Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1890. 
Artemisia  Frigida. 
485 
times  a  mild  cathartic  action.  The  fluid  extract  is  now  being  made 
quite  extensively,  but  the  old  preference  in  favor  of  the  infusion 
prevails.  Good  authority  recommends  its  use  in  convalescing 
cases  of  scarlatina  and  diphtheria,  given  as  a  cold  infusion  [two 
troy  ounces  to  the  pint],  one  wineglassful  as  a  dose,  three  times  a 
day,  and  at  bed-time  when  action  on  the  kidneys  is  desired. 
The  herb  is  growing  among  the  Rocky  Mountains,  from  Colorado 
to  Idaho,  at  altitudes  from  4,500  to  9,000  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
either  in  dry,  sandy  localities,  among  rocks,  or  in  the  lower  valleys, 
and  occasionally  upon  the  more  fertile  plains;  but  it  is  never  found 
in  swampy  regions.  The  plant  consists  of  a  small  cluster  of  gray- 
ish green  leaves,  forming  a  tuft  close  to  the  ground,  in  the  midst 
of  which  are  sent  up  numerous  slender,  round,  or  frequently  pent- 
angular, tough  and  fibrous  shoots,  rarely  exceeding  twelve  to  four- 
teen inches  in  height,  having  the  two-fifths  ranked  arrangement  of 
the  leaf.  The  lower  portion  of  the  herb  is  perennial,  while  the 
shoots  are  annually  replaced.  The  tap  root  is  rarely  exceeding  five 
inches  in  length,  and  has  numerous  fibrous  rootlets  attached.  The 
herb  retains  its  vitality  during  the  summer  months  despite  the  fact 
that  it  is  almost  anhydrous.  The  inflorescence  is  of  the  racemose 
type.  When  poorly  nourished,  it  becomes  a  raceme,  purely,  but 
under  more  favorable  circumstances  develops  into  a  more  perfect 
panicle.  Each  peduncle  is  furnished  with  a  soft,  velvety  bract,  and 
the  pedicel  is  accompanied  by  a  bractlet.  The  receptacle  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  dense,  closely  compact  involucre,  and  contains  from 
twenty  to  thirty  akenes,  somewhat  resembling  Timothy  grass  seed, 
but  smaller  and  darker.  For  medicinal  use,  the  overground  portion 
should  be  gathered  during  the  early  fall,  when  its  medicinal  quali- 
ties have  been  found  to  be  the  greatest. 
An  analysis  was  made,  following  the  method  of  Dragendorff,  the 
mixture  of  stems,  leaves  and  flower-heads,  as  medicinally  employed, 
being  first  finely  ground ;  the  result  is  given  in  the  annexed  table  : 
ARTEMISIA  FRIGIDA.  Per  Cent. 
Moisture,   12 
Ash,   9-5 
Petroleum  ether  extract,  containing  volatile  oil,  fat,  wax  and 
chlorophyll,   5-5 
Ether  extract,  containing  bitter  principle,   2-5 
Absolute  alcohol  extract,  containing  tannin  and  bitter  principle,  2  75 
Water-soluble  matter,  cellulose,  etc.,   6775 
