Lilac
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
The article describes the lilac (Syringa vulgaris) as a shrub with heart-shaped or egg-shaped leaves, cultivated for its beautiful and fragrant flowers. It details its traditional medicinal uses including treatments for marsh fever, kidney stones, and malaria, as well as the chemical compound syringin derived from its bark.
Encyclopedia article (1928–1936)
LILAC, Syringa vulgaris L., family Oleaceae, a shrub with heart-shaped or egg-shaped leaves, cultivated for its beautiful and pleasantly fragrant flowers. In folk medicine, an infusion of fresh lilac leaves is used for marsh fever; an infusion of the flowers is used as a diaphoretic, and in some places also for kidney stones; decoctions of lilac bark are recommended as a tonic, astringent, and antipyretic remedy. From the bark of lilac, the glucoside Syringin, C17H24O9.H2O, was isolated—a colorless, crystalline, odorless and tasteless powder that loses its crystallization water at 110-115° and melts at 191-192° (according to Kromayer at 212°); difficult to dissolve in cold water, easily soluble in hot water and in alcohol. The pharmacodynamic properties of syringin have not yet been elucidated, nor have those of the aqueous extracts from lilac bark, leaves, and flowers; reports of the beneficial effect of an aqueous infusion of lilac leaves in malaria deserve attention.
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“Lilac.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/lilac/