Remedial powers of the Ceanothus Americanus. 
341 
ART. LXL— REMEDIAL POWERS OF THE CEANOTHUS AMERI- 
CANUS. By Dr. D. H. Hubbard. 
I do not remember to have seen any reference made, (me- 
dicinally,) to the Ceanothus Americanus of Linnaeus. Its 
sensible properties led me to use it in a case of aphtha?, and 
subsequently in other derangements of mucous surfaces, 
where I found it of some importance. Professor Bigelow 
describes the Ceanothus as follows: " Leaves heart ovate, ac- 
cuminate, triply nerved. Panicles axillary elongated. A 
small white flowering shrub, not unfrequent in dry sandy 
soils. Leaves two or three inches long and one broad, finely 
serrate, and tapering into a long point. From the axils of the 
upper leaves come out leafless branches bearing crowded 
bunches of minute white flowers. These are followed by 
dry three seeded, and somewhat triangular berries. The 
leaves were used among other substitutes for tea during the 
American revolution." I might add that the dried leaves 
and seeds have an odour, when bottled, not unlike imported 
tea. It has a slight bitter, and somewhat astringent taste. I 
first used it in a case of an old lady of seventy, who had a 
severe thrush following typhus. The usual gargles were tried 
without much effect. Every second or third day a new coat 
of darker hue would cover the whole interior of the fauces. 
The mucous membrane after its discharge presented a dark 
florid appearance, with extreme sensibility. I had tried bo- 
rax, alum, nitras argenti, vegetable astringents and tonics, as 
gold thread, crane's bill, hardhack, oak bark, sumach, &c. 
without much benefit. The Ceanothus growing near, I di- 
rected a strong tea to be made of it, which acted like a 
charm ; the thrush soon passed off, and without relapse. 
Since then I have used it largely in aphteas of children, and 
find it highly useful in cases following dysenteria maligna, as 
well as those of less debility and disease, even after other 
gargles have been ineffectually tried. During last March and 
