

LILY OF THE VALLEY. 85 



It is eaten by sheep and goats, but refused by other animals. 

 A beautiful green colour may be obtained from the leaves, with the 

 addition of lime. 



Qualities. — The rhizoma, usually termed the root, exhales a 

 pleasant odour, although different from that of the flowers ; it is 

 sweetish to the taste at first, but afterwards disagreeably bitter. 

 The recent flowers are very sweet and fragrant to the smell, while 

 to the taste they are somewhat acrid and bitter. The odoriferous 

 principle, like that of the White Lily, is fugitive, but may be ob- 

 tained by distillation, both in water and spirit ; no essential oil, 

 however, has been detected in either of the distilled liquids. " The 

 aqueous infusion of the flowers is very bitter, somewhat acrid and 

 nauseous, of an orange colour, becoming red when saturated with 

 sulphate of iron."* This, as well as the spirituous infusion, when 

 evaporated, yield a very bitter, pungent extract, which has been 

 compared to aloes. 



Medicinal Properties and Uses. — The flowers are admitted 

 into the first rank of cephalics, and, in addition, are said to be 

 attenuant, deobstruent and diuretic, &c. For their cephalic and 

 nervine properties they are employed, reduced to powder, as an 

 errhine in apoplexy, epilepsy, coma, and vertigo ; and for their 

 other qualities, given internally in a variety of complaints ; but 

 they should never be administered when there is any inflamma- 

 tory disposition of the brain. The spirit appeases the terror under 

 which hypochondriacs often labour ; is approved by Simon Pauli 

 as an application to the spine of epileptic children, and also 

 forms a good application to sprains and rheumatism : combined 

 with ambergris, it was likewise recommended by Ettmuller,* in all 

 sudden faintings, or affections of the head and nervous system, 

 paralysis of the organs of speech, deafness (applied on cotton to 

 the ear), in loss of memory, in nocturnal terrors, and against night- 

 mare. In some parts of Germany a wine is made from the flowers 

 mixed with raisins, and used for the same purposes as the water 

 and spirit. The root is similar in properties to the flower : watery 

 or spirituous extracts of either, given in doses of a scruple or half 

 a drachm, act as gentle stimulating aperients and laxatives, and 

 seem to partake of the purgative virtue, as well as the bitterness of 



* Bcrgius ; Mat. Med. vol. i. p. 270. 

 f Ettmuller ; Opera, p. 596. 



