ODLPKPllt's COMPLBTB HKKBAU 325 



the shops. The best Scammony is black, resinous, and shin- 

 ing, when iu the lump, but of a whitish ash-colour, when 

 powdered, of a pretty strong smell, but of no very hot taste, 

 turning milky, when touched by the tongue. 



The smallnees of our English root prevents the juice be- 

 ing collected aa the foreign; but an extract made from the 

 expressed juice of the roots, or any preparation of them, 

 bAve the same purgative quality, only in less degree. 



SCIATICA- WORT, oe SCIATICA-GRASS.— ((7arc/ 

 mantice.) 



Descrip. — The lower leaves are two or three inches long, 

 and about half an inch broad, indented pretty deeply on 

 the edges, growing on long footstalks. The upper leaves 

 are long and narrow, not cut in, and set on without foot- 

 ■talks ; it rises about a foot high, branched, and bearing 

 on the top spikes of small, white, four-leaved flowers, suo- 

 K*eeded by round seed-vessels, containing small reddish seed: 

 the root is woody and fibrous, and dies yearly after ripen- 

 ing seed« 



Place. — It grows wild in the warmer countries, but with 

 OS only in gardens. 



Place. — It flowers in June. 



Oovemment and Virtues. — It is a very useful Saturnine 

 plant, good for rheumatism. It is little inferior in virtue 

 to the sciatica cress, which it slightly resembles. If the root 

 be bruised in a mortar, mixed with hog's-lard, and rubbed 

 on the parts aflected, it will cure the most acute rheumatic. 



SCORPION GRASS (MOUSE EAR.)— (Cera^awwi 

 Arvense.) 



De*crip, — This ia a low creeping plant, sending from a 

 small stringy root, several trailing oranches lying on the 

 ground, and shooting out fibres from the joints, by which 

 it takes root. The leaves grow alternately on the stalks, 

 of an oval form, about an inch long, and an inch broad, 

 sharp- pointed, green above, and whitish underneath, cover- 

 ed thick with stiS^ long, brown hairs : the flowers stand 

 on footatalks four or five inches lonjj, of the shape of 

 dandelion, but smaller, of a whitish yellow colour above, 

 with several purplish streaks underneath : the stalks, when 

 broken, emit a whitish milk in a small nuautity. The flow- 

 en pass away in white down, wherein lies small long seed. 

 P/oce, — It grows every where upon h^athnand oommonik 

 Tinu, — It flowers most (Art of the summer. 



