The Eclectic Materia Medica (Felter)


Plant monographs extracted from The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics by Harvey Wickes Felter, M.D. (1922) Bookmarked Acrobat (.pdf) files only.
You can access the individual plants in .html form at Henriette Kress's site at:
http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/felter/

NOTE: This is one of several important Eclectic medical publications dating from the 1920s that represented the last, articulate, but in the end, futile attempt to stem the tide of Standard Practice Medicine, the antithesis of the model of the rural primary care "vitalist" physician that was the basis for the Eclectic Curriculum.

Founded during the 1840s as part of an immense populist anti-medical movement in North America, the American School of Medicine ("Eclectics" as they came to be known) trained physicians in a dozen or so privately funded medical schools, principally located in the midwest. The movement "peaked" in the 1880s and 1890s, and by WWI, states and provinces were adopting curriculum requirements that followed those articulated by the AMA, which effectively forced the Eclectic Medical Schools to either adopt the new model or fold...the last one closed in Cincinnati in 1939.

I have retained the original pharmaceutical latin names (Cimicifuga racemosa or Black Cohosh was treated as "Macrotys", as an example), but otherwise I have updated botanical names within the monographs. I have also translated the apothecary measurements into more understandable ones (although I have retained "drachm"). Remember, a drachm is 1/8 of an ounce, a fluidrachm 1/8 of a fluidounce. All botanical remedies are included (except Ergot), as well as all substances normally used in manufacturing herb-based products. I have excluded most alkaloids, salts, chemicals, injected compounds and other products well-outside of the "herb" realm.

A herbs (116K - 49 pages)

ABIES (Tsuga canadensis), ABSINTHIUM (Artemisia absinthium), ACACIA, ACHILLEA, ACONITUM, ACTÆA ALBA, ADONIS VERNALIS, ÆSCULUS GLABRA, AGAR, AGARICUS (Amanita muscaria), AGRIMONIA EUPATORIA, ALETRIS FARINOSA, ALLIUM CEPA, ALLIUM SATIVUM, ALNUS SERRULATA, ALOE, ALTHÆA OFFICINALIS, AMYGDALUS PERSICA, AMYLUM, ANEMOPSIS CALIFORNICA, ANISUM (Pimpinella anisum), ANTHEMIS NOBILIS, APOCYNUM CANNABINUM, AQUA ROSÆ, ARALIA HISPIDA, ARALIA RACEMOSA, ARISÆMA TRIPHYLLUM, ARNICA MONTANA, ASAFTIDA (Ferula fetida), ASARUM CANDENSE, ASCLEPIAS INCARNATA, ASCLEPIAS SYRIACA, ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA, ASPIDIUM, ASPIDOSPERMA, AURANTII AMARI CORTEX, AURANTII DULCIS CORTEX, AVENA SATIVA

B herbs (52K - 20 pages)

BALSAMUM PERUVIANUM, BAPTISIA, BELLADONNA (Atropa belladonna), BERBERIS (Mahonia) AQUIFOLIUM, BERBERIS VULGARIS, BOLETUS, BRYONIA, BUCHU (Barosma)

C herbs (160K - 69 pages)

CACTUS (Selenicereus spp.), CAFFEA, CALAMUS, CALENDULA, CALUMBA (Jateorhiza palmata), CAMBOGIA, CAMPHORA, CANNABIS, CANTHARIS, CAPSELLA, CAPSICUM, CARBO LIGNI, CARDAMOMI SEMEN, CARTHAMUS, CARUM, CARYOPHYLLUS, CASCARA SAGRADA, CASSIA MARILANDICA, CASTANEA, CATALPA, CATARIA, CAULOPHYLLUM, CEANOTHUS, CERA ALBA, CERA FLAVA, CHELIDONIUM, CHELONE, CHENOPODIUM, CHIONANTHUS, CHIMAPHILA, CINCHONA, CINNAMOMUM, COCA, COCCULUS, COLCHICUM, COLLINSONIA, COLOCYNTHIS, CONDURANGO, CONIUM, CONVALLARIA, CORALLORHIZA, COPAIBA, COPTIS, CORIANDRUM, CORNUS, CORYDALIS, CRATAEGUS, CROCUS, CUBEBA, CURCUMA, CUSSO, CYPRIPEDIUM,

