The Project Gutenberg eBook of American root drugs
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.
Title: American root drugs
Author: Alice Henkel
Contributor: B. T. Galloway
Release date: June 26, 2026 [eBook #78958]
Language: English
Original publication: Washington: Government printing office, 1907
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78958
Credits: Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AMERICAN ROOT DRUGS ***
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY—BULLETIN NO. 107.
B. T. GALLOWAY, _Chief of Bureau_.
AMERICAN ROOT DRUGS.
BY
ALICE HENKEL,
ASSISTANT, DRUG-PLANT INVESTIGATIONS.
ISSUED OCTOBER 25, 1907.
[Illustration]
WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1907.
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY.
_Pathologist and Physiologist, and Chief of Bureau_, Beverly T.
Galloway.
_Pathologist and Physiologist, and Assistant Chief of Bureau_, Albert
F. Woods.
_Laboratory of Plant Pathology_, Erwin F. Smith, Pathologist in
Charge.
_Investigations of Diseases of Fruits_, Merton B. Waite, Pathologist
in Charge.
_Laboratory of Forest Pathology_, Haven Metcalf, Pathologist in
Charge.
_Plant Life History Investigations_, Walter T. Swingle, Physiologist
in Charge.
_Cotton and Tobacco Breeding Investigations_, Archibald D. Shamel,
Physiologist in Charge.
_Corn Investigations_, Charles P. Hartley, Physiologist in Charge.
_Alkali and Drought Resistant Plant Breeding Investigations_, Thomas
H. Kearney, Physiologist in Charge.
_Soil Bacteriology and Water Purification Investigations_, Karl F.
Kellerman, Physiologist in Charge.
_Bionomic Investigations of Tropical and Subtropical Plants_, Orator
F. Cook, Bionomist in Charge.
_Drug and Poisonous Plant Investigations and Tea Culture
Investigations_, Rodney H. True, Physiologist in Charge.
_Physical Laboratory_, Lyman J. Briggs, Physicist in Charge.
_Crop Technology Investigations_, Nathan A. Cobb, Expert in Charge.
_Taxonomic Investigations_, Frederick V. Coville, Botanist in Charge.
_Farm Management Investigations_, William J. Spillman, Agriculturist
in Charge.
_Grain Investigations_, Mark A. Carleton, Cerealist in Charge.
_Arlington Experimental Farm_, Lee C. Corbett, Horticulturist in
Charge.
_Sugar-Beet Investigations_, Charles O. Townsend, Pathologist in
Charge.
_Western Agricultural Extension Investigations_, Carl S. Scofield,
Agriculturist in Charge.
_Dry Land Agriculture Investigations_, E. Channing Chilcott,
Agriculturist in Charge.
_Pomological Collections_, Gustavus B. Brackett, Pomologist in Charge.
_Field Investigations in Pomology_, William A. Taylor and G. Harold
Powell, Pomologists in Charge.
_Experimental Gardens and Grounds_, Edward M. Byrnes, Superintendent.
_Vegetable Testing Gardens_, William W. Tracy, sr., Superintendent.
_Seed and Plant Introduction_, David Fairchild, Agricultural Explorer
in Charge.
_Forage Crop Investigations_, Charles V. Piper, Agrostologist in
Charge.
_Seed Laboratory_, Edgar Brown, Botanist in Charge.
_Grain Standardization_, John D. Shanahan, Expert in Charge.
_Subtropical Laboratory and Garden, Miami, Fla._, Ernst A. Bessey,
Pathologist in Charge.
_Plant Introduction Garden, Chico, Cal._, August Mayer, Expert in
Charge.
_South Texas Garden, Brownsville, Tex._, Edward C. Green, Pomologist
in Charge.
_Cotton Culture Farms_, Seaman A. Knapp, Lake Charles, La., Special
Agent in Charge.
_Editor_, J. E. Rockwell.
_Chief Clerk_, James E. Jones.
DRUG-PLANT INVESTIGATIONS.
SCIENTIFIC STAFF.
Rodney H. True, _Physiologist in Charge_.
W. W. Stockberger, Frank Rabak, _Experts_.
Alice Henkel, _Assistant_.
G. Fred Klugh, T. B. Young, S. C. Hood, _Scientific Assistants_.
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY,
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF,
_Washington, D. C., April 16, 1907_.
SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith and to recommend for
publication as Bulletin No. 107 of the series of this Bureau the
accompanying manuscript, entitled “American Root Drugs.” This paper was
prepared by Miss Alice Henkel, Assistant in Drug-Plant Investigations,
and has been submitted by the Physiologist in charge with a view to its
publication.
The fifty drugs described include all the “official” roots found in this
country, besides such “nonofficial” drugs as are most frequently quoted
in drug catalogues.
There is a steady demand for information concerning the medicinal plants
of this country, and this bulletin on American root drugs has been
prepared as a first installment on the subject. It is intended as a
guide and reference book for farmers, drug collectors, druggists,
students, and others who may be interested in one way or another in the
collection or study of our medicinal flora.
Respectfully,
B. T. GALLOWAY,
_Chief of Bureau_.
Hon. JAMES WILSON,
_Secretary of Agriculture_.
CONTENTS.
Page.
Introduction 9
The Collection of root drugs 10
Plants furnishing root drugs 11
Male-fern (_Dryopteris filix-mas_ and _D. marginalis_) 11
Couch-grass (_Agropyron repens_) 12
Wild turnip (_Arisaema triphyllum_) 13
Skunk-cabbage (_Spathyema foetida_) 15
Sweet-flag (_Acorus calamus_) 16
Chamaelirium, or Helonias (_Chamaelirium luteum_) 17
American hellebore (_Veratrum viride_) 18
Aletris (_Aletris farinosa_) 19
Bethroot (_Trillium erectum_) 20
Wild yam (_Dioscorea villosa_) 21
Blue flag (_Iris versicolor_) 22
Lady’s-slipper (_Cypripedium hirsutum_ and _C. parviflorum_) 23
Crawley-root (_Corallorhiza odontorhiza_) 24
Canada snakeroot (_Asarum canadense_) 25
Serpentaria (_Aristolochia serpentaria_ and _A. reticulata_) 26
Yellow dock (_Rumex crispus_) 27
Pokeweed (_Phytolacca decandra_) 29
Soapwort (_Saponaria officinalis_) 31
Goldenseal (_Hydrastis canadensis_) 31
Goldthread (_Coptis trifolia_) 34
Black cohosh (_Cimicifuga racemosa_) 35
Oregon grape (_Berberis aquifolium_) 36
Blue cohosh (_Caulophyllum thalictroides_) 37
Twinleaf (_Jeffersonia diphylla_) 38
May-apple (_Podophyllum peltatum_) 39
Canada moonseed (_Menispermum canadense_) 40
Bloodroot (_Sanguinaria canadensis_) 40
Hydrangea (_Hydrangea arborescens_) 41
Indian-physic (_Porteranthus trifoliatus_) 42
Wild indigo (_Baptisia tinctoria_) 43
Crane’s-bill (_Geranium maculatum_) 44
Seneca snakeroot (_Polygala senega_) 45
Stillingia (_Stillingia sylvatica_) 47
Wild sarsaparilla (_Aralia nudicaulis_) 48
Ginseng (_Panax quinquefolium_) 49
Water-eryngo (_Eryngium yuccifolium_) 50
American angelica (_Angelica atropurpurea_) 51
Yellow jasmine or jessamine (_Gelsemium sempervirens_) 51
Pinkroot (_Spigelia marilandica_) 52
American colombo (_Frasera carolinensis_) 53
Black Indian hemp (_Apocynum cannabinum_) 55
Pleurisy-root (_Asclepias tuberosa_) 56
Comfrey (_Symphytum officinale_) 57
Stoneroot (_Collinsonia canadensis_) 58
Culver’s-root (_Veronica virginica_) 59
Dandelion (_Taraxacum officinale_) 60
Queen-of-the-meadow (_Eupatorium purpureum_) 61
Elecampane (_Inula helenium_) 62
Echinacea (_Brauneria angustifolia_) 63
Burdock (_Arctium lappa_) 64
Explanation of plates 68
Index 69
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PLATES.
Page.
PLATE I. Fig. 1.—Marginal-fruited shield-fern (_Dryopteris
marginalis_). Fig. 2.—Skunk-cabbage (_Spathyema
foetida_). Fig. 3.—Sweet-flag (_Acorus calamus_). Fig.
4.—Bethroot (_Trillium erectum_). 68
II. Fig. 1.—Chamaelirium (_Chamaelirium luteum_). Fig.
2.—Aletris (_Aletris farinosa_). Fig. 3.—Wild yam
(_Dioscorea villosa_). Fig. 4.—Blue flag (_Iris
versicolor_). 68
III. Fig. 1.—Large yellow lady’s-slipper (_Cypripedium
hirsutum_). Fig. 2.—Canada snakeroot (_Asarum
canadense_). Fig. 3.—Virginia serpentaria
(_Aristolochia serpentaria_). Fig. 4.—Soapwort
(_Saponaria officinalis_). 68
IV. Fig. 1.—Oregon grape (_Berberis aquifolium_). Fig.
2.—Blue cohosh (_Caulophyllum thalictroides_). Fig.
3.—Canada moonseed (_Menispermum canadense_). Fig.
4.—Hydrangea (_Hydrangea arborescens_). 68
V. Fig. 1.—Indian-physic (_Porteranthus trifoliatus_). Fig.
2.—Wild sarsaparilla (_Aralia nudicaulis_). Fig.
3.—Ginseng (_Panax quinquefolium_). Fig.
4.—Water-eryngo (_Eryngium yuccifolium_). 68
VI. Fig. 1.—American angelica (_Angelica atropurpurea_).
Fig. 2.—Pinkroot (_Spigelia marilandica_). Fig.
3.—Pleurisy-root (_Asclepias tuberosa_). Fig.
4.—Comfrey (_Symphytum officinale_). 68
VII. Fig. 1.—Stoneroot (_Collinsonia canadensis_). Fig.
2.—Queen-of-the-meadow (_Eupatorium purpureum_). Fig.
3.—Elecampane (_Inula helenium_). Fig. 4.—Echinacea
(_Brauneria angustifolia_). 68
TEXT FIGURES.
FIG. 1. Couch-grass (_Agropyron repens_) 13
2. Wild turnip (_Arisaema triphyllum_) 14
3. American hellebore (_Veratrum viride_) 19
4. Crawley-root (_Corallorhiza odontorhiza_) 25
5. Yellow dock (_Rumex crispus_), first year’s growth 27
6. Broad-leaved dock (_Rumex obtusifolius_), leaf, fruiting
spike, and root 28
7. Pokeweed (_Phytolacca decandra_), flowering and fruiting
branch 30
8. Pokeweed root 30
9. Goldenseal (_Hydrastis canadensis_), flowering plant and
fruit 32
10. Goldenseal rootstock 33
11. Goldthread (_Coptis trifolia_) 34
12. Black cohosh (_Cimicifuga racemosa_), leaves, flowering
spikes, and rootstock 35
13. Twinleaf (_Jeffersonia diphylla_), plant and seed
capsule 38
14. May-apple (_Podophyllum peltatum_), upper portion of
plant with flower, and rootstock 39
15. Bloodroot (_Sanguinaria canadensis_), flowering plant
with rootstock 41
16. Wild indigo (_Baptisia tinctoria_), branch showing
flowers and seed pods 43
17. Crane’s-bill (_Geranium maculatum_), flowering plant,
showing also seed pods and rootstock 45
18. Seneca snakeroot (_Polygala senega_), flowering plant
with root 46
19. Stillingia (_Stillingia sylvatica_), upper portion of
plant and part of spike showing male flowers 47
20. Yellow jasmine (_Gelsemium sempervirens_) 52
21. American colombo (_Frasera carolinensis_), leaves,
flowers, and seed pods 54
22. Black Indian hemp (_Apocynum cannabinum_), flowering
portion, pods, and rootstock 55
23. Culver’s-root (_Veronica virginica_), flowering top and
rootstock 59
24. Dandelion (_Taraxacum officinale_) 61
25. Burdock (_Arctium lappa_), flowering branch and root 64
B. P. I.—283.
AMERICAN ROOT DRUGS.
INTRODUCTION.
More than half of the root drugs recognized in the Eighth Decennial
Revision of the United States Pharmacopœia occur in this country, some
native and not growing elsewhere and others introduced. All of the
official root drugs found in the United States have been included in
this bulletin, as well as such native and introduced “nonofficial” roots
(those not at present recognized in the United States Pharmacopœia) as
seemed to be most generally quoted in the trade lists of the country,
the total number of root drugs described being 50. While the most
important root drugs thus given are limited to 50, there are included
under each of these, wherever required, brief descriptions of related
species. It would be impossible to include within the limits of this
paper all of the root drugs that are used in this country, but the aim
has been to give information concerning those which seem to be the most
important commercially, according to the numerous drug lists that have
been consulted.
