12 MEDICINAL PLANTS, 



rheumatism, menstrual obstructions, herpetic eruptions, &c of 

 which Thuuberg gives a particular relation*. 



The dose is from two to six and even twelve drops, 



section xxvnr 



Assa-Fcetida Plant, 

 Ferula as^afcEtida. Wild, 



The ferula or fennel genus comprises nine or ten known species, 

 of which the assafcetida is one, though there is a doubt as to which 

 and it is ingeniously conjectured by Sir Joseph Banks, that this pow. 

 erful and offensive gum-resin is yielded by several of them. 

 Though Assafoetida was formerly in great estimation, both as a me- 

 dicine and a sauce, yet we had no particular account of the plant 

 till Kaempfer returned from his travels in Asia, and published his 

 Amcenitates Exoticae in the beginning of the present century. As 

 he saw the plant growing, and describes it from his own observation, 

 we have collected the following general description from the history- 

 he has given : 



It is a native of Persia, the root is perennial, tapering, ponderous, 

 and increases to the size of a man's arm or leg, covered with a 

 blackish coloured bark, and near the top beset with many strong 

 rigid fibres ; the internal substance is white, fleshy, and abounds 

 with a thick milky juice, yielding an excessively strong fetid allia- 

 ceous smell ; the stalk is simple, erect, straight, round, smooth, 

 striated , herbaceous, about six or seven inches in circumference at 

 the base, and rises luxuriantly to the height of two or three yards, or 

 higher f ; radical leaves six or seven, near two feet long, bipinnated, 

 pinnules alternate, smooth, variously sinuated, lobed, and sometimes 

 lance-shaped, of a deep green colour, and fetid smell ; the umbels 

 are compound, plano-convex, terminal, and consist of many rays : 

 the seeds are oval, flat, foliaceous, of a reddish brown colour, rough, 

 marked with three longitudinal lines, have a porraceous smell, and 



* L. c The odour of cajeput oil is remarkably deslructive to insects: a 

 few drops, in a cabinet or drawer, wherein animal or vegetable specimens of 

 natural history are kept in a dried state, have on this account been found very 

 nseful. 



f Caulis, in orgvjne, sesqutorg},! 8 ^ vel majorem long'rtwdinem luiuriose ex 

 surgens, erassite in imo quanta manus complexum superat. 



