Off. Prep. Aqua Foeniculi. Fennel Water. (Sweet fennel fruit bruised, twenty ounces; water, two gallons, distil one gallon.) [Oil of fennel, half a fluid drachm; carbonate of magnesia, sixty grains; water, two pints. Rub the oil first with the magnesia, then with the water, and filter. U. S.]

Therapeutics. Stimulant, aromatic, and carminative; used to relieve flatulence and diminish griping.

Dose. Of oleum foeniculi, 2 min. to 5 min.; of aqua foeniculi, 1 fl. oz. to 2 fl. oz.

Cyminum. (Not officinal.) The fruit of Cumiuum cyminum, or Cumin; Lin. Syst., Pentandria digynia; native of Egypt, but cultivated in Malta, Sicily, and other parts of Europe.

Description. These mericarps are somewhat larger than the caraway, concave-convex, with five primary and four secondary ridges; four vittae under the latter, i.e., one under each; odour, peculiar; taste, warm.

Prop. & Comp. Their properties depend on the presence of a volatile oil, which is of a yellow colour, and lighter than water; consisting of cymol (C20 H14) and cuminol (C20 H12 O2); the former the more volatile.

Therapeutics. Action the same as that of the other carminative fruits and oils; very seldom used.

Coriandrum. Coriander. The ripe dried fruit of Coriandrum sativum, Coriander seeds; Lin. Syst., Pentandria digynia; native of Italy, cultivated in England, and naturalized in most parts of Europe.

Oleum Coriandri. Oil of Coriander. [Not officinal in U. S. P.] The oil distilled in England from coriander.

Description. - Of the fruit. The fruit is of a globular form, beaked, finely ribbed, yellowish brown, nearly as large as white pepper, consisting of two adherent carpels which are readily separated; odour and taste, aromatic.

Prop. & Comp). The oil, which is the active ingredient, is yellowish, and has the odour of coriander; but little is known of its chemical nature.

Off. Prep. Coriander is an ingredient of many of the compound preparations of the Pharmacopoeia, and oleum coriandri is contained in the syrupus sennae.

Therapeutics. Stimulant, aromatic, and carminative; rarely given alone.

Dose. Of the oil, 2 min. to 5 min.; of the powdered fruit, 10 gr. to 30 gr. or more.

Carui. Caraway. The dried fruit of Carum carui, or Caraway; Lin. Syst., Pentandria digynia; cultivated in England and Germany.

Carui Oleum. Oil of Caraway. The oil distilled in England from caraway fruit.

Description. The caraway seeds (mericarps) are slightly curved, with fine filiform ridges, and contain a single vitta in each channel. The longitudinal ridges of a lighter colour than the intervening interstices. Colour, brownish, with a peculiar aromatic odour and warm taste. The oil is of a pale yellow colour, with the odour of the fruit, and a spicy taste.

Prop. & Comp. The fruit, besides the common constituents of a mericarp, yields the volatile oil, on the presence of which its medicinal value depends. The sp. gr. of the oil is 0.946; its colour is darkened by long keeping. It consists of two liquid portions, the unoxidized carvine (C20 H16), the oxidized carvol (C20 H14 O2).

Off. Prep. Aqua Carui. Caraway Water. [Not officinal in U. S. P.] (Caraway, bruised, two ounces; water, two gallons, distil one gallon.)

Caraway is contained in many officinal preparations.

Therapeutics. Caraway is an aromatic, stomachic, and carminative, often used as a corrector of flatulence, and as an adjunct to other medicines; the oil is often added to purgative medicines to prevent griping.

Dose. Of the aqua carui, 1 fl. oz. to 2 fl. oz.; of oleum carui, 2 min. to 5 min.

Anethum. Dill. Fruit of Anethum graveolens, or Dill; [Not officinal in U. S. P.] Lin. Syst. Pentandria digynia; cultivated in England, or imported from middle and southern Europe.

Anethi Oleum. Oil of Dill. Oil distilled in England from the fruit.

Description. The seeds (fruit) are of brown colour, oval, somewhat flattened, about a line and a half in length, convex on one side, and concave on the other; they have five primary ridges, and one vitta in each channel. Pale membranous alas. The oil is of a pale yellow colour, and aromatic odour; taste, acrid sweetish.

Prop. & Comp. Dill owes its peculiar properties to the volatile oil. This oil resembles in appearance that of caraway; its sp. gr is 0*881. Its composition is probably analogous to that of the other umbelliferous oils.

Off. Prep. Aqua Anethi. Dill Water. (Bruised dill, twenty ounces; water, two gallons; let a gallon distil.)

Therapeutics. Stimulant, aromatic, and carminative: chiefly used in the flatulence of infants.

Dose. Of the aqua anethi, 1 fl. oz. to 2 fl. oz.; for infants, 1 fl. drm. to 2 fl. drm.; of oleum anethi, 2 min. to 5 min.

Carota. (Not officinal.) Recent root of the Daucus carota (var. sativa), Carrot; [The fruit of Daucus Carota. U. S.] Lin. Syst.,

Pentandria digynia; cultivated in the gardens of this country. Description. This root is too familiar to need description.

Prop. & Comp. It contains, besides a little volatile oil, albumen, salts, etc, a crystallizable substance, Caroline, neutral, of a fine red colour; also pectin, the gelatine of the vegetable kingdom.

Therapeutics. It is used as a cataplasm to correct the foetor of phagedenic ulcers. It acts probably as a slight stimulant when applied in the fresh state to an ulcerated surface. [The seeds arc carminative and slightly diuretic. They are given in infusion.]

Sumbul. Musk Root. (Not officinal.) Supposed to be the root of an umbelliferous plant, but the plant itself is unknown; it is said to grow in the north and eastern parts of India. It comes through Russia and Bombay. It is now said to be the root of Nardostachys jatamansi, a valerianaceous plant, the true spikenard of the ancients.

Description. The drug as obtained in this country is in circular pieces, consisting of transverse sections of the root three or four inches in diameter. The epidermis of a light brown colour, wrinkled; the inner substance consists of coarse irregular fibres, easily separated: on looking at a transverse section, it appears porous through the greater part of its diameter, and the, bundles of fibres are loosely packed together. The odour is strong and musk-like, hence its name.

Prop. & Comp. It yields, on distillation, a volatile oil, resin, starch, and an acid capable of crystallization, named sumbulic acid.

Prep. It is given in substance, in powder, or pills; also as tincture (two ounces of root to sixteen fluid ounces of proof spirit, or spirit of ether).

Therapeutics. It appears to be a nervine stimulant, similar in its action to valerian. In Russia it has been used in cholera, and febrile diseases of a typhoid or adynamic type. It has been recommended in epilepsy, chorea, and other nervous disorders, and its use is said to be attended with much benefit in cases of delirium tremens. Its action requires further investigation.

Dose. Of the tincture, 1/2 fl. drm. to 2 fl. drm.; of the powder 20 gr. to 60 gr.