 10.". — i?6sa centifolia. A native of the south of Europe; the 

 petals of which are considered to be slightly laxative; and the syrup is often 

 mixed with a little almond oil, and given to children as a domestic medi- 

 cine. — iJosa canina. The most common ornament of our hedge-rows, and 

 universally admired for its beauty. The pulpy part of the hips of the dog- 

 rose, beat up with sugar, forms a confection, which sometimes enters into 

 the composition of demulcent electuaries. — Crocus sativus. This species 

 produces the saffron of the shops. — Myroxylon peruiferum. This, the 

 sweet-smelling balsam tree, yields the precious balsams of Peru and Tohi, 

 and is a native of the warmest provinces of Mexico and Peru. It is an ele- 

 gant branching tree, the branches extending almost horizontally, the leaves 

 alternate, and the flowers white, and springing from the scars of the young 

 branches. The Peruvian balsam has been prescribed as a remedy in paraly- 

 sis, chronic rheumatism, and leucorrhcea; and, combined with calomel, has 

 been efficacious for the tremors which arise from the noxious influence of 

 lead. — Polygala Senega. A hardy perennial from North America, but of 

 little beauty. The leaves are alternate, scattered, and lanceolate ; the flowers 

 are in loose, terminal spikes, generally white, and the stems are about a foot 

 high ; the root is sudorific and expectorant in small doses, and emetic and 

 cathartic in larger ones. — Polygala rubi^Ila. From South America, with 

 purple flowers in June and July, and scattered smooth leaves. It is a useful 

 tonic in small doses ; and, in large doses, operates as a cathartic, and ex- 

 cites diaphoresis. 



