SAUNDERS, a kind of wood brought from the East Indies. There are three kinds of it; white, yellow, and red.—The white comes in billets about the thickness of a man's leg, of a pale whitish colour. It has been recommended for its medical virtues; but from its total want of smell or taste, nothing in this way can be expected.—The yellow kind has a pleasant smell, and a bitterish aromatic taste accompanied with an agreeable pungency. This wood, according to Dr Lewis, though unnoticed in the present practice, might undoubtedly be applied to many valuable medical purposes. Distilled with water, it yields a fragrant essential oil, which thickens in the cold into the consistency of a balsam. Digested in pure spirit, it imparts a rich yellow tincture; which being committed to distillation, the spirit arises without bringing over any thing considerable of the flavour of the saunders. The residuum contains the virtues of six times its weight of the wood. Hoffman looks upon the extract as a medicine of similar virtues to ambergris, and recommends it as an excellent restorative in great debilities.—The red kind is brought from the East Indies in large billets, of a compact texture, a dull red, almost blackish colour on the outside, and a deep bright red within. This wood has no manifest smell, and little or no taste: nevertheless it has been recommended as a mild astringent, and corroborant of the nervous system; qualities which belong only to the yellow sort. It is principally employed as a colouring drug; and communicates a deep red to rectified spirit, but scarce to any oil excepting that of lavender.—It is easily distinguished from Brazil-wood, because the latter readily communicates its colour to water, which saunders will not.