264 Botanic Drugs 



hazel-nut, excelsin from Brazil-nut, edestin from 

 hemp-seed, vignin from cow-pea, glycinin from soy- 

 bean, legumin from the lentil or the vetch, phaseolin 

 from kidney-bean, conglutin from blue lupine seed, 

 and hordein from barley. (See Osborne on "The 

 Vegetable Proteins," Longmans, Green & Co., Lon- 

 don.) 



The medicinal use of buckeye, horse-chestnut, 

 anacardium, worm-seed, buckwheat, castor-bean, 

 ignatia bean, jatropha (purging nut), butternut, 

 peach seed, lobelia seed, nutmeg, Calabar bean, acorn 

 kernels, cevadilla seed, kola nut, Kombe-seed, 

 jambol-seed, tonka-bean, and host of other seeds and 

 nuts, may, in some instances, be partly due to the ac- 

 tivity of plant proteins, at least so far as hypodermic 

 use is involved. But it will require a vast deal of 

 laboratory research to bring to light anything of 

 clinical significance. Meanwhile let us not assert that 

 anything is a "vegetable antitoxin." But it may 

 readily be that certain of the plant proteids may be 

 of value in the production of some degree of immu- 

 nity. 



POLYTRICHUM 



HAIR-CAP Moss, Polytrichum juniperum, is 

 diuretic in strong infusion of the whole plant, two 

 ounces of the infusion being given every hour. Its 

 use in dropsy seems to be justified; but pharma- 

 ceutical preparations are commonly disappointing. 

 The fl. is given in 30- to 60-minim doses. 



PRUNUS VIRGINIANA 



WILD CHERRY BARK, Prunus Serotina. Official in 

 the British, Mexican, and U. S. standards. 



A glucoside (amygdalin) and an enzyme (emul- 



