(From a centaur). This herb is called centaury, because it was feigned that Chiron, the centaur, cured with it Hercules' foot, which had been wounded with a poisoned arrow. It is also culled Chironia.

Centaurium magnum, majus. See Rhaponticum Vulgare.

Centaurium minus, or lesser centaury. It is the gentiana centaurium Lin. Sp. Pi. 332. Nat. order ro-tacece. It is annual, grows wild in dry pastures, and among corn. It flowers in July; and is sometimes called the febrifugia.

The leaves and tops are pure bitters, having scarcely any smell or flavour, and agree with the gentian root.

The seeds are bitter, but the petals of the flowers and roots arc almost insipid. The flowery tops are the parts chiefly useful.

Its active parts arc readily dissolved by water, or rectified spirit of wine. Water takes up with the bitter an insipid mucilage; but spirit,the bitter part only. The watery extract is consequently more in quantity, and less bitter; and the spirituous less, but more bitter. Cartheuser says, that one ounce of the herb yields about half an ounce of the watery extract, and scarcely two scruples of the spirituous. The centaury is justly esteemed to be the most efficacious bitter of our indigenous medicinal plants; and has been recommended as equal or superior to gentian. Dr. Cullen observes that, though the extract of this plant is said to be less agreeable than that of gentian, he can find no difference, and thinks that, as cheaper, it is preferable. It is considered as strengthening and stomachic; and, as out of the body centaury manifests an equal degree of antiseptic power with gentian, similar medical effects are ascribed to it. It is given in atony, dyspepsia, and jaundice. The flowery tops are infused as tea, and a tea cupful administered three or four times a day: but they may be taken in powders, or the decoction inspissated into an extract like wormwood. See Neumann's Chem. Works. Lewis's and Cullen's Mat. Med.