Dl 



ClllTllKIl.K. 



often (looply fnntliod or pinnntil'ul, tlm upper Innrrnlato, sparsrly toothed. 

 Flowers KiiiiiU, in minieroiis raceiues, forming i\ toniiiiml piiuicle, 



//(ihitaf. — lutro.iiu'od from Europo and cultivate!^ chielly as a roiidi- 

 ment. Kscaj)in}j; from cultivation, it has become, to Homo extent, natural- 

 ized. It ^'rows best in d'-ep, iid\, moist Hoil, and when once well estab- 

 IihIumI is dinicult to eradicate. 



Two wtriclly indin;enouH HperioH of this f^emis, namely, N. jxihtxtvr Do 

 Caudolle — Jlur^h-crciiti, and iV. lacualrc Oniy — ArMorvtxx, possess pi-opcriicH 



similar to those deseribed 

 above, but as they ax'o sel- 

 dom, if ever, employed, their 

 dchcription is omitted. 



i'ar/x L 'st'd. — Water-eress, 

 the herb ; horseradish, the 

 leaves and root. Neither is 

 ofheial. 



(.'(mxlilumls. — 'Water-cress 

 distilled with wat(r yields a 

 volatile oil, probably i(le}itieal 

 with volatile oil of mustard ; 

 horseradish, treated in like 

 manner, yields a similar oil, 

 havin<^ the same ehemical 

 composition as volatile oil of 

 mustard, but a Hli^^litly ditVer- 

 ent odor. This oil does uot 

 pre-exist in the plant, livt is 

 fornu'd durin;;' the process of 

 distillation, as is the case with 

 many other volatile oils. It is 

 intensely acrid and imtating. 

 Prcparalions. — None are 

 official. The exjjressed juice 

 of water-cress has been ad- 

 ministered. Horseradish is 

 generally employed in infusion, though there is an official {British I'har- 

 maco])(via) preparation, Sjm'itus armoracice compositus — compound spirit cf 

 horsci'adiiih. 



Medical Pmpcrh'cs and Vnc?. —"Water-cress, though used chiefly as a 

 stimulating salad to sharpen the appetite and aid digestion, possesses mild 

 antif:coi"l)utic properties, and is used in domestic practice as a " blood 

 purifier " in the spring of the year. It probably acts simply as a stimulant 

 to the functions of digestion and assimilation. Externally it is sometimes 

 employed os a counterirritant. Horseradish possesses properties similar to, 



Fio. lOS. — Nnptiirtinm Crnchlcnrln) Annorncla. 



