Cubeba.

The berries of Piper cubeba.

Dose.—Cubebs are most efficient when administered in powder; dose, ʒss. to ʒj., two, three, or four times a day, or as often as the stomach will bear it. Of the tincture, ʒss. may be given three times a day in a glass of water; of the oil, gtt. x. to xv. In emulsion.

Therapeutic Action.—Cubebs are diuretic, diaphoretic, stimulant, carminative and expectorant. Like Copaiba they appear to exert a specific action on the urino-genital apparatus, acting as diuretics, deepening the color, and imparting a peculiar aromatic odor to the urine. When taken in small doses they act in a similar manner to other peppers, stimulating the stomach, augmenting the appetite, and promoting digestion. In large doses they sometimes cause nausea and vomiting, burning pain, tormina and sometimes purging; they also cause increased frequency of the pulse and thirst, and sometimes give rise to urticaria, and according to Dr. Duncan, produce swelled testicles.

They have long been used in gonorrhoea, gleet, etc., with advantage; they moderate the inflammation, and consequently the discharge. If they do not soon produce this effect, they should be discontinued, as their continued use in such cases aggravates the disease.

They have been administered in gleet, but alone they rarely produce any beneficial effect. In two or three cases we have used the combination already spoken of with entire success, but in many cases it has failed. In small doses we have administered them in combination with Hydrastine, in chronic irritation and inflammation of the bladder, with successful results.

The American Eclectic Materia Medica and Therapeutics, 1898, was written by John M. Scudder, M.D.