All of the root drugs herein mentioned occur in quantities sufficient
for commercial purposes, but the roots of many of the species that also
occur in other countries are nevertheless largely imported.
In speaking of “root drugs” in this paper only those are included of
which the underground portion is found in commerce, whether in the form
of root, rootstock, bulb, or corm, excluding the roots that are used
solely for their bark or for their gums or resins.
Except in the botanical descriptions, the term “roots” is generally
used, regardless of the fact that the part under consideration may be a
rootstock, root, or bulb. In this the commercial practice is followed,
which makes no distinction as to the form of the underground portion as
classified by botanists, but catalogues them all under the general term
“roots.”
The medicinal uses are referred to in only the briefest and most general
manner, for it is clearly not within the province of a publication of
this character to go into details regarding these matters. The
statements made are based on the information contained in various
dispensatories and other works relating to materia medica.
The illustrations are for the most part made from a collection of
photographs taken from nature by C. L. Lochman. A few have been taken
from various publications, mention of which is made under the
illustrations in question.
THE COLLECTION OF ROOT DRUGS.
Generally speaking, the roots of annual plants should be dug just before
flowering, and those of biennial or perennial plants late in autumn or
early in spring, the object being to collect them at a period when there
is a cessation of growth; for besides shrinking more and weighing less
if collected during the growing season, they are also deficient in
medicinal properties. Very frequently a drug is of inferior quality
simply because the collector has neglected to gather it in the proper
season.
It is unfortunate that so much confusion exists with regard to the
common names of American plants. The common name of a plant in one
locality may be the same as that of an entirely different plant in
another locality, and on account of this confusion the collector is not
always sure of the identity of the plant he is collecting, nor the drug
dealer as to what he will receive, unless a sample is submitted to him.
If more care were exercised in this respect it would mean a saving of
time and money to both collector and dealer.
Another important matter that the collector sometimes overlooks is the
proper cleaning and drying of the roots. To insure a good market for his
crude drugs the collector should be certain not only that he has the
right plant, but that it is collected at the proper season of the year,
and that he has a clean and thoroughly dried article.
After the roots have been dug they should be freed from dirt and all
foreign particles, such as stones and bits of other plants. If the
adherent soil can not be removed by shaking the roots, they may, in most
instances, be washed in clean water, after which they should be
carefully dried. In some cases the roots are sliced or split when green
in order to facilitate drying, and wherever this is necessary it will be
indicated under the descriptions of the different plants.
For the purpose of drying, the roots should be spread out in thin layers
on racks or shelves, or on clean, well-ventilated barn floors or lofts,
exposed to light and air but not direct sunlight, and turned
occasionally each day until thoroughly dry. If the roots are dried out
of doors, they should be placed under shelter at night or upon the
approach of damp or rainy weather. Thoroughly dried roots snap readily
when bent, and it requires from three to six weeks to cure roots,
depending upon the weather conditions and the character of the roots.
Burlap or gunny sacks, or dry, clean barrels may be used for packing the
roots for shipment.
The collector should always communicate with the dealers concerning the
drugs to be disposed of, sending them a representative sample, plainly
marked as to contents, with the name and address of the sender, and
stating how large a quantity can be furnished.
The prices per pound mentioned in this bulletin will serve to give the
collector an idea as to what he may expect to receive from dealers, but,
as with other commodities, depending for their prices upon supply and
demand, fluctuations are likely to occur from year to year. An increased
demand or a shortage will send prices upward and stimulate collection,
which in turn may result in glutting the market, and a decline in prices
naturally follows. It is possible, therefore, to give only an
approximate range of prices.
PLANTS FURNISHING ROOT DRUGS.
Under each plant will be found synonyms and pharmacopœial name, if any,
the common names, habitat, range, descriptions of the plant and root,
and information concerning collection, prices, and uses, while in the
case of goldenseal and ginseng the methods of culture are included.
MALE-FERN.
(1) _Dryopteris filix-mas_ (L.) Schott and (2) _Dryopteris marginalis_
(L.) A. Gray.
_Synonyms._—(1) _Aspidium filix-mas_ Sw. (2) _Aspidium marginale_ Sw.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Aspidium.
_Other common names._—(1) Male shield-fern, sweet brake, knotty brake,
basket-fern, bear’s-paw root; (2) marginal-fruited shield-fern,
evergreen wood-fern.
_Habitat and range._—These ferns are found in rocky woods, the male
shield-fern inhabiting the region from Canada westward to the Rocky
Mountains and Arizona. It is widely distributed also through Europe,
northern Asia, northern Africa, and South America. The marginal-fruited
shield-fern (Pl. I, fig. 1), one of our most common ferns, occurs from
Canada southward to Alabama and Arkansas.
_Description of plants._—Both of these species are tall, handsome ferns,
the long, erect fronds, or leaves, arising from a chaffy, scaly base,
and consisting of numerous crowded stemless leaflets, which are
variously divided and notched. There is but little difference between
these two species. The male shield-fern is perhaps a trifle stouter, the
leaves growing about 3 feet in length and having a bright-green color,
whereas the marginal-fruited shield-fern has lighter green leaves, about
2½ feet in length, and is of more slender appearance. The principal
difference, however, is found in the arrangement of the “sori,” or
“fruit dots.” These are the very small, round, tawny dots that are found
on the backs of fern leaves, and in the male shield-fern these will be
found arranged in short rows near the midrib, while in the
marginal-fruited shield-fern, as this name indicates, the fruit dots are
placed on the margins of the fronds. Both plants are perennials and
members of the fern family (Polypodiaceæ).
_Description of the rootstock._—These ferns have stout ascending or
erect chaffy rootstocks, or rhizomes (Pl. I, fig. 1) as they are
technically known. As taken from the ground the rootstock is from 6 to
12 inches in length and 1 to 2 inches thick, covered with closely
overlapping, brown, slightly curved stipe bases or leaf bases and soft,
brown, chaffy scales. The inside of the rootstock is pale green. As
found in the stores, however, male-fern with the stipe bases and roots
removed measures about 3 to 6 inches in length and about one-half to 1
inch in thickness, rough where the stipe bases have been removed, brown
outside, pale green and rather spongy inside.
The stipe bases remain green for a very long period, and these small,
claw-shaped, furrowed portions, or “fingers” as they are called, form a
large proportion of the drug found on the American market and, in fact,
are said to have largely superseded the rootstock. Male-fern has a
disagreeable odor, and the taste is described as bitter-sweet,
astringent, acrid, and nauseous.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The best time for collecting male-fern
root is from July to September. The root should be carefully cleaned,
but not washed, dried out of doors in the shade as quickly as possible,
and shipped to druggists at once. The United States Pharmacopœia directs
that “the chaff, together with the dead portions of the rhizome and
stipes, should be removed, and only such portions used as have retained
their internal green color.”
Great care is necessary in the preservation of this drug in order to
prevent it from deteriorating. If kept too long, its activity will be
impaired, and it is said that it will retain its qualities much longer
if it is not peeled until required for use. The unreliability sometimes
attributed to this drug can in most instances be traced to the presence
of the rootstocks of other ferns with which it is often adulterated, or
it will be found to be due to improper storing or to the length of time
that it has been kept.
The prices paid for male-fern root range from 5 to 10 cents a pound.
Male-fern, official in the United States Pharmacopœia, has been used
since the remotest times as a remedy for worms. Grave results are
sometimes caused by overdoses.
COUCH-GRASS.
_Agropyron repens_ (L.) Beauv.
_Synonym._—_Triticum repens_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Triticum.
_Other common names._—Dog-grass, quick-grass, quack-grass, quitch-grass,
quake-grass, scutch-grass, twitch-grass, witch-grass, wheat-grass,
creeping wheat-grass, devil’s-grass, durfa-grass, Durfee-grass,
Dutch-grass, Fin’s-grass, Chandler’s-grass.
_Habitat and range._—Like many of our weeds, couch-grass was introduced
from Europe, and is now one of the worst pests the farmer has to contend
with, taking possession of cultivated ground and crowding out valuable
crops. It occurs most abundantly from Maine to Maryland, westward to
Minnesota and Missouri, and is spreading on farms on the Pacific slope,
but is rather sparingly distributed in the South.
_Description of plant._—Couch-grass is rather coarse, 1 to 3 feet high,
and when in flower very much resembles rye or beardless wheat (fig. 1).
Several round, smooth, hollow stems, thickened at the joints, are
produced from the long, creeping, jointed rootstock. The stems bear 5 to
7 leaves from 3 to 12 inches long, rough on the upper surface and smooth
beneath, while the long, cleft leaf sheaths are smooth. The solitary
terminal flowering heads or spikes are compressed, and consist of two
rows of spikelets on a wavy and flattened axis. These heads are produced
from July to September. Couch-grass belongs to the grass family
(Poaceæ).
[Illustration: FIG. 1.—Couch-grass (_Agropyron repens_).]
_Description of rootstock._—The pale-yellow, smooth rootstock is long,
tough, and jointed, creeping along underneath the ground and pushing in
every direction. As found in the stores, it consists of short, angular
pieces, from one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch long, of a shining
straw color, and hollow. These pieces are odorless, but have a somewhat
sweetish taste.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Couch-grass, which is official in the
United States Pharmacopœia, should be collected in spring, carefully
cleaned, and the rootlets removed. The rootstock (not the rootlets) is
then cut into short pieces, about two-fifths of an inch in length, for
which purpose an ordinary feed-cutting machine may be used, and
thoroughly dried.
Couch-grass is usually destroyed by plowing up and burning, for if any
of the joints are permitted to remain in the soil new plants will be
produced. But, instead of burning, the rootstocks may be saved and
prepared for the drug market in the manner above stated. The prices
range from 3 to 5 cents a pound. At present couch-grass is collected
chiefly in Europe.
A fluid extract is prepared from couch-grass, which is used in
affections of the kidney and bladder.
WILD TURNIP.
_Arisaema triphyllum_ (L.) Torr.
_Synonym._—_Arum triphyllum_ L.
_Other common names._—Arum, three-leaved arum, Indian turnip,
jack-in-the-pulpit, wake-robin, wild pepper, dragon-turnip, brown
dragon, devil’s-ear, marsh-turnip, swamp-turnip, meadow-turnip,
pepper-turnip, starchwort, bog-onion, priest’s-pintle, lords-and-ladies.
_Habitat and range._—Wild turnip inhabits moist woods from Canada to
Florida and westward to Kansas and Minnesota.
_Description of plant._—Early in April the quaint green and brownish
purple hooded flowers of the wild turnip may be seen in the shady depths
of the woods.
It is a perennial plant belonging to the arum family (Araceæ), and
reaches a height of from 10 inches to 3 feet. The leaves, of which there
are only one or two, unfold with the flowers; they are borne on long,
erect, sheathing stalks, and consist of three smooth, oval leaflets; the
latter are 3 to 6 inches long, and from 1½ to 3½ inches wide, net
veined, and with one vein running parallel with the margins. The
“flower” is curiously formed, somewhat like the calla lily, consisting
of what is known botanically as a spathe, within which is inclosed the
spadix. The spathe is an oval, leaflike part, the lower portion of
which, in the flower under consideration, is rolled together so as to
form a tube, while the upper, pointed part is usually bent forward, thus
forming a flap or hood over the tube-shaped part which contains the
spadix. (Fig. 2.) In fact it is very similar to the familiar flower of
the calla lily of the gardens, except that, instead of being white, the
wild turnip is either all green or striped with very dark purple,
sometimes seeming almost black, and in the calla lily the “flap” is
turned back, whereas in the wild turnip it is bent forward over the
tube. Inside of the spathe is the spadix, also green or purple, which is
club shaped, rounded at the summit, and narrowly contracted at the base,
where it is surrounded by either the male or female flowers or both, in
the latter case (the most infrequent) the male flowers being placed
below the female flowers. In autumn the fruit ripens in the form of a
bunch of bright scarlet, shining berries. The entire plant is acrid, but
the root more especially so.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.—Wild turnip (_Arisaema triphyllum_).]
_Description of “root.”_—The underground portion of this plant is known
botanically as a “corm,” and is somewhat globular and shaped like a
turnip. The lower part of the corm is flat and wrinkled, while the upper
part is surrounded by coarse, wavy rootlets. The outside is brownish
gray and the inside white and mealy. It has no odor, but an intensely
acrid, burning taste, and to those who may have been induced in their
school days to taste of this root wild turnip will be familiar chiefly
on account of its never-to-be-forgotten acrid, indeed caustic,
properties. The dried article of commerce consists of round, white
slices, with brown edges, only slightly shrunken, and breaking with a
starchy fracture.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The partially dried corm is used in
medicine. It is dug in summer, transversely sliced, and dried. When
first dug it is intensely acrid, but drying and heat diminish the
acridity. It loses its acridity rapidly with age. Wild turnip brings
from 7 to 10 cents a pound.
