Family Herbal - Electric Scotland

8 FAMILY HERBAL.
and they are distinguished by three different names,
calambac, common lignum aloes, and calanibour ;
of these the calambac is the finest and the most
resinous, the calambour is almost a mere chip, the
other is of a middle value between them. .
They
are
all of the same virtue, but in different degrees. They
are said to be cordial and strengthening to the
stomach, but we use them very little.
True Amomum. Amomum vcrum racemosum.
Amomum is another of those drugs we receive
from abroad, and do not know the
plants which produce
them. The fruit itself, which is called amomum,
is like the lesser cardamom, but that it is
round it ; consists of a
skinny husk and seeds within,
and is whitish, and of the bigness of a horse-bean.
Several of these sometimes are found to-
growing
gether to one stalk in a close body.
The old physicians used it as a cordial and car-
minative, but at present it is much neglected.
Common Amomum. Amomum vulgar e.
Though the amomum before mentioned be not
used in prescription, it is an ingredient in some old
compositions ; and, being often not to be met with,
it has been found necessary to substitute another
carminative seed in its place ; tins grows on an
Knglish plant, thence called also amomum.
The common amomum, otherwise called bas-
tard stone parsley, is frequent about our hedges ;
it grows to three feet/in height, but the. stalk
is slender, and divided
The leaves are of a
into a great many branches
brip;ht green and winged,
or composed of double rows of smaller, with an