VOL. XXXI.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 46I 



he adds, that the iris, or flag-kind, in foreign parts, afford drugs, of no mean 

 virtue and use ; such as ginger, galingal, turmeric, zedoary, casumuniar, and 

 cardamoms. The laurus, or bay-kind, has some noble attendants of the same 

 tribe with itself; as cinnamon, cassia lignea, malabathrum, folium indicum, 

 and the camphire tree. 



In answer to his, I added, that all the pappescentes et lactescentes, such as 

 the sonchus, dens leonis, hieracium, lactuca, cichoreum, endivia, tragopogon, 

 and scorzonera, have the same virtues, and serve for the same uses, both in the 

 kitchen and shops. All the asperifoliae, such as borago, and buglossum, are 

 those which are called coolers in a greater or less degree; for some are astringent, 

 as consolida, others narcotic, as cynoglossum. All the galeatae and labiatae, for 

 the most part consist of subtile particles, and are therefore cephalics; as laven 

 dula, rosmarinus, majorana, &c. ; mentha, pulegium, melissa, are hysterics. 

 Attenuaters and inciders, as salvia, horminum, &c. A fourth sort somewhat 

 astringent, as bugula, lamium, &c. So that by having an idea of the virtues 

 of a m^orana, mentha, salvia, lamium, we come to know the virtues of all of 

 the same tribe. All the papavers are narcotic. The esulae and tithymali are 

 cathartic ; though both these are lactescent, yet they differ from those which 

 are pappescent also. All the malvaB are chiefly emollient ; the pentaphyllous 

 kind are astringent ; as are also the plantains : the corymbiferous kind, are 

 either stomachics, hysterics, or vermifuges. The gentian bitters, stomachics, 

 hysterics, and febrifuges. The pomiferae scandentes, as cucumbers, melons, &c. 

 are coolers ; but some are cathartic, as cucumis sylvestris, and colocynthis. 

 The convolvuli, as mechoacanna, &c. are purgative ; to which jalappa, both in 

 flower and fruit, is near of kin. Digitalis and gratiola, are emetic and purga- 

 tive. The squamous and bulbous roots are emollient, and more or less acrid. 

 Thus allium, cepa, porrum, unboiled, are hot, diuretic, and lithontriptic. All 

 the seda are coolers. ; 



Thus at the first view, without knowing the characteristics so nicely as botanists 

 do, but only exactly observing the fades externa of the plant, when the virtue 

 of one species is known, the virtues of all of the same tribe may be guessed at, 

 if not fully determined. 



The next simple method of the ancients, to discover the virtues of plants, 

 seems to have been the taste and smell. Thus, apium and petroselinum have a 

 like taste ; therefore they are to be prescribed together. The seeds of faenicu- 

 lum and anisum have much the same taste and smell ; and therefore both of 

 them must be carminative, or expellers of wind, &c. They had likewise re- 

 course to the temperament and qualities ; such as hot and dry, cold and moist, 

 in the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th degrees. But since the taste is not always the same 



