Medical Botany. 323 



Medical Botany, %c. By John Stevenson, M.D., and James Morss 

 Churchill, Esq., Surgeon. In Monthly Numbers. 5s. 6d. 



No. XI. for November, contains 



41 to 44. — HiimulusLupulus, the Hop, the tincture of which "frequently 

 induces sleep, and quiets nervous irritation, without causing costiveness, or 

 impairing, like opium, the tone of the stomach, and merely increasing 

 primary disease." — iSinapis alba and nigra. " As substitutes for either the 

 black or common mustard, most of the Cruciferse may be used, especially 

 the (Sinkpis arve'nsis, ilfyagrum sativum, Sisymbrium officinale, the .Erysi- 

 mum, jLepidium, Turritis, jSrassica, iSinapis orientalis, chinensis, and iras- 

 sicata. The latter is commonly cultivated in China. The JSaphanus Ra- 

 phanistrum, or wild radish, is said to be so complete a substitute, that the 

 seeds are often separated in the process of cleaning grain by farmers, and 

 sold to the mustard or oil-millers, who dispose of it as Durham mustard." 

 It may be useful in country places, where medicines are not at hand, to 

 know that a large tea-spoonful of the powder of mustard seed, mixed in 

 water, is a powerful incentive to vomiting. In cases of indigestion and 

 habitual costiveness, a tea-spoonful of the whole seed, two or three times 

 a day, has been found to restore the stomach ami intestines to the regular 

 performance of their functions; but the injudicious manner in which mus- 

 tard has lately been lauded for this purpose, has led to the abuse of a useful 

 remedy, and injured the mucous membrane of the stomach. "Whitehead's 

 f Essence of Mustard ' consists of oil of turpentine, camphor, and spirits of 

 rosemary, to which is added a little flour of mustard. His ' Essence of 

 Mustard Pills' are Balsam of Tolu, with resin !" 



Jmygdalus communis, the Sweet and Bitter Almond. A native of China 

 and most parts of Asia and Barbary. The sweet is much cultivated in the 

 south of France, for the sake of its fruit. The fruit of the bitter variety is 

 imported chiefly from Mogadore. Given in substance, it is exceedingly 

 poisonous, producing vertigo, head-ache, &c, like laurel water. The kernel 

 of the sweet almond contains a large proportion of oil, which is more pure 

 and less rancid than olive oil. Hence its use in perfumery : Macassar oil 

 being merely oil of almonds, coloured red with alkanct root ; and Russia 

 oil being the same thing, rendered milky by a small quantity of ammonia of 

 potash, and scented with oil of roses. Hence, also, the use of this oil, or that 

 of lavender, by draughtsmen, in tracing drawings on common letter-paper. 

 The oil renders the paper quite transparent ; and, after the tracing is taken, 

 it may be completely evaporated by holding the paper a minute or two 

 before a fire. 'Ihe expressed oil of bitter almonds does not differ from that 

 afforded by the sweet. The poisonous quality of bitter almonds is owing to 

 their containing a considerable proportion of prussic acid." The nostrums 

 for eruptions and cutaneous diseases, sold under the title of Gowland's 

 Lotion, Milk of Roses, Caledonian Cream, Kalydor, &c, consist merely of 

 a solution of the oxymuriate of mercury in almond emulsion, with a pro- 

 portion of sugar of lead, or white oxide of bismuth. They are thus 

 possessed of certain stimulant and repellent properties; and, though blunted 

 in part by the medium in which they arc involved, cannot fail to be highly 

 active on the skin, and consequently injurious." 



Capsicum (kapto, to bite; pungency of fruit) aninuim, Annual Capsicum, 

 Or Guinea Pepper. A powerful stimulant ; most advantageously given in 

 atonic gout, in palsy, dropsy, and in the debilitated stages of fever. " All the 

 species of Capsicum yield a spice of the most pungent quality; but the well- 

 known condiment sold under the name of Cayenne Pepper, is prepared 

 from the fruit of the Capsicum baccatum, or Bird Pepper, which is a shrubby 

 plant, of humble growth, not unlike the present species, but producing 

 small ovate berries. These arc gathered when ripe, are dried in the sun, 



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