636 



HISTORY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



dividing knotty branches. The bark is dark 

 gray, variegated with green or purplish spots on 

 the trunk, but those of the branches are ash 

 coloured. The roots are thick and large, and thick 

 in proportion to the size of the tree, and run deep 

 into the ground in a perpendicular direction. 

 The leaves are pinnated, consisting of two, three, 

 or four pairs of pinnse. The flowers grow in clus- 

 ters, the calyx is fiye-petalled,and of a blue colour. 

 The wood, gum, bark, fruit, and flowers, 

 are all said to possess medicinal qualities. 

 The wood is brought to Britain from Jamaica 

 in large pieces of four or five hundred weight 

 each; and from its hardness and beauty is in 

 great demand for various articles of turnery ware; 

 it is extremely compact, and so heavy as to sink 

 in water. The outer part is of a pale yellow 

 colour, the heart of a dark blackish brown, with 

 a greater or less admixture of green. It has little 

 smell except when heated, or when it is being 

 rasped down, when it yields a slight aromatic 

 odour. When chewed it discovers a slight 

 acrimony. Its pungency resides in a resinous 

 matter which dissolves readily in rectified spirit, 

 and partially in boiling water. This gum or 

 gummy resin is obtained by wounding the bark 

 in different parts of the tree, which is termed 

 jagging. The gum flows gradually, but plenti- 

 fully from those wounds, and hardens in the 

 sun, when it is scraped ofi^ and packed in small 

 kegs for exportation. This resin is of a friable 

 texture, of a deep greenish colour, and sometimes 

 of a reddish hue. It has a pungent acrid 

 taste, but little or no smell unless when heated. 

 This tree yields a spontaneous exudation from 

 the bark, which is called the native gum, 

 and is brought to this country in small irregular 

 pieces, of a bright semi-pellucid appearance, and 

 difl^ers from the other gum in being much 

 purer. The bark contains less resinous matter 

 than the wood, and is consequently a less power- 

 ful medicine, though in a recent state it is 

 strongly purgative. The fruit is said to be 

 purgative also, and in medicinal qualities far 

 excels the bark. The flowers are laxative, and 

 in Jamaica are commonly given to children in 

 the form of a syrup, which in appearance 

 resembles that of syrup of violets. But the 

 wood and resin alone are employed in Europe. 

 Guiacum, like the resins and balsams, is a stim- 

 ulant of a very diff'usible nature in the human 

 system, and affects" the skin, urinary organs, and 

 intestines very readily. Hence perhaps its use 

 in rheumatism and similar affections, and also 

 in diseases of the skin. It is used in decoction 

 along with the other woods just described, as 

 also in tincture when its active parts are most 

 perfectly preserved. The only objection is the 

 amount of spirits which is combined in the 

 tincture, and this in many cases may be a 

 serious objection. 



Snake boot. Birth Wort ( aristolochia scr- 

 peiitariaj gynandria, hexandria, of Linnasus. 

 This plant is a native of Virginia, North America, 

 where there are several species nearly aJlied. 

 There are also several European species. The root 

 is perennial, and composed of a number of small 

 fibres proceeding from a common trunk, exter- 

 nally brown, and internally whitish. The stems 

 are slender, round, crooked, jointed, and eight to 

 ten inches high. The leaves are heart-shaped, 

 entire, pointed, and stand upon long footstalks. 

 The flowers are monopetallous, solitary, and 

 of a purple colour; the corolla is tubular and 

 twisted. The root is the medicinal part. It 

 has an aromatic smell, approaching to that of 

 valerian, but more agreeable, and a warm, bit- 

 terish, pungent taste, which is not easily con- 

 cealed l)y other mixtures. It imparts its active 

 matter both to water and spirits, and yields, by 

 distillation, an essential oil. 



This root was first extolled as a cure for the 

 bite of the rattle snake, and other serpents, and 

 hence its name. It was also said that the snake 

 charmers used the juice of this root to stupify 

 the snakes as preparatory to taming them. It is, 

 however, extremely doubtful whether it possesses 

 either the power of charming snakes or curing 

 their bites. Equally apocryphal are its reported 

 cures of malignant fevers ; and modern physi- 

 cians are contented to employ it as a tonic, and 

 aromatic stimulant. 



The powdered root is given to the extent of 

 ten or thirty grains, and in tincture one or two 

 tea-spoonfuls. Its employment, however, is 

 now much less practised than fonnerly. 



The long rooted Birth Wort (a. longa) and 

 other two species, the round and slender, are 

 European plants, whose roots possess similar 

 properties to the American snake root. These 

 were employed by the ancient physicians, and 

 by them esteemed in affections of the uterus. 



The celebrated Portland powder for the cure 

 of gout contained the roots of aristolochia, along 

 with gentian, centaury, and some other bittei-s ; 

 a dram of this mixture was directed to be taken 

 every morning for three months, and in gradually 

 diminished doses afterwards for a year or more. 

 This powder had in many cases the efl^ect of 

 warding off attacks of gout, but its long con- 

 tinued use injured the stomach and nervous 

 system, and brought on premature decay and 

 death. 



The Rose (rosa canina, r. ccntifolia, r. gal- 

 licaj. Icosandria, polj/gpiia, oi' lAnnieus. The 

 hip or dog rose, is the common wild species from 

 which the garden roses are produced. It is a 

 shrub rising to six or ten feet in height, with 

 smooth bark, beset with alternate, hooked 

 prickles. The flowers are large, and composed 

 of five flesh-coloured, or white petals. The 

 capsule containing the seeds or hip, is of a 



