Part II.

Materia Medica.

141

Gentian is a perennial plant which grows upon the Alps,Pyrenees, Appennines, and other mountainous situations inthe temperate parts of Europe.

The roots are long, thick, externally of a brown colour, andwrinkled: internally spongy, and of a yellow colour, withoutany remarkable smell, but surpassing in bitterness all otherEuropean vegetables. Alcohol dissolves only the bitter ex-tractive, water both the extractive and mucilage.

Neumann got from 960 grains 390 alcoholic, and after-wards 210 insipid watery extract; and inversely, 540watery,and only 20 alcoholic.

1 Medical use. —Gentian possesses the general virtues of bit-ters in an eminent degree, and it is totally devoid of astrin-gency. On dead animal matter it acts as an antiseptic. Ta-ken into the stomach, it proves a powerful tonic, and in largedoses it evacuates the intestines. It is useful in debility of thestomach, in general debility, and in gout. Combined withastringents, it cures intermittents. Externally, it is appliedto putrid ulcers.

Geoffeoya inermis.Willd.g. 1362, sp. 3.Papilionaccre.Cabbase-tree.

Dub. Geoffraa inermis. Ed.Diadelphia Decandria. —Nat. ord.

Off.— The bark.

Cortex geoffr.«.s; inermis.

Cortex geoffhce^. Dub.

Ed.

The bark of this tree, which grows in the low savannahs ofJamaica, is of a grey colour externally, but black and furrow-ed on the inside. The powder looks like jalap, but is not soheavy. It has a mucilaginons and sweetish taste, and a dis-agreeable smell.

Medical use. —Its medical effects are much greater than itssensible qualities would lead us to expect. When properly ex-hibited, it operates as a powerful anthelmintic, especially incases of lumbrici. It is given in form of powder, decoction,syrup, and extract, but should always be given in small doses.The decoction is preferred ; and is made by slowly boiling anounce of the fresh dried bark in a quart of water, till it as-sume the colour of Madeira wine. This sweetened is the sy-rup ; evaporated it forms an extract. It commonly producessome sickness and purging; sometimes violent effects, as vo-miting, delirium and fever. These last are said to be owingto an over-dose, or to drinking cold water ; and are relievedby the use of warm water, castor oil, or a vegetable acid.