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Show 452 TRAILING ARBUTUS, OR BEAR-BERRY, in almost every country in Europe, The green leaves alone, Dr. Bourne says,.should be seleeted and picked from the twigs, and dried by a moderate exposure to heat. The powder, when properly prepared, is of a light brown colour, with a shade of greenish yellow, has nearly the smell of good grass hay as cut fromthe rick, and to the tasteis at first smartly astringent and bitterish ; which sensations gradually soften into a liquorice fla. vour. Digested in alcohol theygive out a green tincture, which is rendered turbid by water, and whenfiltered passes transpare nt and yellow, while a green resin remains on the filter. They are powerfully astringent, approaching, in the deepness of the colour which theygive to. red sulphate of iron, more nearly to nut-galls than any substanee I have tried. Indeed in some parts of Russia they are used for tanning. MEDICAL WIRTUE. The medical effects of this medicine depend entirely on its astringent and tonic powers. It is therefore used in various fluxes arising from debility, menorrhagia, fluor albus, cystirrhcea, diabetes, enuresis, diarrhoea, dysentery, &c. It has been strongly recommended in phthisical complaints by Dr. Bourne , andin diseases of the urinary organs by De Haen, particularly in ulcerations of the kidneys and bladder. It certainly alleviat es the dyspeptic symptoms accompanying nephritic complai nts. It is commonly given in the form of powder, in doses of from twenty to sixty grains three or four times a day. Theillustrious Haller, speaking of this plant, says, ‘‘ the infusion is bitter and astringent, the aqueous extract has the smell of honey with the properties of the infusion. The spirituous in- fusionis likewise bitter. Besides, we extract a green resin which has the odour of wax. The decoction is bitter, and leaves a heat in the throat. By distillation we obtain an acid liquor.” Tt is this acid liquor whichattacks the calculi formed in the human body, reduces them to small pieces, and softens, those that cannot be thus split, or broken: of 150 calculi which we submitted to this test, there was not one but was acted uponby this acid liquor. When taken internally it destroys that glutinous matter which forms with the terrene part calculi, and-hence prevents the formation of this dreadful disease. This liquor was injected into the bladders. of dogs, and produced with them no. inconvenience, TRAILING ARBUTUS, OR BEAR-BERRY. A53 and remained :—Might not the same procéss be successfully em. ployed with the human subject? We never observed anymis. chief arising from the use of this plant; we have found it good in all disorders of the kidneys or bladder, andalso in the hz. morrhoids and strangury. De Haen gives a drachm of the leaves in powder at a dose two or three times a day. Werlhof has employed it with success in gravel. In two cases of consumption it did not succeed. In this country the fate of this remedy has been reversed; for it has acquired considerable fame in pulmonary consumption, and sunk: in reputation as a specific in calculous disorders, Dr. Withering, speaking of the effects of this plant, says, ‘* Per. haps, upon the whole, weshall find it no-better than other ve. getable astringents, some of which have long been used by the country people in gravelly complaints, and with very great ad. vantage, though hitherto unuoticed by the regular practitioners.” |