142 The Materia Medica. Part fh

it, where the excefs or deficiency fennel; the feeds, roots, and leavesproceed from this caufe. Hence

fome have recommended it as an The fweet fennel is fmaller in

aftringent in dyfenteries, immode- all its parts rhan the common, ex-

rate uterine fluors, &c. others as a cept the feeds which are confider-

diuretic ; and others as an ape- ably larger. The feeds of the two

rient and deobftruent in fcrophu- forts differ likewife in ihape and

lous habits. At prefent it is wholly colour: thofe of the common are

difregarded. roundilh, oblong, flattifh on one

fide, and protuberant on the other,FIL1CIS MARIS radix: Ftikis - of a dark almoft blackifh colour ;

r.on ramojct, dentate C- B. Com- thofe of the fweet are longer,

mon male fern ; the root [£.] narrower, not fo flat, generally

FILICIS FCEMINiE radix : crooked, and of a whitifn or pale

Filicis ramoftc majoris pin• ulis obtujis yellowifh colour. Both forts are

non dentatis C. B. Female fern; cultivated in our gardens: the

or brakes; the root [/l.] common is a perennial plant: the

FILICIS FLORIDvE, feu Of- fweet perifhes after it has given

viunda regalis radix: Filicis ramofai feed ; nor do its feeds come to

non dentata, florid.ee C. B. Ofmund fuch perfection in this climate as

royal, or the flowering fern ; the thofe which we receive from Ger-

root [£.] many.

The roots of thefe plants (which The feeds of both the fennels

are the only part dire&ed for have an aromatic fmell, and a

medicinal ufe) have, when fir ft moderately warm, pungent tafte:

chewed, fomewhat of a fweetiih thofe of the fccniadum duke are in

glutinous tafte, which foon be- flavour moll agreeable, and have

comes bitterifn, fubaftringent, and alfo a confida-rable degree of fweet-

naufeous. They are faid to be ilhnefs : hence our college have

aperient and anthelmintic. Simon directed the ufe of thele only.

Paulli tells us, that they have been They are ranked among the four

the grand iecret of fome empirics greater hot feeds ; and not un-

Hgainft the broad kind of worms defervedly looked upon as good

called taenia-, and that the dofe flomachics and carminatives. An

is one, two, or three drains of efTential oil [2£.] and fimple water

the powder. The the third fort is [/>.] are prepared frpm them in

fuppofed to be the weakeft, and the fhops ; they are ingredients

the fecond the ftrongeft ; this alio in the compound juniper wa-

therefore has been generally made ter, garlic-oxymel, mithridate,

choice of; practice, has, however, theriaca, and decoction for gly-

at length expunged them all, Hers [£.]

though the college of Edinburgh The root is far lefs warm,

Hill retains them in their catalogue but has more of a fweetiih tafte,

of fimples. than the feeds; it is one of the

five roots called openers ; and hasFC2NICUL1 DULCIS femen fometimes been direfted in ap-Fceniculi dulcis C. Jj. Sweet fen- perient apozems. Boerhaave fays,nel; the feeds £.] that this root agrees in tafte,FCENICULI VULGARIS fo- fmell, and medica! qualities, withHa, radix, femen : Funiculi duI- the celebrated gafeng of the Chi-asm germanici C, B. Common nefe j from which, however, it

appears