Pulvis Spigeliae Compositus.—Compound Powder of Spigelia.
Related entry: Spigelia (U. S. P.)—Spigelia
SYNONYM: King's entozoic powder.
Preparation.—Take of pink root, bitter root, swamp milkweed, mandrake, each, in very fine powder, 2 ounces; balmony, in very fine powder, 4 ounces. Mix intimately together.
Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage.—This is a very bitter, but certain remedy for any kind of worms that may exist in the human alimentary canal. It not only destroys the worms, but also removes the morbid mucous secretion in which they abound, and which is so favorable to their production. The dose for a child a year old is from 5 to 8 grains, in a teaspoonful of molasses or syrup; for an adult, from 10 to 20 grains, in ½ tablespoonful of molasses. The dose is to be repeated every 1 or 2 hours until it operates freely, after which repeat the dose only 3 times a day for several days in succession. When worms are present, the stools produced by this powder will be mucous or slimy, often whitish, containing particles resembling the external integuments of the entozoa, or the appearance of worms cut up. An infusion of this powder, to which a small portion of tincture of asafoetida has been added, forms an excellent injection for the removal of ascarides or thread worms; it may be repeated whenever desired (see Compound Fluid Extract of Spigelia).