The corm of wild turnip, which was official in the United States
Pharmacopœia from 1820 to 1870, is used as a stimulant, diaphoretic,
expectorant, and irritant.
SKUNK-CABBAGE.
_Spathyema foetida_ (L.) Raf.
_Synonyms._—_Dracontium foetidum_ L.; _Symplocarpus foetidus_ Nutt.
_Other common names._—Dracontium, skunkweed, polecat-weed,
swamp-cabbage, meadow-cabbage, collard, fetid hellebore, stinking poke,
pockweed.
_Habitat and range._—Swamps and other wet places from Canada to Florida,
Iowa, and Minnesota abound with this ill-smelling herb.
_Description of plant._—Most of the common names applied to this plant,
as well as the scientific names, are indicative of the most striking
characteristic of this early spring visitor, namely, the rank,
offensive, carrion odor that emanates from it. Skunk-cabbage is one of
the very earliest of our spring flowers, appearing in February or March,
but it is safe to say that it is not likely to suffer extermination at
the hands of the enthusiastic gatherer of spring flowers. In the
latitude of Washington skunk-cabbage has been known to be in flower in
December.
It is a curious plant, with its hood-shaped, purplish striped flowers
appearing before the leaves. It belongs to the arum family (Araceæ) and
is a perennial. The “flower” is in the form of a thick, ovate, swollen
spathe, about 3 to 6 inches in height, the top pointed and curved
inward, spotted and striped with purple and yellowish green. The spathe
is not open like that of the wild turnip or calla lily, to which family
this plant also belongs, but the edges are rolled inward, completely
hiding the spadix. In this plant the spadix is not spikelike, as in the
wild turnip, but is generally somewhat globular, entirely covered with
the numerous, dull-purple flowers. (Pl. I, fig. 2.) After the fruit has
ripened the spadix will be found to have grown considerably, the spathe
meantime having decayed.
The leaves, which appear after the flower, are numerous and very large,
about 1 to 3 feet in length and about 1 foot in width; they are thin in
texture, but prominently nerved with fleshy nerves, and are borne on
deeply channeled stems.
_Description of rootstock._—Skunk-cabbage has a thick, straight, reddish
brown rootstock, from 3 to 5 inches long, and about 2 inches in
diameter, and having a whorl of crowded fleshy roots (Pl. I, fig. 2)
which penetrate the soil to considerable depth. The dried article of
commerce consists of either the entire rootstock and roots, which are
dark brown and wrinkled on the outside, whitish and starchy within, or
of very much compressed, wrinkled, transverse slices. When bruised, the
root has the characteristic fetid odor of the plant and possesses a
sharp acrid taste, both of which become less the longer the root is
kept.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The rootstock of skunk-cabbage should be
collected early in spring, soon after the appearance of the flower, or
after the seeds have ripened, in August or September. It should be
carefully dried, either in its entire state or deprived of the roots and
cut into transverse slices. Skunk-cabbage loses its odor and acridity
with age, and should therefore not be kept longer than one season. The
range of prices is from 4 to 7 cents a pound.
Skunk-cabbage, official from 1820 to 1880, is used in affections of the
respiratory organs, in nervous disorders, rheumatism, and dropsical
complaints.
SWEET-FLAG.
_Acorus calamus_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Calamus.
_Other common names._—Sweet cane, sweet grass, sweet myrtle, sweet rush,
sweet sedge, sweet segg, sweetroot, cinnamon-sedge, myrtle-flag,
myrtle-grass, myrtle-sedge, beewort.
_Habitat and range._—This plant frequents wet and muddy places and
borders of streams from Nova Scotia to Minnesota, southward to Florida
and Texas, also occurring in Europe and Asia. It is usually partly
immersed in water, and is generally found in company with the cat-tail
and other water-loving species of flag.
_Description of plant._—The swordlike leaves of the sweet-flag resemble
those of other flags so much that before the plant is in flower it is
difficult to recognize simply by the appearance of its leaves. The
leaves of the blue flag or “poison-flag,” as it has been called, are
very similar to those of the sweet-flag, and this resemblance often
leads to cases of poisoning among children who thus mistake one for the
other. However, as the leaves of the sweet-flag are fragrant, the odor
will be a means of recognizing it. Of course when the sweet-flag is in
flower the identification of the plant is easy.
The sheathing leaves of this native perennial, which belongs to the arum
family (Araceæ), are from 2 to 6 feet in height and about 1 inch in
width; they are sharp pointed and have a ridged midrib running their
entire length. The flowering head, produced from the side of the stalk,
consists of a fleshy spike sometimes 3½ inches long and about one-half
inch in thickness, closely covered with very small greenish yellow
flowers, which appear from May to July. (Pl. 1, fig. 3.)
_Description of rootstock._—The long, creeping rootstock of the
sweet-flag is thick and fleshy, somewhat spongy, and producing numerous
rootlets. (Pl. I, fig. 3.) The odor is very aromatic and agreeable, and
the taste pungent and bitter. The dried article, as found in the stores,
consists of entire or split pieces of various lengths, from 3 to 6
inches, light brown on the outside with blackish spots, sharply wrinkled
lengthwise, the upper surface marked obliquely with dark leaf scars, and
the lower surface showing many small circular scars, which, at first
glance, give one the impression that the root is worm-eaten, but which
are the remains of rootlets that have been removed from the rootstock.
Internally the rootstock is whitish and of a spongy texture. The
aromatic odor and pungent, bitter taste are retained in the dried
article.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The United States Pharmacopœia directs
that the unpeeled rhizome, or rootstock, be used. It is collected either
in early spring or late in autumn. It is pulled or grubbed from the soft
earth, freed from adhering dirt, and the rootlets removed, as these are
not so aromatic and more bitter. The rootstock is then carefully dried,
sometimes by means of moderate heat. Sweet-flag deteriorates with age
and is subject to the attacks of worms. It loses about three-fourths of
its weight in drying.
Some of the sweet-flag root found in commerce consists of handsome white
pieces. These usually come from Germany, and have been peeled before
drying, but they are not so strong and aromatic as the unpeeled roots.
Unpeeled sweet-flag root brings from 3 to 6 cents a pound.
Sweet-flag is employed as an aromatic stimulant and tonic in feeble
digestion. The dried root is frequently chewed for the relief of
dyspepsia.
CHAMAELIRIUM, OR HELONIAS.
_Chamaelirium luteum_ (L.) A. Gray.
_Synonym._—_Helonias dioica_ Pursh.
_Other common names._—Unicorn-root, false unicorn-root, blazingstar,
drooping starwort, starwort, devil’s-bit, unicorn’s-horn.
In order to avoid the existing confusion of common names of this plant,
it is most desirable to use the scientific names Chamaelirium or
Helonias exclusively. Chamaelirium is the most recent botanical
designation and will be used throughout this article, but the synonym
Helonias is a name very frequently employed by the drug trade. The plant
with which it is so much confused, _Aletris farinosa_, will also be
designated throughout by its generic name, Aletris.
_Habitat and range._—This native plant is found in open woods from
Massachusetts to Michigan, south to Florida and Arkansas.
_Description of plant._—Chamaelirium and Aletris (_Aletris farinosa_)
have long been confused by drug collectors and others, owing undoubtedly
to the transposition of some of their similar common names, such as
“starwort” and “stargrass.” The plants can scarcely be said to resemble
each other, however, except perhaps in their general habit of growth.
(See Pl. II, figs. 1 and 2.)
The male and female flowers of Chamaelirium are borne on separate
plants, and in this respect are entirely different from Aletris; neither
do the flowers resemble those of Aletris.
Chamaelirium is an erect, somewhat fleshy herb, perennial, and belongs
to the bunchflower family (Melanthiaceæ). The male plant grows to a
height of from 1½ to 2½ feet, and the female plant is sometimes 4 feet
tall and is also more leafy.
The plants have both basal and stem leaves, whereas Aletris has only the
basal leaves. The basal leaves of Chamaelirium are broad and blunt at
the top, narrowing toward the base into a long stem; they are sometimes
so much broadened at the top that they may be characterized as spoon
shaped, and are from 2 to 8 inches long and from one-half to 1½ inches
wide. The stem leaves are lance shaped and sharp pointed, on short stems
or stemless. (Pl. II, fig. 1.)
The white starry flowers of Chamaelirium are produced from June to July,
those of the male plant being borne in nodding, graceful, plumelike
spikes 3 to 9 inches long (Pl. II, fig. 1) and those of the female plant
in erect spikes. The many-seeded capsule is oblong, opening by three
valves at the apex.
Another species is now recognized, _Chamaelirium obovale_ Small, which
seems to differ chiefly in having larger flowers and obovoid capsules.
_Description of rootstock._—The rootstock of Chamaelirium does not in
the least resemble that of Aletris, with which it is so generally
confused. It is from one-half to 2 inches in length, generally curved
upward at one end in the form of a horn (whence the common name,
“unicorn”) and having the appearance of having been bitten off. (Pl. II,
fig. 1.) It is of a dark-brown color, with fine transverse wrinkles,
rough, on the upper surface showing a few stem scars, and giving off
from all sides numerous brown fibrous rootlets. The more recent rootlets
have a soft outer covering, which in the older rootlets has worn away,
leaving the fine but tough and woody whitish center. The rootlets
penetrate to the central part of the rootstock, and this serves as a
distinguishing character from Aletris, as a transverse section of
Chamaelirium very plainly shows these fibers extending some distance
within the rootstock. Furthermore, the rootstock of Chamaelirium
exhibits a number of small holes wherever these rootlets have broken
off, giving it the appearance of having become “wormy.” It is hard and
horny within and has a peculiar odor and a very bitter, disagreeable
taste, whereas Aletris is not at all bitter.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Chamaelirium should be collected in
autumn. The prices paid to collectors may be said to range from about 30
to 45 cents a pound. In the fall of 1906 a scarcity of this root was
reported. As already indicated, Chamaelirium and Aletris are often
gathered and mistaken for each other by collectors, but, as will be seen
from the preceding description, there is really no excuse for such
error.
From the confusion that has existed properties peculiar to the one plant
have also been attributed to the other, but it seems now generally
agreed that Chamaelirium is of use especially as a tonic in derangements
of women.
AMERICAN HELLEBORE.
_Veratrum viride_ Ait.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Veratrum.
_Other common names._—True veratrum, green veratrum, American veratrum,
green hellebore, swamp-hellebore, big hellebore, false hellebore,
bear-corn, bugbane, bugwort, devil’s-bite, earth-gall, Indian poke,
itchweed, tickleweed, duckretter.
_Habitat and range._—American hellebore is native in rich wet woods,
swamps, and wet meadows, its range extending from Canada, Alaska, and
Minnesota south to Georgia.
_Description of plant._—Early in spring, usually in company with the
skunk-cabbage, the large, bright-green leaves of American hellebore make
their way through the soil, their straight, erect leaf spears forming a
conspicuous feature of the yet scanty spring vegetation. Later in the
season a stout and erect leafy stem is sent up, sometimes growing as
tall as 6 feet. It is solid and round, pale green, very leafy, and
closely surrounded by the sheathing bases of the leaves, unbranched
except in the flowering head. The leaves are hairy, prominently nerved,
folded or pleated like a fan. They have no stems, but their bases
encircle or sheathe the main stalk, and are very large, especially the
lower ones, which are from 6 to 12 inches in length, from 3 to 6 inches
in width, and broadly oval. As they approach the top of the plant the
leaves become narrower. The flowers, which appear from May to July, are
greenish yellow and numerous, and are borne in rather open clusters.
American hellebore belongs to the bunchflower family (Melanthiaceæ) and
is a perennial.
This species is a very near relative of the European white hellebore
(_Veratrum album_ L.), and in fact has by some been regarded as
identical with it, or at least as a variety of it. It is taller than _V.
album_ and has narrower leaves and greener flowers. Both species are
official in the United States Pharmacopœia.
_Description of rootstock._—The fresh rootstock of American hellebore is
ovoid or obconical, upright, thick, and fleshy, the upper part of it
arranged in layers, the lower part of it more solid, and producing
numerous whitish roots from all sides. In the fresh state it has a
rather strong, disagreeable odor. As found in commerce, American
hellebore rootstock is sometimes entire, but more generally sliced, and
is of a light-brown or dark-brown color externally and internally
yellowish white; the roots, which are from 4 to 8 inches long, have a
shriveled appearance, and are brown or yellowish. There is no odor to
the dried rootstock, but when powdered it causes violent sneezing. The
rootstock, which has a bitter and very acrid taste, is poisonous.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—American hellebore should be dug in
autumn after the leaves have died, and washed and carefully dried,
either in the whole state or sliced in various ways. It deteriorates
with age, and should therefore not be kept longer than a year.
