Argemone.

ARGEMONE, L. Thorn Poppy. The Flava (Mexicana, L.) with yellow blossoms, and the Albiflora with white ones, have similar properties. From Pennsylvania to Mexico. Equivalent of Chelidonium, having a yellow bitter juice, which dies yellow, and when inspissated, becomes similar to Gamboge. It is anodyne, detersive, resolutive, hypnotic, diuretic, useful in herpetic diseases, psora, sore eyes, dropsy, jaundice, &c. The seeds are drastic and emetic, used in the West Indies for the belly ache and dysentery, their infusion is diaphoretic and ophthalmic, dose only a table spoon: when smoked, they are narcotic. The capsules used like Poppy heads in diarrhoea and dysentery. Deserving attention, appear to unite the properties of Opium, Gamboge and Celandine.


Medical Flora, or Manual of the Medical Botany of the United States of North America, Vol. 2, 1830, was written by C. S. Rafinesque.