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DECOCTIONS.

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part taken up along with them. Hence watery decoctions and infusionsof vegetables constitute a large, and not unusefkt, class of medicines.Although most vegetables yield their virtues to water, as well by infusionas decoction, yet the latter is often necessary, as it saves time, and doesin a few minutes what the other would require hours, and sometimesdays, to effect. The medicines of this class are all intended for imme-diate use.

Compound Decoction of Altlnea, or Marshmallows.—Take of theroots of marshmallows, moderately dried, two or three ounces; raisins otthe sun, one ounce; water, three pints. Boil the ingredients in watertill one third of it is consumed, afterwards strain the decoction, and leiit stand for some time to settle. If the roots be thoroughly dried, the)must be boiled till one half of the water be consumed.—In coughs, an<;sharp defluxions upon the lungs, this decoction may be used for ordinarydrink.

Decoction of the Cinchona.—Boil an ounce of Peruvian bark, grosslypowdered, in a pint and a half of water to one pint; then strain thedecoction. If a tea-spoonful of the diluted acid of vitriol be added tothis medicine, it will render it both more agreeable and efficacious.

Compound Decoction of Peruvian Bark, or Cinchona.—Take of cin-chona and Virginian snake-root, grossly powdered, each three drachms.Boil them in a pint of water to one half. To the strained liquor add a«ounce and a half of aromatic water.—Sir John Pringle recommends thisas a proper medicine towards the decline of malignant fevers, when thepulse is low, the voice weak, and the head affected with a stupor, but withlittle delirium.—The dose is four spoonfuls every fourth or sixth hour.

The Decoction for a Clyster.—Take of camomile flowers, one ounce;elder flowers, and sweet fennel seeds, of each half an ounce ; water, twoquarts. Boil them for a little, and then strain the decoction.— \ medi-cine equally good may be prepared by infusing the ingredients for somehours in boiling water.—This decoction is chiefly intended as the basisof clysters, to which other ingredients may be occasionally added. Itwill likewise serve as a common fomentation, spirit of wine or otherthings being added in such quantity as the case may require.

Decoction of Barley.—Take of pearl-barley, two ounces: distilledwater, four pints. First wash the barley with cold water from the ad-hering impurities, pour upon it about half a pint of water, and boil thebarley a little time. This water being thrown away, add the distilledwater, boiling, to the barley; boil it to two pints, and strain.—Thismethod of preparing barley-water produces a more elegant beverage forthe sick than the methods usually employed by nurses. This liquor isto be drank as a diluter in fevers and other disorders. Hippocrates, theimmortal Father of Physic recommended it; and the practitioners of me-dicine iu every succeeding age have found it to be an excellent nudi-mental diluen' It has been well observed, that, " however trivial me-dicines of this class may appear to be, they are often of greater import-ance iu the cure of diseases than more elaborate preparations."

Decoction of Logwood.—Boil three ounces of the shavings or ihips«rf logwood in four pints of water, till one half the liquor is wasted. Two»r three ounces of simple cinnamon-water may be added to this decoc-tion.—In fluxes of the belly, where the stronger astringents are im-

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