General therapeutics and materia medica (volume 1): adapted for a medical text book . §iv ; Al-cohol, dilut. Oij ; made either by maceration or displacement.) Thistincture is a good adjunct to bitter infusions, as to the infusion of co-lumbo ; and is, occasionally taken alone, mixed with water. Its dose is from to ( 2. GENTIANA.—GENTIAN. Gentian is the root of Gentiana lutea, common or yellow gentian ;Sex. Syst. Pentandria Digynia ; Nat. Ord. Gentianaceae. It may beregarded as the best of the simple bitters. Accordingly, it is receivedinto the various pharmacopoeias; and
General therapeutics and materia medica (volume 1): adapted for a medical text book . §iv ; Al-cohol, dilut. Oij ; made either by maceration or displacement.) Thistincture is a good adjunct to bitter infusions, as to the infusion of co-lumbo ; and is, occasionally taken alone, mixed with water. Its dose is from to ( 2. GENTIANA.—GENTIAN. Gentian is the root of Gentiana lutea, common or yellow gentian ;Sex. Syst. Pentandria Digynia ; Nat. Ord. Gentianaceae. It may beregarded as the best of the simple bitters. Accordingly, it is receivedinto the various pharmacopoeias; and its officinal preparations are morenumerous than those of any article of the class. The plant is an inhabi-tant of Alpine grassy slopes and meadows throughout the middle regionsof continental Europe ; and abounds in the Pyrenees, the mountains ofVosges and Auvergne, and the Alps of Austria and Switzerland, thrivingbest at an elevation between 3000 and 5000 feet above the sea. It is 36 SPECIAL TONICS. said to be particularly abundant on Mount Jura. (Christison.) It is Fig. Gentiana lutea. a beautiful plant, evolv-ing its splendid yellowflowers in July. Theroot, which is the onlyofficinal part, is broughtto this country fromGermany. It is saidto be imported intoEngland from Havre,Marseilles,&c. In 1839,according to Dr. Perei-ra, duty was paid on470 cwt. As met with in theshops, gentian is inpieces of various sizes ;and, if large, is splitlengthwise. Itisyellow-ish-brown externally,and of a brownish-yellow within; and is tough and flexible; but, whenthoroughly dried, is readily reduced to a yellowish-brown powder. Itsodour is feeble and peculiar; taste at first sweet, but afterwards intenselybitter. It yields its virtues readily to water, alcohol, and wine, whichare therefore used as menstrua for certain officinal preparations. Whensubjected to analysis, it is found to consist mainly of bitter extractive,traces of volatile oil—oil of gentian;—gum, an uncrystallizable
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