SCILLA, or as Steinheil, who separates it and another species (S. Pancration) from the old genus, terms it, Squilla Maritima, also Urginea Scilla (Steinh.), or Sea-onion, is a plant common on the sandy shores of the Mediterranean, Portugal, the Levant, and in North Russia. It is imported into Britain from -Malta and other parts of the Mediterranean, and also from Petersburg and Copenhagen. The officinal part is the bulb, of which there are two varieties : the one large and whitish externally; the other smaller, of a brownish-red colour. The former is preferred in England, the latter in Germany. This appears to be the Squilla Pancration of Steinheil. The bulb part partakes in its outer part of the nature of a tunieated, in its inner, of the nature of a scaly bulb. It abounds in an acrid, mucilaginous juice, with an alliaceous odour, and a bitter, acrid, nauseous taste. It is imported whole, or cut in slices and dried. The bulb is not of equal potency in every part. The outer, dry, scarious integuments are devoid of activity; the subsequent fleshy scales are the most powerful ; while the internal young ones are mucilaginous, nearly insipid, and powerless. It is clear from this that the best mode of drying squill is to decorticate it by removing the outer segments, and carefully rating the intermediate large fleshy scales, to dry these quickly, and to leave the central ones as inefficient. The drying should be conducted quickly, but not by too high a temperature, lest some of the active principles be driven off. Putting the thick scales on sieves or willow baskets in a moderately heated oven, or in a room fitted with a drying apparatus, is the best plan. Stringing them on threads and drying them slowly, by which they become paper-like and tasteless, is bad. The common method however is to cut the bulb into transverse slices, which, when dried, have a horny appearance, and are semi-translucent. In this case the active and inactive portions are blended together.
After whatever means are used to dry them, it is necessary that the squills be kept in well-stoppered bottles in a dry place, as, in common with all bulbous plants, they quickly absorb moisture from the atmos phere. In the process of drying, four-fifths of the weight are lost.
The chief constituents of squill are—an acrid bitter principle (Scillitin), sugar, mucilage, salts of citrate or tartrate of lime, also phosphate of lime, tannin, and a volatile acrid principle, which in the process of decorticating fresh squill causes a flow of tears from the eyes, sneezing, &e., and severe itching, with burning pains of the hands and arms, yet without obvious swelling or inflammation. A scale of fresh squill applied to the akin rapidly excites rubefaction and vesica tion, like a srinapirsm. Squill in large dose is unquestionably poisonous, but in many cases it fortunately acts as its own antidote, by causing vomiting. But even in moderate doses it may still do much harm, by its stimulating effect, if prematurely employed, as it often is, as a popular or domestic medicine in the early stages of colds and coughs. It is for the second stage alone of these that it is suited. It augments the secretion from most mucous surfaces, and also stimulates the kidneys, and sometimes the skin. For the reason above stated, it is unsuited to inflammatory dropsies, but it is proper for the effusions occurring in leucophlegmatic subjects, depending on debility, and for general anasarca rather than local effusions. Its diuretic properties are increased by the previous moderato use of mild mercurial.s, and by uniting it with other diuretics, either vegetable or saline, and still more by adding bisulphate of quinia or other tonics. Its expectorant properties are greatly heightened by the addition of tonics, such as exist in the Miatura CaacarilLT Composite. Squill is a very improper emetic for young children, as it seriously irritates the coat of the stomach.