Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1884. 
Medicinal  Plants  of  the  Cree  Indians. 
617 
formula  of  Mr.  Bother  ("Am.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1883,  p.  610)  to  yield  a 
more  stable  preparation  than  that  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  and 
suggests  a  few  slight  modifications  so  as  to  make  the  preparation  cor- 
respond to  the  officinal. 
Mix  the  lactic  acid  with  136  parts  of  distilled  water  and  gradually 
add  the  calcium  carbonate,  warming  gently,  if  necessary.  Add  the 
phosphoric  acid  previously  diluted  with  120  parts  of  distilled  water 
and  with  the  orange-flower  water.  Filter  and  pass  enough  distilled 
water  through  the  filter  to  make  the  filtrate  weigh  400  parts.  Lastly, 
dissolve  the  sugar  by  cold  percolation  or  by  agitation  and  strain. 
MEDICINAL  PLANTS  USED  BY  THE  CREE  INDIANS, 
HUDSON'S  BAY  TERRITORY. 
By  E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S., 
Curator  of  the  Museum  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society, 
Mr.  Walton  Haydon,  who  has  resided  for  some  time  in  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Territory,  recently  presented  to  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  a  series 
of  specimens  of  the  drugs  used  by  the  native  Indians,  and  with  them 
has  also  contributed  some  information  concerning  their  uses,  which 
may  be  of  interest  in  the  future  if  placed  on  record.  Only  the  native 
name  of  some  of  the  drugs  is  known  at  present,  but  Mr.  Haydon  has 
promised  to  forward  specimens  of  the  plants  from  which  they  are  ob- 
tained on  his  return  to  Hudson's  Bay. 
The  remainder  I  have  been  able  to  identify. 
Pow-e-men-artic  (Fire  Root,  or  Bitter  Pepper  Root). — This  is  the 
rhizome  of  Acorns  Calamus,  L.,  or  a  nearly  allied  species,  and  is  used 
in  coughs.  The  rhizome  is  rather  more  slender  than  met  with  in  this 
country,  being  only  about  one-third  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  but  seems 
to  be  quite  as  aromatic  and  pungent.  It  is  not  a  little  singular  that 
there  is  hardly  a  country  where  this  plant  grows  that  the  rhizome  is 
not  used  in  medicine. 
Wayakashf  —  This  is  the  liber  of  the  bark  of  Abies  balsamea, 
Take  of  Precipitated  calcium  carbonate.... 
Lactic  acid  
Phosphoric  acid,  U.  S.  P  
Orange-flower  water  
Sugar  in  coarse  powder  
Distilled  water  sufficient  to  make, 
13  parts 
.  33 
18 
80 
600 
1000 
