Spec. Plant. Willd. ii. 1335. Cl. 13. Ord.6. Polyandria Polygynia. Nat. ord. Ranunculaceae. G. 1089. Calyx none. Petals five or more. Nectaries bilabiate, tubular. Capsides many-seeded, nearly erect. Species 3. H. officinalis. Officinal Hellebore. Sibthorp, Flora

Graea. Linnean Trans, vol. viii. 305. De Candolle, Systema

Naturale, vol. i. 316.

1 When an infusion or decoction of logwood is kept for some time, it becomes capable of producing a precipitate with gelatine; but when recent, no such effect takes place either with glue or isinglass. This was first observed by Dr. Bancroft.

2 Annates de Chimie, lxvii. 254. Thomson's Chymistry, v. 206. Vide Bancroft, Phil, of Permanent Colours, 2d edit. vol. ii. p. 395.

Officinal. Helleborus, Lond. Hellebori nigri radix, Edin. Dub. .The root of black Hellebore.

Syn. Hellebore (F.), Schwartze Niesswurzel (G.), Swart Prustrot (Swed.), Elleboro negro (I.), Helleboro negro (S.), Kadugaroganic ( Tarn.), Kherbeksiya (Pers.), Kali Koothie (H.), Kherbec usivud (Arab.).

Black hellebore, so named from the dark colour of the root, is a native of Austria, the Apennines, and Italy, flowering from December till March; whence it has been called Christmas rose, and has obtained a place in our gardens.1 The root is perennial, transverse, rough, knotted, externally black, internally whitish, and sends off many depending fibres. The leaves, which are deep green, spring directly from the root, on long maculated petioles; and are composed generally of five leaflets, pedate, two being supported on one partial petiole on each side, and one terminal: the leaflets are ovato-lanceo-late, smooth, shining, and coriaceous, with the upper half of each sparsely serrated. The flower-stalks are scapes, six or eight inches long, erect, round, somewhat tapering, sheathed, variegated with red, and bearing one or two flowers. The floral leaves supply the place of a calyx, are oval, and indented at the apex. The corolla consists of five large, roundish, concave spreading petals, at first white, with a tint of red, deepened by age, but finally changing to green, after the pollen is shed, and the seed impregnated. The nectaries are greenish yellow, tubular, two-lipped: the upper lip longer and slightly emarginate, the lower finely notched.

The filaments are numerous and thread-like, with yellow anthers. The germens, which vary in number from four to eight, become beaked pods, containing many oval, black, shining seeds.

This plant has been supposed to be the of Hippocrates; but there is every reason for believing that the officinalis of Dr. Sibthorp is the drug of the ancients. It was found by Bellonius and Tournefort2 growing in plenty about Mount Olympus, and the Island Anticyra, which was formerly celebrated for its production. Sometimes the roots of Helleborus viridis. Adonis vernalis, Trollius Europaeus, Actaea spi-cata, Astrantia major, and Aconitum neomontanum, are, either ignorantly or fraudulently, substituted for those of black hellebore. These are distinguished chiefly by their colour being paler than the roots of the hellebore.

1 It was cultivated in Britain by Gerarde in 1596. 2 Bellonii Obs. 1. iii. c.41. Tournefort, Voyage, ii. let. p. 21. 189.

Qualities.-The fibres of the roots, which are the parts used in medicine, are about the thickness of a straw, from four inches to a foot in length, corrugated, of a deep brown black on the outside, proceeding from a caudex, less than an inch in thickness, but several inches along, and internally white or yellowish, but exhibiting a grey earthy tinge. They have an unpleasant but feeble odour; and a sweetish, but nauseous, bitterish, acrid taste, benumbing the tongue, and leaving upon it an impression, "as when it hath been a little burnt with eating or supping any thing too hot"1 The acrimony is impaired by keeping; and appears to depend on a volatile matter, as water distilled from the root has an acrid taste. Both alcohol and water extract its medicinal properties; and, as the spirituous preparation is the most active, these appear to depend on its resinous part. By coction with water it yields a very considerable portion of gummy matter and some resin. (See the extract.) According to MM. Feneulle and Capron, black hellebore contains a volatile oil, an acrid principle, and gush.

Medical properties and uses.-Black hellebore root is a drastic cathartic, and on this property probably depends its emmenagogue and hydragogue powers. In smaller doses it is supposed to act as an alterative. It has been much celebrated in mania, melancholy, dropsy, scabies, and worms; but does not appear to possess any particular advantages over the other resinous purgatives, which act with less virulence. As an emmenagogue it is useful in plethoric habits, when preparations of iron are contra-indicated. When black hellebore is taken in too large a dose, it occasions violent vomitings, inflammation of the stomach, vertigo, tremblings, convulsions, cramps, and death. These effects are to be obviated by evacuating the stomach, by drinking copiously of mild mucilaginous fluids, and then employing the most powerful antiphlogistic measures. (See extract.) It is seldom prescribed in substance; but either in the form of tincture or of extract, or of decoction made with two drachms of the root to a pint of water.2 The dose of the root is from grs. x. to Э j., which purges strongly; but to produce its other effects two or three grains are sufficient.

Of the decoction f j. may be given every four hours.

Officinal preparations.- Tinctura Hellebori, L. E. D. Extraction Hellebori nigri, E. D. ,

1 Grew. 2 Wintringham, Thesaurus Med. p. 87.