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Show ALKANET, 97 colour to art. The cortical part of the root is of a dusky red, and imparts an elegant deep red to alcohol, oils, wax, andall unctuous substances, but not to watery liquors. Alkanet root has little or no smell; when recent, it has a bitterish astringent taste, but when dried scarcely any. Its chief use is for colouring oils, ointments, and plasters. As the colour is confined to the cortical part, the small roots are best, having proportionally more bark thanthe large. This species of anchusais native of Montpellier, and its root is imported to us from the southern parts of Europe. It is accepted into the Edinburgh, but not into the London Pharma. copeeia, for its sole use with the former is allowedto be the coJouring certain ingredients, one-fortieth part giving a fine deep red; and hence it is usually employed in what are called lipsalves. ALKANET. DYER’S BUGLOSS. ANCHUSA TINCTORIA. Class V. Pentandria. Order I. Monogynia. Essent. Gen. Cuar. Corolla funnel-shaped, the mouth closed with prominences: Seeds markedat the base. Spec, Cuar. The plant tomentose: Leaves lanceolate, obtuse: Stamens shorter than the corolla. ing, and afterwards acts as an astringent ; hence it is usefully administered in decoction against diarrhoea. Externally it is employed for drying up old inveterate ulcers.”? Sir John Hill says ‘‘it promotes the discharge by urine, and is good in nephritic cases.” The author of this work can say nothing respecting the use of alkanet, except, that he has occasionally ordered bark draughts to be coloured with it, to conceal a remedy which the patient was absurdly prejudiced against; and it has been also used for this purpose when medicines would: otherwise possess only the appearance of clear water. Faith, it is justly said, has a no small concern in the cure of diseases. DESCRIPTION. Ir grows to about a foot in height; the leaves are rough and large, andstand alternate on thestalks; the flowers are rather small, and purplish or blueish, and are succeeded each by four seeds. HISTORY. This plant is a native of Europe: it is sometimes cultivated in our gardens; but the greatest quantities are raised in Germanyor France, particularly about Montpelier, from whence the dried roots are usually imported to us. But let us view it, if possible, in a truly medical point of view. The great Boerhaave says, ‘‘ the root of the alkanet is very open- The alkanet root produced in England is muchinferior in colour to that brought from abroad; the English being only slightly reddish, the others of a deep purplish red; and it has been suspected, but without sufficient foundation, that the foreign roots owe part of their |