HERNIARIA.—RUPTURE- WORT.
divided into three lobes, glabrous above, andslightly pubescent underneath.
The flowers are of a grey, red, or violetcolour.
It has an astringent taste, but is withoutodour.
It is slightly astringent.
HERACLEUM SPONDIL1UM, Linn.— COW PARSNIP.
Synonimes :— Berce, Fausse acanthe, Fr. ;Unaechte Baerenklau, Germ. ; Esfondilio,Span. ; Beerenklaw, Dut. ; Spondilio,Ital. ; Parszoz porstinaski, Pol. ; Cana-braz, Port.
Amer. ; Gall. ; Wirtem. ; Coxe ; Mur-ray and Gmelin.
A plant of Europe and North America.{Pentandria Digynia, Linn. ; XJmbelliferœ,Juss. ; Fig. Blac'kw. Herb. t. 540.)The root and herb are employed.The root (Radix Brancœ ursinas seu Ursi
seu Spondylii seu Germanica:) is long, thick,and branching. It is white, and has an acridand caustic taste.
The herb consists of a grooved stem,furnished with winged, rough leaves, whitishunderneath, having crenulated, lobed leaflets.It has an agreeable and sweetish taste.
Orne recommends the powdered rootagainst epilepsy, in the dose of two drams,prescribing at the same time an infusion ofthe leaves. Mann has administered a de-coction of it in dyspepsia, with success.
HERMODACTYLI,—HERMODACTYLES.
Synonimes :— Ilermodactes, Hermodattes,Fr. ; Fremde Zeitlosenwurzel, Germ.
Ant. ; Bruns. ; Hisp. ; Gall. ; Wirtem. ;Bergius ; Guibourt ; Murray andGmelin ; Spielmann.
This name is given to certain tuberositieswhich grow on the collar (au eollet) of anundetermined liliaceous plant (Fig. Lob. Ic.146), growing in the East, and which Gro-vonius improperly designates ColchicumIllyricunz. [Sir H. Halford has statedthat the hermodactyles he had from theEast are a species of Colchicum.— Edit.]
They are compressed, almost triangular,concave and grooved on one side, swollenon the other, the circumference rounded and
blunt, yellowish without, and white within,tolerably dense, fragile, and of a grainedtexture. Their taste is very feeble, andtheir odour strong and nauseous.
They should not be confounded with thewhite tuberosities of the size of a nut, whichare disposed in the form of fingers roundthe root of the Iris tuberosa, Linn.; a plantof Europe and of the Levant ; and whichare called Spurious Hermodactyles.
Hermodactyles are reputed, without rea-son, to be slightly laxative. Lecanu hasfound in them neither emetine nor vera-trine, but a fatty matter, much starch, ayellow colouring principle, gum, and varioussalts.
HERNIARIA.—RUPTURE-WORT.
Two species of this genus are used inmedicine :
1. Hemiaria glabra, Linn.
Synonimes :— Herniole glabre, Turquette,Fr. ; Bruchkraut, Germ. ; Bridurt, Dan. ;Yerba turca, Span.; Klein duitend knoof,Dut.; Sporyz trzeci, Pol.; Herniada,Port. ; Brackcert, Swed.
Bruns.; Hisp.; Gall.; Genev.; Wir-tem.; Bergius ; Murray and Gmelin;
Spielmann.
A plant of Europe (Pentandria Digynia,Linn. ; Paronychieœ, Juss. ; Fig. Zorn, Ic.pi t. 382.)
The herb (Herba Hemiaria: seu MUH-granœ scu Empetri) is employed. It con-