LIATHIS. — BUTTON SNAKEUOOT. 171 



spatulato, taperinf; at the base, often Klightly and obtusely toothed, the 

 upper ones oblong, clasping. The flowers are bright purple and appear in 

 September and October. 



Hahilal. — In pine barrens from Virginia southward. 



Tliese two species are described, since they represent the marked char_ 

 actei'istics of the genus. Several other species are or have been employed 

 medicinally, but they do not dift'er materially in ell'ect from L. spicata. 



Farts Used. — Of L. spicata, tjio root — not olHcial ; of L. odoratissima, 

 the leaves— not official. . | 



C'onslituenls. — The rhizomes contain volatile oil and resin. The leaves 

 of L. odoratissima contain couinarin. ij 



Preparations. — Fluid extracts and tinctures of L. spicata occur aa com- 

 mercial articles, ■while L. odoratissima is employed in substance only. 



Medical Properties and Uses. — L. spicata is one of the numerous 

 " snakeroots " or remedies for snake-bites. It probably possesses no anti- 

 dotal properties whatever, and the beneficial eft'ects attributed to it are 

 doubtless due to the diaphoresis induced by the admiiiistx'ation of large 

 quantities of hot decoction. As the drug iwsscssos stimulating properties 

 a diaphoretic efl'ect is readily induced in this mannci", but there is every 

 reason to doubt its efficacy in cases of venomous snake-bites. 



L. odoi'atissima deserves much more attention from the fact that it is - 



largely used as an adulterant of smoking tobacco, than from any demon- 

 strated medicinal virtues. There is abundant evidence to show that the 

 leaves of this plant enter largely into the manufacture of many grades of 

 smoking tobacco, especially those employed in our domestic cigarettes. 

 And the author is convinced, from personal experience and observation, 

 that the dcdeterious el't'ects produced by smoking tobaiico thus adulterated 

 are much greater than those produced by the consumption of pure tobacco 

 in even great excess. The inhalation of a few whiti's of tlie smoke from 

 a cigarette made of this adulterated material, provided the iidialations ai"G 

 made in cfliick succession, produces a ti'ain of cerebral sensations of an 

 intoxicating character as much different from any eli'ect of tobacco alone 

 as could be imagined ; and prolonged use of such cigarettes invariably 

 produces great derangement of the digestive organs, very little resembling 

 the dyspepsia induced by excessive use of tobacco, together with cardiac 

 symptoms often of a disjtressing character. And again, the habit of smok- 

 ing coumarin in this form ajipears to become more inveterate, more ex- 

 acting, than that of the use of tobacco alone, so that the unhappy victim — 

 for such he should be called — is never comfortable except when indulging. 

 Hence it happens that cigarette-smoking in this country, in its ellec^ts 

 upon adolescents especially, is assuming the jjroportions of a great na- 

 tional evil, and is pi'oducing far more deleterious effects than in otlier 

 countries where it is practised to a greater extent but with ditTereut ma- 

 terial. 



