THE MISJUDGED FOXGLOVE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2836, 29 July 1916, Page 5

THE MISJUDGED FOXGLOVE

/ [By Imogen.]

'ITS VALUE FOR HOSPITALS AT ' ' HOME.

, It was rather interesting to read yesterday that at the Farmers' Conference, which is beinff held in Wellington, strong remarks- were made in connection with the foxglove. "The foxglove lis ping to be one of the greatest curses in New 1 Zealand," said Mr. J. Bell (Westland). And yet in England people are- doing a great deal to cultivate'it and other .plants, for tnaking drugs, of which there has been 60 great, a shortage since-the outbreak of war. -There is ,in particular a very speoial demand for. the leaves .'of the foxglove which,' When dried | f,etch (fe England) the .sum '.of 655. per cwt. 'For fresh undfied- leaves the .sum of Gs. a cwt .is paid in the summertime, and 10s. in the winter, by manufacturing druggists.) It was considered that in the summer, though the evidence was not very conclusive, there was more digitalis to be got from the leaves than later in the year. •

According, to the letter of . a correspondent who is at present in' England, the great difficulty is to get large chough supplies; and yet there is a great need for digitalis (obtained, from the leaves of the foxglove). „Tn this direction there certainly lies an, opportunity tor the . patriotic, person in this country, as it should be an easy matter;to collect and dry the, leaves. Digitalis, of'course, is used in a variety .of complaints—heart, dropsical, and particularly . those arising from bad circulation.

Herb-growers are . doing real spade.work, according;,' this Wellington writor already mentioned—ploughing, hoeing, etc. Various counties;;'iire undertaking to grow four or five different drugs, and the business-like way in which they are setting about it. is shown by the, fact that girls go and; visit the, manufacturing druggists and find out. exactly' what is wanted.

len centres have been formed in various. .districts ill England and Scotland, where 'persons l of education and 'some leisure help to organise the growing and .collecting of suitable plants, and the preparation of them by drrag before transmitting to London. The drying-, is in many cases not a difficult mutter, and can bo accomplished in a small, shed heated by a 6tove. It is .piost important iii England that the cost of drugs to the. hospitals .should be, lessened, mid here is a way in. which New Zealand can give some practical help. Alany of our native shrubs possess most valuable medicinal and other properties, 'and it should be an easy matter To'get a list published, and take steps to prepare them for sending Home. ■ , . .

A very .high' price"is being paijl by the hospitals in England for simple' medicaments that before the war cost very little. Appearance, of course, peally does go ft good; way towards. removing the unpleasantness of taking horrible medicines, and it is rather interesting- to find that the petals of the common red poppy are in enormous demand in England, simply because the pink colour imparted to medicine makes it easier and more .attractive to take. „.

Among iho herbs which are made use of aro fo.iglovo leaves, couch grass (cleaned, dried,!and cut small in a chaff cutter), dried raspberry leaven (from suckers), hemlock leaves, horsetail, leaves of marshmallow, of' buckhean/'and the woody stems of woody nightshade. The association which .has been formed ill -England .is only at tlie beginning of tilings, but it is receiving mncli help from the Pharmaceutical Society, and leading chemist ■firms. Among the members of. the Advisory, Committee are- Sir Georgo Savage, M.D., F.It.C.P., Jlr. E. M. Holmes, F.L..5., Greenish, and Mr. C. Shenstono, M.P.S., F.L.S.

Oil Thursday' next a lecture is io be.Ngiven in the Concert Chamber of the Ton-u Hal) by Ladv Stout, Upon matters in connection'with the Gerauiu questions which have been brought about in this country by the war. Lady Stout has lectured in several towns, including Auckland, upon this subject, and much interest has been displayed.

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