156 Morris . — On the use of certain plants 
plants generally. The wood, as indeed all parts of species of 
Aristolochia , possesses a strong smell. Most members of the 
genus contain in their root a volatile oil, a bitter resin, and 
an extractable acrid substance, which have rendered them 
celebrated in all times and countries as stimulants of the 
glandular organs and the functions of the skin. 
Aristolochia is represented in England by A. clematitis , L., 
the common Birth-wort. It is a low growing shrub, with 
stalked heart-shaped leaves, in the axils of which the yellow 
trumpet-shaped flowers are produced in clusters. 
The drug Serpentary is produced by a North American 
species, A. Serpentaria , L. This has superseded the use of the 
Aristolochias of Europe, which, besides A. clematitis , L., are 
A. rotunda , L., A. longa , L., A. pallida , Willd., and A. sicula , 
Tineo, all of which are chiefly found in the Mediterranean 
region. 
In the West Indies, A. grandiflora , Vahl, has enormous 
flowers, and is believed to be poisonous. Other species, such 
as A. odoratissima , L., and A. trilobata , L., are reputed to 
possess valuable medicinal properties. About twenty species 
are distributed in Cuba and Hayti. More than forty species 
are natives of Mexico and Central America, and the head- 
quarters of the genus may be said to exist in tropical South 
America. 
As already mentioned, the belief in the antidotal properties 
of species of Aristolochia is widely diffused over both hemi- 
spheres. Endlicher speaks of them as follows : c Species .... 
efficaces, adversus serpent um morsus unanimi gentium prae- 
conio celebrantur.’ Theophrastus extols as a remedy for the 
bites of a snake a drink made by infusing in wine a Mediter- 
ranean species, A. pallida , Willd. Cicero, Pliny, Nicander, 
and many others have all recognised the universal belief in 
the efficacy of Aristolochia as an antidote to snake-poison. 
On the authority of Dr. Hance it is stated that the Arabs 
are accustomed to use the leaves of A. sempervirens , L., when 
bitten by poisonous snakes, and a similar remedy from A . 
indica , L., is in use in India. 
