■^"^  Nov'^'issr™'}    Materia  Medica  of  the  Mexican  Pharmacopceia.  555 
oniacese;  in  the  valley  of  Mexico,  etc.  Dr.  Oliva  found  the  plant  to 
contain  greenish-brown  resin,  tannin,  gallic  acid,  bitter  extractive  and 
salts.  The  infusion  is  diuretic  and  diaphoretic,  and  in  larger  doses, 
emetocathartic. 
Esponjilla,  probably  Luffa  purgans,  Kunth;  Cucurbitace^e ;  in  the 
State  of  Guerrero.  The  aqueous  infusion  of  the  fruit  has  a  very  bitter 
taste  and  drastic  properties. 
Estafiate,  Artemisia  mexicana,  De  Cand.;  Corapositse ;  near  the 
capital  and  in  the  valley  of  Toluca.  Leaves  on  the  upper  side  dark 
green,  on  the  lower  side  ash  colored,  strongly  aromatic,  bitter,  and  of 
a  warm  taste,  amplexicaul,  quinque-pinnatisect,  pubescent,  the  lobules 
trisected  and  the  final  divisions  linear.  In  Oliva's  Farmacolgia  the 
plant  is  named  Art.  laciniata,  which  is  cultivated  in  Guadalajara.  Rio 
de  la  Loza  obtained  from  the  plant  a  blackish-gray  extractive,  bitter 
nitrogenated  and  bitter  resinous  principle,  yellow  volatile  oil,  starch, 
salts,  etc.  Alcohol  and  water  take  up  the  medicinal  principles.  The 
plant  is  tonic,  stimulant,  emmenagogue  and  anthelmintic.  Dose  2  to 
4  Gm.  in  powder ;  4  to  15  Gm.  in  infusion ;  1  to  4  Gm.  of  the  extract ; 
1  to  6  drops  of  the  volatile  oil;  the  latter  is  generally  used  externally, 
mixed  with  a  fixed  oil. 
Flor  de  encino  de  Puebla  is  the  name  given  to  the  staminate  catkins 
of  the  different  species  of  quercus,  which  are  reputed  to  possess  anti- 
spasmodic properties. 
Flor  de  noche-buena,  Euphorbia  pulcherrima,  Willdenow;  Euphor- 
biacese ;  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  and  cultivated  in 
gardens.  The  bracts  are  used ;  they  are  short-petioled,  lanceolate, 
attenuate  below,  penninerved,  entire  on  the  margin,  fresh  of  a  blood- 
red  color^  and  dark  violet-red  after  drying.  T.  Artigas  (Thesis,  1880) 
obtained  resin,  yellow  and  red  coloring  matters,  tartaric  acid,  glucose, 
saccharose,  gum,  starch  and  salts.  The  decoction,  made  of  8  Gm.  of 
the  bracts  and  500  Gm.  of  water,  and  taken  in  two  portions  during 
the  day,  is  reputed  to  be  galactophorous ;  is  used  as  a  fomentation  in 
erysipelas,  and  in  the  form  of  cataplasm  as  a  resolvent.  The  milk- 
juice  is  used  as  a  depilatory. 
Flor  de  San  Juan,  Bouvardia  longiflora,  Kunth;  Rubiacere ;  in  the 
southern  mountains  of  the  Mexican  valley.  The  flowers  are  used  in 
perfumery. 
Flor  de  Santiago,  Amaryllis  formosissima,  Lin.;  Amaryllidacese ; 
in  the  State  of  Puebla.    The  bulb  is  emetic. 
