146 llAMAiMKLACEiE. 



Paris FsPtL — Tho loaves, nnd tlio bark of the young branclica Tlio 

 Unitcid Stales I imnimcoiHiiii dirocts tliat tlio loaves collected in antuinn 

 ulono bo useil. In the opinion of tho author tliis is a nnstake, for from 

 personal experience ho beliovea tho bark of tho young branches to be more 

 ellicient. 



('(iiisliliicn/!': Chemieal analysis has as yet thrown little light upon tho 

 thorapouti<' activity of witch-ha/cl. Tho only constituent lluis far discovered 

 of known elliicacy is tannin, which was found in the bark in the proporiion 

 of 8.10 per cent. 



./'rcpinyttions. — Extractuni hamanielidislluiduiu — fliiid extract of hania- 

 raelia.— Cnited States J'hurmacopwia. A so-called extract of witch-hazel, 

 said to be prepared by distillation, is largely \ised as a popidar remedy. A 

 saturated tincture of the l)ark lias yielded tho author more satisfactory re- 

 sults than any otlier pi-eparation ho has emi)loyed. 



Medical J'l'operlias and C'sck. — Hamanuilis until recently has been little 

 employed except by honuoopathic practitioners and by the laity. That it 

 possesses therapeutic activity will be doubted by few who have employed 

 it carefully and intelligenlly ; and that its acitivity is greater than can bo 

 reasonably attributed to tlio percentage of tannin it contains will bo con- 

 ceded by most unprejuilit'cid observers. As stated by Dr. Pii'l'ard : " ' Tho 

 sphere of action of hamamelis is mainly confined to tho vascular system and 

 to the venous rather than the arterial ; in fact, its influence on tho former 

 is as decided as that of aconite on the latter. There is no evidence, how- 

 ever, to show that it in any way intluences vessels of the viscera, but, so 

 far as yet known, limits its eftects to vessels distributed to the skin and 

 mucous membranes. It covers a portion only of the ground occupied by 

 ergot in this respect, but within its own proper field it does not yield to 

 this latter in etftcacy." ' 



It is employed internally in hcmoiThago from the lung.s, bowels, uterus, 

 etc., and topically in hemorrhoids ami varicose veins, bruises, sprains, etc. 



LIQUIDAMBAIi.— Sweet Gum Tree. 



Liquidambar Styraciflua Linne. — Sweet Gum Tree. 



I'>es<ri2>f'on. — Flowers usually monoocious ; sterile without calyx or co- 

 rolla, arranged in a conical cluster, stamens numerous ; fertile, also nal ed, 

 consisting of numerous 2-celled ovaries collected in a globular head. Fruit 

 a spherical, woody head, made up of tho cohering ovaries, each of whose 

 cells opens at maturity between its two beaks. Ovules in each cell nu- 

 merous, but only one or two of them perfecting. 



A large, beautiful tree ; stem straight, freely brancihod above, with a 

 gray, corrugated bark, that of the young branches, especially in young 



' Materia Medica and Therapeutics, p. 212. By Charles D. F. Phillips, edited by 

 n. G. riffard. New Yirk, 1879. 



