Part II.

Materia Medica.

163

Kino is much more soluble in boiling than in cold water.The decoction, therefore, on cooling, becomes turbid with avery copious red sediment. The residuum seems to be sof-tened by the heat of bailing water, at least it agglutinates in-to masses resembling melted red sealing wax dropt into wa-ter. By repeated decoctions with very large quantities ofwater, I have never been able to exhaust it of its solubleparts: the last decoctions had still a deep red colour, andblackened solutions of iron. This residuum is not more so-luble in alcohol than in water, and is not fusible, but whenthrown on live coals burns away without flame. Vauquelinobserved, that when the whole quantity of water necessary todissolve the soluble parts of kino is not employed at once, theresiduum becomes more insoluble. Alcohol dissolves thewhole of the Botany-b3y kino except its impurities. With acertain proportion of water, this tincture lets fall a copious redprecipitate, which may be separated by filtration, but with alarger proportion of water its transparency is only slightly dis-turbed. It is also remarkable, that alcohol dissolves kino en-tirely, but does not dissolve the residuum of the decoction.This fact would shew, that the portion extracted by the waterhad the property of rendering the residuum soluble in alco-hol. The solutions of kino precipitate gelatine, and, accord-ing to Vauquelin, silver, lead, and antimony, white ; andiron, green. I find that it resembles other astringents, informing a black precipitate with red sulphate of iron, whichhowever is converted into green by the slightest excess ofthe sulphate, and by a larger excess is dissolved into a brightgreen liquid.

Med. me. — It is a powerful remedy in obstinate chronicdiarrhoeas and dysenteries ; in all passive haemorrhagies, es-pecially from the uterus ; in fluor aibus ; and in diseases ari-sing from laxity of the solids.

It is exhibited internally, in doses of from ten to thirtygrains, in substance, or dissolved in diluted alcohol.

Externally, it is applied as a styptic, to check haemorrha-gies from wounds or ulcers, and to diminish the discharge ofsanious or ichorous matter from ill-conditioned ulcers.

Lactuca virosa. Ed.

Willd. g. 1404, sp. 12. Smith, g. 342, sp. I. Sijngenesiatcqualis —Nat. ord. Compositcc semiflosculoste.Strong-scented or cut lettuce.

Off". —The leaves.

I*'0LIUM LACTUC.E VIROS.E.

Ed.