D herbs (52K - 21 pages)

DIGITALIS, DIOSCOREA, DRACONTIUM (Symplocarpus), DROSERA, DUBOISINA, DULCAMARA. (Solanum dulcamara),

E herbs (68K - 26 pages)

ECHINACEA, ELATERIUM, EPIGÆA, EPILOBIUM, EQUISETUM, ERECHTITES, ERIGERON, ERIODICTYON, ERYNGIUM, EUCALYPTUS, EUONYMUS, EUPATORIUM PERFOLIATUM, EUPATORIUM PURPUREUM, EUPHORBIA COROLLATA, EUPHORBIA HYPERICIFOLIA, EUPHORBIA IPECACUANHA, EUPHORBIA PILULIFERA, EUPHRASIA

F herbs (24K - 7 pages)

FABIANA, FARINA TRITICI, FEL BOVIS, FICUS, FOENICULUM, FRANCISCEA, FRANGULA (Rhamnus frangula), FRANKENIA, FRASERA, FRAXINUS, FUCUS

G herbs (68K - 28 pages)

GALIUM, GALLA, GAMBIR, GAULTHERIA, GELATINUM, GELSEMIUM, GENTIANA, GERANIUM, GLUCOSUM, GLYCERINUM, GLYCYRRHIZA, GOSSYPIUM, GRANATUM, GRINDELIA, GUAIACUM, GUARANA, GYNOCARDIA

H herbs (56K - 22 pages)

HAEMATOXYLON, HAMAMELIS, HEDEOMA, HELLEBORUS, HELONIAS, HEPATICA, HIPPOCASTANUM (Aesculus Hippocastanum), HORDEUM, HUMULUS, HYDRANGEA, HYDRASTIS, HYOSCYAMUS, HYPERICUM,

I herbs (32K - 11 pages)

IGNATIA, IMPATIENS, INULA, IPECACUANHA (Cephaelis Ipecacuanha), IRIS

J-K herbs (28K - 9 pages)

JACARANDA, JALAPA (Ipomea jalapa), JEFFERSONIA, JUGLANS CINEREA, JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS, KALMIA, KAMALA (Mallotus philippiensis), KINO, KOLA (Cola spp.), KRAMERIA

L herbs (64K - 25 pages)

LACTUCARIUM, LAPPA (Arctium lappa), LAVANDULA, LEONURUS, LEPTANDRA (Veronicastrum virginicum), LEUCANTHEMUM, LIATRIS, LIGUSTRUM, LILIUM, LIMON, LINUM, LIQUIDAMBAR, LOBELIA, LUPULINUM, LYCOPODIUM, LYCOPUS

M herbs (56K - 22 pages)

MACROTYS (Cimicifuga racemosa), MANGIFERA, MANNA, MARRUBIUM, MATICO, MATRICARIA, MEL, MELILOTUS, MENISPERMUM, MENTHA PIPERITA, MENTHA VIRIDIS, MENTHOL, MITCHELLA, MONARDA, MYRICA, MYRISTICA, MYRRHA (Commiphora spp.)

N-O herbs (84K - 36 pages)

NUX VOMICA, OENANTHE, OENOTHERA, OLEUM CADINUM, OLEUM CAJUPUTI, OLEUM CHENOPODII, OLEUM OLIVAE, OLEUM RICINI, OLEUM SANTALI, OLEUM TEREBINTHINAE, OLEUM TEREBINTHINAE RECTIFICATUM, OLEUM THEOBROMATIS, OLEUM TIGLII, OPIUM, OXYDENDRON

P herbs (108K - 46 pages)

