Ayapana.

Such is the name of a herb yielded by the Eupatorium triplinerve of Vahl, or Eupatorium ayapana of Ventenat, a plant indigenous to the tropical parts of South America, and now cultivated in many of the warmer parts of the globe. The plant, in a living state, may be seen at the Botanic Gardens of Melbourne. It is pervaded by a highly powerful aromatic odour, emanating from essential oil. Probably to this it principally owes its celebrated virtue of neutralising the effects of snake poison. We have no record to what extent in the more or less intense and diversified manifestations from different snake poisons we can rely on the efficacy of the plant, which may in some regards act like large doses of alcoholic liquids, with so much advantage administered in many cases, and in other regards it may owe its value to the powerful sudorific properties which this herb possesses. Under any circumstances, the therapeutic value of the ayapana ought to be subjected to trials, for it holds out great hopes of being of high importance in all cases where, through internal medicines, cutaneous secretion is profusely to be called forth.