The adulterations sometimes met with are the rootstocks of related
plants, and the skunk-cabbage is also occasionally found mixed with it,
but this is probably unintentional, as the two plants usually grow close
together.
Collectors of American hellebore root receive from about 3 to 10 cents a
pound.
American hellebore, official in the United States Pharmacopœia, is an
acrid, narcotic poison, and has emetic, diaphoretic, and sedative
properties.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.—American hellebore (_Veratrum viride_).]
ALETRIS.
_Aletris farinosa_ L.
_Other common names._—Stargrass, blazingstar, mealy starwort, starwort,
unicorn-root, true unicorn-root, unicorn-plant, unicorn’s-horn,
colicroot, devil’s-bit, ague-grass, agueroot, aloe-root, crow-corn,
huskwort.
A glance at these common names will show many that have been applied to
other plants, especially to Chamaelirium, with which Aletris is so much
confused. In order to guard against this confusion as much as possible,
it is best not to use the common names of this plant at all, referring
to it only by its generic name, Aletris.
_Habitat and range._—Aletris occurs in dry, generally sandy soil, from
Maine to Minnesota, Florida, and Tennessee.
_Description of plant._—As stated under Chamaelirium, this plant is
often confused with the former by collectors and others, although there
seems to be no good reason why this should be so. The plants do not
resemble each other except in habit of growth (see Pl. II, figs. 1 and
2), and the trouble undoubtedly arose from a confusion of the somewhat
similar common names of the plants, as, for instance, “stargrass” and
“starwort.”
Aletris may be at once distinguished by the grasslike leaves, which
spread out on the ground in the form of a star, and by the slender
spikes of rough, mealy flowers.
This native perennial, belonging to the lily family (Liliaceæ), is an
erect, slender herb, 1½ to 3 feet tall, with basal leaves only. These
leaves are grasslike, from 2 to 6 inches long, and have a yellowish
green or willowgreen color. As already stated, they surround the base of
the stem in the form of a star. Instead of stem leaves, there are very
small, leaflike bracts placed at some distance apart on the stem. From
May to July the erect flowering spike, from 4 to 12 inches long, is
produced, bearing white, urn-shaped flowers, sometimes tinged with
yellow at the apex, and having a rough, wrinkled and mealy appearance.
(Pl. II, fig. 2.) The seed capsule is ovoid, opening by three valves,
and containing many seeds. When the flowers in the spike are still in
bud, there is a suggestion of resemblance to the female spike of
Chamaelirium with its fruit half formed.
Several other species are recognized by botanists, namely, _Aletris
aurea_ Walt., _A. lutea_ Small, and _A. obovata_ Nash, but aside from
the flowers, which in _aurea_ and _lutea_ are yellow, and slight
variations in form, such as a more contracted perianth, the differences
are not so pronounced that the plants would require a detailed
description here. They have undoubtedly been collected with _Aletris
farinosa_ for years, and are sufficiently like it to be readily
recognized.
_Description of rootstock._—Not only have the plants of Aletris and
Chamaelirium been confused, but the rootstocks as well. There is,
however, no resemblance between them.
Aletris has a horizontal rootstock from one-half to 1½ inches in length,
rough and scaly, and almost completely hidden by the fibrous roots and
remains of the basal leaves. Upon close examination the scars of former
leaf stems may be seen along the upper surface. The rootlets are from 2
to 10 inches in length, those of recent growth whitish and covered with
several layers of epidermis which gradually peel off, and the older
rootlets of the rootstock showing this epidermis already scaled off,
leaving only the hard, brown, woody center. The rootstock in commerce
almost invariably shows at one end a tuft of the remains of the basal
leaves, which do not lose their green color. It is grayish brown
outside, whitish within, and breaks with a mealy fracture. It has no
odor, and a starchy taste, followed by some acridity, _but no
bitterness_.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Aletris should be collected in autumn,
and there is no reason why collectors should make the common mistake of
confusing Aletris with Chamaelirium. By comparing the description of
Aletris with that of Chamaelirium, it will be seen that there is
scarcely any resemblance. Aletris ranges from 30 to 40 cents a pound.
As indicated under Chamaelirium, the medicinal properties have also been
considered the same in both plants, but Aletris is now regarded of value
chiefly in digestive troubles. Aletris was official in the United States
Pharmacopœia from 1820 to 1870.
BETHROOT.
_Trillium erectum_ L.
_Other common names._—Trillium, red trillium, purple trillium,
ill-scented trillium, birthroot, birthwort, bathwort, bathflower, red
wake-robin, purple wake-robin, ill-scented wake-robin, red-benjamin,
bumblebee-root, daffydown-dilly, dishcloth, Indian balm, Indian
shamrock, nosebleed, squawflower, squawroot, wood-lily, true-love,
orange-blossom. Many of these names are applied also to other species of
Trillium.
_Habitat and range._—Bethroot is a native plant growing in rich soil in
damp, shady woods from Canada south to Tennessee and Missouri.
_Description of plant._—This plant is a perennial belonging to the
lily-of-the-valley family (Convallariaceæ). It is a low growing plant,
from about 8 to 16 inches in height, with a rather stout stem, having
three leaves arranged in a whorl near the top. These leaves are broadly
ovate, almost circular in outline, sharp pointed at the apex and
narrowed at the base, 3 to 7 inches long and about as wide, and
practically stemless.
Not only the leaves of this plant, but the flowers and parts of the
flowers are arranged in threes, and this feature will serve to identify
the plant. (Pl. I, fig. 4.) The solitary terminal flower of bethroot has
three sepals and three petals, both more or less lance shaped and
spreading, the former greenish, and the petals, which are 1¼ inches long
and one-half inch wide, are sometimes dark purple, pink, greenish, or
white. The flower has an unpleasant odor. It appears from April to June
and is followed later in the season by an oval, reddish berry.
Various other species of Trillium are used in medicine, possessing
properties similar to those of the species under consideration. These
are also very similar in appearance to _Trillium erectum_.
_Description of root._—Bethroot (Pl. I, fig. 4), as found in the stores,
is short and thick, of a light-brown color externally, whitish or
yellowish inside, somewhat globular or oblong in shape, and covered all
around with numerous palebrown, shriveled rootlets. The top of the root
generally shows a succession of fine circles or rings, and usually bears
the remains of stem bases.
The root has a slight odor, and is at first sweetish and astringent,
followed by a bitter and acrid taste. When chewed it causes a flow of
saliva.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Bethroot is generally collected toward
the close of summer. The price ranges from 7 to 10 cents a pound.
It was much esteemed as a remedy among the Indians and early settlers.
Its present use is that of an astringent, tonic, and alterative, and
also that of an expectorant.
WILD YAM.
_Dioscorea villosa_ L.
_Other common names._—Dioscorea, colicroot, rheumatism-root,
devil’s-bones.
_Habitat and range._—Wild yam grows in moist thickets, trailing over
adjacent shrubs and bushes, its range extending from Rhode Island to
Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas. It is most common in the central
and southern portions of the United States.
_Description of plant._—This native perennial vine is similar to and
belongs to the same family as the well-known cinnamon vine of the
gardens—namely, the yam family (Dioscoreaceæ). It attains a length of
about 15 feet, the stem smooth, the leaves heart shaped and 2 to 6
inches long by 1 to 4 inches wide.
The leaves, which are borne on long, slender stems, are thin, green, and
smooth on the upper surface, paler and rather thickly hairy on the under
surface. The small greenish yellow flowers are produced from June to
July, the male flowers borne in drooping clusters about 3 to 6 inches
long, and the female flowers in drooping spikelike heads. The fruit,
which is in the form of a dry, membranous, 3-winged, yellowish green
capsule, ripens about September and remains on the vine for some time
during the winter. (Pl. II, fig. 3.)
Growing farther south than the species above mentioned is a variety for
which the name _glabra_ has been suggested.
According to C. G. Lloyd (King’s American Dispensatory, Vol. I, 1898),
there is a variety of _Dioscorea villosa_ the root of which first made
its appearance among the true yam roots of commerce, and which was so
different in form that it was rejected as an adulteration. The plant,
however, from which the false root was derived was found upon
investigation to be almost identical with the true yam, except that the
leaves were perfectly smooth, lacking the hairiness on the under surface
of the leaf which is characteristic of the true wild yam. The false
variety also differs in its habit of growth, not growing in dense clumps
like the true wild yam, but generally isolated. The root of the variety,
however, is quite distinct from that of the true wild yam, being much
more knotty. Lloyd states further that the hairiness or lack of
hairiness on the under side of the leaf is a certain indication as to
the form of the root.
Lloyd, recognizing the necessity of classifying these two yam roots of
commerce, has designated the smooth-leaved variety as _Dioscorea
villosa_ var. _glabra_.
_Description of rootstocks._—The rootstock of the true wild yam (Pl. II,
fig. 3) runs horizontally underneath the surface of the ground. As found
in commerce, it consists of very hard pieces, 6 inches and sometimes 2
feet in length, but only about one-fourth or one-half of an inch in
diameter, twisted, covered with a thin brown bark, whitish within, and
showing stem scars almost an inch apart on the upper surface, small
protuberances on the sides, and numerous rather wiry rootlets on the
lower surface.
The false wild yam, on the other hand, has a much heavier, rough, knotty
rootstock, with thick branches from 1 inch to 3 inches long, the upper
surface covered with crowded stem scars and the lower side furnished
with stout wiry rootlets. Within it is similar to the true yam root.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The roots are generally collected in
autumn, and bring from 2½ to 4 cents a pound. Wild yam is said to
possess expectorant properties and to promote perspiration, and in large
doses proving emetic. It has been employed in bilious colic, and by the
negroes in the South in the treatment of muscular rheumatism.
BLUE FLAG.
_Iris versicolor_ L.
_Other common names._—Iris, flag-lily, liver-lily, snake-lily,
poison-flag, water-flag, American fleur-de-lis or flower-de-luce.
_Habitat and range._—Blue flag delights in wet, swampy localities,
making its home in marshes, thickets, and wet meadows from Newfoundland
to Manitoba, south to Florida and Arkansas.
_Description of plant._—The flowers of all of the species belonging to
this genus are similar, and are readily recognized by their rather
peculiar form, the three outer segments or parts reflexed or turned back
and the three inner segments standing erect.
Blue flag is about 2 to 3 feet in height, with an erect stem sometimes
branched near the top, and sword-shaped leaves which are shorter than
the stem, from one-half to 1 inch in width, showing a slight grayish
“bloom,” and sheathing at the base. This plant is a perennial belonging
to the iris family (Iridaceæ), and is a native of this country. June is
generally regarded as the month for the flowering of the blue flag,
although it may be said to be in flower from May to July, depending on
the locality. The flowers are large and very handsome, each stem bearing
from two to six or more. They consist of six segments or parts, the
three outer ones turned back and the three inner ones erect and much
smaller. (Pl. II, fig. 4.) The flowers are usually purplish blue, the
“claw,” or narrow base of the segments, variegated with yellow, green,
or white and marked with purple veins.
All of the species belonging to this genus are more or less variegated
in color; hence the name “iris,” meaning “rainbow,” and the specific
name “versicolor,” meaning “various colors.” The name “poison-flag” has
been applied to it on account of the poisonous effect it has produced in
children, who, owing to the close resemblance of the plants before
reaching the flowering stage, sometimes mistake it for sweet-flag.
The seed capsule is oblong, about 1½ inches long, and contains numerous
seeds.
_Description of rootstock._—Blue flag has a thick, fleshy, horizontal
rootstock, branched, and producing long fibrous roots. (Pl. II, fig. 4.)
It resembles sweet-flag (Calamus), and has been mistaken for it. The
sections of the rootstock of blue flag, however, are flattened above and
rounded below; the scars of the leaf sheaths are in the form of rings,
whereas in sweet-flag the rootstock is cylindrical and the scars left by
the leaf sheaths are obliquely transverse. Furthermore, there is a
difference in the arrangement of the roots on the rootstock, the scars
left by the roots in blue flag being close together generally nearer the
larger end, while in sweet-flag the disposition of the roots along the
rootstock is quite regular. Blue flag is grayish brown on the outside
when dried, and sweet-flag is light brown or fawn colored. Blue flag has
no well-marked odor, and the taste is acrid and nauseous, and in
sweet-flag there is a pleasant odor and bitter, pungent taste.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Blue flag is collected in autumn, and
usually brings from about 7 to 10 cents a pound. Great scarcity of blue
flag root was reported from the producing districts in the autumn of
1906. It is an old remedy, the Indians esteeming it highly in stomach
troubles, and it is said that it was sometimes cultivated by them in
near-by ponds on account of its medicinal value. It has also been used
as a domestic remedy, and is regarded as an alterative, diuretic, and
purgative. It was official in the United States Pharmacopœia of 1890.
LADY’S-SLIPPER.
(1) _Cypripedium hirsutum_ Mill. and (2) _Cypripedium parviflorum_
Salisb.
