A treatise on foreign teas / Abstracted from an ingenious work, lately published, entitled An essay on the nerves

by Hugh Smith

Those of a pungent acrid dissolve tartareous concretions in the kidnies.

From these and a variety of other salutary properties, it is evident the general nature of Dr. Solander's tea is such as to correct acrid humours, promote the secretions, restore the equilibrium between the fluids and solids, and finally to brace every part of the relaxed nervous system. The body being thus relieved from obstructions, its circulations restored, the digestive faculties invigorated, and the spirits re-animated, the debilitated constitution is reinstated in all its enjoyments of health and hilarity. It may be therefore observed, that the principle of this tea is to nourish as a general aliment, while it renovates the human constitution, without having recourse to the nauseous portions of galenical preparation, or the hazardous trial of chalybeate waters. As this tea is particularly salutary in all cases where mineral waters are generally recommended, it is very proper the Public should be cautioned against the danger which too frequently attends the constant drinking of them.

Chalybeate waters, it must be acknowledged, have effected very extraordinary cures in certain cases. But when so great an author as Helmont says, that such waters are fatal to all those who are afflicted with peripneumonic complaints, it is surely necessary they should be resorted to with the greatest caution; and even in complaints where they may be serviceable, it is necessary to observe whether they really possess those chalybeate qualities for which they are commended. Those who have written upon their virtues assert, and with seeming propriety, that where they deposit an ochreous sediment, they are certainly dispossessed of their steely virtues; for ochre being no other than the calx of iron, such a residue evinces the evaporation of the more eminent properties of the chalybeate, by the phlogiston of the mineral escaping by its extreme volatility. Every metal deprived of this igneous principle is immediately reduced to a calx, and thus deprived of its splendour, fusibility, and other properties, until restored again by the readmission of its phlogiston. Calcined lead having lost this inflammable quality, is reduced to a red calx or mineral earth, which, if fluxed with any igneous body, such as oil, pitch, wax, fat, wood, bone, or mineral oil or bitumen, the fiery principle is resorbed, and the lead restored to its essential qualities; from these physical observations the reader may be convinced of those mineral waters as afford such a sediment being in a state of decomposition. They are thus deprived of one of the four elements or principles of which they are all more or less composed. Every analysis of mineral waters in their perfect state has demonstrated that they possess a fixed air, a volatile alkali, a volatile vitriolic acid, and the phlogiston. If, therefore, either of these essential qualities is evaporated or corrupted, the water, being in a state of decomposition, must lose the virtues of a medicinal chalybeate.

It is only necessary to add a few further remarks, in order to shew in what particular complaints chalybeates, even in their most perfect state, are pernicious. By this means many of the diseased will be guarded against a fatal error: and as the prejudice in favour of such applications is so universally prevalent, it is hoped a few pages allotted to this subject will be deemed a most essential service to a deluded community. By removing such a pernicious partiality, the health, if not the lives of thousands, may be saved, to the great enjoyment of themselves and their relatives. Dr. Knight says very justly, "that the explication of the manner of the operation of chalybeate medicines in human bodies is grounded upon false principles, and not matters of fact; to wit, that all chalybeate preparations, in a liquid form, owe their medicinal efficacy to the metal dissolved, whether in an aqueous or spirituous menstruum, retaining its metallic texture." To avoid entering into the whole detail of this interesting argument, it is only here stated in support of the above assertion, that as mineral waters are impregnated with a combination of sulphurs, salts, and earth, their virtues cannot be properly ascribed, as they have been, to the metals which they contain. It might be further proved, that iron cannot possibly enter the blood, retaining its essential qualities; for metals in general, except mercury, are suspended in liquids in solutis principiis, or principles disengaged, which are thus deprived of their metallic properties. Iron, entering the body as a volatile vitriolic acid, cannot act by its specific gravity as mercury does; it therefore acts per accidens, and not per se. But admitting that waters, however impregnated with iron, are efficacious in checking all diarrhœa and other profuse evacuations, by closing the relaxed vessels, and incrassating the fluids, yet as they prove sometimes so astringent as to stop the natural secretions, the consequences are frequently cramps, dangerous convulsions, which often end in fevers, inflammations, and mortifications, their indiscriminate use should be most cautiously avoided. Chalybeates, thus contracting the least pervious glands, should not be taken in acute inflammations, or in any complaints that are attended with a quick and strong pulse, a plethora, or extravasation of humours. They are equally dangerous in all nervous contractions, or where the blood is got into the arteriolæ, or capillary vessels. Thus, instead of acting like the sanative tea, which softens, smoothes, and unbends the two constringed fibres, the vitriolic salts of this mineral water but more contract the fibrillæ, by operating like so many wedges, which ultimately tear, rend, or divide the tender filaments. It must, however, be admitted that mineral waters are very beneficial in cachexies, scurvies, jaundice, hypochondriacal and hysterical affections. Having paid this tribute to their virtues, it is evident that what is above stated respecting their pernicious effects has been dictated by candour, and with no illiberal disposition to deny their absolute virtues[³]. These few remarks have only been made in order to warn the community against a prevailing and indiscriminate use which might otherwise, in many complaints, prove at least fatal to their health, if not to their existence. And as the tea discovered by Dr. Solander possesses all the virtues of the chalybeate, without its dangerous principles, it was an immediate duty not only to warn but direct the Public in their adoption of an aliment so essential to their health, and consequently temporal happiness.

