34 MEDICINAL PLANTS 



saurate of strychnia or bri/cia, to which it owes its medicinal power. 

 It has proved successful in intermittents, and is used with benefit in 

 palsy, tumors and amaurosis. Some of the American species, accord- 

 ing to Hooker, (Am. Bor., p. 330), approach so very closely to the 

 Montana in their characters, as to be varieties of it. It is worth investi- 

 gating whether the A. Mollis, which is found in Essex county and 

 ,ome other parts of the State, does not possess the same virtues, and 



nay be substituted for the European plant. 



Centaurea* Cyams, Linn., (French Pink). Czvieus.f Vaill., 



Blessed Thistle). Carduus Benedictus, (Common Blessed This- 

 tle). An annual herbaceous plant, with yellow flowers, naturalized. 

 The leaves, gathered when in flower, contain a vol. oil, and a peculiar 

 principle, onicin, crvstallizable and very bitter, analogous to salicin in 

 composition and effects. The plant tonic, diaphoretic, emetic — cold 

 infusion as a mild and certain tonic ; the hot decoction, a good diapho- 



stic ; and in large doses, emetic. The medicinal properties closely 

 resemble those of the chamomile. 



Lappai Major, Gocrt., (Burdock). A well-known naturalized 

 plant. The root has a mucilaginous and sweetish taste, with slight de- 

 gree of bitterness and astringency; contains inulin and sxigar ; seeds 

 aromatic, bitterish, and acrid ; aperient, alterative and sudorific — one of 

 our very best deobs,truents. The infusion of root is a domestic reme. 

 dy for colic and nephritic complaints, and the leaves applied externally 

 for cutaneous eruptions. The ashes afford much potash. This article 

 may be used with perhaps as much advantage as sarsaparilla, in syphi- 

 litic, rheumatic, .nephritic, scrofulous, and cutaneous diseases, in form of 

 decoction, made of 5 ij. recently bruised root in O. iij. water, boiled to 

 two, a pint to be taken in 24 hours. Seeds are a useful diuretic, in 

 doses of 3j. in emulsion, or powder. 



Cichoriuji Intybcs, Linn., (Wild Succory, or Chicory). A 

 plant mentioned by Dioscorides, used very anciently in hepatic obstruc- 

 tions. The whole plant bitter without acrimony ; taste astringent in 

 root ; young leaves sometimes eaten as salad ; gently tonic, aperient, 

 and deobstruent ; useful, freely taken in hepatic congestion, jaundice, 

 and other visceral obstructions ; also in pulmonary affections — strong 

 decoction preferable, used freely ; the root, dried and roasted, is some- 

 times used as a substitute for coffee, also to flavor or adulterate it. 

 The garden endive is a species of this plant. 



* The Centaur, Chion, is said to have cured himself of a wound received from 

 Hercules, with this plaut. 



t From the Greek, knizo, to prick or wound. 



t Frrm the Celtic word llap. because it lays hold of everything near it. 



