424 



THE m^mmmicmm wmm j&vmmm&f. 



These granules were found to be in- 

 visible in many fresh pollens, since the 

 fluid in which they swim has the same 

 refractive power as the granules ; some 

 of them are drops of oil, whilst others 

 consist of proteine compounds. 



Many pollen tubes will develop in 

 nectar, by osmose of water, and pro- 

 duce in their own tubes other chemical 

 combinations, and as the growth of 

 these tubes often exceeds the diameter 

 of the pollen grain by a luindrcd 

 diameters, their chemical position in 

 the honey must be somewhat consid- 

 erable. 



We have then (leaving the sugar of 

 honej' on one side) to deal with formic 

 acid and the protoplasmic contents of 

 pollen-cells, when we think of honej' 

 as a medicine. 



The most important factor, in my 

 opinion, remains yet to be considered. 

 I allude to its flavor. Mr. Otto Hehner 

 tells us "he has not been able by 

 chemical means to distinguish between 

 honey from one kind of flower and any 

 other." We must all admit that such 

 a difterence exists. We know that 

 honey collected from poisonous plants 

 is materially afl'eoted by the active 

 deleterious or objectionable or medici- 

 nal principle, secreted by such plant, 

 the rhododendron family, azaleas and 

 kaluiiiis being an instance of this. 

 Does it not follow, as nectar is a 

 secretion and an exudation of the plant 

 cell, that it is charged and pervaded 

 by the active principle, beneficial or 

 otherwise, of the plant ? Many in- 

 stances of the identity of the nectar 

 flavor, and the distinguishing princi- 

 ple of the plant which secretes -it, can 

 be given : 



Citric acid is found in fruits and flowers of the 



<)riinp:e tribe. 

 Tartitrif acid is found in grape Juice. 

 Malic acid is found in tlie apple, gooseberry, etc. 

 Tannic acid is found in the oak, etc. 

 Hydr cyanic (prussic) is found in the cherry laurel. 

 O.xalic acid is found in sorrel and rhubarb. 

 Gallic is found in all kinds of galls. 



Of poisonous principles we find alka- 

 loids of — 



Quinine in cinchona. 



Morphine in opium. 



Snlanine in plants of the potato tribe. 



Verjilrine in sehaililla. 



A< onitine in nnuikshnod and aconites. 



Strychnine in mix vomica. 



Atropine in belladonna. 



I'iperine in pepper. 



Tlieine or cafleine in tea and coffee. 



Some of the most poisonous jilants 

 bear the gaudiest flowers, and such we 

 know are peculiarly attractive to bees, 

 whilst many phmts unwholesome as 

 food are invaluable as medicine. Most 

 of the unbellifene are poisonous — the 

 same may l)e saiil of the ranunculacea\ 

 e. _(/., anemone, Pulsatilla, delphinium, 

 monkshood, aconitum vulgare. The 

 pojijiy family, papaveraceas, are no- 

 torious (P. somniferum). The cruci- 

 fers are, however, non-poisonous. 



Wlicn we come to the violet family 

 we find one of our most valuable 

 medicines (ipecacuanha), obtained 



from the root of a violet grown in 

 Peru. The buckthorn (rhamnus) gives 

 us a valuable medicinal fruit; from 

 the spindle tree family we get the 

 valuable active principle euonymine. 

 The seeds of the laburnum are poison- 

 ous. The cheny tribe (containing the 

 almond, peach, nectarine, etc.) yields 

 us prussic acid ; this acid is also se- 

 creted by plants of the plum tribe. 



A common plant (fool's parsley), 

 common in gardens, is poisonous, as 

 are generally the umbelliferai, wet 

 places l>eing their home as a rule, 

 when this principle is developed. Wild 

 lettuce and wild celery are poisonous, 

 whilst most members of the composita; 

 are medicinal. It is curious also to 

 note that the ling or heather (the 

 source of so much fine honey), has in 

 its family the azaleas, kalmias, etc. 

 The periwinkle (vinca) family have 

 amongst them the nux vomica, from 

 which we extract strychnine, a deadh* 

 poison, but at the same time the most 

 valuable tonic in the Pharmacopoeia. 



Entire plants are wild lettuce (Lactucin, similar to 

 Manna). 



The following are the parts of plants 

 used in medical preparations : 



Twigs and 



Top» Savin f Savin oil). 



Broom tops (Scoparin). 



Woody nigbtsliade.(Solania,aD alkaloid). 

 From Is obtained 



Flowers. The 'Lavender Oil of lavender. 



Tbo U<ip Lupulin and Humulin. 



Peppermint A volatile oil. 