_Synonym._—(1) _Cypripedium pubescens_ Willd.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Cypripedium.
_Other common names._—(1) Large yellow lady’s-slipper, yellow
lady’s-slipper, yellow moccasin-flower, Venus’-shoe, Venus’-cup, yellow
Indian-shoe, American valerian, nerve-root, male nervine, yellow
Noah’s-ark, yellows, monkey-flower, umbil-root, yellow umbil; (2) small
yellow lady’s-slipper.
_Habitat and range._—Both of these native species frequent bogs and wet
places in deep shady woods and thickets. The large yellow lady’s-slipper
may be found from Nova Scotia south to Alabama and west to Nebraska and
Missouri. The range for the small yellow lady’s-slipper extends from
Newfoundland south along the mountains to Georgia, and west to Missouri,
Washington, and British Columbia.
_Description of plants._—The orchid family (Orchidaceæ), to which the
lady’s-slippers belong, boasts of many beautiful, showy, and curious
species, and the lady’s-slipper is no exception. There are several other
plants to which the name lady’s-slipper has been applied, but one glance
at the peculiar structure of the flowers in the species under
consideration, as shown in the illustration (Pl. III, fig. 1), will
enable anyone to recognize them as soon as seen.
The particular species of lady’s-slipper under consideration in this
article do not differ very materially from each other. Both are
perennials, growing from 1 to about 2 feet in height, with rather large
leaves and with yellow flowers more or less marked with purple, the main
difference being that in _hirsutum_ the flower is larger and pale
yellow, while in _parviflorum_ the flower is small, bright yellow, and
perhaps more prominently striped and spotted with purple. The stem,
leaves, and inside of corolla or lip are somewhat hairy in the large
yellow lady’s-slipper, but not in the small yellow lady’s-slipper. These
hairs are said to be irritating to some people, in whom they cause an
eruption of the skin.
The leaves of the lady’s-slipper vary in size from 2 to 6 inches in
length and from 1 to 3 inches in width, and are broadly oval or
elliptic, sharp pointed, with numerous parallel veins, and sheathing at
the base, somewhat hairy in the large lady’s-slipper. The solitary
terminal flower, which appears from May to June, is very showy and
curiously formed, the lip being the most prominent part. This lip looks
like an inflated bag (1 to 2 inches long in the large lady’s-slipper),
pale yellow or bright yellow in color, variously striped and blotched
with purple. The other parts of the flower are greenish or yellowish,
with purple stripes, and the petals are usually twisted.
_Description of rootstock._—The rootstock is of horizontal growth,
crooked, fleshy, and with numerous wavy, fibrous roots. (Pl. III, fig.
1.) As found in commerce, the rootstocks are from 1 to 4 inches in
length, about an eighth of an inch in thickness, dark brown, the upper
surface showing numerous round cup-shaped scars, the remains of former
annual stems, and the lower surface thickly covered with wavy, wiry, and
brittle roots, the latter breaking off with a short, white fracture. The
odor is rather heavy and disagreeable, and the taste is described as
sweetish, bitter, and somewhat pungent.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Both rootstock and roots are used, and
these should be collected in autumn, freed from dirt, and carefully
dried in the shade. These beautiful plants are becoming rare in many
localities. Sometimes such high-priced drugs as goldenseal and senega
are found mixed with the lady’s-slipper, but as these are more expensive
than the lady’s-slipper, it is not likely that they are included with
fraudulent intent, and they can be readily distinguished. The prices
paid to collectors of this root range from 32 to 35 cents a pound.
The principal use of lady’s-slipper, which is official in the United
States Pharmacopœia, is as an antispasmodic and nerve tonic, and it has
been used for the same purposes as valerian.
CRAWLEY-ROOT.
_Corallorhiza odontorhiza_ (Willd.) Nutt.
_Other common names._—Corallorhiza, crawley, coralroot, small coralroot,
small-flowered coralroot, late coralroot, dragon’s-claw, chickentoe,
turkey-claw, feverroot.
_Habitat and range._—Rich, shady woods having an abundance of leaf mold
produce this curious little plant. It may be found in such situations
from Maine to Florida, westward to Michigan and Missouri.
_Description of plant._—This peculiar native perennial, belonging to the
orchid family (Orchidaceæ), is unlike most other plants, being leafless,
and instead of a green stem it has a purplish brown, sheathed scape,
somewhat swollen or bulbous at the base and bearing a clustered head of
purplish flowers 2 to 4 inches long. It does not grow much taller than
about a foot in height. (Fig. 4.)
The flowers, 6 to 20 in a head, appear from July to September, and
consist of lance-shaped sepals and petals striped with purple and a
broad, whitish, oval lip, generally marked with purple and narrowed at
the base. The seed capsule is large, oblong, or somewhat globular.
_Description of rootstock._—The rootstock of this plant is also curious,
resembling in its formation a piece of coral (fig. 4), on account of
which it is known by the name “coralroot.” The other common names, such
as chickentoe, turkey-claw, etc., all have reference to the form of the
rootstock. As found in commerce, crawley-root consists of small,
dark-brown wrinkled pieces, the larger ones branched like coral. The
taste at first is sweetish, becoming afterwards slightly bitter. It has
a peculiar odor when fresh, but when dry it is without odor.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Crawley-root should be collected in July
or August. The price ranges from 20 to 50 cents a pound. Other species
of Corallorhiza are sometimes collected and are said to probably possess
similar properties. This root is said to be very effective for promoting
perspiration, and it is also used as a sedative and in fever.
[Illustration: FIG. 4.—Crawley-root (_Corallorhiza odontorhiza_). After
Torrey’s Flora of New York.]
CANADA SNAKEROOT.
_Asarum canadense_ L.
_Other common names._—Asarum, wild ginger, Indian ginger, Vermont
snakeroot, heart-snakeroot, southern snakeroot, black snakeroot,
colt’s-foot snakeroot, black snakeweed, broad-leaved asarabacca, false
colt’s-foot, cat’s-foot, colicroot.
_Habitat and range._—This inconspicuous little plant frequents rich
woods or rich soil along roadsides from Canada south to North Carolina
and Kansas.
_Description of plant._—Canada snakeroot is a small, apparently stemless
perennial, not more than 6 to 12 inches in height, and belongs to the
birthwort family (Aristolochiaceæ). It usually has but two leaves, which
are borne on slender, finely hairy stems; they are kidney shaped or
heart shaped, thin, dark green above and paler green on the lower
surface, strongly veined, and from 4 to 7 inches broad.
The solitary bell-shaped flower is of an unassuming dull brown or
brownish purple, and this modest color, together with its position on
the plant, renders it so inconspicuous as to escape the notice of the
casual observer. It droops from a short, slender stalk produced between
the two leaf stems and is almost hidden under the two leaves, growing so
close to the ground that it is sometimes buried beneath old leaves, and
sometimes the soil must be removed before the flower can be seen. It is
bell shaped, woolly, the inside darker in color than the outside and of
a satiny texture. The fruit which follows is in the form of a leathery
6-celled capsule. (Pl. III, fig. 2.)
_Description of rootstock._—Canada snakeroot has a creeping, yellowish
rootstock, slightly jointed, with thin rootlets produced from joints
which occur about every half inch or so. (Pl. III, fig. 2.) In the drug
trade the rootstock is usually found in pieces a few inches in length
and about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. These are four-angled,
crooked, brownish and wrinkled on the outside, whitish inside and
showing a large central pith, hard and brittle, and breaking with a
short fracture. The odor is fragrant and the taste spicy and aromatic,
and has been said to be intermediate between ginger and serpentaria.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The aromatic root of Canada snakeroot is
collected in autumn, and the price ranges from 10 to 15 cents a pound.
It was reported as very scarce in the latter part of the summer of 1906.
Canada snakeroot, which was official in the United States Pharmacopœia
from 1820 to 1880, is used as an aromatic, diaphoretic, and carminative.
SERPENTARIA.
(1) _Aristolochia serpentaria_ L. and (2) _Aristolochia reticulata_
Nutt.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Serpentaria.
_Other common names._—(1) Virginia serpentaria, Virginia snakeroot,
serpentary, snakeweed, pelican-flower, snagrel, sangrel, sangree-root;
(2) Texas serpentaria, Texas snakeroot, Red River snakeroot.
_Habitat and range._—Virginia serpentaria is found in rich woods from
Connecticut to Michigan and southward, principally along the
Alleghenies, and Texas serpentaria occurs in the Southwestern States,
growing along river banks from Arkansas to Louisiana.
_Description of Virginia serpentaria._—About midsummer the queerly
shaped flowers of this native perennial are produced. They are very
similar to those of the better known “Dutchman’s-pipe,” another species
of this genus, which is quite extensively grown as an ornamental vine
for covering porches and trellises. Virginia serpentaria and Texas
serpentaria both belong to the birthwort family (Aristolochiaceæ). The
Virginia serpentaria is nearly erect, the slender, wavy stem sparingly
branched near the base, and usually growing to about a foot in height,
sometimes, however, even reaching 3 feet. The leaves are thin, ovate,
ovate lance shaped or oblong lance shaped, and usually heart shaped at
the base; they are about 2½ inches long and about 1 or 1½ inches in
width. The flowers are produced from near the base of the plant, similar
to its near relative, the Canada snakeroot. They are solitary and
terminal, borne on slender, scaly branches, dull brownish purple in
color, and of a somewhat leathery texture; the calyx tube is curiously
bent or contorted in the shape of the letter S. The fruit is a roundish
6-celled capsule, about half an inch in diameter, and containing
numerous seeds. (Pl. III, fig. 3.)
_Description of Texas serpentaria._—This species has a very wavy stem,
with oval, heart-shaped, clasping leaves, which are rather thick and
strongly reticulated or marked with a network of veins; hence the
specific name _reticulata_. The entire plant is hairy, with numerous
long, coarse hairs. The small, densely hairy purplish flowers are also
produced from the base of the plant.
_Description of rootstocks._—Serpentaria has a short rootstock with many
thin, branching, fibrous roots. (Pl. III, fig. 3.) In the dried state it
is thin and bent, the short remains of stems showing on the upper
surface and the under surface having numerous thin roots about 4 inches
in length, all of a dull yellowish brown color, internally white. It has
a very agreeable aromatic odor, somewhat like camphor, and the taste is
described as warm, bitterish, and camphoraceous.
The Texas serpentaria has a larger rootstock, with fewer roots less
interlaced than the Virginia serpentaria.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The roots of serpentaria are collected
in autumn. Various other roots are sometimes mixed with serpentaria, but
as they are mostly high-priced drugs, such as goldenseal, pinkroot,
senega, and ginseng, their presence in a lot of serpentaria is probably
accidental, due simply to proximity of growth of these plants.
Abscess-root (_Polemonium reptans_ L.) is another root with which
serpentaria is often adulterated. It is very similar to serpentaria,
except that it is nearly white. The price of serpentaria ranges from 35
to 40 cents a pound.
Serpentaria is used for its stimulant, tonic, and diaphoretic
properties. Both species are official in the United States Pharmacopœia.
YELLOW DOCK.
_Rumex crispus_ L.
_Other common names._—Rumex, curled dock, narrow dock, sour dock. (Fig.
5.)
_Habitat and range._—This troublesome weed, introduced from Europe, is
now found throughout the United States, occurring in cultivated as well
as in waste ground, among rubbish heaps, and along roadsides.
[Illustration: FIG. 5.—Yellow dock (_Rumex crispus_), first year’s
growth.]
_Description of plant._—Yellow dock is a perennial plant belonging to
the buckwheat family (Polygonaceæ), and has a deep, spindle-shaped root,
from which arises an erect, angular, and furrowed stem, attaining a
height of from 2 to 4 feet. The stem is branched near the top and leafy,
bearing numerous long dense clusters formed by drooping groups of
inconspicuous green flowers placed in circles around the stem. The
flowers are produced from June to August, and the fruits which follow
are in the form of small triangular nuts, like the grain of buckwheat,
to which family the dock belongs. So long as the fruits are green and
immature they can scarcely be distinguished from the flowers, but as
they ripen the clusters take on a rusty-brown color. The leaves of the
yellow dock are lance shaped, acute, with the margins strongly waved and
crisped, the lower long-stalked leaves being blunt or heart shaped at
the base and from 6 to 8 inches in length, while those nearer the top
are narrower and shorter, only 3 to 6 inches in length, short stemmed or
stemless.
[Illustration: FIG. 6.—Broad-leaved dock (_Rumex obtusifolius_), leaf,
fruiting spike, and root.]
The broad-leaved dock (_Rumex obtusifolius_ L.) known also as bitter
dock, common dock, blunt-leaved dock, and butter-dock, is a very common
weed found in waste places from the New England States to Oregon and
south to Florida and Texas. It grows to about the same height as the
yellow dock, to which it bears a close resemblance, differing
principally in its more robust habit of growth. The stem is stouter than
in yellow dock, and the leaves, which likewise are wavy along the
margin, are much broader and longer. The green flowers appear from June
to August and are in rather long, open clusters, the groups rather loose
and far apart. (Fig. 6.)
