Lindera benzoin
Names: Benzoinum odiriferum, Laurus benzoin.
English: Styrax
Botany: aromatic shrub grows to a height of from 6 to 18 feet. Branches smooth and maculate. Leaves deciduous, nearly glabrous, thin, pale beneath, oblong - ovate and acute at both ends. Inflorescence lateral, nearly sessile, umbel - like clusters, composed of umbellets of 4 to 6 flowers; involucre formed of 4 deciduous, scales surrounding the flowers; flowers numerous, polygamous - dioecious, prefolial. Calyx open, honey - yellow, 6 - parted, membranous. Stamens: sterile flowers 9, in 3 rows; filaments of the inner row dilated and 1 to 2 lobed, bearing at the base a reniform and more or less peltate gland; the external 6 simple; anthers 2 - celled and - valved, opening upward to the apex; fertile flowers; stamens 15 to 18 rudimentary, some filiform and pointed, others more or less spatulate. Ovary globular or globose - ovoid, style short; stigma capitellate. Fruit a scarlet, ovoid drupe.
History and Habitat. The spice - bush, so well known among the laity on account of its aromatic buds, bark, and berries, inhabits low marsh spots upon the bank of the streams from Canada southward to Florida. It blossoms in March or April, before the leaves appear.
Economical use
The economical use of this shrub has given it many of its vulgar names. During the war of the Revolution the Americans used the Powdered berries as a substitute for allspice (Barton). During the war of the Rebellion the people of northern South Carolina the leaves as a substitute for tea, they affording a pleasant antipyretic and aromatic drink (Porcher); and the berries as before mentioned. In domestic practice the bark, leaves and berries have been used in decoction to produce
diaphoresis and acts as a febrifuge; they were considered also as tonic, stimulant, anti periodic, and anthelmintic. The oil of the berries was often used as an embrocation in n
Pain, neuralgic and rheumatic.
Homeopathic (from Allen encyclopaedia)
Hair oily.
Wake from sleep with a sick feeling in stomach and bowels; tired feeling; turn often in bed (first night). Worse On lying down: head swims, with sinking sensation which makes lying down in bed unpleasant. Worse After sleep.
Empty feeling in stomach and lower part of bowels (first day).
Urine: frequent < night; small quantity, dark colour.
Bed swims, with sinking sensation, which made lying down on bed unpleasant.
Had unpleasant, fearful feeling (third day).
Stool soft, with pain before, in lower bowels (third day).
Finger-joints swelled and lame (third day).
Sense of touch fine, quick, and pleasant (second day).
Hips feel crushed (first day).
Pains in knees (third day).
Skin cold; feet and legs cold up to knees; remained cold in bed (first day).
Feverish during the second day.
Skin moist (second day).
Oreodaphne has violent and neuralgic headaches, cervical-occipital pain, cerebro-spinal meningitis. Atonic diarrhoea and intestinal colic. The characteristics of one of its headaches thus: "Dull ache in occipital and cervical regions, extending down to scapula, great heaviness of the head with a constant desire to move the head, which, however, gives no relief."
Clinical. Colic. Diarrhoea. Headaches. Meningitis.
Back - Constant, dull ache in cervical and occipital region, extending to scapula down spine.
Eyes - Drooping eyelids. Eyelids heavy.
Head - Head heavy, twitching. Intense aching with pressure at inner angle of either orbit. Pains, worse left side, extending through brain and across scalp to the base of the occiput. Or headache above the left eye. Headaches, worse light, noise, better closing eyes and perfect quiet. Pain extending to ears. Great heaviness of head. Twitching.
Rectum - Atonic diarrhoea.
Vertigo - Dizziness, worse on stooping or moving.
Literature. Boericke. Clarke. Murphy.