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Show SPEARMINT. PREPARATIONS. Disrituep Spearmint Water. (Aqua Menthe Viridis.) Take of spearmint, pound 14, water, as much as to prevent empyreuma: Distil off one gallon. Sprrir or SPeARMINT. (Spiritus Menthe Viridis. ) Take of spearmint, 13 pound; diluted alcohol, 9 pounds, E. ; proof spirit, one gallon, L.: Macerate for two days in a close vessel; then pour on as much water as will prevent empyreuma, and drawoff bydistillation nine pounds. SPEARMINT. MENTHA VIRIDIS. Class XIV. Didynamia. Order I. Gymnospermia. ENT. Gen. Cuar. Essenv Corolla sub-equal, four-cleft: > i emarginate: Stamens erect, distant. Srec. Cuan. the broader lacinia Spikes oblong: Leaves lanceolate, naked, serrate, sessile? Stamina the lengthof the corolla. SE T DESCRIPTION. uis plant rises two feet. Leaves large, elliptic, serrate, rene a green colour, in pairs, seated on a short foot- aik. Flowers small, purple, produced in terminal spikes. HISTORY. Spearmint is perennial, and a native of Britain ; flowers in August. é MEDICAL VIRTUE. It is not so warm as peppermint, and has an agreeable flavour ; it is therefore preferred and carminative. for tea, and is considered as stomachic i Voratite Ow oF Spearmint. (Oleum Volatile Menthe Viridis. ) Volatile oils are prepared nearly in the same manneras the distilled waters, except that less water is to be added. Substances which differ in volatility may be separated from each other by applying a degree of heat capable of converting the most volatile into vapour, and by again condensing this va~ pour in a proper apparatus. Water is converted into vapour at 212°, and may be separated by distillation from the earthy and saline matters which it always contains in a naturalstate. But, it is evident, that if any substances which are as volatile as wa~ ter be exposed to the same degree of heat, either by immersing them in boiling water, or exposing them to the action of its steam, they will rise with it in distillation. In this way the camphor and volatile oils of vegetable substances are separated from the morefixed principles. Volatile oils are obtained only from odoriferous substances5 but not equally from all of this class, nor in quantity propore tional to their degree of odour. Some which, if we were to reason from analogy, should seem very wellfitted for this process, yield extremely little oil, and others none at all. Roses and chamomile flowers, whose strong and lasting smell promises abundance, are found to contain but a small quantity of oil: the violet and jessamine flower, which perfume the air with their odour, lose their smell upon the gentlest.coction, and do. not afford any oil°on being distilled, unless immense quantitise 202 |