524 



HISTORY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



as a medicine, is to infuse half an ounce of the 

 wood shavings in sixteen ounces of water, for 

 twelve hours. Then strain off the pure liquid, 

 and take a small wine glassful twice a day, or 

 oftener, according to the nature of the complaint. 

 A few drops of elixir of vitriol will add to the 

 efficacy of the infusion. 



Quassia is used by some brewers to give the 

 necessary bitterness to malt liquors. This in 

 Britain is not legal, but it is not contrary to 

 health. 



The intense bitter of this wood destroys 

 insects ; hence an infusion of quassia is a com- 

 mon and safe poison for flies. 



Simaruba, or Winged-leaved Qitassia, is ano- 

 ther species possessing the same, or even a more 

 intense bitter than the other. It is known in 

 Jamaica by the name of mountain damson, bit- 

 ter damson, or slave-wood. It grows to a con- 

 siderable height and thickness, and sends off 

 alternate spreading branches. The bark which 

 covers the trunks of the old trees is black, and 

 a little furrowed, but that of the younger trees 

 is smooth, gray, and here and there marked with 

 broad spots of a yellow colour. The wood is 

 hard, white, and without any remarkable taste. 

 The leaves are numerous, and stand alteraately 

 on the branches ; each leaf is composed of seve- 

 ral pinnas, nearly of an elliptical shape ; on the 

 upper side smooth, and of a deep green colour ; 

 on the under side whitist ; they stand on short 

 foot-stalks. The flowers are of a yellow colour, 

 and placed on branched spikes or long panicles. 

 They are male and female ; and, according 

 to Dr Wright, the female flowers are never 

 found in Jamaica on the same trees with the 

 male. 



The bitter principle resides in the bark of the 

 roots. This bark is rough, scaly, and wasted ; 

 the inside, when fresh, is a full yellow, but when 

 dry, paler. It has little smell ; the taste is bit- 

 ter, but not disagreeable. Macerated in water, 

 or in rectified spirits, it quickly impregnates both 

 with its bitterness, and after becomes a yellow 

 tincture. It seems to give out its virtue more 

 perJIctly to cold than to boiling water, the cold 

 infusion being rather stronger in taste than the 

 decoction, which last is of a transparent yellow 

 colour, when hot ; but grows turbid, and of a red- 

 dish brown as it cools. This bark was first sent 

 from Guiana to France in 1713, as a remedy for 

 dysentery. In the years 1718 and 1725, an epi- 

 demic flux prevailed very generally in France, 

 which resisted all the medicines usually employed 

 in such cases. Under these circumstances, 

 recourse was had to the Simaruba, which proved 

 remarkably successful, and first established its 

 medical character in Europe. Dr Wright says, 

 most authors who have written on this medi- 

 cine agree, that in fluxes it restores the lost tone 

 of the intestines, allays their spasmodic motions. 



promotes the secretions, removes the lowness of 

 spirits attending the disease, and disposes the 

 patient to sleep. In a moderate dose it occasions 

 no disturbance or uneasiness, but in large doses 

 it produces sickness and vomiting. More exten- 

 ded experience has shown, that this medicine is 

 only successful in the latter stage of dysentery, 

 when there is no fever, when the stomach is 

 in no way affected, and when there only remains 

 a relaxation and weakness of the bowels. In 

 such cases, a glassful of the decoction given every 

 five or six hours, with a few drops of laudanum, 

 has been found very efiicacious. It has been 

 particularly recommended in old affections of 

 the kind contracted in warm climates, and exist- 

 ing in debilitated habits. Such are the recom- 

 mendations of this medicine at a period shortly 

 after its discovery. Like many other remedies, 

 it has now fallen into comparative neglect. Dr 

 Cullen did not seem to think that it possessed 

 virtues superior to the other bitter tonics, and 

 in dysentery preferred an infusion of chamomile 

 flowers. 



A quarter of an ounce of simaruba may be 

 infused for twelve houra in twelve ounces of 

 cold or boiling water, and a wine glassful of the 

 infusion taken every three or four hours. 



Gentian (gentiana lutea). Natural family, 

 rotacece ; pentandria, digynia, of Linnteus. This 



Ge:itian. 



is an herbaceous plant, possessing bitter qualities 

 in a considerable degree. The root is perennial, 

 long, cylindrical, externally brown, internally 

 yellowish. The flower stem is strong, smooth, 

 erect, tapering, and rises two or three feet in 

 height. The leaves, which proceed from the 

 lower part of the stem, are spear-shaped, large, 

 entire, ribbed, sessile, and pointed ; those on the 

 upper part are concave, smooth, egg-shaped, and 

 of a pale or yellowish green colour. The flowers 

 are large, yellow, produced in whorls, and stand 

 upon strong peduncles. The corolla consists of 

 five long narrow elliptical petals. The capsule 

 is conical, one-celled, and contains numerous 

 seeds. This plant is a native of the Alps, and 

 was introduced into Britain by Gerard. Our 

 British supply, however, comes from Switzer- 

 land and Germany. The root, which is the only 



