Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-07-23
The iedUeS acere for the heating Of the nations"
A Valuable Medical Herb.

BY r. V. PIERCE, NJ d., of the WORLDS
DIsPENsARY, Buffalo, n. Y.
Smart Weed, sometimes called Water
PEPPER, but known by Botanists MS PoIggonuN3
Ptbctnt,sHl, is a wcll<nown, very common
and modest little plant found growing in
bitches, low grounds, among rubbish and
about brooks and water-courses, towering in
August and September. In many sections of
this country it is a deseryedly hghly-es-
tecmed family remedy. The Indians also
make great use of this plant for the cure of
various diseases. But neither the Indians
nor the whites learned onc-tenth of the value
Of this modest little weed as they had no
method of extracting its virtues without the
application of heat, which destroys most of
its properties, and usually made tea from
the dried herb that had been kept on hand
for long time until it had lost most of its
medical properties. No educated Chemist
had ever tried to make an analysis of the
plant and produce an extract from it upon
scientific principles by cold process until |,
having become convinced of the wonderful
medical virtues of this little weed, investigated
its properties and made an extract from the
fresh herb by cold proCcss-using no heat at
all, but bringing out its juices oils and yola-
tile properties complete and unimpaired, If
this remedy had heretofore been valuable when
prepared in the most crude manner, from the
long dried herb and by the application Of heat
sOned that it must, when properly prepared
by a cold process and from the freshly dried
herb, prove a wonderfully effCacious and po-
tent remedy for human suffering. And | can
assure the people, upon my honor as pro
fessional man, that in its use, since thus pre-
pairing it, my most sanguinc expectations have
been more than realized. ! have found it to
contain medicinal properties which sleeping
in water could not bring out at ALL as they are
resinous principles With my Extract, con
tanning all these medical properties unim-
paired, have been enabled to produce most
astonishing remedial effects. BY much study
large experience in prescribing this and
other medicines, and very close observation
| have been enabled to compound and com
bine with the simple Extract of Smart Weed
extracts Of other medicinal herbs and roots
that greatly improve its power and usefulness
both as an internal and external remedy--be-
sides they so flavor and modify it as to re
move its pungent smarty taste and render it
n pleasant retatdY Tor both 6dtdtS and chldrep
The greatest difficulty that | experience in
the way of introducing this most valuable
remedy to the public is the fact that Smart
| Weed is such a common and unpretending
! looking little herb that people are apt to
think that it cannot possess any great or val
liable medical properties. Had prepared my
Extract of tweed put ii up and labeled
il with some great name, and told the. people
that the herbs of which ii was composed were
collected in Africa by the Arabs, carried across
! the Saharah Desert on the backs OF camels,
and brought across the Atlantic Ocean for my
special use and that its ingredients We're
1 therefore very expensive, have no doubt that
! some would have been thereby inspired with
4 greater confidence in ii. But prefer to deal
honestly with the people and tell them that
! the chief ingredient Of my Compound Extract
is the modest little plant seen growing by the
! roadside in all parts Of North America and
/ known as Smart Weed. | believe that God
/ has caused TO grow, In each climate and region,
i those medicinal plants best calculated for the
4 cure Of the diseases that prevail in the section
4 Of country where those plants are found-that
the leaves were for the healing Of the ma
1 tons, and that the fewer far fetched remedies
We employ the better, If we would Thoroughly
4 investigate and understand those we have at
home. So far as Smart-Weed has been en-