Similar Plants.—­Verbascum Lychnites; V. nigrum.

The roots of the Henbane are to be distinguished by their very powerful and narcotic scent.

218.  Hyssopus officinalis.  Hyssop.  The Herb.  L. E. D.—­The leaves of Hyssop have an aromatic smell, and a warm pungent taste.  Besides the general virtues of aromatics, they are particularly recommeded in humoral asthmas, coughs, and other disorders of the breast and lungs; and said to notably promote expectoration.

219.  Inula Helenium.  Elecampane.  Root.  D.—­Elecampane root possesses the general virtues of alexipharmics:  it is principally recommended for promoting expectoration in humoural asthmas and coughs; in which intention, it used to be employed in the Edinburgh Pharmacopoeia:  liberally taken, it is said to excite urine, and loosen the belly.  In some parts of Germany, large quantities of this root are candied, and used as a stomachic, for strengthening the tone of the viscera in general, and for attenuating tenacious juices.  Spiritous liquors extract its virtues in greater perfection than watery ones:  the former scarce elevate any thing in distillation:  with the latter, an essential oil arises, which concretes into white flakes; this possesses at first the flavour of the elecampane, but is very apt to lose it in keeping.

220.  Juniperus Sabina.  Savine.  The Tops.  L. E. D.—­Savine is a warm irritating aperient medicine, capable of promoting all the glandular secretions.  The distilled oil is one of the most powerful emmenagogues; and is found of good service in obstructions of the uterus, or other viscra, proceeding from a laxity and weakness of the vessels, or a cold sluggish indisposition of the juices.

Similar Plants.—­Juniperus oxycedrus; J. Phoenicea.  These should be particularly distinguished, as Savine is attended with danger when taken immoderately.

221.  Juniperus communis.  Juniper.  Berries.  L. E. D.—­Juniper berries have a strong, not disagreeable smell; and a warm, pungent sweet taste, which, if they are long chewed, or previously well bruised, is followed by a bitterish one.  The pungency seems to reside in the bark; the sweet in the juice; the aromatic flavour in oily vesicles, spread through the substance of the pulp, and distinguishable even by the eye; and the bitter in the seeds:  the fresh berries yield, on expression, a rich, sweet, honey-like, aromatic juice; if previously pounded so as to break the seeds, the juice proves tart and bitter.

222.  Lactuca virosa.  Wild lettuce.  Leaves.  E.—­Dr. Collin at Vienna first brought the Lactuca virosa into medical repute; and its character has lately induced the College of Physicians at Edinburgh to insert it in the Catalogue of the Materia Medica.  More than twenty-four cases of dropsy are said by Collin to have been successfully treated, by employing an extract prepared from the