American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy

epithelium of the renal tubules and readjust the secretory function to the
blood pressure, restoring normal action. It is useful in strangury, and in
some dropsies where there is absence of acute inflammation.
The oil of cade is applicable to skin diseases, especially moist eczema. It
may be applied directly, but is quite severe upon an irritable or sensitive
surface. It can be incorporated with an ointment base to excellent
advantage. It is a useful agent in psoriasis, and as a parasiticide it will
destroy psora and cure favus.
It was at one time in common use as an application to skin diseases and
parasites in domestic animals.
KALMIA. Kalmia latifolia.
Synonym—Mountain laurel.
CONSTITUENTS—
Andrometoxin, arbutin, tannin.
PREPARATION—
Specific Kalmia. Dose, from one-half to five minims.
Physiological Action—In Kalmia we have a remedy acting in a manner
somewhat like veratrum viride, both in controlling fevers and in
inflammations, as well as in its influence as an alterative, it having been
successfully used both in primary and secondary syphilis. Like veratrum
it has also been employed hypodermically in the treatment of neuralgia of
the face, and sciatica.
Therapy—Professor John King once reported the following case:
“Some time since I treated a case of syphilis of five weeks' standing,
which had not received any kind of treatment during that period. The
patient at the time I saw him had several chancres; the surface of the body
and head was covered with small red pimples, elevated above a jaundiced
skin, and be was in a very debilitated condition. I administered a
saturated tincture of the leaves of Kalmia, and touched the chancre with
tincture of muriate of iron, and effected a cure in four weeks, removing
the jaundice at the same time.”
Notwithstanding the authority, we accept this statement, cum grano salis.
Ellingwood’s American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy - Page 271