^'juTy!"i£s^''°''}        ^^^^  0^  ^^'^^         Remedies,  337 
and  grassy  places.  For  a  long  time  it  was  employed,  boiled  in  red 
wine,  as  a  styptic  in  hemorrhages  of  various  kinds,  a  use  which  has 
recently  been  revived  in  Europe.  Formerly  it  also  enjoyed  some 
reputation  as  a  remedy  for  gonorrhoea  and  for  intermittent  fever. 
Among  its  constituents  are  little  volatile  oil,  identical  with  that  of 
black  mustard,  a  little  bitter  extractive,  some  resinous  matter,  and 
bursic  acidy  the  latter  having  been  recently  prepared  by  Bombelon  as 
an  amorphous  mass,  which  appears  to  be  a  glucoside.  An  interesting 
paper  by  Prof.  Dr.  Husemann,  giving  the  medical  history  of  this 
plant,  has  been  published  in  Pharmaceutische  Zeitung,  1888,  p.  151. 
Reseda  luteola,  Linne,  called  dyer's  weed  or  weld,  is  a  native  of 
Europe,  and  occasionally  found  growing  spontaneously  in  the  Atlantic 
states  of  North  America.  Both  the  bitter  herb  and  the  pungent  root, 
the  latter  having  a  raddish-like  odor,  were  formerly  valued  for  their 
diuretic  and  sudorific  properties.  A  notice  in  Journal  de  Medecine  de 
Paris,  Feb.  5,  1888,  states  that  reseda  has  a  great  reputation  among 
the  people  of  Russia  as  a  tsenicide,  a  strong  infusion  of  the  dried 
flowers  being  used,  followed  by  a  dose  of  castor  oil.  The  species 
not  being  given,  it  is  uncertain  whether  the  indigenous  (in  Russia) 
species  mentioned  above  is  intended,  or  whether  the  notice  refers  to 
the  flowers  of  the  North  African  species.  Reseda  odorata,  the  well- 
known  mignonette,  which  is  cultivated  every  where  for  its  sweet 
perfume,  and  was  medicinally  employed  by  the  Romans  (Plinius, 
lib.  xxvii). 
Ribes  nigrum,  Linne,  the  black  currant  of  our  gardens,  is  indigenous 
to  Europe  and  Northern  Asia.  All  parts  of  the  shrub  possess  an  un- 
pleasant odor,  and  were  formerly  employed  for  their  diuretic  and 
sudorific  properties,  and  were  valued  as  an  alexipharmic.  While  the 
fruit,  owing  to  its  repulsive  odor,  is  not  relished,  its  expressed  juice, 
after  being  fermented  and  aromatized  with  nutmeg,  cinnamon,  and 
other  spices,  has  a  delicate  odor  and  very  pleasant  taste.  This  liquor, 
which  is  known  in  France  as  cassis,  contains  about  22  per  cent,  of 
alcohol,  and  has  recently  been  recommended  by  Ferd.  Yigier  (Jour, 
de  Med.  de  Paris,  March  25,  1888,  p.  520),  as  a  vehicle  for  many 
unpleasant  remedies  :  the  following  formulas  will  illustrate  its  uses ; 
Chlorhydro-pepsio  Elixir.  Dissolve  pepsin  0*40  gm.  (or  gr.  vi) 
in  water  8  gm.  (or  5ii)  and  hydrochloric  acid  0*20  gm.  (gtt.  v) ;  filter 
and  add  cassis  8  gm.  (5ij)  and  syrup  -4  gm.  (.5i).  Dose,  a  wineglass- 
full  after  each  meal. 
