part ii. Materia Medica. — Gam Urbanum.

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the form most commonly employed. (See Preparations andCompositions.) It operates as a cathartic, but has a narcoticeffect also; and requires, therefore, to be given at first insmall doses, " which may be gradually increased till nauseais excited, when the dose for that patient is ascertained." i It*over-doses it is apt to occasion sickness, vomiting, fever, and:delirium; and the same effects are produced if cold water bedrunk during its operation. When such symptoms occur from,either cause, they are generally removed by copious draughtsof warm water, a dose of castor-oil, and plentiful dilution withlemonade or infusion of tamarinds. Owing to these deleteriouseffects of the remedy, it has not been generally.used in thiscountry.

The dose of the powder is from 9j. to 5ss.;—and that ofthe extract, which is made by evaporating the decoction, grs.iij. The syrup, which is the decoction with a double portionof sugar added to it, may be taken in doses of from two to fouuspoonsful.

Officinal preparation. Decoctum. Geoffroyce inermis, E.GEUM. Spec. Plant. Willd. ii. 1113.CI. 12. Ord.8. Icosandria Polygynia. Nat. ord. Senticosa:, Linn.

Rosacege, Juss.G. 1002. Calyx ten-deft. Petals five. Seeds with a bent awn.Species 3. G. urbanum.- Common Avens, or Herb Bennet. Med.

Bot. 2d edit. 502. 1. 181. Smith Flora Brit. 554.Officinal. Geum urbanum ; radix, Dub. The root of Avens.Syn. Bonoite officinale (F-), Nelkenwurzel (G.)> Cariofilata (/.).

Avens is an indigenous perennial plant, common in woodsand shady places, flowering from May to August. The rootis fibrous; the stem about two feet high, nearly upright,roundish, hairy, leafy, branched at the top, and of a brownishhue on one side. The leaves are of a deep green colour, onchannelled footstalks; those nearest the root pinnated andlyrate, with two pairs of unequal leaflets, and a larger wedge-shaped terminal one; the upper leaves are simple, trifid, andpointed; and all cleft, serrated, and hairy. The stem-leaves areaccompanied with a pair of large, rounded, lobed, toothed sti-pules resembling the smaller leaflets. The flowers are termi-nal and solitary, on peduncles. The calyx is externally brown-ish, internally pale green, of one piece, divided into five largepointed segments, and five intermediate ones much smaller,and lanceolate. The petals are bright yellow, small, withclaws, and spreading: the filaments awl*shaped, nearly aslong as the larger segments of the calyx, yellowish, insertedinto the calyx; at first bent inwards, afterwards erect, andsupporting yellow anthers. The germens are hairy, collected

' Wright, 1. c. - Caryojihyllata, Alston's Mat. Med. vol. i.

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402.