114 



MEDICAL BOTANY. 



A small genus which has been variously divided, the American species 

 having been separated by Michaux under the name of Caulophyttum, in 

 which he is followed by many botanists, but it may without confusion be con- 

 sidered merely as a section, which is the view taken of it by Torrey and 

 Gray. 



L. thalictroides, Linn. — Leaves triternate ; leaflets incisely 2-3 lobed. Panicle small, 

 shorter than the leaves. 



Brown, Linn. Trans, xii. 145, t. 7 ; Mich. Fl. i. 305, t. 21 ; Torrey & 

 Gray, Fl. i. 52 ; Rafinesque, Med. Fl. i. 97, t. 19. 



Common names. — Blue cohosh, Papoose-root, Squaw-root, &c. 



This plant is a 

 Fig - 65, native of most hilly 



woods of the United 

 States, flowering in 

 May and June, and 

 ripens its seeds the 

 latter part of the 

 summer. The fruit 

 is dry, sweetish, in- 

 sipid, and resembles 

 that of the Vacci- 

 nium. The seeds 

 when roasted, are 

 said to form an ex- 

 cellent substitute for 

 coffee. The part 

 used in medicine is 

 the root. This is 

 sweetish, somewhat 

 pungent and aroma- 

 tic, affording a yel- 

 low infusion or tinc- 

 ture. No chemical 

 investigation of it 

 has been made. 



Medical uses, fyc. 

 — It is unknown in 

 regular practice, but 

 has been much used 

 by empirics, who 

 are said to have 

 derived a know- 

 ledge of its powers 

 from the Indians. 

 It is stated to be 

 demulcent, anti- 

 spasmodic, and emmenagogue, and has been administered in rheumatism, 

 dropsy, nervous disorders, &c. Rafinesque states that it is particularly 

 adapted for female disorders, and that the Indian women make use of a tea 

 of the root for some time before their confinement, asserting that it facilitates 

 parturition. It is likewise said to be an active emmenagogue. Riddell (Sy- 

 nop. 14) also says that it is " bitter, diuretic, and a preparatory parturient." 

 Although our information respecting it is very imperfect, it was thought 



L. thalictroides. 



