The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-07-30

BY R. V. Pierce, NJ. D., of the Worlds Dis
pensary, Buffalo, n. Y.
Smart eed sometimes called Water Pepper,
but known by Botanists as POlygonttm Pune
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 deservedly highly esteemed family reme-
dy. The Indians also make great use of this
plant for the cure of various diseases. But
neither the Indians nor the whites learned
one-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 a long time until it had lost
most of it's medical properties. No educated
chemist has ever tried to make an analysis OF
the plant and produce an extract from 1t upon
scientific principles, by cold process, until l.
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 process-using no heat
at but bringing out its juices, oils and
volatile properties complete and unimpaired.
II this remedy has heretofore been valuabld,
when prepared in the most crude manner,
from the long dried herb and by the applica-
ton of heat, that destroyed 80 much of its
virtues, reasoned that it must, when properly
prepared by cold process AMI from the
freshly dried herb, prove wonderfully etfica-
cious and potent remedy for human suffering.
And can assure the people, upon my honor,
as professional man, that in its use, since
| thus preparing it, my most sanguine expecta-
! tions have been more than realized. l have
! found 1t to contain medicinal properties which
sleeping in water could not bring out at all, as
they are resinous principles. With my Ex-
tract, containing all these medical properties
unimpaired, | have been esabled to produce
most astonishing remedial effects. BY much
study, largo experience in prescribing this
and other medicines, and very close obserya-
ton, have been enabled to compound and
combine with the simple Extract of Smart
| Weed extracts of other medicinal herbs and
roots, that greatly improve its power and USE
! fulness, both as an internal and external reme-
! dy-besides they go flavor and modify it as to
remove Its pungent smarty taste, and render
it pleasant remedy for both adults and chill
dren. 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 common and unpretendinG
looking little herb that people are apt to think
| that 1t cannot possess any great or valuable
medical properties. Had l prepared my Ex-
tract of Smart-Weed, put it up and labeled il
with some great name, and told the people
that the herbs of which it was composed were
collected i'll Africa by the Arabs, carried across
the Sahara Desert on the backs OF camels
and brought across the Atlantic Ocean for my
special use, and that its ingredients were
therefore very expensive, have no doubt tha
some would have been thereby inspired witt
greater confidence in it. But prefer to dea
honestly with the people and tell them tha
the chief ingredient of my Compound Extrac
is the modest little plant seen growing by the
roadside, in all parts of North America, anC
| known as Smart-Weed. / believe that Goo
has caused to grow, in each climate and re
gion, those medicinal plants best calculated
for the cure of the diseases that prevail in thu
section OF country where those plants are
found-that " the leaves were for the healing
of the nations" and that the fewer far-fetcheC
remedies we employ the better, if we would
thoroughly investigate and understand thos'
we have at home. So far as Smart-Weed ha
been employed by the medical profession, /
has won golden opinions, notwithstanding tn
fact that heretofore they have had only a ver
imperfect preparation of it to use, owing t
heat beiifg always employed in extracting it
properties. A celebrated medical author says
"A friend OF ours had child dangerously i
with Summer Complaint. He had employed
great variety of the usual means for relief bu
all appeared unavailing. The child WAS finall
given Smart-Weed and it was entirely success
full. 1t arrested the vomiting and purging in
short time, and without the aid of other med
cine entirely restored the little patient" AS
remedy for Dysentery Cor Bloody Flux) hav
never seen my Extract of Smart-Weed equalet
yet have used all the most modern and al
proved medicines usually employed in this
disease. The Smart-W eed is rendered sti
more efficacious in all Bowel Complaints
Cramps aud Pains in the stomach, by reason {
the Jamaica Ginger, which. with other valuab
ingredients, is compounded with the Smar
Weed in making my Extract-hence the nam
compound Extract OF Smart Weed. The Gil
ger and other ingredients not only add great
, to the value OF the Smart Weed as a remed
for internal administration and render it MOI
pleasant to take by imparting an agreeab
hayor to It, but also enhance its value as an e!
ternal application, In all cases Of Diarrhoe