VERBENA HASTATA.
Nat. Ord., Verbenaceæ.
Common Names, Blue Vervain, Purvain, Wild Hyssop.
Preparation.—One part of the fresh plant, in flower, is macerated in two parts by weight of alcohol.
(An extract from a paper by Dr. J. N. White, Queen City, Texas, detailing at length the case of a five-year-old boy, who, after six weeks of whooping cough, developed epileptic symptoms, having as high as twelve spasms in twenty-four hours. After two months of treatment with such remedies as Solanum Car., Sulphonal, Hyoscyamus, Cannabis Ind., Calomel, Zinc, etc., with no results, the case was given Verbena hastata. Another doctor was in consultation and we quote:)
I told my friend (the Doctor) that when he became satisfied with the zinc treatment I wanted to try another eclectic remedy. (The Doctor was an allopath.) He was perfectly willing and I put him on Verbena hastata, 12 minims every four hours, skipping the dose at midnight. After we both took the case we decided, as there were no curative properties in the sulfonal, we would drop it, and not use anything to control the paroxysms, and consequently the boy seemed to get worse to the parents, as he would have several falling spells a day. From the first dose of the Verbena hastata the boy began to improve. He would have contractions of the muscles of the arms and legs and look wild for a minute or more for the first week, but after that he never had another symptom. We kept him on the medicine, as above, for six weeks, and now he takes twelve drops three times a day.
He has not had any symptom in over two months, and all that wild vacant look is gone, and he plays, eats, sleeps, etc., as if he had never been troubled with epilepsy.
VISCUM ALBUM.
Nat. Ord., Loranthaceæ.
Common Name, Mistletoe.
Preparation.—One part of the fresh leaves and berries is macerated in twice its weight of alcohol.
(The following account of this ancient remedy was published in the Allgemeine Hom. Zeitung, 1886:)
The Grand Universal Panacea of the old Gauls and Germans.—By Dr. v. Gerstel, of Regensburg.—This parasite shrub belongs to the 22d class, Linné, is found on various trees, and was prized above all others as a healing remedy in the Gallic and German antiquity. The Druids—their priests—were at the same time naturalists, metaphysicians, doctors and sorcerers, and to the mistletoe growing on oaks were ascribed, above all other plants, marvelous healing powers. That the oak mistletoe was prized above all those growing on fruit or other trees, as a remedy, may be due to the fact that in ancient times all oaks and oak groves were regarded with a holy veneration, being considered the favorite abodes of the old German deities. The mistletoe growing on oaks was therefore venerated by the ancient Gauls and Germans as the holiest of heaven-sent gifts to mankind. It was applied in all diseases, and without it no religious service could be conducted. From the Germanic mythology we know that as a priest—a Druid—discovered a mistletoe growing on an oak, he at once called up all the brethren of his order of the neighborhood. They doffed the many-colored garments in daily use, and donned flowing white robes as a sign of humility in the presence of the divine plant. The highest in rank approached the tree provided with a golden sickle, bent his knees, and was then lifted by his companions on high until he could reach the plant. This was then cut with the golden sickle and prepared and preserved for sacred and for healing purposes.