146 HAMAMELACE^E. 



Parts Used. — The leaves, and the bark of the young branches. The 

 United States Pharmacopoeia directs that the leaves collected in autumn 

 alone be used. In the opinion of the author this is a mistake, for from 

 personal experience he believes the bark of the young branches to be more 

 efficient. 



Constituents. Chemical analysis has as yet thrown little light upon the 

 therapeutic activity of witch-hazel. The only constituent thus far discovered 

 of known efficacy is tannin, which was found in the bark in the proportion 

 of 8.10 per cent. 



Preparations. — Extractum hamamelidis fluidum — fluid extract of hama- 

 melis. — United States Pharmacopoeia. A so-called extract of witch-hazel, 

 said to be prepared by distillation, is largely used as a popular remedy. A 

 saturated tincture of the bark has yielded the author more satisfactory re- 

 sults than any other preparation he has employed. 



Medical Properties and Uses. — Hamamelis until recently has been little 

 employed except by homoeopathic practitioners and by the laity. That it 

 possesses therapeutic activity will be doubted by few who have employed 

 it carefully and intelligently ; and that its activity is greater than can be 

 reasonably attributed to the percentage of tannin it contains will be con- 

 ceded by most unprejudiced observers. As stated by Dr. Piffard : " The 

 sphere of action of hamamelis is mainly confined to the vascular system and 

 to the venous rather than the arterial ; in fact, its influence on the former 

 is as decided as that of aconite on the latter. There is no evidence, how- 

 ever, to show that it in any way influences vessels of the viscera, but, so 

 far as yet known, limits its effects to vessels distributed to the skin and 

 mucous membranes. It covers a portion only of the ground occupied by 

 ergot in this respect, but within its own proper field it does not yield to 

 this latter in efficacy." 1 



It is employed internally in hemorrhage from the lungs, bowels, uterus, 

 etc., and topically in hemorrhoids and varicose veins, bruises, sprains, etc. 



LIQUID AMBAR. --Sweet Gum Tree. 



Liquidambar Styraciflua Linne. — Siveet Gum Tree. 



Description. — Flowers usually monoecious ; sterile without calyx or co- 

 rolla, arranged in a conical cluster, stamens numerous ; fertile, also naked, 

 consisting of numerous 2-celled ovaries collected in a globular head. Fruit 

 a spherical, w r oody head, made up of the cohering ovaries, each of whose 

 cells opens at maturity between its two beaks. Ovules in each cell nu- 

 merous, but only one or two of them perfecting. 



A large, beautiful tree ; stem straight, freely branched above, with a 

 gray, corrugated bark, that of the young branches, especially in young 



1 Materia Medica and Therapeutics, p. 212. By Charles D. F. Phillips, edited by 

 H. G. Piffard. New York^ 1879. 



