s which we have seen, except that of the London College,
into which it was received in the character of an antiscorbutic, or
rather as the corrector of acrid humours, especially when manifested by
cutaneous eruptions and tumours in the lymphatic system, for which we
have the testimony of Beirie and Ray; but the best proofs of its
efficacy are the following given by Dr. Withering: "A young lady, six
years old, was cured of an obstinate disease by taking three large
spoonfuls of the juice twice-a-day; and I have repeatedly given to
adults three or four ounces every morning in similar complaints with the
greatest advantage. It is not nauseous; and children take it readily if
mixed with milk. In the dose I have given, it neither affects the head,
the stomach, nor the bowels." Woodville's Med. Bot. 146.

275. SMILAX Sarsaparilla. SARSAPARILLA. Root. L. E. D.--This root was
first brought into Europe by the Spaniards, about the year 1565, with
the character of a specific for the cure of the lues venerea, which made
its appearance a little before that time, and likewise of several
obstinate chronic disorders. Whatever good effects it might have
produced in the warmer climates, it proved unsuccessful in this. It
appears, however, from experience, that though greatly unequal to the
character which it bore at first, it is in some cases of considerable
use as a sudorific, where more acrid medicines are improper.

276. SOLANUM Dulcamara. BITTERSWEET. Stalk. L. D.--The taste of the
twigs and roots, as the name of the plant expresses, is both bitter and
sweet; the bitterness being first perceived, and the sweet afterwards.
They are commended for resolving coagulated blood, and as a cathartic,
diuretic, and deobstruent.

277. SOLIDAGO Virga aurea. GOLDEN ROD. Flowers and Leaves. D.--The
leaves have a moderately astringent bitter taste, and hence prove
serviceable in debility and laxity of the viscera, and disorders
proceeding from that cause.

278. SPARTIUM scoparium. BROOM. Tops and Seeds. L. D.-These have a
nauseous bitter taste: decoctions of them loosen the belly, promote
urine, and stand recommended in hydropic cases. The flowers are said to
prove cathartic in decoction, and emetic in substance, though in some
places, as Lobel informs us, they are commonly used, and in large
quantity, in salads, without producing any effect of this kind. The
qualities of the seeds are little better determined: some report that