_Description of roots._—Yellow dock root is large and fleshy, usually
from 8 to 12 inches long, tapering or spindle shaped, with few or no
rootlets. When dry it is usually twisted and prominently wrinkled, the
rather thick, dark, reddish brown bark marked with small scars. The
inside of the root is whitish at first, becoming yellowish. The fracture
is short, but shows some splintery fibers. The root, as it occurs in
commerce, is either entire or occasionally split lengthwise.
The darker colored root of the broad-leaved dock has a number of smaller
branches near the crown and more rootlets. (Fig. 6.) Dock roots have but
a very faint odor and a bitter, astringent taste.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The roots should be collected in late
summer or autumn, after the fruiting tops have turned brown, then
washed, either left entire or split lengthwise into halves or quarters,
and carefully dried. Yellow dock root ranges from 4 to 6 cents a pound.
In the United States Pharmacopœia of 1890 “the roots of _Rumex crispus_
and of some other species of Rumex” were official, and both of the
above-named species are used, but the yellow dock (_Rumex crispus_) is
the species most commonly employed in medicine. The docks are largely
used for purifying the blood and in the treatment of skin diseases.
The young root leaves of both of the species mentioned are sometimes
used in spring as pot herbs.
POKEWEED.
_Phytolacca decandra_ L.[1]
_Synonym._—_Phytolacca americana_ L.[1]
_Pharmacopœial name._—Phytolacca.
_Other common names._—Poke, pigeon-berry, garget, scoke, pocan, coakum,
Virginian poke, inkberry, red inkberry, American nightshade,
cancer-jalap, redweed.
_Habitat and range._—Pokeweed, a common, familiar, native weed, is found
in rich, moist soil along fence rows, fields, and uncultivated land from
the New England States to Minnesota south to Florida and Texas.
_Description of plant._—In Europe, where pokeweed has become naturalized
from this country, it is regarded as an ornamental garden plant, and,
indeed, it is very showy and attractive with its reddish purple stems,
rich green foliage, and clusters of white flowers and dark-purple
berries.
The stout, smooth stems, arising from a very large perennial root,
attain a height of from 3 to 9 feet, and are erect and branched, green
at first, then reddish. If a piece of the stem is examined, the pith
will be seen to be divided into disk-shaped parts with hollow spaces
between them. The smooth leaves are borne on short stems and are about 5
inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide, ovate or ovate oblong, acute at the
apex, and the margins entire. The long-stalked clusters of whitish
flowers, which appear from July to September, are from 3 to 4 inches in
length, the flowers numerous and borne on reddish stems. In about two
months the berries will have matured and assumed a rich dark-purple
color. These smooth and shining purple berries are globular, flattened
at both ends, and contain black seeds embedded in a rich crimson juice.
(Fig. 7.) This plant belongs to the pokeweed family (Phytolaccaceæ).
[Illustration: FIG. 7.—Pokeweed (_Phytolacca decandra_), flowering and
fruiting branch.]
_Description of root._—Pokeweed has a very thick, long, fleshy root,
conical in shape and branched (fig. 8), very much resembling that of
horseradish, and poisonous. In commerce it usually occurs in transverse
or lengthwise slices, the outside a yellowish brown and finely wrinkled
lengthwise, and thickly encircled with lighter colored ridges. It breaks
with a fibrous fracture and is yellowish gray within. The transverse
slices show many concentric rings. There is a slight odor and the taste
is sweetish and acrid. The root when powdered causes sneezing.
[Illustration: FIG. 8.—Pokeweed root.]
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root of the pokeweed, which is
official in the United States Pharmacopœia, is collected in the latter
part of autumn, thoroughly cleaned, cut into transverse or lengthwise
slices, and carefully dried. It brings from 2½ to 4 cents a pound.
The root is used for its alterative properties in treating various
diseases of the skin and blood, and in certain cases in relieving pain
and allaying inflammation. It also acts upon the bowels and causes
vomiting.
The berries when fully matured are also used in medicine.
The young and tender shoots of the pokeweed are eaten in spring, like
asparagus, but bad results may follow if they are not thoroughly cooked
or if they are cut too close to the root.
SOAPWORT.
_Saponaria officinalis_ L.
_Other common names._—Saponaria, saponary, common soapwort,
bouncing-bet, soaproot, bruisewort, Boston pink, chimney-pink,
crow-soap, hedge-pink, oldmaid’s-pink, fuller’s-herb, lady-by-the-gate,
London-pride, latherwort, mock-gilliflower, scourwort, sheepweed,
sweet-betty, wild sweet-william, woods-phlox, world’s-wonder.
_Habitat and range._—By one or another of its many common names this
plant, naturalized from Europe, is known almost everywhere, occurring
along roadsides and in waste places.
_Description of plant._—Soapwort is a rather pretty herbaceous
perennial, 1 to 2 feet high, and belonging to the pink family
(Silenaceæ). Its smooth, stout, and erect stem is leafy and only
sparingly branched, the leaves ovate, 2 to 3 inches long, smooth,
prominently ribbed, and pointed at the apex. The bright-looking, crowded
clusters of pink (or in shady localities whitish) flowers appear from
about June until far along in September. The five petals of the corolla
are furnished with long “claws,” or, in other words, they are narrowly
lengthened toward the base and inserted within the tubular and
pale-green calyx. The seed capsule is oblong and one-celled. (Pl. III,
fig. 4.)
_Description of root._—Soapwort spreads by means of its stolons, or
underground runners. But the roots, which are rather long, are the parts
employed in medicine. These are cylindrical, tapering toward the apex,
more or less branched, and wrinkled lengthwise. (Pl. III, fig. 4.) The
whitish wood is covered with a brownish red, rather thick bark, and the
root breaks with a short, smooth fracture. It is at first sweetish,
bitter, and mucilaginous, followed by a persistently acrid taste, but it
has no odor.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—As already indicated, the roots, without
the runners, should be collected either in spring or autumn. With water
they form a lather, like soap, whence the common names soapwort,
soaproot, latherwort, etc., are derived. The price ranges from 5 to 10
cents a pound. The roots are employed in medicine for their tonic,
alterative, and diaphoretic properties. The leaves are also used.
GOLDENSEAL.
_Hydrastis canadensis_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Hydrastis.
_Other common names._—Yellowroot, yellow puccoon, orange-root, yellow
Indian-paint, turmeric-root, Indian turmeric, Ohio curcuma,
ground-raspberry, eyeroot, eye-balm, yellow-eye, jaundice-root,
Indian-dye.
_Habitat and range._—This native forest plant occurs in patches in high,
open woods, and usually on hillsides or bluffs affording natural
drainage, from southern New York to Minnesota and western Ontario, south
to Georgia and Missouri.
Goldenseal is now becoming scarce throughout its range. Ohio, Indiana,
Kentucky, and West Virginia have been the greatest goldenseal-producing
States.
_Description of plant._—Goldenseal is a perennial plant belonging to the
same family as the buttercup, namely, the crowfoot family
(Ranunculaceæ). It has a thick yellow rootstock, which sends up an erect
hairy stem about 1 foot in height, surrounded at the base by 2 or 3
yellowish scales. The yellow color of the roots and scales extends up
the stem so far as it is covered by soil, while the portion of the stem
above ground has a purplish color. The stem, which has only two leaves,
seems to fork at the top, one branch bearing a large leaf and the other
a smaller one and a flower. A third leaf, which is much smaller than the
other two and stemless, is occasionally produced. The leaves are
palmately 5 to 9 lobed, the lobes broad, acute, sharply and unequally
toothed; they are prominently veined on the lower surface, and at
flowering time, when they are very much wrinkled, they are only
partially developed, but they continue to expand until they are from 6
to 8 inches in diameter, becoming thinner in texture and smoother. The
upper leaf subtends or incloses the flower bud. The greenish white
flower appears about April or May, but it is of short duration, lasting
only five or six days. It is less than half an inch in diameter and,
instead of petals, has three small petal-like sepals, which fall away as
soon as the flower expands, leaving only the numerous stamens (as many
as 40 or 50), in the center of which are about a dozen pistils, which
finally develop into a round, fleshy, berry-like head which ripens in
July or August. The fruit when ripe turns a bright red and resembles a
large raspberry, whence the common name “ground-raspberry” is derived.
It contains from 10 to 20 small, black, shining, hard seeds. (Fig. 9.)
[Illustration: FIG. 9.—Goldenseal (_Hydrastis canadensis_), flowering
plant and fruit.]
_Description of rootstock._—The fresh rootstock of goldenseal, which has
a rank, nauseating odor, is bright yellow, both internally and
externally, with fibrous yellow rootlets produced from the sides. It is
from 1½ to 2½ inches in length, from one-fourth to three-fourths of an
inch in thickness, and contains a large amount of yellow juice. (Fig.
10.)
In the dried state the rootstock is crooked, knotty, and wrinkled, from
1 to 2 inches in length, and from one-eighth to one-third of an inch in
diameter. It is of a dull-brown color on the outside and breaks with a
clean, short, resinous fracture, showing a lemon-yellow color inside.
After the rootstock has been kept for some time it will become greenish
yellow or brown internally and its quality impaired. The cup-like
depressions or stem scars on the upper surface of the rootstock resemble
the imprint of a seal, whence the most popular name of the plant,
goldenseal, is derived. The rootstock as found in commerce is almost
bare, the fibrous rootlets, which in drying become very wiry and
brittle, breaking off readily and leaving only small protuberances.
[Illustration: FIG. 10.—Goldenseal rootstock.]
The odor of the dried rootstock, while not so pronounced as in the fresh
material, is peculiar, narcotic, and disagreeable. The taste is
exceedingly bitter, and when the rootstock is chewed there is a
persistent acridity, which causes an abundant flow of saliva.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root should be collected in autumn
after the seeds have ripened, freed from soil, and carefully dried.
After a dry season goldenseal dies down soon after the fruit is mature,
so that it often happens that by the end of September not a trace of the
plant remains above ground; but if the season has been moist, the plant
sometimes persists to the beginning of winter. The price of goldenseal
ranges from $1 to $1.50 a pound.
Goldenseal, which is official in the United States Pharmacopœia, is a
useful drug in digestive disorders and in certain catarrhal affections
of the mucous membranes, in the latter instance being administered both
internally and locally.
_Cultivation._—Once so abundant in certain parts of the country,
especially in the Ohio Valley, goldenseal is now becoming scarce
throughout its range, and in consequence of the increased demand for the
root, both at home and abroad, its cultivation must sooner or later be
more generally undertaken in order to satisfy the needs of medicine. In
some parts of the country the cultivation of goldenseal is already under
way.
The first thing to be considered in growing this plant is to furnish it,
as nearly as possible, the conditions to which it has been accustomed in
its native forest home. This calls for a well-drained soil, rich in
humus, and partially shaded. Goldenseal stands transplanting well, and
the easiest way to propagate it is to bring the plants in from the
forest and transplant them to a properly prepared location, or to
collect the rootstocks and to cut them into as many pieces as there are
buds, planting these pieces in a deep, loose, well-prepared soil, and
mulching, adding new mulch each year to renew the humus. With such a
soil the cultivation of goldenseal is simple, and it will be necessary
chiefly to keep down the weeds.
The plants may be grown in rows 1 foot apart and 6 inches apart in the
row, or they may be grown in beds 4 to 8 feet wide, with walks between.
Artificial shade will be necessary, and this is supplied by the erection
of lath sheds. The time required to obtain a marketable crop is from two
to three years.
Detailed information regarding the experiments made by the Department
will be found in another publication.[2]
GOLDTHREAD.
_Coptis trifolia_ (L.) Salisb.
_Other common names._—Coptis, cankerroot, mouthroot, yellowroot.
_Habitat and range._—This pretty little perennial is native in damp,
mossy woods and bogs from Canada and Alaska south to Maryland and
Minnesota. It is most common in the New England States, northern New
York and Michigan, and in Canada, where it frequents the dark sphagnum
swamps, cold bogs, and the shade of dense forests of cedars, pines, and
other evergreens.
_Description of plant._—Anyone familiar with this attractive little
plant will agree that it is well named. The roots of goldthread, running
not far beneath the surface of the ground, are indeed like so many
tangled threads of gold. The plant in the general appearance of its
leaves and flowers very closely resembles the strawberry plant. It is of
low growth, only 3 to 6 inches in height, and belongs to the crowfoot
family (Ranunculaceæ). The leaves are all basal, and are borne on long,
slender stems; they are evergreen, dark green and shining on the upper
surface and lighter green beneath, divided into three parts, which are
prominently veined and toothed. A single small, white, star-shaped
flower is borne at the ends of the flowering stalks, appearing from May
to August. (Fig. 11.) The 5 to 7 sepals or lobes of the calyx are white
and like petals, and the petals of the corolla, 5 to 7 in number, are
smaller, club shaped, and yellow at the base. The seed pods are stalked,
oblong, compressed, spreading, tipped with the persistent style, and
containing small black seeds.
