The twigs, when bruifed, fmell difagreeably; this may; perhaps, be one reafon fer- their-*-being genera]]v ;
rejected by cattle: the plant, however, affords nourifhment to a great variety o f infects; in particular, to ‘
the larvae of feveral Phalcence not defcribed by L in n a e u s .
From the roots of this plant, fprings the Broom Rape, figured in a Former number o f this work.
“ The leaves and (talks of broom have a nauféous bitter tade, which they give out by infufion, both t0
“ water and re&ified fpirit; and which, on gently infpiffating the filtred liquors, remains Concentrated in the
« extrafts : the watery tin&ure is of a yellowifh green or brownifh, the fpirituous of a dark green colour '
“ They are accounted laxative, aperient, and.diuretic ; and in this intention havé been often ufed by the
« common people in dropfies and other ferous difordérs. Dr. M e ad relates a cafe of an hydropic perfon
“ who, after the paracentefis had been thrice performed, and fundry purgatives and‘.diuretics had been tried
“ without relief, was perfe&ly cured, by taking, every morning and evening, half a pint of a deco6tion of
ft green broom tops, with a fpoonful of whole muftard feed: by this medicine, the third was abated, the
f* belly loofened, and the urinary difcharge increafed to the quantity-of at lead five pr fix pints a day.
ff Infufions of the afhes of the plant in acidulous wines, have likewife been employed in the fame intention
ft and often with good fuccefs. The virtue o f this medicine does- not depend, as fome have fuppofed, on
any of the peculiar qualities of the broom remaining in the afhes, but on the alkaline fait and earth, which
f are the fame in the afhes of broom as in thpfe''.of other.vegetables, combined, wholly or in part, with the
ff vinous acid. A folution even of the pure earthy part of vegetable afhes, made in vegetable acids, proves
ff notably purgative and diuretic. . s- •> . . ' .‘1
** Of the feeds and flowers, the medicinal qualities are not well known. It is faid, that the feeds, in
ff dofes of a dram and a half in fubdance, and five or fix drams/in .decp&ioh or infufion, prove purgative or
« pijjetic. Some report that the flowers alfo operate in the fame manner;' but L qb e l affures us, from his
ft own obfervation, that they have been taken in quantity without producing any fuch effeft: and I have
«f known infufions of the flowery tops drank freely in fome aflhmatic cafes, without any other fenfible .operation
ff than a falutary increafe of urine and expe£lpration. The feeds, flightly roafled,. are ufed in fome places as
coffee.” L ew is ’s Mater. Med. ^. 318.'
A variety of this plant, much more hoary than common, is accidentally met with; the mod ufual time of
its flowering with us, is about the latter end of May or beginning o f June.
T h o m s o n , w h o fe o b fe rv in g e y e r a re ly d iffe red a n y o f the b eau tie s o f na tu re to e fcap e h im, has noticed
th e flow e r in g o f this fhrub in the fo llow in g pa ffa g e ? in w h ich he d e fe r ib e s -th e effe6l w h ich the g en ia l warmth
o f th e fe a fo n p ro d u ce s o n the v a r io u s animals ; •
(( While thus the gentle tenants of the {hade
“ Indulge their purer loves, the rougher world
fC Of brutes below rufh furious into flame
“ And fierce defire. Thro’ all his luffy veins
“ The bull deep-fcorch’d, the raging paflion feels ;
ft Ofpadure lick, and negligent of food,
ff Scarce feen, he wades among the yellow broom.