American Pocket Library of Useful Knowledge/Thompsonism, or Botanic Practice
THOMPSONISM, OR BOTANIC PRACTICE.
A list of the Simples used, with their names and the properties ascribed to them:
Lobelia, or Emetic Herb, to cleanse the stomach, overpower the cold, and promote free perspiration; considered the most important article in that system of practice. This plant differs from Indian Tobacco. It is common in all parts of this country; grows at first flat on the ground, but shoots up 12 to 15 inches high, with branches, and in July has small pointed, pate blue blossoms, followed by small pods, size of a “white bean,” with numerous small seeds. Gather in September, when the leaves and pods turn a little yellow, though good at all seasons. Some seasons it is not to be found at all, or in very small quantities. Cut, dry it in-doors, and use the seeds and leaves powdered, or make tincture from the green herb, with spirit. Common dose, teaspoonful powder mixed with sugar in half tea cup warm water; take all at once, or three times at intervals of ten minutes. Water must be only blood warm; its power is destroyed by scalding. The Tincture is made by the bruised green herb with equal quantity good spirits or vinegar. Squeeze and strain it to extract the juice, which save in a close-stopped bottle. Dose, from half to a teaspoonful: in all cases the dose must be regulated by the judgment. Taken for asthma, complaints of the lungs, and applied internally or externally to counteract poison; also for lock-jaw, spasms, and to bring out small pox, measles, &c., and give warmth, animation, and vigour to the system. Its operation in long-standing disease is sometimes very severe, and will not remove a sealed disease unless its stimulus is followed by some other more nourishing medicine.
Cayenne, when good, is used in doses of from half to a teaspoonful, in hot water sweetened, or a teaspoonful in a glass of cider, to promote free perspiration and digestion, and cures ague in face by laying some in a fine cloth between the teeth and cheek, sitting by a fire, covered warm. Ripe Red Peppers are good substitute.
Ginger, a powerful stimulant, has a warm, healthful effect on the stomach. The root is chewed and juice swallowed for consumptive habits.
Bayberry or Candleberry roots: the bark is used for canker, tooth powder, scurvy, and disorders of the bowels. Dose, a spoonful in hot water sweetened.
White Pond-Lily roots, used as the preceding. Cleaned and dried in the Fall.
Hemlock.–The inner bark, powdered, though sometimes used as the two preceding, is not recommended. The boughs make a tea good for gravel and other urinary obstructions, and rheumatism.
Marsh Rosemary, mixed with Bayberry bark, is used for canker and sore mouth.
Sumach: the bark, leaves and berries dried when full grown and full of sap, are used either as tea or injection, for cleansing, complaints of kidneys, stranguary and urine. Better if used with Bayberry.
White Hazel leaves, as tea, good for bleeding at stomach, for canker, and most complaints of bowels. Injection good for piles, bearing-down pains, &c.
Red-Raspberry leaves, excellent for women in travail, made into tea, sweetened and with milk; also for bowel complaints of children, and sores.
Squaw Weed, or meadow scabish, grows four or five feet high, narrow leaf and blue blossom: use the roots and top for canker rash, rheumatism, dizziness and nervous affections. Make into tea.
Bitter Herb or Balmony, about size of mint, white blossom like a snake’s head, sweetish-bitter taste. As tea, good to correct bile, promote appetite and digestion, and keep the stomach in order.
Poplar Bark, Barberry Bark, Bitter Root, or Wandering Milk-weed, Golden Seal or Ohio Kercuma Root; each used as tea for same complaint as Bitter Herb.
Peach Meats, bark of poplar, meat of cherry stones, or bitter almonds, pounded and used as tea, for dysentery and debility of stomach and bowels.
Gum Myrrh, recommended highly in wounds, old sores, and rheumatism: improved by an addition of Cayenne.
Spirits of Turpentine, to be used externally, with caution, with rheumatic drops, for itch and other bad homours.
American Valerian or Ladies’ Slipper: the roots, dug late in Fall or in Spring, are highly extolled in nervous affections and hysterical symptoms, safer and better than opium. Give half teaspoon, finely powdered, in hot water sweetened, or put into injections. Grows in swamps, wet land, and high ledges; large clustered fibrous roots matted together and connected with solid root; several stalks two feet high, leaves like poke leaf, female blossoms red, red and white, and while. The male is called yellow umbil. The yellow and red are best.
There are some others, as pennyroyal, mint, tansy, &c., which Dr. Thompson pronounces of less consequence; but the preceding are declared by him to be “all the important vegetables and herbs used in his practice.” For lobelia and some other medicines he has secured a patent right. The charge for his book and the right of administering medicines is twenty dollars. But of late, much contention and division have arisen among his followers, leading to important changes, principally caused by opinions unfavourable to the acquirements and intelligence of the man, whatever virtues or merit may be ascribed to some of his early discoveries.
Dr. Thompson lives in Boston. In his account of the system which he claims the merit of, he states that he was born in New Hampshire, in 1769; discovered lobelia when four years of age, whilst searching for cows in a field: he chewed the plant and noted its effects. He commenced practice in 1805. He places great reliance on exciting profuse perspiration; repudiates minerals, especially mercury, in all its forms, and is opposed to bleeding.