burnet saxifrage; a genus of the digynia order, belonging to the pentandria clas of plants. There are seven species; the most remarkable of which are, 1. The major, or greater burnet saxifrage, growing naturally in chalky woods, and on the sides of the banks near hedges, in several parts of England. The lower leaves of this sort are winged; the lobes are deeply sawed on their edges, and sit close to the midrib, of a dark green. The stalks are more than a foot high, dividing into four or five branches. The lower part of the stalk is garnished with winged leaves, shaped like those at the bottom, but smaller; those upon the branches are short and trifid; the branches are terminated by small umbels of white flowers, which are composed of smaller umbels or rays. The flowers have five heart-shaped petals, which turn inward, and are succeeded by two narrow, oblong, channelled seeds. 2. The anisum, or common anise, is an annual plant, which grows naturally in Egypt; but is cultivated in Malta and Spain, from whence the seeds are annually imported into Britain. The lower leaves of this plant are divided into three lobes, which are deeply cut on their edges; the stalk rises a foot and a half high, dividing into several slender branches, garnished with narrow Pimpinella narrow leaves, cut into three or four narrow segments, terminated by pretty large loose umbels, composed of smaller umbels or rays, which stand on pretty long footstalks. The flowers are small, and of a yellowish white; the seeds are oblong and swelling.—The former species requires no culture; the latter is too tender to be cultivated for profit in this country. However, the seeds will come up if sown in the beginning of April upon a warm border. When they come up, they should be thinned, and kept clear of weeds, which is all the culture they require.

Uses. Both these species are used in medicine. The roots of pimpinella have a grateful, warm, very pungent taste, which is entirely extracted by rectified spirit; in distillation the menstruum arises, leaving all that it had taken up from the root united into a pungent aromatic resin. This root promises, from its sensible qualities, to be a medicine of considerable utility, though little regarded in common practice: the only official composition in which it is an ingredient is the pulvis ari compositus. Stahl, Hoffman, and other German physicians, are extremely fond of it; and recommend it as an excellent stomachic, resolvent, detergent, diuretic, diaphoretic, and alexipharmac. They frequently gave it, and not without success, in scrofulous and cutaneous disorders, foulness of the blood and juices, tumors and obstructions of the glands, and diseases proceeding from a deficiency of the fluid secretions in general. Boerhaave directs the use of this medicine in asthmatic and hydropic cases, where the strongest resolvents are indicated: the form he prefers is a watery infusion; but the spirituous tincture possesses the virtues of the root in much greater perfection.

Aniseeds have an aromatic smell, and a pleasant warm taste, accompanied with a degree of sweetness. Water extracts very little of their flavour; rectified spirit the whole.

These seeds are in the number of the four greater hot seeds: their principal use is in cold flatulent disorders, where tenacious phlegm abounds, and in the gripes to which young children are subject. Frederic Hoffman strongly recommends them in weakness of the stomach, diarrhoeas, and for strengthening the tone of the viscera in general; and thinks they well deserve the appellation given them by Helmont, intellectorum flammen. The smaller kind of aniseeds brought from Spain are preferred.

Pimple, in medicine, a small pustule arising on the face. By mixing equal quantities of the juice of house-leek, sedum minus, passed through paper, and of spirit of wine rectified by itself, a white coagulum of a very volatile nature is formed, which Dr Bughart commends for curing pimples of the face; and says, that the thin liquor separated from it with sugar-candy is an excellent remedy for thick viscid phlegm in the breast.