A Modern Herbal (Volume 2)

Margaret Grieve

• Publisher: Rare Treasure Editions
• Year: 2021
• eBook ISBN: 9781774644522
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Horticulture
• Index: Biological Sciences

"There is not one page of this enchanting book which does not contain something to interest the common reader as well as the serious student. Regarded simply as a history of flowers, it adds to the joys of the country." — B. E. Todd, SpectatorVolume 2 of the fullest, most exact, most useful compilation of herbal material. Gigantic alphabetical encyclopedia, from aconite to zedoary, gives botanical information, medical properties, folklore, economic uses, much else. Indispensable to serious reader. 161 illustrations.

SABADILLA

Veratrum sabadilla

N.O. Liliaceae

Synonyms. Cevadilla. Schcenocaulon officinale. Melanthium sabadilla. Veratrum officinale. Helonias officinalis. Sabadilla officinarum. Asagraea officinalis. Sabadillermer

parts used. Seeds, dried fruit

Habitat. Southern north america, guatemala and venezuela

Description. The name schoenocaulon indicates the habit of the scape, meaning ‘a rush’ and ‘a stem.’ the name asagrcea commemorates professor asa gray of harvard university, the most distinguished of living american botanists. It is not quite certain whether the seeds are obtained from the veratrum sabadilla, a plant 3 or 4 feet high, or from the v. Officinale, differing slightly in appearance and construction. The seeds are black, shining, flat, shrivelled and winged, odourless, with a bitter, acrid, persistent and disagreeable taste, the pale grey, amorphous powder being errhine and violently sternutatory. The seeds were known in europe as early as 1752, but officially only as the source of veratrine.

Constituents. Sabadilla contains several alkaloids, the most important being ceva-dine, yielding cevine on hydrolysis; veratrine, obtained from the syrupy liquor from which the cevadine has crystallized; and cevadilline or sabadillie, obtained after the extraction of the veratrine with ether.

Two other alkaloids have been isolated: sabadine, which is less sternutatory than veratrine, and sabadinine, which is not sternutatory. Sabadilla yields about 0-3 per cent, of veratrine. The seeds also contain veratric acid, cevadic acid, fat and resin.

Medicinal action and uses. Sabadilla, or cevadilla, is an acrid, drastic emeto-cathar-tic, in overdoses capable of producing fatal results. Cevine was found to be less poisonous than cevadine, though producing similar symptoms. The powdered seeds have been used as a vermifuge, and to destroy vermin in the hair, being the principal ingredient of the pulvis capucinorum used in europe. Cevadilla was formerly used internally as an anthelmintic, and in rheumatic and neuralgic affections. The highly poisonous ver atria, which is derived from it, has been given in minute doses internally in acute rheumatism and gout, and in some inflammatory diseases, but it must be used with caution. Veratria is useful as an ointment in rheumatism and neuralgia, but is regarded as being less valuable than aconite. The ointment is also employed for the destruction of pedicule. Applied to unbroken skin it produces tingling and numbness, followed by coldness and anaesthesia. Given subcutaneously, it causes violent pain and irritation, in addition to the symptoms following an internal dose. The principal reason against its internal use is its powerful action on the heart, the contractions of the organ becoming fewer and longer until the heart stops in systole.

Dosage. From 5 to 20 grains as a taenicide. Ointment veratrine, b.p.

poisonous, if any, with antidotes. Large doses paralyse heart action and respiration, and its use is so dangerous that it is scarcely ever taken internally.

SAFFLOWER

Carthamus tinctorius

N.o. Compositae

Synonyms. Dyer’s saffron. American saffron. Fake saffron. Flores carthami. Bastard Saffron

part used. Flowers

This plant is not in any way related to saffron, though the flowers are used similarly.¹

The safflower plant, known in india as koosumbha and in china as hoang-tchi, is extensively cultivated in india, china and other parts of asia, also in egypt and southern europe; but its native country is unknown. It grows about 2 to 3 feet high, with a stiff, upright whitish stem, branching near the top; and has oval, spiny, sharp-pointed leaves, their bases half-clasping the stem. Its fruits are about the size of barleycorns, somewhat four-sided, white and shining, like little shells.

Safflower contains two colouring matters, yellow and red, the latter being most valued.

It is chiefly used for dyeing silk, affording various shades of rose and scarlet. Mixed with finely-powdered talc it forms the well-known substance called ‘rouge.’ another common use of safflower is in adulterating saffron. The seeds yield an oil much used in india for burning and for culinary purposes.

Medicinal action and uses. The flowers are the part used, their action is laxative and diaphoretic. In domestic practice these flowers are used in children’s and infants’ complaints – measles, fevers, and eruptive skin complaints. An infusion is made of £ oz. Of the flowers to a pint of boiling water taken warm to produce diaphorasis.

SAFFRON

Crocus sativus

N.o. Iridaceae

Synonyms. Crocus. Karcom. Krokos (arabian) zaffer

part used. Flower pistils

The true saffron is a low ornamental plant with grass-like leaves and large lily-shaped flowers, inhabiting the european continent, and frequently cultivated for the sake of the yellow stigmas, which are the part used in medicine, in domestic economy and in the arts.

Saffron is the karcom of the hebrews (song of solomon iv. 14). The plant was also known to the ancient greeks and romans.

In the course of an inquest held in 1921 at Poplar (london, e.), a medical witness testified to the prevalence of a domestic custom of giving saffron ‘tea’ flavoured with brandy in cases of measles.

The Emplastrum oxycroceum of the edinburgh pharmacopœia contained, in olden days, a large proportion of saffron (from which – and vinegar – it derived its name), with the addition of colophony, gum am-moniacum, mastic and vinegar.

Saffron was imported to england from the East many centuries ago, and was once grown extensively round saffron walden, in essex. One smoke-pervaded spot in the heart of london still bears the name of ‘saffron hill.’ it is a somewhat expensive product, the economic value residing in the stigmas of the flower, of which it is said 60,000 are needed to make 1 lb. Of saffron.

Saffron Crocus Sativus

Meadow saffron colchicum autumnale

According to dr. Pereira, a grain of good commercial saffron contains the stigmas and styles of nine flowers, and consequently 4,320 flowers are required to yield 1 oz. Of saffron! English-grown saffron is now very seldom met with in commerce; the best comes from spain, while that imported from france is usually considered of second-rate quality. The quantity imported has been computed at between 5,000 and 20,000 lb. Weight per annum. Saffron has a bitter taste and a penetrating aromatic odour.

Lately, persian saffron has made its appearance in the english market – although of rare occurrence – owing to the high and increasing price of the european article. It has long been known as a wild product of persia, and was formerly sent from that country and kashmir to bombay, -but was driven out of the market by the superior saffrons of europe.

Saffron was cultivated at derbena and ispahan in persia in the tenth century. It differs a little in appearance from european saffron in being rather more slender and in the unbranched part of the style being paler, but the characteristic odour is remarkably strong. On immersion in water it does not seem to give out so much colour as european saffron, and could only compete with it if the price enabled it to be used in sufficient quantity to give a colour equal to that used in europe. The wild persian crocus is the variety hausknechtii, which occurs on the delechani and sangur mountains between kermanshah and hamada in west persia, and at karput in kurdistan, which is the most easterly point where any form of crocus sativus occurs in the wild state.

It may be mentioned that five forms of c. Sativus are known in the wild state. (1) var. Orsiniiy which may be regarded as the italian form and is found at ascoli, the most westerly point from which any wild form of the plant is recorded. It near...

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• Index of Country Names of Plants