This well known useful plant rises about two feet in height: leaves very large similar to water dock roots long, thick as a man's thumb, very mucilaginous, and are black externally, and white within: flowers of a pale blue colour.

HISTORY.'

It grows in moist meadows, near springs, and is planted in gardens for family use.

MEDICAL VIRTUES.

The roots are inspissant and demulcent, having the same virtues as marsh mallows. They correct salt sharp serum, heal erosions of the intestines in diarrhoeas, dysentery, and prevent the spitting of blood: bruised and applied to ruptures externally, has proved beneficial.

PREPARATION.

Take four ounces of the fresh roots, or three of dry, four of burdock root, two of red rose willow bark, one of parsley, and two of yarrow tops; boil these ingredients in four quarts of water and one of new milk, to the consumption of two; strain it and sweeten it with loaf sugar. A gill of this decoction taken three times a day, will cure the recent clap in a few days, using the tormentil injection as there directed. It is also beneficial in curing the fluor albus or whites, in weakly females. The roots boiled in milk is good for fluxes, dysentery, and ardor of urine: take two ounces of dry com frey root bruised, and one ounce of tormentil root, boil them in three quarts of water down to two ; strain it, and add a pint of brandy with four ounces of powdered loaf sugar dissolved in it. A gill may be taken by adults, and a table-spoonful by children, four times a day, in dysentery and other diarrhoeas or fluxes.

This plant has a fibrous root, sending out tong oval leaves irregularly subdentated, of a pale green colour and ribbed; these are seven, often but five, and sometimes nine: the flower stems also proceed from the root, and are a span in height, erowned with a spike of clustered flowers which are very small.

HISTORY.

It grows plentifully in meadows, pastures, and garden grass plots.

MEDICAL VIRTUES.

This plant is astringent, and has been found beneficial in preventing the immoderate overflowings of the menses, discharging of blood by urine, laxity of the bowels, and stops fluxes. The juice of this plant boiled in new milk, is a present remedy for stoping the hæmorrhidal flux when excessive, also an excess of courses, whites, and salt rheum.

PREPARATION.

Boil one pound of the dry plant, in two quarts o beef brine, and one quart of urine, for an hour; the decoction must be strained and put up for use. The hands and other parts, in salt rheum wet with a linen rag four or five times a day, and half a tea-spoonful of the powdered root of May apple or mandrake, taken in a dish of scabious tea, will cure the disorder. A gill of the following de. coction, taken four times a day, will purify the blood and prevent a relapse: take of rose willow bark four ounces, slippery elm bark eight, sassafras bark one, bitter sweet bark two, and three of lignum vitæ chips; boil all the ingredients in six quarts of water down to three strain the decoction, put it in a stone jug, and keep it in a cool cellar for

use.

The following decoction is made use of in the cure of all immoderate floodings and fluxes, as well as in debility, fluor albus, or whites: boil one pound of the plantain in six quarts of rain water down to three; strain it, and put a quart of port wine and four ounces of loaf sugar dissolved in the decoction.