Rite’? 
PLANTS FURNISHING MEDICINAL LEAVES AND HEBBS. 395 
LOBELIA. 
Lobelia inflata L. 
Pharmacopeial name.—Lobelia. 
Other common names.—Indian tobacco, wild tobacco, asthma weed, gagroot, vomit- 
wort, puke weed, emetic herb, bladder pod, low belia, eyebright. 
Habitat and range.—Lobelia may be found in sunny situations in open woodlands, 
old fields and pastures, 
and along roadsides nearly 
everywhere in the United 
States, but especially east 
oi the Mississippi River. 
Description.—This pois- 
onous plant, an annual 
belonging to the bellflower 
family (Campanulacez), 
contains an acrid, milky 
juice. Itssimplestem has 
but few short branches and 
is smooth above, while the 
lower part is rough hairy. 
The leaves are placed 
alternately along thestem, 
those on the upper portion 
small and stemless and the 
lower leaves larger and 
borne onstalks. They are 
pale green and thin in 
texture, from 1 to about 2 
inches in length, oblong 
or oval, blunt at the apex, 
the marginsirregularlysaw 
toothed, and both upper 
and lower suriaces fur- 
nished with short hairs. 
Lobelia may be found 
in flower from summer 
until frost, but its pale- Fig. 27.—Lobelia (Lobelia inflata), leaves, flowers, and inflated 
capsules. 
blue flowers, while very 
numerous, are very small and inconspicuous. They are borne on very short stems 
in the axils of the upper leaves. The lower lip of each flower has three lobes and 
the upper one two segments, from the center of which the tube is cleft to the base. 
The inflated capsules are nearly round, marked with parallel grooves, and contain 
very numerous extremely minute dark-brown seeds. (Fig. 27.) 
Collection, prices, and uses—The Pharmacopeeia directs that the leaves and tops be 
collected after some of the capsules have become inflated. Not too much of the 
stemmy portion should be included. The leaves and tops should be dried in the 
shade and when dry kept in covered receptacles. The price paid for the dried leaves 
and tops is about 3 cents a pound. 
Lobelia has expectorant properties, acts upon the nervous system and bogrels, 
causes vomiting, and is poisonous. 
The seed of lobelia is also employed in medicine. 
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