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mny iirov? very liuilful. Onions, fays Dr. Lewis, takfii 

 freely in liot bilious diljiofitioiis, pi-oiiuce flatulencies, tliirll, 

 l.cad-ach, and febrile lymptoms. In cold (luggifli phleg- 

 matic temperaincnti, they are of fcrvicc, by warming the 

 jiabit, attenuating vil'cid humours, and promoting tiie natu- 

 ral excretions, particularly expedtorution and urine. They 

 Are hkewifc pjwerfuUy antifepllc, and by virtue "f this 

 quality, are reeoinniended by lome as a falubrious nddition 

 to the food ill Icorbutic tales. The dilagrccablc fccnt of 

 onions, as an article of diet, may be remedied by eating a 

 few raw parHcy leaves immediately after them, which will 

 not only overcome their (Irong ImcU, but make them lit 

 more eafjK- on the ftomach. 



The m'cdxaj virtues of feveral of thcfe fpecies have been 

 long a'.tcrtcd and generally allowed. That the juice of alli- 

 aceous plants in general has coniiderable cfTefts upon human 

 colculi, may be inf;rred from the evperiments of Dr. Lobb; 

 and we are warrantal in afTcrting, fays Dr. \Voodville, that 

 a decoftion of the bcardo of leeh, A. porn.m, taken libe- 

 rally and continued for a length of time, has been foun(l re- 

 markably fuecefiful in calculous and gravelly complaints. 

 To this purpofe he allcdges the cafe of a boy, li>; or fcven 

 ^•cars old, who had fuflercd for a confiderable time by a 

 calculus in the urinary bladder, which had been difco- 

 vcred on founding ; but by recurring to this dccodlion his 

 pain was foon rdieved ; after which his urine became ex- 

 tremely turbid, and conllantly depolited a clay-like fedl- 

 tnent for feveral weeks, when it refumed its natural appear- 

 ance, and the boy was afterwards freed from complaint. 

 Other fimiliir cafes have been alfo known. Dr. CuUen ob- 

 ferves, that although all the fpecies of album have been by 

 many writers commended as ufeful in nephritic and calcu- 

 lous cafes, they do not feem to aft otherwife than as diure- 

 tics, the ufe of which, in fuch cafes, is in general very 

 doubtful. 



The omon, or A. cepn, contains a very volatile part, 

 ■which, however, flies oif fo readily, when the lubftance is 

 cut and expofed to the air, that it cannot be direfted to any 

 medicinal purpofe, or employed as an aftive remedy. Onions 

 are externally employed as cataplafms for fuppuratiug hai-d 

 tumors ; but Dr. Cullen obferves, that as they are applied 

 in a heated llate, they do not feem to have mcnc power 

 than other mucilaginous poultices. Some have recom- 

 mended them to be rubbed on bald places for promoting 

 Pie growth of hair. Frederick HolFman reports, that fnp- 

 prefTions of urine, in children, are fpeedily relieved by the 

 application of roafled onions to the region of the pubes. 

 llan/.oni mentions a faft, in which they were ufed, as crude 

 ar.d boiled, and as a decoftion, and produced a very con- 

 iiderable dlfeharge of urine in an hydropical cafe. Murray 

 refers to a cafe of n woman who had an alcites after abor- 

 tion, and whofe feet were fwellcd, who was elTeftually re- 

 lieved by a copious difcharge of urine, and a fubiidcnce of 

 the tumor, in confequer.ce of applying to the a!)domen a 

 cataplafm of white onions macerated in fpirit of wine. The 

 lithontriptic powers of the juice or decottion of onion have 

 been extolled bv fome, and difputcd by others : but in the 

 cure of deafncfs, a few drops of the juice put into the car 

 at bed-time have been found effcftual. The root, which 

 is the moft acrid part of the plant, is much deprived by 

 drying both of its fmell and tafte, and lofes near fevcn- 

 eighths of its weight. It gives out its virtue by infnfion, 

 both to water and fpirit, but to neither readily and com- 

 pletely. In dillillation no eff--'ntial oil could be obtained. 

 The watery decoftiou, infpiffated to the confillence of an 

 extraft, is very mucilaginous, but has fcarcely any taile, and 

 that of the fpirituous e.-itrail is very weak. 



