CERA

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Centauhba Centaurium. P. The Greater Centaury, of which theroot is a bitter aperient, used in chronic hepatitis, atonic gout, &c.

Cep^e Radix. D. The Onion, Allium cepa, is stimulant, diuretic,antispasmodic, and anthelmintic. In cataplasms it is suppurative;raw, it is rubefacient. The expressed juice is good for odontalgia,and rheumatic otalgia, or ear-ache,when put upon a bit of cotton, andapplied to the parts.

Cephalics. Remedies which are employed for disorders of the head.

Cephalic Snuff. A nostrum prepared with the powder of asarum(which see), hellebore and sugar. It is a powerful errhine, and inmany disorders of the head may be dangerous.

Cera Flava et Cera Alba. L. E. D. P. Yellow Wax and WhiteWax, or Bees' Wax. A substance procured from bee-hives, and alsoproduced by some plants. It has little taste, but smells like honeyin the yellow unbleached state.Adulterated in the yellow state with ochre, peas-meal, resin, and tallow,which may be detected by melting and straining a portion of thewax, and dissolving a small quantity of it in spirit of wine; theformer will show the peas, ochre, or tallow, and the latter the resin.The ochre also, and the peas, make the cake brittle and greyish;the tallow makes it soft and clammy; and the resin makes the frac-ture smooth and shining. In the white state it is also adulteratedwith tallow, or with spermaceti, which destroys its transparency;and with white lead, which will be precipitated when the wax ismelted in water.Medicinally the yellow wax is used chiefly for preparing ointments,pomatum, cerates, &c. The white or bleached wax is used inter-nally, and is emollient and nutritive, in doses of gij of the emulsion,made by melting from 3j to ^ss of it with oil, and triturating it withyolk of egg and barley water, or with gum arabic mucilage. Givenin diarrhoea, cholera, &c.Enters into Cera Flav. Purificata. D. Ung. Cerata, Emp. Var.

Cerasin. New. A chemical principle, found in cherry-tree gum,tragacanth, &c. It is insoluble in water.

Cerates are a species of salves, composed of wax and oil, and of arather thicker consistence than ointments. They ought to be madein small quantity at a time, as they are apt to become rancid, or sourby keeping.Goulard's Cerate. See Ceratum Plumbi Compositum.Kirkland's Cerate is prepared by melting Jiv of diachylon plaster, and§ij of olive oil, together, adding §ij of prepared chalk, and, whenalmost cool, Jij of distilled vinegar, and 5jss of subacetate of lead, inpowder.