RHEUM. 807
a
The V )War< ^ s the end of the process, add the liquorice, Dr. A. Russell).°fth ° Se ' S 3 v 'iij. four times a day. As a masticatory , about two grains. e bark may be chewed.
tej^ Tii) ote.—I n a case of poisoning by mezereon, evacuate the con-(), ■ S ( °f the stomach as speedily as possible, and give emollient drinks,les j and the vegetable acids. To counteract inflammatory symptoms,Us ual antiphlogistic treatment should be adopted.
j/A< riacecz- -
Other Medicinal Lmtraceee.
Gnidium is the Qv/teKala, or Thymelaa, of Dioscorides , whose fruit is the kSkkosh. ’ °r (hiidian berry, used by Hippocrates . Its properties are similar to those ofs 'ril, e ? ere U'»- InF ranee the bark (called garou) is employed, in the way before de-’ as a vesicatory.
"errjj ne Laureola is an indigenous plant, having yellowish-green flowers and black£ a 4 Its effects are analogous to the last-mentioned species.
'ton Untearia, or the Lace Bark Tree, possesses the medicinal properties of meze-
* las I )een used in the same cases (Wright, Med. Plants of Jamaica ). Its bark°fth e e Se Parated into 20, 30, or more laminae, which are fine and white, like gauze :\t Sri c aps, ruffles, and even w hole suits of ladies’ clothes, have been made (Sloane’sof Jamaica , vol. ii. p. 22).
Op
d er 31. Polygona'ce.e, Lindley .— The Buck-Wheat Tribe.
the lAI ' Character. —Calyx free, simple, persistent, monosepalous, deeply divided;the S l? men ts imbricate in aestivation, disposed in a double row; the inner oppositetl, e ? ll * es of* the ovary, the outer opposite the angles. Stamens definite, inserted intoO* of the calyx. Anthers two-celled, four-furrowed, dehiscing laterally by aC ar - chink. Ovary one, free. Styles numerous, or stigmas numerous, sessile.
or nu t' one-seeded, generally triangular, more or less covered by the calyx,generally lateral, sometimes central, often curved. Albumen farinaceous.I distinct from the hilum .—Herbaceous plants, rarely shrubs. Stems nodose,alternate, sheathing, or adnate to an intrafoliaceous sheath or ochrea: revoluteP »cw young ( Bot. Gall.)
r atb T . lr:s -—Oxalic acid is an abundant product of this order. In the free state, or"’unil 1 ! 1 . the /° rm . 0, ' a supersalt, it exists in the leaves and petioles, to which it com-, ''' : Ues refreshing and refrigerant qualities. In the root of rhubarb it is found in
it e v- 1,lat .‘ on "’ith lime. Tannic acid is another important principle of this order;qu a ,ats in the roots, the stems, and the leaves. Colouring matter, in considerableof p | .V, exists the roots. In many species the roots are purgative. Some species0 r e .ygunum contain a volatile acrid principle. Nutritive (mucilaginous) mattersy*elded by several species.
Rhe'um, Linn .—One [or more ] undetermined Species, E.
Rheum palmatum, L. D.— R. undulatum, D.
Sex. Syst. Enneandria, Monogynia.
(Radix, L. E. D.)
pttljo —Dioscorides (lib. iii. cap. 11) speaks of a root which he
l <kw or Rheon (pa 'pgov), and which has been regarded by some as
lot " hh our rhubarb ; but the description he has given of it doesto the latter substance, and it is therefore fair to presume some
low, must be meant. “ Rha, by some called Rheon, grows, saysW. ° ri( Ies, “ i n those countries which are beyond the Bosphorus, and
It is a root which is black externally, like to
it is brought.