BRYONY. 101 



powerfully cathartic, GeofFroy advises cream of tartar or some 

 aromatic to be added. 



" I am convinced ", says Gilibert, " by a series of experiments, 

 that the root of Bryony is capable of furnishing all kinds of 

 purgatives, from the laxative to the drastic. Several observa- 

 tions go to prove, that there is a species of mania depending 

 on a vitreous, slimy matter, which lines the stomach and intes- 

 tines ; in these cases, the root, even in its recent state, has effect- 

 ed a cure by evacuating this substance." Other phj^sicians place 

 it on a par with jalap, and express their surprise that it is not 

 more frequently used. Sydenham relates an instance of mania 

 in which he found it efficacious. He gave a drachm of the pow- 

 dered root in milk, or half an ounce infused in wine, three or 

 four times a day ; but in the case alluded to, blood-letting, both 

 from the arm and jugular vein, was superadded. It was like- 

 wise esteemed emmenagogue*, and as a vermifuge f it has 

 been highly commended. Its efficacy in dropsical cases is well 

 authenticated : in these cases, an infusion of two drachms of the 

 root in six ounces of water, sweetened with some aromatic sy- 

 rup, has been given in the dose of a spoonful every two 

 hours. 



As an external application, Bryony enjoyed the character of 

 a powerful discutient. It was applied in the form of a poultice 

 to painful tumours, lumbago, and sciatica. Ettmuller recom- 

 mends it in hydrocele and cedematous sweUings of the feet and 

 legs. Zacutus Lusitanus affirms that the expressed juice, made 

 into an ointment with an equal quantity of turpentine and a 

 small proportion of wax, has been known to cure scrofulous 

 tumours. 



For medical purposes, the root should be dug up in the 

 spring, cut into thin slices, and dried quickly in a warm room ; 

 and as it does not long retain its virtues, even when preserved 

 in close bottles, the quantity for use must be regulated by the 

 length of time it has been kept. The infusion seems to be one 

 of the best forms of the medicine, but others have been recom- 

 mended, as — 



* "Menses ac foetum pellit. abortuTiique sitpe procurat." — ElmuUer. 



-f There are some extraordinary stories on record of its efficacy in ex- 

 pelling toads and frogs, and several nondescript animals, from the ab- 

 domen. 