Camomile Avolatile oil (Oleum An- 



themidis). 

 Orange Flowers... A volatile oil. 



Crocus Saffron. 



Rosemary. . a volatile oil. 



The Poppy " *■ 



Elder 



Buds Santonica (worm-Santonin, and a volatile 



oil seed). 



iJarfca... Larch Resin. Tannic acid and 



Larixinic acid, crystal 

 and volatile. 



Mezereon A volatile oil. 



Oak Tannic acid. 



Blra 



Leoties.. Monkshood Aconitia (A). 



Deadly nightshade. Atropia (A). 



Hemlock Conia(A). and a volatile 



oil. 



Foxglove Digitalin (A). 



Henbane Hyoscyamia (A). 



Cherry laurel Prussic acid and a vola- 

 tile oil. 



Stramony leaves Daturva (A). 



Bearberry Tannic, gallic acids.and 



volatile (>il. 



Roots — Monkshood Aconitia (see Leaves). 



Deadly nightshade. Atropia " *' 



Colchicum Colchicia (A). 



Gentians Gentianite, a bitter prin- 

 ciple. 

 Dandelion A bitter crystalline sub- 

 stance Tara-vacin. 



Fndta . .Dill Volatile oil. 



Anise *• " 



Carraway *' " 



Coriander " ** 



Fennel ** '* 



Hemlock Gonia (A) see Leaves. 



Poppy Opium from which Mor- 

 phia. 



Seed* — Colchicum Colchicia (A) see Roots. 



Mustard Myronic acid and a vola- 

 tile oil. 

 Stramony Daturia (A) see Leaves. 



When we come to examine these 

 products of the plant, from its very 

 summit to its roots, taking leaves, 

 bark, flowers, fruit, seeds, on the way, 

 we find what we may call the charac- 

 teristic or active principle of the plant 

 pervading its whole system, but ap- 

 pearing in a stronger form in some 

 particular place. We must try to 

 think of the plant as a simple aggre- 



gation of units, a mass of single cells, 

 each of which is a laboratory in itself, 

 forming of itself simple and complex 

 compounds which it passes forward to 

 its neighbors in order that they maj' be 

 thereby further protected, and finally 

 stored away for further use by the 

 plant, or utilized hj it as protective, 

 resisting the attacks of birds, insects, 

 and other animals, or else rendering 

 the plant attractive to the particular 

 animal whose services are desired. 



Now the aroma of the plant is gen- 

 erally characteristic of its active prin- 

 ciple, and this aroma appears in the 

 nectar. The nectar owes its saccha- 

 rine matter to the starch secreted by 

 the single plant-cell from the carbonic 

 acid of the atmosphere which it trans- 

 forms into sugar, and flavors with its 

 active principle. The sweet-scented 

 sap exudes or transudes through the 

 outermost cells, and appears as a 

 degradation productin a similar fashion 

 to resins and gums. 



We find most active principles me- 

 dicinal when taken in small doses, but 

 distinctly jioisonous in larger quanti- 

 ties ; and again many of them are an- 

 tidotal when taken together. Herein 

 is a beautiful provision of nature ex- 

 emplified in the minute quantities of 

 medicinal matter gathered by the bee, 

 and so mixeil in its storehouse that 

 strong doses are rendered almost im- 

 possible and innocuous. 



The human system, however, when 

 out of order (and it rareh', if ever, is 

 in perfect health) has the faculty of 

 sympathetically seizing hold of what it 

 requires from tlie food to restore it to its 

 normal state. Honey thus supplies us 

 with numerous powerful agents in re- 

 storing to health disox'ded vital func- 

 tions. I hold that the mixed honej-, 

 for these very reasons, is the healthiest 

 and best for general use ; that which 

 bears distinct and pronounced flavor, 

 at once betraying its origin, only so 

 betrays it because it holds an undue 

 proportion of the active principle of 

 the plant whence gathered, be this 

 beneficial or otherwise ; and when 

 hone}- is found to disagree with any 

 one, it will probably be found to be 

 honej- of a distinct flavor. 



We also lose sight of the fact when 

 eating comb hone}', that we swallow 

 the waxen cell-wall which we are told 

 is varnished over with a preparation 

 (a sort of furniture polish) of the acid 

 saliva of the bee and propolis — propo- 

 lis consisting of powerfully medicinal 

 exuthitions varying Avith the sources 

 from which it is gathered. 



Much that I have said is ideal and 

 theoretical, but I think my conclusions 

 are rational and practical, viz., that in 

 dealing with honey we are dealing 

 with a medium — nectar — flavored with 

 powerful medical compounds whose 



