Botanic Remedies 177 



DOSE. I prefer a fl. made from the recent material, 

 not the dried drug. Ordinary dosage of this is one 

 to two minims, rarely over five minims. The U. S. P. 

 average dose in only % minim, which I consider low. 

 Small doses may be given frequently. Neuralgic 

 cases may require 5 minims of the green-drug fl. 

 (or gelseminine, 1-120 to 1-60 grain rarely). Aver- 

 age dose, tr. 4 minims; maximum safe, 30 minims. 

 Average dose fl. from dried drug, ^ minim. 



GENTIAN 



Gentiana Species universally official; G. lutea 

 nearly universal; G. pannonica in seven countries; 

 G. punctata in five; G. purpurea in six, and JAPANESE 

 GENTIAN, G. Scabra, in Japan. G. crinita, G. ochro- 

 leuca, G. Andrewsii, and G. puberula grow in the 

 U. S. Not one of these is official, but they possess 

 similar medicinal properties to the official species. 

 Water extracts the bitter principle of all species. 

 Our native species should be investigated; they are 

 giving satisfactory results in domestic practice. 



PHARMACOLOGY OF THE SIMPLE BITTERS. They 

 consist of glucosides, weak acids, and neutral prin- 

 ciples, so far as their medicinal properties are in- 

 volved. They include gentian, quassia, calumba, 

 chirata, taraxacum, berberis, pareira, serpentaria, 

 cascarilla, and others. They are, as bitters, similar 

 in action. Given by mouth they increase the flow 

 of saliva, inhibiting that of gastric juice for a time 

 and then increasing it. Large doses of the tannin- 

 free bitters increase the flow of the intestinal juices. 

 There is some evidence that they stimulate peris- 

 talsis. Pawlow emphasized the psychical factor in 

 increasing stomach secretion, claiming that the 



