EUONYMUS — SPINDLE THEE. 125 



Preparalions. — Nono fire official. Commonly used in docootion. 



Medical I'rupertiea and Uses. — Climbing bittersweet is said to be dia- 

 phoretic, diuretic, alterative, and somewhat narcotic, but its reputation is 

 chiefly in domestic practice, wliero the el't'ects of large draughts of warm 

 water arc often attributed to some really inert substance which has been 

 boiled with it. At any rate, if this plant really possesses valuable medic- 

 inal proj)erties the fact is yet to be demonstrated. 



Climbing or woody bittersweet should be carefully distinguished from 

 the solanaceous plant (Sulanuni Dulcamara), also known as bittersweet, or 

 herbaceous bittersweet. 



EUONYMUS— Spindle Turk. 



Euonymus atropurpureus Jacquin. — Wahoo, Bumiufj Ihoih. 



iJc-iirqif Ion.- -C.dyx : sepals commonl}' 4, united at the base. Corolla : 

 petals as many as the sei)als, rouudish-obovate. Stamens as many as the 

 sepals, inserted in the broad, flat, fleshy disk ; filaments short. Ovary 

 half enclosed by the disk ; styles united. Fruit a 4:-lobed, 4-celled cap- 

 sule, each cell 1- to 2-seeded, the seeds nearly enclosed in the bright-red, 

 Bucculent aril. 



A shrub, G to 12 feet high, with somewhat quadrangular, straight 

 branches. Leaves petiolate, ovate-oblong, pointed, finely serrate. Flowers 

 dark purple, on p(>dunck'S 1 to 2 inches long, 5- to 7-flowei'ed, ajipearing 

 in June. The fi'uit matures in Octobci*. 



Habitat. — In shady woods from Canada to Florida and westAvard. 



Part Caed. — The bark — United Stutc-i I'liarmacoijuda. 



Constituents. — To analysis euonymus has yielded, besides resins, starch, 

 glucose, etc., a peculitu" bitter neutral principle termed (nto»//mm, whose 

 therapeutic propci'ties have not been investigated. The so-called euonij- 

 inin of the eclectic practitioners is an impure resinous bod}', prepared by 

 precipitating the alcoholic tincture by the addition of water. 



1 're par at ions. — Extractum euonymii— extract of cnowyiwn^.— United 

 States Pilar macopmia. This is an efficient preiiaratif)n. The bark imparts 

 its virtues to both alcohol and water, and may be employed in tincture or 

 decoction. 



Medical Properties and Uses. — Euonymiis is a mild and somewhat un- 

 certain purgative, having probably some cholagogue action. Though 

 chiefly employed in empirical i)ractice, it is well thought of by many regu- 

 lar practitioners. There is little evidence, however, of its possessing prop- 

 erties of sufficient value to place it in rank with many other cathartics and 

 purgatives of established reputation, and the efforts now being made to 

 push it into popular favor are to be viewed as purely busiueas enterprises, 

 having little reference to the actual value of the drug. 



