Am-^r,\mfvm'}  Some  North  American  Medicinal  Plants.  327 
indigenous  cistacese  which  was  formerly  admitted  into  the  Pharma- 
copoeia, and  is  still  employed  to  some  extent,  mainly  in  scrofulous 
affections.  The  closely-allied  genus  Lechea  comprises  about  eight 
homely  North  American  herbs  growing  in  sandy  soil  and  sterile 
localities.  They  are  generally  known  as  pin-weeds ;  but  under  the 
name  of  flux-iveed  a  plant  was  received  from  a  southern  town, 
which  proved  to  be  Lechea  major,  Michaux,  and  which  was  stated 
to  be  used  for  complaints  indicated  by  the  common  name.  It  has 
an  astringent  and  somewhat  bitter  taste,  and  according  to  Dr.  Car- 
ter (Joe.  cit.,  p.  14)  is  reputed  to  be  tonic,  febrifuge  and  antiperiodic* 
Its  constituents  are  unknown,  except  so  far  as  they  are  indicated  by 
the  sensible  properties  of  the  plant. 
To  the  indigenous  plants  reputed  to  possess  alexipharmic  prop- 
erties another  may  possibly  have  to  be  added,  which,  however,  is 
not  likely  to  prove  very  efficient  for  such  purposes.  The  plant 
came  from  North  Carolina,  and  was  claimed  to  have  been  success- 
fully used  for  some  time  in  cases  of  snake  bites,  poisoning  from 
insects,  etc.  It  was  Galium  pilosum,  Alton,  an  herbaceous  perennial, 
found  in  rather  dry  soil  from  New  England  westward  to  Eastern 
Kansas  and  southward  to  near  the  Gulf.  It  has  a  nearly  erect 
rough  stem,  oval  and  punctate  leaves  in  whorls  of  four,  small 
purplish-brown  pedicellate  flowers,  and  a  subglobular  dry  fruit  beset 
with  hooked  bristles.  The  few  species  of  Galium  which  have  been 
subjected  to  chemical  examination  have  shown  the  presence  of  a 
peculiar  kind  of  tannin,  some  citric  and  other  organic  acids,  to 
which  is  probably  due  the  effect  upon  milk,  this  being  curdled  by 
some  species.  They  have  generally  been  regarded  as  being  mildly 
refrigerant,  diuretic  and  aperient,  and  more  striking  effects  were, 
most  likely,  not  observed  from  the  plant  in  question,  since  the  party 
sending  it  desired  to  learn  from  me  all  its  medicinal  properties. 
A  species  of  the  same  genus  was  recently  the  cause  of  a  curious, 
though  innocent,  mistake.  A  German  physician  in  a  Western  State 
ordered  for  use  in  his  practice  a  quantity  of  leaves  of  "  Hirschzunge" 
(harfs-tongue).  Both,  the  German  name  and  its  English  equivalent, 
are  applied  to  a  fern  which  is  still  officinal  in  some  pharmacopoeias 
of  Europe,  Scolopendrium  vulgare,  Smith,  and  which  is  indigenous 
throughout  a  large  part  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere.  While  this 
fern  is  rare  in  the  United  States,  and  not  often  found  in  drug  stores, 
an  entirely  different  indigenous  plant  is  well  known  by  the  similar 
