MENYANTHES, MARSH-TREFOIL, or Buckbean: A genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the pentandria class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 21st order, Precis. The corolla is hairy, the stigma bifid; the capsule unilocular. This plant grows wild in moist marshy places in many parts of Britain. It has three oval leaves standing together upon one pedicle, which issues from the root; their taste is very bitter, and somewhat nauseous. According to Mr Lightfoot, the flowers of this plant are so extremely beautiful, that nothing but their native soil could exclude it from a place in every garden. They grow in an elegant spike; are white, dashed with pink, and fringed internally with hairs. The Highlanders esteem an infusion or tea of the leaves as good to strengthen the stomach. According to Dr Withering, an infusion of the leaves is prescribed in rheumatisms and dropsies; a dram of them in powder purges and vomits, and is sometimes given to destroy worms. In a scarcity of hops, the plant is used in the north of Europe to bitter the ale. The powdered roots are sometimes used in Lapland instead of bread, but they are unpalatable. Some people say, that sheep will eat it, and that it cures them of the rot; but from the Upsal Experiments it appears, that though goats eat it, sheep sometimes will not. Cows, horses, and swine, refuse it.—Dr Lewis informs us, that it is an efficacious aperient and deobstruent; promotes the fluid secretions; and, if liberally taken, gently loosens the belly. It has of late gained great reputation in scorbutic and scrofulous disorders; and its good effects in those cases have been warranted by experience. Inveterate cutaneous diseases have been removed by an infusion of the leaves, drank to the quantity of a pint a-day, at proper intervals, and continued for some weeks. Boerhaave relates, that he was relieved of the gout by drinking the juice mixed with whey.