PANAX, PAREIRA (Chondodendron), PASSIFLORA, PENTHORUM, PEPO (Cucurbita pepo), PETROSELINUM, PHYSOSTIGMA, PHYTOLACCA, PILOCARPUS, PIMENTA, PIPER NIGRUM, PIPER METHYSTICUM, PISCIDIA, PIX LIQUIDA, PLANTAGO, PODOPHYLLUM, POLYMNIA, POPULUS TREMULOIDES, PRINOS, PRUNUS VIRGINIANA, PTELEA, PULSATILLA, PYROLA

Q-R herbs (56K - 22 pages)

QUASSIA, QUERCUS, RESINA, RHAMNUS CALIFORNICA, RHEUM, RHUS TOXICODENDRON, RHUS AROMATICA, RHUS GLABRA, RUBUS, RUBUS IDAEUS, RUMEX, RUTA

S herbs (96K - 39 pages)

SALIX NIGRA, SALVIA, SAMBUCUS, SANGUINARIA, SAPO, SAPO MOLLIS, SARSAPARILLA, SASSAFRAS, SCILLA, SCOPARIUS, SCUTELLARIA, SENECIO, SENEGA, SENNA, SERENOA, SERPENTARIA (Aristolochia serpentaria), SINAPIS ALBA, SINAPIS NIGRA, SOLANUM CAROLINENSE, SPIGELIA, SPONGIA USTA, STAPHISAGRIA, STICTA, STILLINGIA, STRAMONIUM (Datura spp.), STROPHANTHUS, SUMBUL (Ferula sumbul),

T-U herbs (32K - 11 pages)

TANACETUM, TARAXACUM, THUJA, TRIFOLIUM, TRITICUM (Agropyron repens), TUSSILAGO, ULMUS, URTICA, USTILAGO, UVA URSI

V-Z herbs (56K - 22 pages)

VALERIANA, VANILLA, VERATRINA, VERATRUM VIRIDE, VERATRUM ALBUM, VERBASCUM, VERBENA, VIBURNUM OPULUS, VIBURNUM PRUNIFOLIUM, VISCUM, XANTHIUM, XANTHIUM STRUMARIUM, XANTHOXYLUM, ZEA, ZINGIBER

Complete Felter's Materia Medica (1M, 480 pages)
(Complete text, including definitions, comparative doses and facsimile front page)


MATERIA MEDICA ILLUSTRATIONS - Black and white photographs from the 1922 edition

Achillea millefolium.jpg - Yarrow - 156K Aristolochia serpentaria.jpg - Virginia Snakeroot - 192K Asarum canadense.jpg - Wild Ginger, Canada Snakeroot - 160K Caulophyllum thalictrioides.jpg - Blue Cohosh - 164K Cimicifuga racemosa.jpg - Black Cohosh - 184K Collinsonia canadensis.jpg - Stoneroot, Horse Balm - 192K Cypripedium parviflorum.jpg - Small Lady's Slipper - 176K Datura stramonium.jpg - Jimson Weed - 208K
Dioscorea villosa.jpg - Wild Yam - 196K Echinacea angustifolia.jpg - Echinacea, Kansas Snakeroot - 228K Eupatorium perfoliatum.jpg - Boneset - 184K
Hydrastis canadensis.jpg - Golden Seal - 140K Inula helenium.jpg - Elecampane - 172K Mentha spicata.jpg - Spearmint - 224K Monarda punctata.jpg - Horsemint, Beebalm - 164K Nepeta cataria.jpg - Catnip - 164K Phytolacca americana.jpg - Poke - 200K
Podophyllum peltatum.jpg - American Mandrake, Mayapple - 188K Rumex crispus.jpg - Yellow Dock - 196K Sanguinaria canadensis.jpg - Bloodroot - 152K Symplocarpus foetidus.jpg - Eastern Skunk Cabbage - 200K Toxicodendron radicans.jpg - Poison Ivy, Rhus toxicodendron - 236K Verbascum thapsus.jpg - Common Mullein - 204K Veronicastrum virginicum.jpg - Leptandra, Culver's Root - 172K

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