154 



tree is, as it were, a whole magazine of physic 

 to rustic practitioners. 



The bark, leaves, flowers and berries, are 

 used with advantage in medicine. The leaves 

 are said to be purgative and emetic, and 

 are applied externally for the piles and inflam- 

 mations; an ointment is made also with them 

 as well as the flowers : the latter are used 

 inwardly as a carminative. Infusions made 

 from the flowers while fresh, are gentle, laxa- 

 tive, and aperient; when dry, they are found 

 to promote the cuticular secretion, and to 

 be particularly serviceable in erysipelatous 

 and eruptive disorders. Sydenham directs 

 three handfuls of the inner bark to be boiled 

 in a quart of milk and water, till only a 

 pint remains, of which one half is to be taken 

 at night and the other in the morning ; and 

 this repeated every day for those afflicted 

 with the dropsy. Boerhaave recommends 

 the expressed juice of the middle bark, 

 given from a drachm to half an ounce, as the 

 best of hydragogues when the viscera are 

 sound. 



Elder-flower water, the oil of elder, and 

 elder syrup, are all used as medicines. 



The berries are esteemed cordial, and use- 

 ful in hysteric disorders ; and are often put 

 into gargarisms for sore mouths and throats. 



