paut n.
Materia Medica. — Inula Helenium.
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long whitish tube; the upper lip short, round, and notched atthe apex; the lower one separated into three segments, theundermost of which is inversely ovate. The filaments arecrowned with simple anthers; the style is slender and bifid;and the seeds are four, at the bottom of the calyx.
Qualities. —The leaves of hyssop have an agreeable aromaticodour, and a bitterish moderately warm taste; qualities thatappear to depend on a volatile oil of a yellow colour, whichcan be obtained separate by distillation with water. It iselevated by alcohol also; but soon exhales, and the spirit losesthe odour it had when newly distilled.
Medical properties and uses. — Hyssop is stimulant and tonic.It has been recommended in hysteria; and was formerly em-ployed in catarrhal and other pulmonary affections with theview of promoting expectoration; but the stimulant propertiesof hyssop render its use doubtful in these diseases; and as atonic it scarcely merits the least attention.INULA. Spec. Plant. Willd. iii. 2089.CI. 19. Ord. 2. Syngenesia Superflua. Nat. ord. Composite dis-
coideae, Linn. Corymabiferee, Juss.G. 1489. Receptacle naked. Pappus simple. Anthers ending in
two bristles at the base.Species. I. Helenium. Elecampane. Med. Bot. Id edit. 64. t. 26.
Smith Flora Brit. 890. Flora Danica, t. 728.Officinal. Enula Campana. ; radix, Dub. Elecampane root.
Syn. Inula Laleniere (F-), Alantwurzel (G.), Enula Campana (/.), EnulaCampana (S. ), Usululrason (Arab. ).
This species of inula is an indigenous perennial, found occa-sionally in pastures and rich moist soils', flowering in July andAugust, and ripening its seed in September. The root isthick, branched, externally of a brown or grey colour, andinternally white. The stem, which rises about three feet inheight, is leafy, round, and furrowed; branched near the topand villous. The leaves are large, ovate, serrated, veined, ofa deep green colour on the upper surface, and on the underreticulated, tomentose, and whitish: the radical ones are petio-late, but those of the stem sessile and embracing. The flowersare terminal, solitary, large, and of a golden colour. Thecalyx is scaly; the exterior scales are large, ovate, imbricated,and externally tomentose; the interior are narrow, linear, equal,and chaffy. The florets of the ray are numerous, spreading,twice the length of the calyx, linear, with the apex tridentate.The anthers end in two bristles at the base. The seeds arequadrangular, smooth, slightly curved, and furnished with a
1 'EAeVioc Dioscoridis. It is not unfrequent in Essex. Hudson. Between Wor-cester and Ludlow, and Bishop's Castle and Newton. Smith. I have seen it nearEwell, Surrey.
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