PREPARATION.

As the native and exotic herbs of this tea are dried in a pure air, without any artificial means of preparation to improve their colour or increase their natural astringency, they must be free from those deleterious, corrosive, and violent contractive effects with which we have observed the general and indiscriminate use of foreign teas and mineral waters are attended. In the first part of this Essay, it was stated that foreign teas were dried upon iron, and thus produced those astringent effects we have seen to characterize chalybeate waters. It is therefore evident, that the simple preparation of these salutary herbs being free from what renders teas and mineral waters in many cases pernicious, must leave their qualities pure and unadulterated, according to the intent and principle of nature in their production. They are, therefore, found particularly free from those injurious properties which render green tea so destructive to emaciated constitutions. Instead of being, like the above foreign tea, hurtful to those worn down by a long fever, or such as have weak and delicate stomachs, their qualities are in such complaints essentially nutritious and restorative. That stimulating roughness, which foreign teas imbibe from their iron preparation, is not to be found in the sanative tea discovered by Dr. Solander; the latter is therefore very beneficial where the mucous coat of the bowels is very thin, or the ramification of the nerves numerous, extensive, and exquisitely sensible of impression. The cholic, gripes, or painful prickings of the nervous coat by the India teas, are allayed by the drinking of the sanative tea, from its tepid and lubricating nature not being perverted by any corrosive preparation. To thin and meagre bodies, which are greatly affected by green and bohea teas, the above is a most restorative aliment. The atrophy and diabetes, so frequently caused by the foreign teas, are, from the herbs of Dr. Solander's tea possessing their natural nutritious qualities uncontaminated by metallic preparation, often cured by using it as a morning and evening beverage; and the depression of spirits occasioned by green and bohea, and which induces many of its drinkers to take sal volatile, or spirits of hartshorn, is avoided by the sanative tea; for the latter is found one of the greatest and most salutary exhilarators of the nervous system. And thus those who drink it as a constant aliment, are saved from the dangers that attend rendering the blood too thin by the use of the above volatile alkalies, or drams, which are too frequently taken to avoid that lowness of spirits caused by the great, sudden, and violent contraction of the nervous fibrillæ. As the inconveniencies of the foreign teas arise from the metallic properties derived from their preparation, the advantages of the sanative tea are evidently seen to arise from the preparation being such as leaves every herb possessed of its natural and essential quality. This clearly evincing the superiority of Dr. Solander's tea to every herbal beverage, it only remains to proceed to the two remaining enquiries respecting the mode of using and the effects of this salutary combination of vegetables. The next subject, therefore, of investigation is the

MANNER OF USING.

As the time of drinking this tea is morning and evening, it is necessary to enquire whether its qualities are such as are calculated to suit the temporary necessities of nature at those periods. From what has been observed respecting foreign teas, it is evident that their properties are diametrically opposite to those which nature at such times requires. When the body is exhausted by insensible perspiration, the most requisite aliment is that which can equally restore the loss of the solids and the languid flow of the animal spirits. What is then taken ought therefore to be neither too heavy for the state of the unbraced system; nor too volatile, to afford a sufficient quantity of nutritive juices to the whole animal economy. Nor should the aliment be so stimulating as to disorder instead of re-establishing the equalized motion of the yet perturbed state of the animal spirits. What is then given should have the power of sedating the nervous fluids, while it disseminates through the viscera the elements of nutrition. These being the requisite properties of what is taken as a breakfast, it remains to consider whether those of the sanative tea are adequate to such indispensible purposes.

In the preceding part of this enquiry, it has been found that the principal qualities of this tea are moderately astringent, balsamic, and aromatic; it is therefore evident, that, from a combination of these eminent medical principles, this tea must operate as a sedator of perturbation, a renovator of exhausted solids, and an exhilarator of nervous depression. It may therefore be used as a morning beverage with the greatest advantage, for the preservation and re-establishment of health; for never were the qualities of any aliment so particularly adapted to the necessities of the body at any stated period as those of the sanative tea are at the time of breakfast. Without loading the exhausted viscera, they afford it a sufficiency of balsamic and nutritive aliment; nor does the sanative tea, by sedating the fluttering spirits, destroy their vigour; but, on the contrary, by calming their motion, they contribute more active energy by promoting their equalized progress; and thus is the animal economy restored to the proper use and enjoyment of its functions. And in proportion as the spirits are restored to an equilibrium of motion and fluidity, the relaxed tone of the nerves is recovered, and the whole functions of man rendered capable of exercise and enjoyment.

The above being stated as the advantages attending the use of the sanative tea in the morning, it is next expedient to consider what benefit is derived from the use of it in the afternoon.