able odour, though nauseous to the palate.
In its medicinal effects, this aromatic bitter, when taken by the mouth, is supposed to warm and strengthen the stomach and other viscera; it frequently occasions a mild diaphoresis, and, in general, promotes the fluid secretions.—Hence it has been used with advantage, in cases of debility; in diseases arising from suppression of the urine, or from immoderate discharges, in cachetic habits, and those persons whose lungs and throat are oppressed by viscid phlegm.—It is farther believed to resist putrefaction in all parts of the body; on which account it is highly recommended in malignant, putrid, and pestilential fevers; and in the small-pox.—For these purposes, it should be taken in doses of half a dram or upwards; and it may also be usefully combined with nitre, cream of tartar, or some other cooling salt.—Being, however, a heating and stimulating medicine; its proper choice requires some precaution, and ought to be directed by professional advice.
MYRTLE, or Myrtus, L. a genus of exotic trees, comprising forty-two species; of which the communis, or Common Myrtle-tree, only is cultivated in Britain. There are several varieties, known under the names of Broad-leaved Roman, Dutch, and Jew's Myrtle; orange-leaved Spanish Myrtle; the Thyme-leaved, Rosemary-leaved, Box-leaved, and Upright Italian Myrtles, &c.
All these varieties are beautiful ever-greens; which, though requiring the shelter of a green-house in the more northern parts of Britain, during the winter, vegetate most luxuriantly in the county of Cornwall, and on the southern coast, in the open air, without being sheltered from the severity of the winter.
The Common Myrtle is easily propagated by cuttings, which may be set in beds of a rich, but light soil, beneath glasses, or in a green-house, where they thrive with uncommon rapidity.—In the Island of Minorca, the young tops are employed for tanning; and the berries are eaten by the inhabitants.
In Britain, however, this species is cultivated chiefly for ornament; though it is likewise of service as a medicine. A distilled water is obtained from its leaves; which, being both detersive and astringent, is sometimes used in gargles, or as a cosmetic for fixing the teeth, when loosened by the scurvy. Its berries are distilled; and the oil they yield, is reputed to be excellent for thickening the hair; on which account it is frequently used as an ingredient in pomatums, and other cosmetics. Lastly, a decoction of the flowers and leaves is said to be of great service in fomentations.
Myrtle, the Dutch. See Gale the Sweet.
