220 Botanic Drugs 



Ground lobelia seed may be incorporated in a 

 poultice and applied externally in painful and op- 

 pressed respiratory affections. 



During the last few years some very fantastic 

 claims have been made for lobelia. Used conserva- 

 tively, it is a useful drug with adults. Children do 

 not tolerate it very well. One can readily become 

 enthused over lobelia, especially in the treatment 

 of respiratory affection. It is assuredly a good 

 nauseating expectorant; but why derange digestion 

 with any agent of this class in the routine treatment 

 of respiratory affections? When such an agent is 

 needed, ipecac is to be preferred. Modern books 

 on the practice of medicine lay stress upon sup- 

 portive treatment, and the old expectorant syrups 

 are, very properly, going out. Don't overdo ex- 

 pectorants lobelia or any other one. 



Lobelia, except for its possible and certainly 

 harmless indication in small doses, is an emergency 

 remedy, not a routine one. In severe attacks of 

 spasmodic asthma, in spasmodic croup (very care- 

 fully to small children), and in rigid os such are 

 the indications for lobelia. It is not a cure-all, 

 and some of the claims made for it are so ridiculous 

 that the profession is apt to drop the drug entirely, 

 thus robbing therapy of an agent of definite useful- 

 ness within a narrow field. 



DOSAGE. The leaves: average, 7% grains; maxi- 

 mum therapeutic, 30 grains. The fl. : 1 to 30 minims; 

 average, 8 minims. The tr.: emetic, 1 fluidrachm; 

 expectorant, 5 to 15 minims. Better err on the side 

 of small, rather than large, dosage. 



LOBO-TOXIN and SUBCULOYD LOBELIA are two 

 lobelia products for hypodermic use. 



