726

ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.

causing miscarriage, it can only do so at the risk of the womans 1 ^Vogt ( Pharmakodyn .) says that it has a tendency to induce an applectic state in the foetus. The emmenagogue power of savin is westablished. Perhaps the observations of Home ( Clinic. Experimen ^ ’p. 419) are the most satisfactory of any on this subject, confirmedthey are by the reports of many other accurate observers. , a

Uses. —Savin is not much used internally; but, in cases of amenorrfiand chlorosis, depending on or accompanied by a torpid conditiondeficient action of the uterine vessels, it may be given as a po" euterine stimulant. In such cases it proves a most efficient rem ^According to my own observation, it is the most certain andpo' v ® r .^emmenagogue of the whole materia medica. My experience 0 ^therefore, confirms the statements of Home {Clin. Experiments ). Th° u aI have employed it in numerous cases, I never saw any ill effects ffrom its administration. Of course its use is contra-indicated "irritation of the uterus, or indeed of any of the pelvic viscera, exists. ^In chronic rheumatism, with a languid circulation in the extreme'sels, Chapman ( Elem. of Therap.) speaks in very high terms ol d-has been used as an anthelmintic. 0 f

As a topical agent, savin is frequently employed, mostly in thethe cerate, to make perpetual blisters. Equal parts of savin anddigris, in powder, form one of the most efficacious applications f° r faremoval of venereal warts. The powder, an infusion, or the e:! T r , eS i eI itjuice of the plant, is occasionally applied to warts, to old and in 110ulcers, and in cases of psora and tinea. aIJ d

Administration. —By drying, savin loses part of its volatile 01hence the powder is not the best preparation of it. It is, however, s ^times given in doses of from five to fifteen grains. A decoction {extract are also objectionable preparations, on account of the gemployed in making them. An infusion may be prepared by dig e3i. of the fresh herb in fgviii. of boiling water: the dose is one ° r e .table-spoonfuls. The oil is by far the most convenient and certain I ^paration of savin, and is the one which I always employ. A consethe fresh leaves is sometimes used. q,j).

1. Oleum Sabina:, ~E.D .—(Obtained by distillation of the tops 0 ^ sa ' fc>11 li-lts properties have been already noticed. The dose, as an u s

gogue, is from two to six drops, diffused in a mucilaginous or oleag 1mixture. 1 jj.;

2. CeratumSabinie, L.E.; TJnguentum Sabina;, I).—(Savin

the leaves stripped from their stalks, H.], bruised, lb. i. [lb. ss., D \ > j t0 -lb. ss.; Lard, lbs. ii. Mix the savin in the lard and wax ‘nil'll 1gether, then press through a linen cloth. The Edinburgh an ( l ^ a r<?

colleges boilthem [in the lard only, _D.] together, untifthe leave* -crisp). The boiling is considered objectionable on account of the*of a portion of the oil. The colour of this cerate should be fine ff* t0and its odour that of the plant. Savin cerate is used as a dressyblistered surfaces, to produce what is termed a perpetual blister- ypreferred to the ceratum cantharidis as being less acrid, and not li a 0 $cause strangury. It is sometimes applied to seton tapes, to increasedischarge from setons. ^t

Antidotes. In a case of poisoning by savin herb or its oil,indication is to remove the poison from the stomach and bowels. ° v