Althaea. Marsh-mallow. (Not officinal.) [Officinal in U. S. P.] The root of Althaea officinalis, or March-mallow; Lin. Syst., Monodelphia polyandria: growing throughout Europe.

Description. Small cylindrical pieces, about the size of a finger yellowish white externally, white within; the epidermis is generally removed.

Prop. & Comp. Little odour, taste sweet and mucilaginous; it contains much mucilage, some starch and sugar, also altheine (C8 H8 N2 O5), identical with asparagine.

Prep. Syrupus Althaeae, Lond. Ph., 1851. Syrup of Marsh-mallow. (Marsh-mallow, sliced, one ounce and a half; sugar, three pounds, or as much as may be necessary; distilled water, one pint; rectified spirit, two and a half fluid ounces, or as much as may be necessary. Macerate the march-mallow in the water for twelve hours, press out the liquor, and strain through linen; then add of sugar twice the weight of the strained liquid, and dissolve with a gentle heat. Lastly, when the syrup has cooled, mix to each fluid ounce half a fluid drachm of spirit.)

Therapeutics. Simply a demulcent, used to allay cough, as other mucilages; much used in France, under the name Guimauve, in lozenges, etc.

Dose. Of a decoction, ad libitum; of the syrup, 1 fl. drm. to 1 fl. oz.

Besides the althaea, other malvaceous plants are used for the mucilage they contain, as the Malva sylvestris, or common mallow and the Malva rosea, or hollyhock.

Cotton Wool. (AppendixA.) [Gossypium. Cotton. U.S.] A filamentous substance attached to the seeds of Gossypium her-baceum and other species of this genus; Lin. Syst., Monodel-phia polyandria. Carded.

[Gossypii Radix. The root of Gossypium herbaceum and other species of Gossypium. U. S.]

Description. Cotton consists of fine filaments or tubular hairs, "becoming flattened by drying, which were attached to the seed-coat; these tubes have but few joints when examined by the microscope: cotton can be distinguished from linen by the fibres on the latter having tapering ends, and being aggregated in bundles. In composition it resembles lignin, or ordinary woody fibre (C36 H30 O30), it is used for the preparation of pyroxylin, gun cotton.