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Vie Materia Medic a.

Part 11

medicine is a mild aftringent, andfrequently employed as fuch in al-vine fluxes, uterine profluvia, inlaxity and debility of the vifeerain general, and in coughs proceed-ing' from thin acrid defluxiocs. Itstaile is more agreeable than that ofmoft other Jubilances of this clafs;chewed for fome time, it leaves akind of fweetifhnefs in the mouth.The troches and tinflure, kept inthe fhops, are vary elegant prepa-rations of it. It gives name to anofficinal cortfe&ion [£. jand is an in-gredient in the compound powderof amber, mithridate, And theri-aca [Z,.]

JASMINJ Jtone<: Jafmitti vad-gatioris flor.e alio C. B. Jafmine ;the flow.ers.

This is a fmall tree, commonlyplanted in our gardens. Theilovera have a flrong fmell, whichis liked by moll people, though toi'ome difagreeable : expreffed oilsextratt their fragrance by in-fufion ;and water elevates fomewhat of itin diftUlatictn, but no effential oilhas hiherto been obtained fromthem : the diftilled water, kept fora little time, lofes its odour. Asto their medical-virtues, the prefentpractice expedts not any from them,notwithstanding they have been re-commended for promoting delivery,curing ulcerations of tue uterus, &c.

JBERIDIS folia : Lrpiilii gia/m-?ieo folio five iherid'a Town. Sciaticacrelfes; the herb.

This is met with in botanic gar-dens ; in tafte, fmell, and medicalvirtues, it agrees with the saftur-tium. It has been particularly re-commended in external applica-tions againfl the fciatica, whencethe Engliih name of the plant.

ICHTHYOCOLLA [£.] Fifli-glue, or ifing-glafs.

This is a folid glutinous fubftance,obtained from a large kind of fitb,caught in the feas of Mufcovy-The fkin, and fome other parts ofthe animal are boiled in water, thedecoftion infpiflated to a properconfiftence, and then poured out(o as to form thin cakes; thefe areeither farther exficcated till perfeft-ly 'dry, or cut whilft foft into flices,which al« afterwards bent, or rolledtip into fpiral, horfefhee, and ti-the r (hapes. This glue is moreemployed for mechanic purpofesthan in medicine. It may be givesin a thin acrimonious Hate of thejuices, after the fame manner <tsthe vegetable gums and mucilages;regard being had to their differentdifpoikion to putrefcence.

I-M PERATORI .feu Magiflran*tia radix : Inipcratoria majoris C. B.Maftefwort; the root [£.]

This is a native of the Alpsand Pyrenean mountains, and fome•parts of Germany, from whencewe are fupplied with roots fuperiorin aromatic flavour to thofe raifed■in our gardens. The fmell of thisroot is -very fragrant; its tafte bit-terifh, warm, tmd pungent, glow-ing in the mouth for a long timeafter it has been chewed. Thisiimple, though undoubtedly an ele-gant aromatic, is not regarded isthe prefent pra&ice t it is fcarcelyever direftcd in extemporaneousfrefcripdon, and the only officinalcomposition it has a place in, is theplague wat^r of the Edinburghpharmacopoeia. Jts flavour is fi-milar to that of angelica, but•ftronger.

IPECACUANHA [/.. !?.]»root brought from the SpanifoWeft-Indies.

It is divided into two forts, Pe-ruvian and Brazilian : but the eyedifliaguiflies three, alb-coloured or

grey.