This plant rises near a foot in height: leaves large and scolloped, resembling the leaves of white oak: roots about the size of the little finger, are blood red, and fibrous. HISTORY. It grows in low grounds, among rocks, in meadows, or in the woods near meadows. MEDICAL VIRTUES. The root is a powerful emetic, cathartic, emmenagogue, pectoral and sudorific. I have found it beneficial in the cure of rheumatism and jaundice, and is effectual in heginning consumpsions. PREPARATION. Tincture for the cure of rheumatism. Take four ounces of the bruised dry blood root, and four ounces of the bruised aletris, or unicorn horn root, put them in a jug, and fill it up with Jamaica spirits: it will then be fit for use. The patient may take a wine glass full twice or thrice a day, in chronic rheumatism and jaundice. I have cured many by the use of this tincture, beginning with half a glass twice a day, increasing the dose gradually to a glass full, according to its effects. conmon tar. Two of Pills for the cure of beginning consumptions. Take four ounces of blood root, one ounce of skunk cabbage balls, two ounces of sugar candy, one ounce of Indian turnip root, one ounce of liquorice, and half an ounce of spruce gum, all powdered fine; mix the powders well in a mortar with Make this consistence into pills as large as a pea, and put them, with a little liquorice powdered, in a bottle well corked, for use. these pills may be taken every morning and when going to bed, and drink a tea-cup full of tea made of longwort which grows on white oak trees, and half an handful of the bark of wild cherry tree root, to two quarts of boiling water, sweetened with honey, four times a day. A puke of the American ipecacuanha must be administered previous to the taking of the pills. This celebrated plant rises about two feet in height leaves sesile and accute: flowers blue, not compound, numerous and spiked: leaves of the calyx are five, halbert shaped, five cleft at the margin, and the corrolla funnel shaped. HISTORY. This plant grows in the states of New-Jersey and Virginia, in moist meadows, and near brooks and springs: flowers from August to September. MEDICAL VIRTUES. The roots of this plant is recommended by the Indians, as a certain remedy in the cure of the venereal disease. They communicated to the late sir William Johnson, an account of the effects of this root in the lues venorea, which has been since published in the fourth quarto volume of Linnæus's Amœnitates Academicæ. By this account, a strong decoction is to be made of the roots and leaves of this plant, half a pint of which is to be drank every morning, washing the parts with the decoction. MEDICAL VIRTUES. From my practice for several years, in the use of the lobelia, observe the following directions: Take one pound of the roots and leaves, well dryed; put them into two gallons of water and boil it away to four quarts; add four ounces of crane's bill root, and half a pound of the bark of rose willow, to the strained decoction, and after putting three quarts more of rain water into it, and boiling it away to four, you may strain it for use. In all recent complaints of the clap, the patient may take a gill four times a day, and throw up the penis the following injection: boil two ounces of crane's bill, or vulgarly called, crowfoot, in three pints of water, to the consumption of one, strain the decoction, and dissolve a tea-spoonful of white vitriol into it. After making water throw up a syring full six times a day; but if it should smart you must add one gill more of water. Abstain from all spiritous liquors, and live upon cool diet till well, which is generally a week or ten days: or should a cordee |