The Materia Medica. 49

ih a white membrane ; when frefh, bitterifh ; and, afterfome time, exciting a mild fenfe of heat. The fhell is faidto have a itrong degree of acrimony not difcoverable by thetafte,— to which it feems ioüpidj—but by its effe&s on ptherpärts.

A fingle feed, chewed and fvvallowed in the evenirig byan healthy lufty man, althcugh its tafte was like that of al-monds, left a pungent fenfation iri the throat. The man, af-ter fleeping quietly the whole night, awoke the next morn-ing with a violent vomiting, and was the whole day afFe£tedwith alternate vomitings and purgings. At the fame time,a ladyof a delicr.te conftitution, in like manner, ate a finglefeed, but, having firft-carefully feparated and thrown awaythe fhell with the invefting membrane, was not fenfibfe of anyinjurious efrecl. (Birgitts.) It is faid, indäe'd, that the in-habitants of the countries where the plant grows take onlyone or tvvo feed?, and this dofe acls as a draftic purgative.It would not, therefore, be advifable to take many of thefe,feeds in (übftance, efpecially if not fhelled.

Theie feeds contain a large quantity of oll, which is ob-tained either by boiling them, after belrig bruifed, in water,and fkimmirig öff the oil which rifes to the furface,—or by ex-preffion. That obtained by boiling lofes its fweetnefs frorrtthe heat, — is whiter, lefs purgative, and difpofed to growraneid fooner. As the oil expofed to fale varies much in co-lour and acrimony, if the apothecary is obliged to purchafe it,he fhould chöofe that which is thick, vifeid, greenifh, fome-what opake, almoft infipid, or fweet, leaving no fenfation ofacrimony in the throat; and rejec! that which is very white,

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