ALL 



The medical virtues of A.fiilhtim or ^nrHcl, arc very 

 various. 'I'he whole of the plant poiredes fimilar qualitie;; ; 

 but the root, which has a llrong pungent (idour and a \eiy 

 acrid talle, is the only part cniployed in medicine. Thcfe 

 qualities depend upon a very volatile part, which is readily 

 ditlipated by diying, if tlie roots be bruil'ed and the inte- 

 rior parts be expofed to the air, or by boiling in water. 

 On drying, fays Dr. Lewis, the root lofes almolt nine parts 

 in I y of its weight, without lofing much of its talle or 

 fmell ; and hence, he fays, fix grains dried may he confi- 

 dercd as equivalent to 15 grains of the frefli root. Dr. 

 Cullen, however, thinks that the virtue of garlick is diwii- 

 niilied by drying, and that it is polhblc by thcfe means to dif- 

 fipatc it entirely ; and he is of opinion, that Dr. Lewis im- 

 properly propolcs the dried garlick to be ufed in any proper- 

 tioii as a medicine. The volatile fubtlance of this root is 

 at leafl in part an effential oil, which exhales along with 

 the lleam of boiling water ; and therefore the garlick fliould 

 never be boiled either with vinegar or with watery liquors. 

 This oil, which is of a pale yellowiOi colour, and of a thick 

 ropy confidence, may be obtained by dillillation j and like 

 that of many of the filiquofe plants, it finks in water. 

 The virtues of the root may more readily and more per- 

 fcftly be extrafted by rarefied fpirit of wine, digelled upon 

 it when dry, than by either water or vinegar ; and witli 

 this menllruum the active matter of the garlic does not 

 eafily exhale ; and nearly the whole of its virtue remains 

 in the iiifpilfatcd extraft. Both the fredi and dry root give 

 out their virtue to water by warm infulion. A quart of 

 water poured boiling hot upon a pound of the frelh root, 

 cut in dices, and fuifered to (land upon it in a clofe vefltl 

 for 12 hours, forms an infuiion, which, with a proper quan- 

 tity of fugar, was the fyrup of garlick of the drops ; and 

 the oxymel of garlick was prepared by infufing an ounce 

 and a half of the frelh root in half a pint of vinegar, and 

 dilfolving in the llrained liquor, by the heat of a water-bath, 

 10 ounces of clarified honey ; and in order to cover the ill- 

 fmell of the garlick, carravvay and fennel feeds bruifed, of 

 each two dranr's, were boiled in the vinegar before the gar- 

 lick was put into it. But the fyrup and oxymel are now 

 expunged from the Britidr Pharmaeoposias. The odour of 

 garlick is extrcnrely penetrating and diftulive ; infomuch that 

 when the root is taken into the ftomach, the alliaceous 

 fcent impregnates the whole fyllem, and is difcoverable in 

 the various excretions, as in the urine, perfpn-ation and 

 milk. According to Bennet the difcharge of iflries and 

 ulcers becomes imbued with this odour very loon after it 

 is taken ; and Haller fays, that on being applied to the 

 feet, the alliaceous tafte has been perceived in the mouth. 

 Garlick has been long in eftimation as an expeftorant in pi- 

 tuitous and fpafmoJic afthmas, and other pulmonary allec- 

 tions, unattended with inflammation. Diolcorides mentions 

 its ufe in moderate coughs. Cellus employed it mixed 

 with honey in thcfe complaints. Rofenilein recommends it 

 to be boiled in milk, and a pint to be taken night and 

 morning. Dr. Cullen allows what has been alTerted, that 

 even in its external application to the foles of the feet, it 

 has been ufeful in thefe difeafes. Its utility as a diuretic 

 in droplies is Attcfted by uuqnellionable authorities. Dr. 

 Sydenham found fome dropfies cured by garlick alone ; and 

 as a warm ftrcugtheuer it has been ferviceable not only in 

 the beginning of dropfies, but for preventing a new accu- 

 mulation of water after evacuation. Dr. Cullen fays, there 

 can be no doubt of the A. fativum being a remedy for the 

 fcurvy. Dr. Ijind alfo commends it both as a preleivatnr- 

 and a cure for this complaint. Its febrifuge power has been 

 experienced in preventing the paroxyfms of mtermittcnta ; 



Bcrgiu^ 



