A modern writer, Christianus Margravius, in his ‘Materia Medica Contracta,’ thus enumerates the cholagogues of his time.
Cholagoga,
Cassia, manna, tamarindi, succusque rosarum,
Scammonium, myrobalani, rhabarbarum, aloe.
Professor Alpinus gives an accurate account of the ancient cholagogues. (Meth. Med. iii, 9.) The following medicines are said to be used as purgatives by the Hindoos; we give the scientific names as given by Dr. Wise: 1. Convolvulus turpethum. 2. Panicum frumentaceum. 3. Croton polyandrum. 4. Anthericum tuberosum. 5. Abrus precatorius. 6. Cessampelos hexandra. 7. Asclepias geminata. 8. Clotoria ternata. 9. A kind of convolvulus. 10. Shabraba. 11. Cassia fistula. 12. Plumbago zeylanica. 13. Acheranthes aspera. 14. Poa cynosurides. 15. Saccharum spontaneum. 16. Jelaka?. 17. A variety of the convolvulus turpethum. 18. Ramaka. 19. Bignonia suaveolens. 20. Terminalia chebula. 21. Indigofera tinctoria. 22. Ricinus communis. 23. Costus speciosus. 24. Euphorbia. 25. Suptachetta. 26. Calotropis gigantea. 27. Halicacabum cardiospermum. Of these the turbet, myrobalans, and castor oil, are particularly commended. (On Hindoo Medicine.)
On Melanogogues. The other Greek authorities treat of nearly the same number of Melanogogues. They are treated of methodically by Galen, Oribasius, and Aëtius. The Alypias is supposed by Bernard (Nota in Nonni Epit.), and Prosper Alpinus, to have been the turbith; but, as is now maintained, erroneously. See Sprengel’s Notes on Dioscorides (iv, 177) and the preceding [Appendix].
The following is Mesue’s list of Melanogogues:
| Clementer. | Valenter. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melanogoga | { | Stæchas. | Fructus et Flores | { | Balanus Myrepsica. |
| { | Aqua lactis. | { | Centaurium. | ||
| { | Fumaria. | { | Colocynthis. | ||
| { | Epithymus. | { | Coccum Gnidium. | ||
| { | Thymus leviter, magis phleg. | { | Genista. | ||
| { | Polypodium. | { | Ricinus. | ||
| { | Jus gallorum phleg. cum phleg. | { | Senna. | ||
| { | melanogogum cum melanogog. | ||||
| Terrea | { | Armenus lapis. | |||
| { | Cyanus lapis. | ||||
| { | Nitrum. | ||||
| { | Salis genera. |
Of these medicines, the only one which we owe to the Arabians is Senna. Mesue, it is true, quotes Galen as an authority on it, but this is most probably a mistake, as no mention of it is now to be traced in any part of his works. Averrhoes, accordingly, ranks it among the newly-discovered medicines. He says, that it is both phlegmagogue and cholagogue. Serapion and Rhases give nearly the same account of it. They state the minimum dose of the powdered leaves at one drachm, and of the decoction at five drachms. Mesue directs us to prepare a vinous tincture by infusing the leaves in musk. He recommends us to correct its nauseousness and unpleasant effects by the addition of ginger, and other cordials. He says that it cleanses the liver and spleen. Actuarius briefly notices it. He says it evacuates bile and phlegm. (Meth. Med. v, 8.) See [Appendix]. The Arabian authors represent the lapis lazuli to be the same as the lapis armenus of the Greeks. We have stated what we believe to be the truth of the matter in the preceding commentary. Margravius, in his enumeration of melanogogues, makes a distinction between them: