. A Reference handbook of the medical sciences : embracing the entire range of scientific and practical medicine and allied science. Fig. 4616. -Witchhazel; Flowering Branch. (Baillon.) rather straggling or spreading branches, and oblong orobovate, short-stemmed, slightly heart-shaped, sinuate-toothed, nearly smooth leaves. Its flowers are small, inlittle, sessile, axillary clusters, and appear late in the au-tumn : they persist through most of the winter, the fruitfrom them ripening in the following summer. Calyxfour-parted; corolla of four long, narrow, strap-shaped,yellow petals, stamens, e
. A Reference handbook of the medical sciences : embracing the entire range of scientific and practical medicine and allied science. Fig. 4616. -Witchhazel; Flowering Branch. (Baillon.) rather straggling or spreading branches, and oblong orobovate, short-stemmed, slightly heart-shaped, sinuate-toothed, nearly smooth leaves. Its flowers are small, inlittle, sessile, axillary clusters, and appear late in the au-tumn : they persist through most of the winter, the fruitfrom them ripening in the following summer. Calyxfour-parted; corolla of four long, narrow, strap-shaped,yellow petals, stamens, eight, short; pistil, one, with twostyles ; and a two-celled, two-ovuled ovary. Witchhazel grows in moist woods, and is common overa large portion of the United States. It is an old remedyof the Indians, and is said to have been introduced to ournotice by them ; but its present popularity as a wash forbruises and wounds in household practice is of verymodern growth. The leaves are officinal, and when dryare inodorous, and have an astringent and bitter Fig. 4617.—Witchhazel ; Flowers. (Baillon.) But the bark of the smaller branches is much more indemand ; it is also bitter and astringent, without muchodor. A number of analyses of this plant have been madewithout discovering anything to explain its reputed vir-tues, since no alkaloid or other active principle is is not poisonous in any quantity. There is some tan-nin, and an infinitesimal amount of essential oil; enoughto give smell and taste to a distillate, but not enough toisolate. For twenty years or so witchhazel has been, in thiscountry, the most widely used domestic vulnerary, takingthe place in the popular imagination of arnica, which 783 Bones. REFERENCE HANDBOOK OF THE MEDICAL SCIENCES. had held sway for a generation before. It is usually em-ployed in the form of a distillate, made by distilling a veryweak mixture of alcohol and water (six per cent, alcohol)from the bark. It has a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectmedicine, bookyear188