[Illustration: FIG. 11.—Goldthread (_Coptis trifolia_). After Lloyd’s
Drugs and Medicines of North America.]
_Description of root._—Goldthread has a long, slender, creeping root,
which is much branched and frequently matted. (Fig. 11.) The color of
these roots is a bright golden yellow. As found in the stores,
goldthread consists usually of tangled masses of these golden-yellow
roots, mixed with the leaves and stems of the plant, but the root is the
part prescribed for use. The root is bitter and has no odor.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The time for collecting goldthread is in
autumn. After removing the covering of dead leaves and moss, the
creeping yellow roots of goldthread will be seen very close to the
surface of the ground, from which they can be very easily pulled. They
should, of course, be carefully dried. As already stated, although the
roots and rootlets are the parts to be used, the commercial article is
freely mixed with the leaves and stems of the plant. Evidences of the
pine-woods home of this plant, in the form of pine needles and bits of
moss, are often seen in the goldthread received for market. Goldthread
brings from 60 to 70 cents a pound.
The Indians and early white settlers used this little root as a remedy
for various forms of ulcerated and sore mouth, and it is still used as a
wash or gargle for affections of this sort. It is also employed as a
bitter tonic.
Goldthread was official in the United States Pharmacopœia from 1820 to
1880.
BLACK COHOSH.
_Cimicifuga racemosa_ (L.) Nutt.
_Synonym._—_Actaea racemosa_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Cimicifuga.
_Other common names._—Black snakeroot, bugbane, bugwort,
rattle-snakeroot, rattleroot, rattleweed, rattletop, richweed,
squawroot.
_Habitat and range._—Although preferring the shade of rich woods, black
cohosh will grow occasionally in sunny situations in fence corners and
woodland pastures. It is most abundant in the Ohio Valley, but it occurs
from Maine to Wisconsin, south along the Allegheny Mountains to Georgia,
and westward to Missouri.
_Description of plant._—Rising to a height of 3 to 8 feet, the showy,
delicate-flowered spikes of the black cohosh tower above most of the
other woodland flowers, making it a conspicuous plant in the woods and
one that can be easily recognized.
[Illustration: FIG. 12.—Black cohosh (_Cimicifuga racemosa_), leaves,
flowering spikes, and rootstock.]
Black cohosh is an indigenous perennial plant belonging to the same
family as the goldenseal, namely, the crowfoot family (Ranunculaceæ).
The tall stem, sometimes 8 feet in height, is rather slender and leafy,
the leaves consisting of three leaflets, which are again divided into
threes. The leaflets are about 2 inches long, ovate, sharp pointed at
the apex, thin and smooth, variously lobed, and the margins sharply
toothed. The graceful, spikelike terminal cluster of flowers, which is
produced from June to August, is from 6 inches to 2 feet in length.
(Fig. 12.) Attractive as these flower clusters are to the eye, they
generally do not prove attractive very long to those who may gather them
for their beauty, since the flowers emit an offensive odor, which
accounts for some of the common names applied to this plant, namely,
bugbane and bugwort, it having been thought that this odor was
efficacious in driving away bugs. The flowers do not all open at one
time, and thus there may be seen buds, blossoms, and seed pods on one
spike. The buds are white and globular, and as they expand in flower
there is practically nothing to the flower but very numerous white
stamens and the pistil, but the stamens spread out around the pistil in
such a manner as to give to the spike a somewhat feathery or fluffy
appearance which is very attractive. The seed pods are dry, thick and
leathery, ribbed, and about one-fourth of an inch long, with a small
beak at the end. The smooth brown seeds are inclosed within the pods in
two rows. Anyone going through the woods in winter may find the seed
pods, full of seeds, still clinging to the dry, dead stalk, and the
rattling of the seeds in the pods as the wind passes over them has given
rise to the common names rattle-snakeroot (not “rattlesnake”-root),
rattleweed, rattletop, and rattleroot.
_Description of rootstock._—The rootstock (fig. 12) is large,
horizontal, and knotty or rough and irregular in appearance. The upper
surface of the rootstock is covered with numerous round scars and
stumps, the remains of former leaf stems, and on the fresh rootstocks
may be seen the young, pinkish white buds which are to furnish the next
season’s growth. From the lower part of the rootstock long, fleshy roots
are produced. The fresh rootstock is very dark reddish brown on the
outside, white within, showing a large central pith from which radiate
rays of a woody texture, and on breaking the larger roots also the woody
rays will be seen in the form of a cross. On drying, the rootstock
becomes hard and turns much darker, both internally and externally, but
the peculiar cross formation of the woody rays in both rootstock and
roots, being lighter in color, is plainly seen without the aid of a
magnifying glass. The roots in drying become wiry and brittle and break
off very readily. Black cohosh has a heavy odor and a bitter, acrid
taste.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root should be collected after the
fruit has ripened, usually in September. The price ranges from 2 to 3
cents a pound.
The Indians had long regarded black cohosh as a valuable medicinal
plant, not only for the treatment of snake bites, but it was also a very
popular remedy among their women, and it is to-day considered of value
as an alterative, emmenagogue, and sedative, and is recognized as
official in the United States Pharmacopœia.
OREGON GRAPE.
_Berberis aquifolium_ Pursh.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Berberis.
_Other common names._—Rocky Mountain grape, holly-leaved barberry,
California barberry, trailing Mahonia.
_Habitat and range._—This shrub is native in woods in rich soil among
rocks from Colorado to the Pacific Ocean, but it is especially abundant
in Oregon and northern California.
_Description of plant._—Oregon grape is a low-growing shrub, resembling
somewhat the familiar Christmas holly of the Eastern States, and, in
fact, was first designated as “mountain-holly” by members of the Lewis
and Clark expedition on their way through the western country. It
belongs to the barberry family (Berberidaceæ), and grows about 2 to 6
feet in height, the branches sometimes trailing. The leaves consist of
from 5 to 9 leaflets, borne in pairs, with an odd leaflet at the summit.
They are from 2 to 3 inches long and about 1 inch wide, evergreen,
thick, leathery, oblong or oblong ovate in outline, smooth and shining
above, the margins provided with thorny spines or teeth. The numerous
small yellow flowers appear in April or May and are borne in erect,
clustered heads. The fruit consists of a cluster of blue or bluish
purple berries, having a pleasant taste, and each containing from three
to nine seeds. (Pl. IV, fig. 1.)
_Other species._—While _Berberis aquifolium_ is generally designated as
the source of Oregon grape root, other species of Berberis are met with
in the market under the name grape root, and their use is sanctioned by
the United States Pharmacopœia.
The species most commonly collected with _Berberis aquifolium_ is _B.
nervosa_ Pursh, which is also found in woods from California northward
to Oregon and Washington. This is 9 to 16 inches in height, with a
conspicuously jointed stem and 11 to 17 bright-green leaflets.
Another species of Berberis, _B. pinnata_ Lag., attains a height of from
a few inches to 5 feet, with from 5 to 9, but sometimes more, leaflets,
which are shining above and paler beneath. This resembles _aquifolium_
very closely and is often mistaken for it, but it is said that it has
not been used by the medical profession, unless in local practice.[3]
The root also is about the same size as that of _aquifolium_, while the
root of _nervosa_ is smaller.
Some works speak of _Berberis repens_ Lindl. as another species often
collected with _aquifolium_, but in the latest botanical manuals no such
species is recognized, _B. repens_ being given simply as a synonym for
_B. aquifolium_.
_Description of rootstock._—The rootstock and roots of Oregon grape are
more or less knotty, in irregular pieces of varying lengths, and about
an inch or less in diameter, with brownish bark and hard and tough
yellow wood, showing a small pith and narrow rays. Oregon grape root has
a very bitter taste and very slight odor.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Oregon grape root is collected in autumn
and brings from 10 to 12 cents a pound. The bark should _not_ be removed
from the rootstocks, as the Pharmacopœia directs that such roots be
rejected.
This root has long been used in domestic practice throughout the West as
a tonic and blood purifier, and is now official in the United States
Pharmacopœia.
The berries are used in making preserves and cooling drinks.
BLUE COHOSH.
_Caulophyllum thalictroides_ (L.) Michx.
_Other common names._—Caulophyllum, pappoose-root, squawroot,
blueberry-root, blue ginseng, yellow ginseng. (Pl. IV, fig. 2.)
_Habitat and range._—Blue cohosh is found in the deep rich loam of shady
woods from New Brunswick to South Carolina, westward to Nebraska, being
abundant especially throughout the Allegheny Mountain region.
_Description of plant._—This member of the barberry family
(Berberidaceæ) is a perennial herb, 1 to 3 feet in height, and
indigenous to this country. It bears at the top one large, almost
stemless leaf, which is triternately compound—that is, the main leaf
stem divides into three stems, which again divide into threes, and each
division bears three leaflets. Sometimes there is a smaller leaf, but
similar to the other, at the base of the flowering branch. The leaflets
are thin in texture, oval, oblong, or obovate, and 3 to 5 lobed.
In the early stage of its growth this plant is covered with a sort of
bluish green bloom, but it gradually loses this and becomes smooth. The
flowers are borne in a small terminal panicle or head, and are small and
greenish yellow. They appear from April to May, while the leaf is still
small. The globular seeds, which ripen about August, are borne on stout
stalks in membranous capsules and resemble dark-blue berries.
_Description of rootstock._—The thick crooked rootstock of blue cohosh
is almost concealed by the mass of matted roots which surrounds it.
There are numerous cup-shaped scars and small branches on the upper
surface of the rootstock, while the lower surface gives off numerous
long, crooked, matted roots. Some of the scars are depressed below the
surface of the rootstock, while others are raised above it. The outside
is brownish and the inside tough and woody. Blue cohosh possesses a
slight odor and a sweetish, somewhat bitter and acrid taste. In the
powdered state it causes sneezing.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root is dug in the fall. Very often
the roots of goldenseal or twinleaf are found mixed with those of blue
cohosh. The price of blue cohosh root ranges from 2½ to 4 cents a pound.
Blue cohosh, official in the United States Pharmacopœia for 1890, is
used as a demulcent, antispasmodic, emmenagogue, and diuretic.
TWINLEAF.
_Jeffersonia diphylla_ (L.) Pers.
_Other common names._—Jeffersonia, rheumatism-root, helmetpod,
ground-squirrel pea, yellowroot.
_Habitat and range._—Twinleaf inhabits rich shady woods from New York to
Virginia and westward to Wisconsin.
_Description of plant._—This native herbaceous perennial is only about 6
to 8 inches in height when in flower. At the fruiting stage it is
frequently 18 inches in height. It is one of our early spring plants,
and its white flower, resembling that of bloodroot, is produced as early
as April.
[Illustration: FIG. 13.—Twinleaf (_Jeffersonia diphylla_), plant and
seed capsule. (After Britton and Brown, Illustrated Flora.)]
The long-stemmed, smooth leaves, produced in pairs and arising from the
base of the plant, are rather oddly formed. They are about 3 to 6 inches
long, 2 to 4 inches wide, heart shaped or kidney shaped, but parted
lengthwise into two lobes or divisions, really giving the appearance of
two leaves; hence the common name “twinleaf.” The flower with its eight
oblong, spreading white petals measures about 1 inch across, and is
borne at the summit of a slender stalk arising from the root. The
many-seeded capsule is about 1 inch long, leathery, somewhat pear
shaped, and opening halfway around near the top, the upper part forming
a sort of lid. (Fig. 13.) Twinleaf belongs to the barberry family
(Berberidaceæ).
_Description of rootstock._—Twinleaf has a horizontal rootstock, with
many fibrous, much-matted roots, and is very similar to that of blue
cohosh, but not so long. It is thick, knotty, yellowish brown
externally, with a resinous bark, and internally yellowish. The inner
portion is nearly tasteless, but the bark has a bitter and acrid taste.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The rootstock is collected in autumn,
and is used as a diuretic, alterative, antispasmodic, and a stimulating
diaphoretic. Large doses are said to be emetic and smaller doses tonic
and expectorant. The price paid for twinleaf root ranges from about 5 to
7 cents a pound.
MAY-APPLE.
_Podophyllum peltatum_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Podophyllum.
_Other common names._—Mandrake, wild mandrake, American mandrake, wild
lemon, ground-lemon, hog-apple, devil’s-apple, Indian apple,
raccoon-berry, duck’s-foot, umbrella-plant, vegetable calomel.
_Habitat and range._—The May-apple is an indigenous plant, found in low
woods, usually growing in patches, from western Quebec to Minnesota,
south to Florida and Texas.
