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Materia Medica. — Juniperus sabina. part ii.

Species 10. J. communis. Common Juniper. Med. Bot. Id edit.

13. t. 6. Smith Flora Brit. 1085. Eng. Bot. 1130.1. Junipeuus Sabina. 1Officinal. Sabinte folia, Lond. Juniperi Sabiime folia, Edin.

Sabina ; folia, Dub. Savine leaves.

S:/n. Sabinne (F.), Sadebaum (G.), Sabina (I.\ Sabina (S.)-

This shrub is a native of the south of Europe, and the Le-vant; but has been long cultivated in our gardens, floweringin May and June. It seldom rises above three feet in height;is covered with a brown bark, and divided into numerous sub-divided branches; which are completely invested with verysmall, erect, firm, opposite, pointed leaves, of a bright greencolour, that lie over each other, and terminate the branches insharp points; giving the whole shrub a very lively aspect. Themale and female flowers are on different plants. The malecatkin consists of three opposite flowers placed in a triple row,and a tenth flower at the end : and at the base of each floweris a broad scale fixed laterally to a columnar pedicel. Thereare filaments in the terminal flower only ; tapering and unitedat the base, with simple anthers, which are sessile in the late-ral flowers. In the female flowers, the calyx is three perma-nent scales; the petals are stiff, sharp, and also permanent ;and the germen supports three styles with simple stio-mas.The fruit is a spurious fleshy berry of a blackish purple colour ;marked with tubercles the vestiges of the calyx and petals,and containing three small bard seeds.

Qualities. — The leaves and tops of savine have a strong,heavy, disagreeable odour, and a bitter hot taste, with a con-siderable degree of acrimony. These qualities depend on anessential oil, which is obtained in considerable quantity by dis-tillation with water. Both water and alcohol extract its ac-tive principles; and Lewis found that "on inspissating thespiritous tincture, there remains an extract consisting of twodistinct substances, of which one is yellow, unctuous or oily,bitterish, and very pungent; the other black, resinous, tena-cious, less pungent, and subastringent." *

Medical properties and uses. — Savine is a powerful stimu-lant, possessing diaphoretic, emmenagoguc and anthelminticproperties. It has certainly a considerable effect on the ute-rine system; but, on account of its stimulating properties, issuited to those cases only of amenorrhoea which are unattendedby fever, and in which the circulation is languid. In pletho-ric habits its use should be preceded by repeated bleedings 3 ;and at all times its internal exhibition requires caution, It hasbeen given in gout, and worm cases also, but is seldom used.As an external local stimulant or escharotic, the dried leaves

1 BpaQvs Dioscoridis. There are two varieties of Savine; the variety £ is ourplant. s Mat. Medica. ' Home. Clinical Experiments, 387.