422 MEDICAL BOTANY. 



Description. — Root perennial, long, creeping-, and of a yellowish colour. Stems from 

 three to six inches high, generally erect or semi-procumbent. Leaves in irregular whorls, 

 of which there are usually two on each stem ; sometimes they are alternate or irregular. 

 They are lanceolate, somewhat wedge-shaped, narrowed towards the base, much serrated 

 at their edges, coriaceous, and of a shining dark-green colour. The calyx is small, 5- 

 parted, and persistent. The corolla consists of five roundish, concave, spreading petals, 

 of a white colour, tinged with red, and have an agreeable perfume. The stamens are ten, 

 the filaments subulate and smooth, with large, purple, bilocular anthers. The ovary is 

 roundish, covered with a viscid exudation, supporting and partly enclosing a very short 

 style with a crenate stigma. The capsule is 5-celled, the cells dehiscent at top, persist- 

 ent. Seeds small, numerous. 



The Winter-green is found in the northern parts of Europe, and Asia, but 

 more plentifully in this country from Canada to Florida. It is generally met 

 with in shady situations, in a loose, sandy, but tolerably rich soil. It flowers 

 in June, and ripens its fruit in the autumn, the persistent capsules of the last 

 season being generally found on the plant when in flower. The whole plant 

 is officinal. The fresh leaves have a somewhat fragrant odour when bruised, 

 but when dried have scarcely any smell ; their taste is bitterish and astrin- 

 gent, but somewhat aromatic. According to an analysis by Wolf, it contains 

 Bitter' extractive, Resin, Tannin, some salts, &e. ; of which the bitter extractive 

 is in the largest proportion, and is probably the active principle, though there 

 also appears to be some acrid and volatile constituent, as the fresh leaves, 

 when bruised and applied to the skin, will cause redness, and even vesication ; 

 this was first noticed by Dr. B. S. Barton (Collections, 31), and is confirmed 

 by the subsequent observations of Drs. Mitchell and Somerville. 



Medical Properties. — The Winter-green is diuretic, tonic, and astringent. 

 It was employed among the Indians, and was made known by them to the 

 early settlers, by whom it was in popular use long before it was noticed by 

 any writer. The first notice of it was by Schoepf, who says that, it is 

 astringent, styptic and tonic, but it was not properly examined before 1803, 

 when Dr. Mitchell published an inaugural dissertation on it; however, it attracted 

 little attention from the profession, until Dr. Somerville of the English army 

 gave the results of his trials of it in the 5th vol. of the Medico-Chirurgical 

 Transactions, as a remedy in dropsy, since which time it has been exten- 

 sively employed. It has proved especially beneficial in dropsical cases where 

 there is much debility and loss of appetite, as its tonic powers are here as 

 useful as its diuretic ; but although efficacious in these cases, it cannot be relied 

 upon as a curative means to the exclusion of more active remedies. 



It has also proved beneficial in the same disordered states of the urinary 

 organs to which uva ursi is applicable, and is generally to be preferred to 

 that article, as it is less apt to offend the stomach. There is some evidence 

 that it has proved useful in scrofulous complaints, but does not appear to 

 exercise more curative influence than many other of the vegetable tonics. 

 One of its principal uses among the Indians was in the treatment of rheuma- 

 tism, for which purpose they employed it in a strong and hot decoction so as 

 to induce copious perspiration. Dr. B. S. Barton also states that it was exten- 

 sively prescribed during the revolutionary war, in " camp fever," and with good 

 effect, as a diaphoretic. Its chief use evidently is as a diuretic, and at the 

 same time has a tonic effect on the digestive organs, and is therefore of great 

 value in certain cases of dropsical effusions, and chronic diseases of the 

 urinary organs. 



It is generally given in decoction, made with two ounces of the bruised 

 leaves boiled in three pints of water down to a quart, of which a pint may 

 be given in the twenty-four hours. A very good plan of administration is in 

 a fermented decoction, especially when it is administered in scrofulous 



