328 Botanic Drugs 



The dose is from 4 to 12 minims, in milk or coffee, 

 after meals. 



GYNOVAL, the isovaleric acid ester of isoborneol, 

 is used as is oil of valerian. It comes in 4-grain 

 pearls, one or two being given after meals. Larger 

 doses may be given safely and with little disturb- 

 ance. 



VEEATRUM 



AMERICAN HELLEBORE, Veratrum viride, the only 

 veratrum official in the U. S. P. IX. WHITE HEL- 

 LEBORE, Veratrum album, official in six countries, 

 has been deleted from the U. S. P. 



PHARMACOLOGY. The general action of drugs of 

 this class is given under "Aconite" and "Sabadilla." 

 As regards veratrum viride it may be said that few 

 of the recent text-books give it separate considera- 

 tion ; they unite in ascribing dangers to it that apply 

 to veratrine, which is not derived from veratrum at 

 all, and, to a less degree, to veratrum album, an 

 uncertain drug now happily deleted from our 

 standards. 



Most physicians of experience base their estimate 

 of veratrum upon Norwood's tincture, and it is 

 assuredly not the dangerous agent that the texts 

 upon veratrum might lead one to think. Laurence 

 Johnson, who discussed veratrum viride as a sepa- 

 rate entity, said of it: 



"Taken internally, it reduces the fullness and 

 frequency of the pulse, and, if the dose be large, or 

 long-continued, excites nausea, vomiting, and purg- 

 ing, and causes great prostration. It is used chiefly 

 in inflammatory affections of a decidedly sthenic 

 type, particularly those of the respiratory organs. 

 . . . It is plainly contraindicated in cardiac de- 



