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Show FLORENTINE IRIS. A5 FLORENTINE IRIS. MEDICAL VIRTUES. Sir John Hill says, that the Florentine or dry Iris root is an attenuant and expectorant: it excellently thins the tough phlegm adhering to the bronchia, and renders it easily discharged, Jt is given with success in asthmas, difficulty of breathing, and manyotherdisorders of the breast and lungs. The doseis from ten to fifteen grains in powder; but it is not often given alone, as might be wished, though it is an almost constant ingredient in compositions with these intentions. Dr. Cullen says, What this root might do in its recent and acrid state, I cannot determine ; but in the dried state, in which we commonly haveit in our shops, we are persuaded of its being a veryinsignificant expectorant. We shall therefore hasten to consider our own Water Flag. TTTe Cae) Respecting our Yellow Water Flag (Iris Pseudacorus), a plant very common in marshes and bythe sides of rivers, and rendered very conspicuous byits large yellow flowers, which ap- pear in July, it formerly had a place in the London Pharma. copia, under the name of Gladiolus luteus, but has been since omitted. MEDICAL VIRTUES, Unwilling to diminish the number of the few weapons physicians have to combat disease with, let us examine alittle into the real or supposed merits of this plant. 1 he juice is excessively acrid in all its parts; and some ofit being applied to a carious tooth, will instantly remove the sensi= bility, and thus « sure the toothache. a s .The 1@ Juice juice off the the root root being eing snuff sI ied upthe nostrils i produces ur oO Neat in. thaca Durning art sensa tion in those parts , acts as a most powerful . ator Vora tae on Seru na y 5 ¢and Opera : tes in «a mostbso 1 violent way, brin ging down . a quantity of water; and in this wayit has cure d complaints of ; ad. ; ctandi , 5 the > head, ¥ of longyr standing, in a remarkable manner. ; rr The© expressed expressed juice juice isisals also found to be an useful application icati ele 0 . a . . : . sernic rh mt « ) serpiginous eruptions and scrophulous tumours. But its chief employment is in droy sies. Brassavola says that he hasos cured ascites by siving even to three ounces of its juice5 ' Sydenham, who gave al ong with it and half an ounce of cream of tartar, approves of this remedy, In the Medical Essays, vol. v. p. 94, there is a case relatec where all the usual remedies had failed, and this produced a cure: ‘* By this time the strongest cathartics, such as jalap, gamboge, mercury, &c. were quite ineffectual; whereupon Dr. Rutherford ordered eighty drops of thé root of the Yellow Flag to be given every hour or two in alittle syrup of buckthorn, which had a very immediate effect, making the man pass several Scots pints of water by stool that very night.” Might not this be an useful remedy, like some other acrid marsh plants, against worms? But given in small doses, accord. ing to Blair’s Observations, p. 78, it has been successful in diarrhceas ; and according to Christian Lange it is an excellent stomachic. And we mustallow that the root is a powerful astringent, being used instead ofgalls in making ink in Scotland (vide Pennant’s Tour), andalso for dyeing of black. Old Gerarde seems to have had a tolerably fair knowledge of the virtues of this discarded plant. 1. The root of the commonfloure-de-luce cleane washed, and stamped with a few drops of rose water, and laid plaisterwise vpon the face of man or woman, doth in two daies at the most take away the blacknesse or blewnesse of any strokeorbruse; so that if the skinne of the same woman, or anyother person, be very tender anddelicate, it shall be needfull that ye lay a piece ofsilke, sindall, or a piece of fine laune betweene the plaister and the skinne, for otherwise in such tender bodies it often causeth heat and inflammation. 2. The juice of the same doth not onely mightily and vehemently draw forth choler, but most especially watery humors ; andis a speciall and singular purgation for them that haue the dropsie, if it be drunke in whay, or some otherliquor, that may somewhat temper andalaythe heate. 3. The dry roots attenuate or make thinne thicke and tough humours, which are hardly and with difficultie purged away. 4. They are goodin alochorlicking medicine, for shortnesse of breath, an old cough, andall infirmities of the chest which rise hereupon. 5. They remedie those that have euill spleenes, and those that are troubled with convulsions, or cramps, biting of serpents, and the running of the reines, or gonorrhea, being drunke with vinegre, as saith Dioscorides ; and drunke with wine it bringeth downe the monethly courses of women. |