Domestic Encyclopædia (1802)/Birthwort, Slender

BIRTHWORT (Slender), or Aristolochia clematitis, L. is the only indigenous species of that plant: it has heart-shaped leaves, an upright stem, and its root is long and slender.—See Engl. Bot. 398.

On being chewed, the Birthwort instantly imparts an aromatic bitterness, not ungrateful to the palate. It possesses medicinal virtues, and is prescribed as an attenuant of viscid phlegm, and promoter of the fluid secretions. The dose in substance is from a scruple to two drams. There are four other species of this plant imported for medicinal purposes, particularly the Aristolochia longa, a native of France, Spain, and Italy. It is applied externally in cutaneous diseases, as likewise for cleansing and healing wounds and ulcers.