Sisymbrium. Sisymbrium officinale.
Sisymbrium. Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop. Hedge Mustard. Herbe aux chantres, Tortelle, Fr. Wildersenf, Hederich, G. (Fam. Cruciferae.)—This annual, growing in Europe and in waste grounds in the United States, is said to be diuretic and expectorant, and has been recommended in chronic coughs, hoarseness, and ulceration of the mouth and fauces. The juice of the plant may be used mixed with honey or sugar, or the seeds may be taken in substance. Sisymbrium Sophia L., or the flax weed, a plant which grows sparingly in waste places in the United States, was formerly official. It is of a pungent odor when rubbed, and of an acrid, biting taste. W. Zopf attributes its poisonous qualities to a volatile alkaloid. (Zeit. f. Nat. Pharm. Central., 1894, 494.) The herb has been used externally in indolent ulcers and the seeds internally in worms, calculous complaints, etc. Diplotaxis muralis DC. (S. Murale L.), a plant growing about Atlantic ports, has been used in France in scurvy, scrofula, and other cachetic affections, especially associated, in the form of a syrup, with potassium iodide. (Ann Ther., 1863, 126.) Grazing sheep are said to be killed in Southern France by feeding on Diplotaxis tenuifolia DC., and human poisoning has occurred. This species is also sparingly localized like D. muralis. George Heyl has separated a toxic and apparently uncrystallizable alkaloid. (Ap. Ztg., May 30, 1900.)
