in the stomach, bowels or limbs, &c. can receive no better remedy.

It is to be noticed, that if the skin is chafed with vinegar, and a small poultice of these roots applied, they will draw a good blister. When this is given as a purge, bracing medicine should follow it, such as No. 4, No. 5, or No. 9.

I have sometimes filled a phial with the roots, and then put on spirits, and given a teaspoonful at a time, where the system requires warming and stimulating.

No. 3.

Culver's or Brinton's root,

is a purge, and famous for the cure of the pleurisy. Its top is a weed growing two or three feet high, having leaves coming out of the stalk at joints, some three, some four and so on to seven at a joint, according to the age of the root; a white tasseled blossom grows on the top of each branch, frequently as long as one's finger.

Out of a common stool grow a number of pale yellow roots, about as big as knitting-needles, and taste very bitter. A large handful of the roots made into a decoction, is enough for a common dose.

This root is good for use when dry; it possesses much of the narcotic, and requires the patient sometimes to be roused to keep him from falling asleep during its operation. It may be powdered and used like jalap, generally as a purge.

My father, Hezekiah Smith, for the cure of the pleurisy, practised long with this root, and used to cure the pleurisy with amazing speed. I have found that the root No. 2 is fully as good, or better.Bleeding should precede the purge, when the pulse beats hard, and the inflammation is high.

No. 4.

The Columbo, or Miami root,

is found in plenty in the Ohio and Kentucky states. This valuable production is several years old before it sends up its stalk. The leaves are very smooth and grow in bunches nearly as big as mullen leaves, but not so wide; the stalk is round as a musket barrel, and often grows six or seven feet high, having always four leaves at right angles growing at a joint; its seed grows in pods shaped like a horsebean, and are much like parsnip seeds.

The Columbo leaves occasion sweat copiously, when laid to the forehead, and will commonly relieve the headache; and this relief will be found special in many other cases-to sweat away boils, inflammations, and even old chronic pains.

The Columbo root ought to be used as a bracing or tonic medicine; but it is both an emetic and a cathartic, if taken in large quantities. People who will keep this root by them, and only chew as much as their stomachs will easily take (taking it in substance, which is preferable to any other way) will find it a remedy for almost any complaint, especially gripings, purgings, cholics, and generally all pains of the bowels.

One of the peculiar traits of the Columbo root is, that it braces the stomach, if only two or three chews of it are taken, and the spittle or saliva swallowed, that a plentiful drinking of cold water will not hurt you-yet it will perhaps be the best means in order to a sudden and positive cure. This may be relied on in a cholic, or almost any sudden attack of disease and if you have an insatiable thirst, so that one drink of water only makes way for another, then take this Columbo root until the thirst abates, and drink what cold water you please. But after the thirst is abated, then if you drink cold water as much as you can well force down, you will very likely cure the fever at once.

To finish the cure of fevers, it should be taken in some form, until health is confirmed. Such is the efficacy of this root, that when they who take it recover, they are indeed well at once, needing no other medicine.

Bitters made of this root, are proper to confirm health; and I believe that this root, or its preparations, is the best relief for the nausea and costiveness of a pregnant woman.

The use of this root will, I expect, supercede that of the Jesuit barks, and so fill their place that we shall need none of them.

This Miami-Columbo root is of a pale yellow, its taste is a mild bitter, but of a lower jist than the imported, allowed to be so by reason of the odds of climate, yet fully as efficacious as the other.

This root might be sent to market in great quantities from the Miami country.

claims the

Dr. Richard Allison, of Cincinnati, honor of discovering this to be the Columbo root in our country, and to him I am indebted for my first ideas of its virtues.

After Dr. Allison had been informed that the Doctors in Philadelphia denied it to be the Columbo root, I heard him say "I know the Columbo root as well as any of them-and I believe it to be the Columbo root."

are

No. 5.

The Butternut or White-walnut bark pills,

a valuable purge, very easy and safe, to all persons under disease.

These pills may be prepared by boiling a kettle of the bark of the butternut tree in water, until you

gain the substance of the bark, then strain the liquor and boil it down; when it becomes thick as syrup, take care not to burn it, but simmer it to a substance like hard wax; then put it by in a cup or gally pot, and make it into pills as they are wanted, for if the pills are made up, they will run together and dissolve in a little time.

This purge is preferable to any that I know, in a weak and debilitated state of the bowels. It may be taken in as small quantities as you please, for if they do not purge immediately, they act the better as a stimulus and tonic to the system, and will produce a good habit of body by repeating them every night, and this may be done for a month together.

This differs from all other purges that I know of in this that your doses may be less and less, but other physic must have more and more, or it will not purge. Other purges generally leave the body in a worse habit, but this in a better. Its general ease and safety, and its answering in almost every disease, so that I venture to say the trial of it will never be wrong, make it a far preferable medicine to salts or any other purge, where repeated applications are wanted.

I advise to begin with one or two pills at night, going to bed, which may be swallowed in a little stued fruit or rye mush, and the doses may be increased a little every night till they purge; then take less and less till the patient is quite well. Try this for pain in the stomach, worms, colds, consumptive coughs, costiveness, laxes, hemorrhage, or what you will, all is safe.

Those who are exposed by attending the sick, or where fevers or fluxes are suspected to be infectious, ought to take the butternut pills as a preventative. Their nature, and the proofs that I have known, cause me to suppose that they will seldom fail to prevent such infections, if taken for that purpose as

here recommended. Drenches made of a decoction of this bark may be used for horses that have the yellow water, or for cattle that have the murrain. I have heard of both being speedily and ef fectually cured by it.

No. 6.

The China Rhubarb root,

will vomit and purge both. The sprouts from which this root was first raised in America, are said to have been brought from China by Doctor Johnson, of Pennsylvania. It is raised only by planting the sprouts. The leaves are nearly as large as burdock leaves and are smooth as beet leaves; it sends up a stock and blooms plentifully, but always blasts.

The roots are long, and lie in different directions, much in the form of horseradish roots, of a redish colour without and within-the root will come to a good maturity in two years.

This I suppose to be a rhubarb of a superior quality. I have chiefly used it by compounding with other medicine. It is a great tonic, but requires to be given in small quantities at a time.

No. 7.

The Nine-bark root,

is found growing plentifully in the state of Ohio, and on the waters of the Ohio river. Its top is a straight stem, partly between the wood and weed kind, growing about three or four feet high, having a pith like elder (but there are no joints in the stalk like elder, to prevent running out the pith, of which weavers' quills are made) the roots grow nearly on