BANUNCULAGEJE. 75 



are virulent, irritant, and epispastic, and are on tliis account 

 employed in certain countries. Many are, it is said, energetic 

 sudorifics like R. glacialis. In former times physicians used to 

 consider that all the Crowfoots possessed *' eminently caustic 

 virtues." 



In many other Ranunculacece the irritating principle is weaker, or 

 •else resides only in restricted parts of the plant. The Larkspurs 

 are often only simple astringents, like B. CoMolida, Ajacia ; while 

 the seeds of the Stavesacre' are sufficiently acrid to be used in 

 powder as a drastic vermifuge, and especially as an insecticide. The 

 seeds of tlie Nigelloi have only a pungent taste, like pepper, for 

 which those of N. safivd' were formerly substituted (in France) 

 under the name of " Poivrette" or " Toide-Ejnce" [i.e.. Allspice]. The 

 ancients employed various Nigellce as emmenagogues, and as remedies 

 for catarrhs. 



The species of Clematis have also been long known to possess the 

 power of ulcerating the skin when applied to it. C. Flammida, 

 recta, and especially C. Vitalba, the common Traveller's Joy (Fr., 

 Herhe-aux-Gueux — Beggars' Herb),^ were said to be used by beggars 

 to produce more or less intense vesications on the body. They are 

 in fact epispastics, purgatives, and hydragogues. They were 

 formerly considered remedies against itch, leprosy, scrofula, and even 

 syphilis. The feathery elongated styles of certain species bave been 

 used to prepare a particular kind of paper. 



Different species of the genus Actcea,* as we bave limited it, bave 

 also been employed in medicine, especially in N. America. A. 

 brachi/jjetala, racemosa, and Ciniiciftiga are considered botli astringent 

 and irritant ; they no doubt possess nearly tbe same properties as our 

 A. spicata [Baneherrij), whicli has been prescribed for its astringent, 

 antispasmodic, evacuant, insecticidal and virulent qualities, probably 



1 Pereiea, I. cit., 682. — GriB., I. cit., 698. is used. C. erecta, Vitalba, Viorna, formerly 



2 GuiBOURT, I. cit., 694. much used in chronic diseases of tbe skin, only 

 ^ The " Viburnum, Black Vine or Black cured them by setting up a counter-inflammation 



Bryony" (Viornes, Vignes noires, Couhuvrees of its own, which was often too violent and pro- 



noires) of the older botanists (Guib., I. cit., 686). duced ulceration. Thalictrum has nearly the 



The " Arabian Liana" of the Isle of Bourbon irritant properties of Clematis, but in a less 



(C. maritima Lamk.), according to M. Vinson degree. Accordingly the various species are 



[Thhs. Ec. Pharm., 1855), possesses energetic sometimes used as purgatives in the country, 



vesicating properties, and may be advantageously T. flavum in particular, known in England as 



substituted for cantharides. C. diceca L., ac- " Meadow Rue," in several provinces goes by 



cording to Macfatden {Fl. Jam.\.2),\s em- iX^ewAmeoV' Rhuharhedes pauvres" {Xn^., Poor 



ployed in Jamaica as an energetic hydragogue Man's Rhubarb). 



purgative; a decoction of the roots in sea water ^ Diet. Enc. iSc. Med., i.665. 



