gums known by this name possess astringent properties, and are occasionally administered on this account. (See Resinous Substances.) fatty oil derived from the seeds of Garonia Indica (purpurea), is well adapted for pharmaceutical preparations. (See Oils—Mangosteen.) Cueso, HOUSER), or flowers of Hagenia Abyssinica (Brayera anthelmin thica) are employed as a vermifuge, for the expulsion of both Tenia Solium and Bothriocephalus lotus. The tree-60 ft. high—is a native of the whole Abyssinian plateau, at 3000-8000 ft. altitude, and is commonly found abont the villages ; it also grows in Madagascar. The flowers have a herby tea-like odour, a bitter-acrid flavour, and a lightish-brown colour. They are commonly imported in cylindrical rolls, 1+ ft. long and about 3 in. in diameter. Red koso consists of the female flowers. The drug is brought to England Aden or Bombay.
Lactucarium, or Thridace (FR. and GEn., Lactucarium). hardened milky juice of 3 or 4 species of Lactuca, is supposed to possess in a concentrated degree the soporific power ascribed to the lettuce ; but its activity is exceedingly doubtful. The species yielding the drug are :—(1) L. virosa or Prickly-lettuce, common on stony land in Central, W., and S. Europe, especially in Spain and France ; (2) L. Scariola, closely resembling the preceding, and a congener with it ; (3) L. altissima, probably a variety of the last, indigenous to the Caucasus, and now cultivated in Auvergne, attaining a height of 9 ft., and thiokness of stem of 1+ in. ; (4) L. saliva, the garden-lettuce. In Germany, the drug is produced chiefly near Zell on the Mosel, where the plant is cultivated for the purpose. It produces a stem in the second year only. Just before flowering, in May, the stem is out off at about 1 ft. from the top ; a lateral slice is then removed daily till September, the juice that exudes from the wounded top being collected by the finger and dropped into earthen cups, where it solidifies, and is then turned out to dry in the sun, till it will bear outting, when it is placed in the air on frames till thoroughly dry (several weeks). The district yields about 6-8 cwt. annually, valued at 6-14s. a lb. The Eifel district no longer furnishes any.
German lactucarium occurs in commerce in the form of angular pieces, of a brownish colour internally, opaque, and wax-like. French lactucarium is prepared of good quality at Clermont Ferrand, in circular cakes of 1+ in. In Austria, about 35 kilos. yearly are made at Waidhofen, in small tears. A Russian variety is highly valued on the Continent. Formerly, only Scotch lactu cerium was to be met with, and, after being long absent from the market, is again coming forward. It is prepared in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, by collecting the juice in little tin cups, where it hardens, and is then turned out and gently dried, being broken up as the drying progresses ; it thus results in irregular earthy-looking lumps, from 1 iu. long downwards, deep-brown in colour, and having the odour of the Continental drug.
Lignum-vitse. — The chips, shavings, and raspinge of the heart-wood of two species of Guaiacum (G. officinale and G. sanctum) are employed as an ingredient of the compound decoction of sarsaparilla. The drug should be free from sap-wood, and from admixture with other woods. It should sink in It is also necessary to ascertain that the resin, on which the virtue of the wood depends, is really present, the chips being obtained from turners, and frequently mixed with the turnings of other woods. (See Timber.)
Lime-juice.—The prepared juice of lemons and limes is well known as an anti-scorbutic. (See Fruit.) Liquorice (Fa., .Reglisse ; GEE., Siissholz, Lakriz).—The root of Glycyrrhiza glabra is used for the preparation of extract of liquorice, and the powdered root is employed in pill making. The plant occurs under several varieties over all the warmer parts of Europe, and eastwards into Central Asia. The officinal root is derived chiefly from two varieties :—(a) typica, a native of Portugal, Spain, S. Italy, Sicily, Greece, the Crimea, the Caucasus, and N. Persia, and cultivated in England, France, and Germany ; (,3) glandulifera, found in Hungary, Galicia, Central and S. Russia, Asia Minor, Armenia, Persia, Siberia, Turkestan, Afghanistan, and N. China. The cultivation of the plant at Mitcham, in Surrey, and at Pontefract, in Yorkshire, is on a very limited scale.
The soil must be a deep, sandy loam, free from stones, well trenched, and abundantly manure& The plants, set iu rows, reach a height of 4-5 ft. When 3-4 years old, the root is dug up, for which purpose a trench is cut as deep as the former trenching, and a rope is attached to the head of the root, by which it is pulled up. It is seldom got up in an entire state. During the autumn, the principal roots emit horizontal runners ; these are forked up, cut off close to the root stock, divided into pieces, laid in heaps out of doors, and covered with straw and mould during the winter. If these are not taken up, the ground becomes full of them, the main root does not grow so vigorously, and the crop is diminished. A fair crop is reckoned at 1 ton of roots an acre. The roots proper are washed, trimmed, and assorted, and sold either whole in a fresh state, or cut up and dried ; the older "hard " runners are sold separately, and the younger "soft " ones are reserved for propagation. The English fresh root is externally of a bright-yellowish colour, flexible, tough, and fibrous; it has a peculiar earthy odour, and a distinct sweet flavour. The dried root enters into commerce either with or without its brown coat ; in the latter case, it is termed " peeled," or " decorticated." "Spanish," "Tortola," or " Alicante " liquorice root reaches us in bundles several feet long, con taining unpeeled roots and runners, -1 in. thick. That imported from Tortosa is usually in good condition ; that from Alicante is often dirty and unequal, frequently showing the knobby crown of the root, and occasionally shipped loose or in bags. " Russian," of which much is used in England, is imported from Hamburg, both peeled and unpeeled, in large bales, consisting of pieces 12-18 in. long, and t-2 in. thick. It is probably derived from G. glandulifera, and, as well as that met with in China, India, and the East generally, has a reddish tint, a scaly surface, and slightly bitter after-taste. The runners or underground stems are less sweet than the true root, and have a distinct pith, at which part the transverse section generally shows a central depression. Our supplies of the root are drawn from Spain, Russia, and Germany, and are trifling in quantity. France imported over 4000 tons in 1872. China exports it in large quantities: in 1878, Hankow shipped 560 piculs (of 133+ lb.); Chefoo, 7951 piculs; and Newchang, 607 piculs. In the same year, Bagdad exported 2590 lb. of the root to India and Europe. The London market value fluctuates between 29s. and 30s. a cwt.