NOTES ON THE ECONOMIC APPLICATION OF BARKS. 371 



cessfully in intermittent fevers, dyspepsia, chronic rheumatism, &c. It 

 is usually administered in the form of a powder, the decoction and 

 infusion being less powerful. The bark is obtained from the trunk, 

 branches, and root ; the latter is considered the most active. It seems 

 to lose some of its aroma and pungency by being kept. As met with in 

 commerce, it is of a yellowish, or dirty white colour, rather light, and 

 very brittle. 



Magnolia glauca, L. — Another North American plant, sometimes 

 found in the Southern States, growing to a height of 40 feet, while in the 

 northern it is seldom more than a shrub. It is common in the swamps, 

 and on the shores of the Atlantic, from Massachusetts to the Mexican 

 Gulf. It is known in the Northern States by the name of Magnolia ; in 

 the Southern, by white, or sweet bay, swamp sassafras, &c. The bark is 

 considered diaphoretic, stimulant, and tonic, and has been employed in 

 chronic rheumatism, intermittent and remittent fevers. The fresh bark, 

 macerated and steeped in brandy, is a popular remedy for rheumatism. 

 This bark has a bitter, spicy taste, and an aromatic odour, and is usually 

 administered in powder, being more powerful than when given in infusion. 

 The barks of M. acuminata, and M. tripetala have properties similar to 

 the preceding, and are used for like purposes. They are both natives 

 of North America, M. acuminata growing to a large size — 70 or 80 feet, 

 while M. tripetala rarely exceeds 30 feet. 



Zizyphus jujuba, Lam. — A small tree, about 16 feet high, native of 

 various parts of the East Indies and China. The bark is employed in 

 the Moluccas as a remedy in diarrhoea, and in India that from the root, 

 powdered and mixed with oil, is used to cure ulcers. 



Emblica officinalis, Gaertn. — A small tree, native of the East Indies. 

 The bark is astringent, and is given in diarrhoea ; it is also used for 

 tanning purposes. The bark of the root when mixed with honey is 

 applied to apthous inflammations of the mouth. In colour it is of an 

 ash grey. 



Elceodendron Roxburghii, W. et A. — This is a small tree, native of the 

 mountainous parts of India. The bark of the roots is a very powerful 

 astringent, and when fresh is rubbed with water and applied externally 

 to swellings of all kinds. 



Byrsonima crassifolia, Dc. — A tree about 20 feet high, native of 

 Guiana, where the bark is employed as a febrifuge. It is also reputed 

 as very efficacious in the cure of abscesses in the lungs. An infusion 

 under the name of " Chapara manteca" is given as an antidote for 

 rattlesnake bites. 



Andira inermis, H. B. — A tree about 20 or 30 feet high, native of 

 Jamaica, Trinidad, and other West Indian Islands, where it is known as 

 the " Cabbage tree." The medicinal properties of the bark are cathartic 

 and emetic, and it is considered in the West Indies an efficient vermi- 

 fuge, but care has to be taken in its administration, as an overdose 

 produces vomiting, fever, delirium, and frequently death. It has a 



