410 MEDICAL BOTANY. 



Foreign Names. — Chardon benit, Fr.; Carda santa, It.; Benedicten- 

 flockenblume, Ger. 



Description. — Root tapering, whitish, branched, fibrous. Stems several, a foot and a 

 half high, trailing, roundish, furrowed, reddish, woolly. The lower leaves are petiolate, 

 but the upper are sessile, alternate, and somewhat decurrent ; the whole are oblong, rough, 

 aculeate, sinuate or almost ruminate, and armed with many sharp spines; of a green co- 

 lour above, and paler and reticulated beneath. The flowers are large, of a bright yellow 

 colour, solitary at the ends of the branches, enclosed by a bracteate involucrum of ten 

 leaves, the five exterior of which are largest. True involucrum ovoid, imbricated, smooth, 

 woolly, each scale being terminated by pinnate spines, connected with the bracts by fine 

 threads. Ray-florets small and sterile, those of the disk perfect, tubular and toothed. 

 Stamens five, downy, with linear-oblong united anthers. The style is filiform with a 

 cleft stigma. The achenia are oblong, brown, striated, on a bristly receptacle. 



It is difficult to ascertain where this plant is truly indigenous, but it is found 

 in the South of Europe, Barbary, the Levant, Persia, China, and sparingly in 

 this country, especially in Mexico. It is often cultivated in gardens as an 

 ornamental flower. It flowers in June and July. The part used is the leaves ; 

 these when dried have a slight, but disagreeable smell, and an intensely bitter 

 taste, which is given out to water and alcohol. They contain, according to 

 Morin (Jour. Chim. Med.), Volatile oil, a Bitter principle, Resin, a Fixed oil, 

 Gum, Sugar, Albumen, some salts, &c. The bitter principle, which is called 

 Cnicin, is probably the efficient constituent. 



Medical Properties. — The Cnicus is tonic, diaphoretic, or emetic, according 

 to the mode of administration : the cold infusion acting as a mild tonic ; when 

 administered warm it induces copious perspiration ; and made very strong or 

 in decoction provokes nausea and vomiting. It was formerly in such high 

 repute that it received the name of " blessed" and was considered as effectual 

 in plague and other malignant disorders, and Simon Pauli eulogizes it as a 

 certain cure for cancers. It is now but seldom used, but might be advan- 

 tageously employed. The infusion is made with half an ounce of the leaves 

 to the pint of water, and the dose is from an ounce to two ounces as a tonic. 



Cahthamus. — Tournefort. 



Involucrum dilated at base, scales imbricated, closely applied to each other below, but 

 separated and foliaceous above. Receptacle silky, achenia destitute of a pappus. 



A small genus of herbaceous plants, principally natives of Asia, with alter- 

 nate sessile leaves which are somewhat spinous. The flowers are yellow. 



C. tinctorius, Linn. — Leaves ovate-lanceolate, serrate-spinose ; branches smooth ; fruit 

 subtetragonal. 



Linn., Sp. PI. 1162 ; Willdenow, iii. 1706 ; Flore Medicate, ii. 101 ; La- 

 marck, Illus. t. 661, p. 3. 



Common Names. — Safflower ; Bastard Saffron. 



Foreign Names. — Carthame, Faux Saffron, Fr. ; Cartamo, It. 



The Safflower is a native of the Levant and Egypt, and is cultivated in 

 many parts of Europe, and this country. The only part which is officinal, 

 is the florets. As found in commerce they are in flaky masses, of a red 

 colour, intermixed with yellow filaments, the former tint being due to the 

 corollas, and the latter to the stamens. The smell is aromatic but peculiar, 

 and the taste somewhat bitter. They contain two peculiar colouring matters, 



