C ONVALLARIA MAJALIS. — The lily of the valley, a native alike of Eu rope and North America, has long been held in high repute in Russia, Germany, and Scandinavia as a plant possessed of great therapeutic virtues, rivaling those of purple fox-glove. It is a perennial; has a creeping, much-branched rhizome of about the thickness of a quill; two or three elliptical and smooth radicle leaves; a one-sided racime of light, ten or twelve nodding, bell-shaped, six lobed, white flowers; very fragant, but of acrid and bitter taste. As found in shops, it appears in cylindrical, wrinkled, whitish pieces marked by circular scars; at the annulate point, eight or ten root lets. Both the rhizome. and the roots are The active principles are two glu cosides, denominated, respectively, con vallamarin and convallarin: the first a pale-whitish-brown amorphous powder, soluble in both alcohol and water; the second a brownish-white powder soluble in alcohol only.
Preparations and Doses.—Convallaria extract, solid, 5 to 15 grains.
Convallaria extract, fluid, 2 to 20 minims.
Convallaria infusion (10 grains of flowers to 6 ounces of water), 2 to S drachms.
Convallamarin, 1/, to 2 grains.
Convallarin, 2 to 4 grains.
Physiological Action. — Moderate doses slow and strengthen the heart's contractions; larger doses accelerate the heart and induce irregularity; toxic doses cause progressive paralysis, mus cular tremors, complete loss of reflex action, and death when the heart is arrested in systole. Doses that slow the heart heighten arterial tension; it prob ably also acts directly upon the blood vessels. Like digitalis, it is a most ef ficient diuretic when given in the form of an infusion, but is apt to be uncer tain in its effects upon the kidneys when exhibited in any other form; it is also emetic and cathartic. While the effect upon the circulation is very like that of fox-glove, it is a more uncertain remedy, and likewise a less powerful one.
Convallamarin reduces the pulse-rate, markedly increases the flow of urine, and is "cumulative" in exactly the same way that digitalis is: i.e., when exhibited in a way that fails to provide for or secure proper elimination; because of this "cumulative" bugbear, it has been sug gested that more than one dose during twenty-four hours should not be admin istered to the same patient; but this pre caution is entirely superfluous if the drug is exhibited intelligently and its effects carefully watched. This gluco
side, however, is in every way inferior to preparations of the entire drug, and all the latter are inferior to the infusion.
Convallarin is both emetic and purga tive.
Case of child, aged 2 years, who took nearly a teaspoonful of the fluid extract. She became extremely restless, showed a continual trembling in the arms and legs, and once general convulsions. She was aroused with great difficulty, and im mediately relapsed into stupor. The pupils were moderately dilated. The axillary temperature was 97° F.; pulse 140 at times, at others too rapid to be counted, but always exceedingly irregu lar. Respirations were shallow and super ficial, increased somewhat in rapidity, but were very regular. Face was some what flushed. Gastro-intestinal, renal, and skin ill-Ration were absent. Under symptomatic treatment child gradually regained normal condition. J. II. An drews (Then Gaz., No. 2, '9S).
Therap eutics. —CIRCULATORY DIS EASES.—Opinions dilTer greatly as to the value of the drug. IV a score of ob servers it has been extravagantly lauded and by as many more condenuied with proportionate severity. It should be membered, however, that the strength of the different preparations of different manufacturers vary. Again, some ploy the petals of the flowers only; some the rhizome; some the root; some the entire plant. Justice demands a stand ard be set, and the plant studied more carefully from such definite stand-point.
In dropsy of renal or hepatic origin convallaria majalis in an infusion of 4 grammes of the plant to 1S0 grannnes of water, a tablespoonful every 2 hours, changing later to a I to 12 alcoholic tincture, of which 45 to SO drops are taken during the day, is valuable. It also favorably influences the diuresis in hepatic cirrhosis. Jabowski (Sem. AIM., Mar. 10, '98).