Botanic Remedies 331 



It is dropped into the tympanic canal. The extract 

 of the flowers in 10-drop doses is widely used abroad 

 in the treatment of nocturnal enuresis. It has more 

 of a relaxing and antispasmodic effect than any nar- 

 cotic action and the activity is due to a volatile oil. 

 It does not seem to be used much in this country. 

 My experience with it leads to the belief that a 

 good preparation is valuable. Many preparations 

 are inert. 



The seeds are narcotic and preparations of them 

 have been used in Europe in the treatment of 

 asthma. 



Our common mullein, Verbascum thapsus, is offi- 

 cial in Belgium and Denmark, but is inferior to the 

 European V. phlomoides, our native plant being 

 little more than a good demulcent due to the large 

 amount of contained mucilage; it is reputed to be 

 antispasmodic and is largely used in domestic prac- 

 tice in the making of poultices. 



VIBURNUM 



Viburnum opulus is not official in any country, 

 being deleted from the U. S. P., which formerly in- 

 cluded it. It is our native HIGH CRANBERRY and 

 never was in any extended vogue except in the 

 United States. The berries contain valerianic acid, 

 and the bark carries a trace of it. 



Recently the Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture, announced that what 

 has been commonly used as "CRAMP BARK" with 

 the botanical name of Viburnum opulus is, in fact, 

 quite a different plant, Acer spicata. 



Now Acer spicata is an unknown quantity in 

 medicine, and it does not appear in any pharma- 



