grows chiefly in China and Japan. It should be
kept in closed bottles.

Uses.--It is good for cold in the head in the early stages. It may be
snuffed up the nostrils in fine powder, or put in boiling water and the
fumes inhaled. It is good used as a liniment in neuralgia, stiff neck,
rheumatism and for boils and sores. Used in the form of camphor ice it is
very good for sores, cuts, boils, etc. It is often of use to smell when
one feels faint. It is one of the ingredients in many liniments. Its
external use as spirits of camphor is extensive.

CASTOR OIL (Oleum Ricini).--This is derived from the beans of Ricinis
Communis, a plant in the United States.

Action.--It is bland and unirritating in its action as a purge and
generally acts in four to five hours.

Uses.--It is used whenever irritant materials such as bad food, putrid
flesh, decaying vegetables have been eaten, to move the bowels. It is good
in diarrhea produced by above causes and others, such as corn, peanuts,
cherry stones, berries. It is apt to produce piles and constipation if
used constantly. It is often given in the form of capsules containing from
one-fourth to one teaspoonful. Dip the capsules in water, as this renders
them slippery and are easily swallowed. Dose is from one to six
teaspoonfuls.

[672 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

OLIVE OIL. Sweet Oil (Oleum Olivae).--This is expressed from the ripe
fruit.

Action and Uses.--It is a lubricant. It is added to poultices as an
emollient in pneumonia and skin diseases. Internally, olive oil is
nutritious and laxative, and a purgative in infants in doses of one
teaspoonful. In adults it is a useful remedy in many irritant poisons,
excepting phosphorus. It is given in large doses for gall stones, three to
six ounces at a dose.

GINGER (Zingiber).--Ginger is the rhizome of Zingiber Officinale, a plant
of Hindostan, Jamaica and other tropical countries.

Action: It is an agreeable carminative and stimulant, in easing the
secretions and stimulating the wavelike movement of the bowels. It acts as
an irritant to the bladder and urethra.

Uses.--It is put in laxative pills to prevent griping and to disguise the
taste of the salines. It is useful in dyspepsia of aged persons and also
good in flatulence and diarrhea. For menstrual cramps, due to suppression
from exposure to cold it is useful as a warm tea and also for colds. It is
also used in the spice plasters.

HONEY (Mel).--This is a saccharine fluid d