394.  Sedum Telephium.  Orpine.  The Leaves.—­This is a very thick-leaved juicy plant, not unlike the houseleeks.  It has a mucilaginous roughish taste, and hence is recommended as emollient and astringent, but has never been much regarded in practice.

395.  Sempervivum tectorum.  Greater house-leek.  The Leaves.—­These are principally applied in cases of erysipelatous and other hot eruptions of the skin, in which they are of immediate service in allaying the pain arising therefrom:  great quantities are cultivated in Surrey, and brought to the London markets.  It is remarkable of this plant, that its juice, when purified by filtration, appears of a dilute yellowish colour upon the admixture of an equal quantity of rectified spirit of wine; but forms a beautiful white, light coagulum, like the finer kinds of pomatum:  this proves extremely volatile; for when freed from the aqueous phlegm, and exposed to the air, it altogether exhales in a very little time.

396.  Senecio Jacobaea.  Ragwort.  The Leaves.—­Their taste is roughish, bitter, pungent, and extremely unpleasant:  they stand strongly recommended by Simon Pauli against dysenteries; but their forbidding taste has prevented its coming into practice.

397.  Solanum nigrum.  Common nightshade.  The Leaves and Berries.—­In the year 1757, Mr. Gataker, surgeon to the Westminster Hospital, called the attention of the Faculty to this plant, by a publication recommending its internal use in old sores, srophulous and cancerous ulcers, cutaneous eruptions, and even dropsies; all of which were much relieved or completely cured of it.

398.  Spiraea Ulmaria.  Meadow-sweet.  The Leaves and Flowers.—­The flowers have a very pleasant flavour, which water extracts from them by infusion, and elevates in distillation.

399.  Spiraea Filipendula.  DROPWORT.  The Root.—­The root consists of a number of tubercles, fastened together by slender strings; its taste is rough and bitterish, with a slight degree of pungency.  These qualities point out its use in a flaccid state of the vessels, and a sluggishness of the juices:  the natural evacuations are in some measure restrained or promoted by it, where the excess or deficiency proceeds from this cause.  Hence some have recommended it as an astringent in dysenteries, a diuretic, and others as an aperient and deobstruent in scrophulous habits.

400.  Symphytum officinale.  Comfrey.  The Root.—­The roots are very large, black on the outside, white within, full of a viscid glutinous juice, of no particular taste.  They agree in quality with the roots of Althaea; with this difference, that the mucilage of it is somewhat stronger-bodied.  Many ridiculous histories of the consolidating virtues of this plant are related by authors.

401.  Tamus communis.  Black bryony.—­The root is one of the best diuretics known in medicine.  It is an excellent remedy in the gravel and all obstructions of urine, and other disorders of the like nature.