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Show 150 HIstorRyY. This tree, or bush, is common in hedges: it flowers in May and June, andripens its fruit in September or the beginning of October. In our markets, the fruit of some other trees, as the blackberry-bearing alder, and the dogberry tree, have of late been frequently mixed with, or substituted for, those of buckthorn. This abuse may be discovered by opening the berries; those of buckthorn have almost always four seeds, the berries of the alder two, and those of the dogberry only one. Buck. thorn berries, bruised on white paper, stain it of a green colour, which the others do not. Those who sell the juice to the apo- thecaries are said to mix it with a large proportion of water. MEDICAL USES. — Ire ieari BUCKTHORN. BUCKTHORN. Buckthornberries have a faint disagreeable smell, and a nauseous bitter taste. They have long beenin considerable esteem as cathartics; and celebrated in dropsies, rheumatisms, and even in the gout; thoughin these cases they have no advantageoverother purgatives, but are moreoffensive, and operate more severely, than manywhichthe shops are furnished with. ‘They generally occasion gripes, sickness, dry the mouth and throat, and leave a thirst of long duration. Thedose is about twenty of the fresh berries in substance, and twice or thrice this number in decoction ; an ounce of the expressed juice, or a drachmof the dried berries. PREPARATIONS. The only” officinal preparation ordered by the collegesis 4 syrup, simple as directed by the Edinburgh college, and properly corrected by ginger and pimento by the London. Synur or Bucxtuorn. (Syrupus Rhamni Cathartici. E.) Take.of the juice of ripe buckthorn berries, depurated, two parts 5 double refined sugar, one part: Boil themso as to form a syrup. Syrur or Bucxtuorn. (Syrupus Spine Cervine. L.) Takeof the fresh juice of ripe buckthornberries, one gallon; ginger, bruised, one ounce; -—_—— pimento, powdered, one ounce and a half; -——— double refined sugar, seven pounds: 151 Set aside the juice for three days, that the faces may subside; and then strain it. Macerate the ginger and pimentoin a pint of the strained juice for four hours, andfilter. Boil away the rest of the juice to three pints; then add that part of the juice in which the ginger and pimento haye been macerated, and form a syrup of it with the sugar. Both these preparations, in doses of three or four spoonfuls, operate as brisk cathartics. The principal inconveniencies attending them are their being very unpleasant, andtheir occa- sioning a thirst and dryness of the mouth and fauces, and sometimes violent gripings ; these effects may be prevented by drinking liberally of water-gruel, or other warm liquids, during the operation. It is seldom employed alone, but to give power to other purgatives, except in dropsies. The juice dried producesfor the painter their sap green, a very fine dark green, but not very durable. |