_Description of plant._—A patch of May-apple can be distinguished from
afar, the smooth, dark-green foliage and close and even stand making it
a conspicuous feature of the woodland vegetation.
[Illustration: FIG. 14.—May-apple (_Podophyllum peltatum_), upper
portion of plant with flower, and rootstock.]
May-apple is a perennial plant, and belongs to the barberry family
(Berberidaceæ). It is erect, and grows about 1 foot in height. The
leaves are only two in number, circular in outline, but with five to
seven deep lobes, the lobes 2 cleft, and toothed at the apex; they are
dark green above, the lower surface lighter green and somewhat hairy or
smooth, sometimes 1 foot in diameter, and borne on long leafstalks which
are fixed to the center of the leaf, giving it an umbrella-like
appearance. The waxy-white, solitary flower, sometimes 2 inches in
diameter, appears in May, nodding on its short stout stalk, generally
right between the two large umbrella-like leaves, which shade it and
hide it from view. (Fig. 14.) The fruit which follows is lemon shaped,
at first green, then yellow, about 2 inches in length, and edible,
although when eaten immoderately it is known to have produced bad
effects.
In a patch of May-apple plants there are always a number of sterile or
flowerless stalks, which bear leaves similar to those of the flowering
plants.
_Description of rootstock._—The horizontally creeping rootstock of
May-apple (fig. 14), when taken from the ground, is from 1 to 6 feet or
more in length, flexible, smooth, and round, dark brown on the outside
and whitish and fleshy within; at intervals of a few inches are
thickened joints, on the upper surface of which are round stem scars and
on the lower side a tuft of rather stout roots. Sometimes the rootstock
bears lateral branches. The dried rootstock, as it occurs in the stores,
is in irregular, somewhat cylindrical pieces, smooth or somewhat
wrinkled, yellowish brown or dark brown externally, whitish to pale
brown internally, breaking with a short, sharp fracture, the surface of
which is mealy. The odor is slight and the taste at first sweetish,
becoming very bitter and acrid.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The proper time for collecting the
rootstock is in the latter half of September or in October. The price
paid for May-apple root ranges from 3 to 6 cents a pound.
May-apple root, which is recognized as official in the United States
Pharmacopœia, is an active cathartic, and was known as such to the
Indians.
CANADA MOONSEED.
_Menispermum canadense_ L.
_Other common names._—Menispermum, yellow parilla, Texas sarsaparilla,
yellow sarsaparilla, vine-maple. (Pl. IV, fig. 3.)
_Habitat and range._—Canada moonseed is usually found along streams in
woods, climbing over bushes, its range extending from Canada to Georgia
and Arkansas.
_Description of plant._—This native perennial woody climber reaches a
length of from 6 to 12 feet, the round, rather slender stem bearing very
broad, slender-stalked leaves. These leaves are from 4 to 8 inches wide,
smooth and green on the upper surface and paler beneath, roundish in
outline and entire, or sometimes lobed and resembling the leaves of some
of our maples, whence the common name “vine-maple” is probably derived.
The bases of the leaves are generally heart shaped and the apex pointed
or blunt. In July the loose clusters of small yellowish or greenish
white flowers are produced, followed in September by bunches of black
one-seeded fruit, covered with a “bloom” and very much resembling
grapes. Canada moonseed belongs to the moonseed family (Menispermaceæ).
_Description of rootstock._—The rootstock and roots are employed in
medicine. In the stores it will be found in long, straight pieces,
sometimes 3 feet in length, only about one-fourth of an inch in
thickness, yellowish brown or grayish brown, finely wrinkled lengthwise,
and giving off fine, hairlike, branched, brownish roots from joints
which occur every inch or so. The inside shows a distinct white pith of
variable thickness and a yellowish white wood with broad, porous wood
rays, the whole breaking with a tough, woody fracture. It has
practically no odor, but a bitter taste.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Canada moonseed is collected in autumn,
and brings from 4 to 8 cents a pound. It is used as a tonic, alterative,
and diuretic, and was official in the United States Pharmacopœia for
1890.
BLOODROOT.
_Sanguinaria canadensis_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Sanguinaria.
_Other common names._—Redroot, red puccoon, red Indian-paint,
puccoon-root, coonroot, white puccoon, pauson, snakebite, sweet-slumber,
tetterwort, turmeric.
_Habitat and range._—Bloodroot is found in rich, open woods from Canada
south to Florida and west to Arkansas and Nebraska.
_Description of plant._—This indigenous plant is among the earliest of
our spring flowers, the waxy-white blossom, enfolded by the grayish
green leaf, usually making its appearance early in April. The stem and
root contain a blood-red juice. Bloodroot is a perennial, and belongs to
the same family as the opium poppy, the Papaveraceæ. Each bud on the
thick, horizontal rootstock produces but a single leaf and a flowering
scape, reaching about 6 inches in height (fig. 15). The plant is smooth,
and both stem and leaves, especially when young, present a grayish green
appearance, being covered with a “bloom” such as is found on some
fruits. The leaves are palmately 5 to 9 lobed, the lobes either cleft at
the apex or having a wavy margin, and are borne on leaf stems about 6 to
14 inches long. After the plants have ceased flowering the leaves, at
first only 3 inches long and 4 to 5 inches broad, continue to expand
until they are about 4 to 7 inches long and 6 to 12 inches broad. The
under side of the leaf is paler than the upper side and shows prominent
veins. The flower measures about 1 inch across, is white, rather waxlike
in appearance, with numerous golden-yellow stamens in the center. The
petals soon fall off, and the oblong, narrow seed pod develops,
attaining a length of about an inch.
_Description of rootstock._—When dug out of the ground bloodroot is
rather thick, round, and fleshy, slightly curved at the ends, and
contains a quantity of blood-red juice. It is from 1 to 4 inches in
length, from ½ to 1 inch in thickness, externally reddish brown,
internally a bright-red blood color, and produces many thick,
orange-colored rootlets. (Fig. 15.)
The rootstock shrinks considerably in drying, the outside turning dark
brown and the inside orange-red or yellowish with numerous small red
dots, and it breaks with a short, sharp fracture. It has but a slight
odor, and the taste is bitter and acrid and very persistent. The
powdered root causes sneezing.
[Illustration: FIG. 15.—Bloodroot (_Sanguinaria canadensis_), flowering
plant with rootstock.]
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The rootstock should be collected in
autumn, after the leaves have died, and after curing it should be stored
in a dry place, as it rapidly deteriorates if allowed to become moist.
Age also impairs its activity. The price paid to collectors for this
root ranges from about 5 to 10 cents a pound.
Bloodroot was well known to the American Indians, who used the red juice
as a dye for skins and baskets and for painting their faces and bodies.
It is official in the United States Pharmacopœia, and is used as a
tonic, alterative, stimulant, and emetic.
HYDRANGEA.
_Hydrangea arborescens_ L.
_Other common names._—Wild hydrangea, seven-barks.
_Habitat and range._—Hydrangea frequents rocky river banks and ravines
from the southern part of New York to Florida, and westward to Iowa and
Missouri, being especially abundant in the valley of the Delaware and
southward.
_Description of plant._—Hydrangea is an indigenous shrub, 5 to 6 feet or
more in height, with weak twigs, slender leaf stems and thin leaves. It
belongs to the hydrangea family (Hydrangeaceæ). The leaves are oval or
sometimes heart shaped, 3 to 6 inches long, sharply toothed, green on
both sides, the upper smooth and the lower sometimes hairy. The shrub is
in flower from June to July, producing loose, branching, terminal heads
of small, greenish white flowers, followed by membranous, usually
2-celled capsules, which contain numerous seeds. (Pl. IV, fig. 4.)
Sometimes hydrangea will flower a second time, early in fall.
A peculiar characteristic of this shrub, and one that has given rise to
the common name “seven-barks,” is the peeling off of the stem bark,
which comes off in several successive layers of thin, different colored
bark.
_Description of root._—The root is roughly branched and when first taken
from the ground is very juicy, but after drying it becomes hard. The
smooth white and tough wood is covered with a thin, pale-yellow or
light-brown bark, which readily scales off. The wood is tasteless, but
the bark has a pleasant aromatic taste, becoming somewhat pungent.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Hydrangea root is collected in autumn,
and as it becomes very tough after drying and difficult to bruise it is
best to cut the root in short transverse pieces while it is fresh and
still juicy and dry it in this way. The price ranges from 2 to 7 cents a
pound.
Hydrangea has diuretic properties and is said to have been much used by
the Cherokees and early settlers in calculous complaints.
INDIAN-PHYSIC.
_Porteranthus trifoliatus_ (L.) Britton.
_Synonym._—_Gillenia trifoliata_ Moench.
_Other common names._—Gillenia, bowman’s-root, false ipecac, western
dropwort, Indian-hippo.
_Habitat and range._—Indian-physic is native in rich woods from New York
to Michigan, south to Georgia and Missouri.
_Description of plant._—The reddish stems of this slender, graceful
perennial of the rose family (Rosaceæ) are about 2 to 3 feet high,
several erect and branched stems being produced from the same root. The
leaves are almost stemless and trifoliate; that is, composed of three
leaflets. They are ovate or lanceolate, 2 to 3 inches long, narrowed at
the base, smooth, and toothed. The nodding, white or pinkish flowers are
few, produced in loose terminal clusters from May to July. (Pl. V, fig.
1.) The five petals are long, narrowed or tapering toward the base,
white or pinkish, and inserted in the tubular, somewhat bell-shaped,
red-tinged calyx. The seed pods are slightly hairy.
At the base of the leaf stems are small leaflike parts, called stipules,
which in this species are very small, linear, and entire. In the
following species, which is very similar to _trifoliatus_ and collected
with it, the stipules, however, are so much larger that they form a
prominent character, which has given rise to its specific name,
_stipulatus_.
_Porteranthus stipulatus_ (Muhl.) Britton (Syn. _Gillenia stipulacea_
Nutt.) is found in similar situations as _P. trifoliatus_, but generally
farther west, its range extending from western New York to Indiana and
Kansas, south to Alabama, Louisiana, and Indian Territory. The general
appearance of this plant is very similar to that of _P. trifoliatus_. It
grows to about the same height, but is generally more hairy, the
leaflets narrower and more deeply toothed, and the flowers perhaps a
trifle smaller. The stipules, however, will generally serve to
distinguish it. These are large, broad, ovate, acute at the apex,
sharply and deeply notched, and so much like leaves that but for their
position at the base of the leaf stems they might easily be mistaken for
them.
With the exception of the name American ipecac applied to this plant,
the common names of _Porteranthus trifoliatus_ are also used for _P.
stipulatus_. The roots of both species are collected and used for the
same purposes.
_Description of roots._—The root of _Porteranthus trifoliatus_ is thick
and knotty, with many smoothish, reddish brown rootlets (Pl. V, fig. 1),
the latter in drying becoming wrinkled lengthwise and showing a few
transverse fissures or breaks in the bark, and the interior white and
woody. There is practically no odor, and the woody portion is tasteless,
but the bark, which is readily separable, is bitter, increasing the flow
of saliva.
_Porteranthus stipulatus_ has a larger, more knotty root, with rootlets
that are more wavy, constricted, or marked with numerous transverse
rings, and the bark fissured or breaking from the white woody portion at
frequent intervals.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The roots of both species are collected
in autumn. The price ranges from 2 to 4 cents a pound.
Indian-physic or bowman’s root, as these names imply, was a popular
remedy with the Indians, who used it as an emetic. From them the white
settlers learned of its properties, and it is still used for its emetic
action. This drug was at one time official in the United States
Pharmacopœia, from 1820 to 1880. Its action is said to resemble that of
ipecac.
[Illustration: FIG. 16.—Wild indigo (_Baptisia tinctoria_), branch
showing flowers and seed pods. (Modified from Barton’s Vegetable Materia
Medica.)]
WILD INDIGO.
_Baptisia tinctoria_ (L.) R. Br.
_Other common names._—Baptisia, indigo-weed, yellow indigo, American
indigo, yellow broom, indigo-broom, clover-broom, broom-clover,
horsefly-weed, shoofly, rattlebush.
_Habitat and range._—This native herb grows on dry, poor land, and is
found from Maine to Minnesota, south to Florida and Louisiana.
_Description of plant._—Many who have been brought up in the country
will recognize in the wild indigo the plant so frequently used by
farmers, especially in Virginia and Maryland, to keep flies away from
horses, bunches of it being fastened to the harness for this purpose.
Wild indigo grows about 2 to 3 feet in height, and the cloverlike
blossoms and leaves will show at once that it belongs to the same family
as the common clover, namely, the pea family (Fabaceæ). It is an erect,
much-branched, very leafy plant, of compact growth, the 3-leaved, bluish
green foliage somewhat resembling clover leaves. The flowers, as already
stated, are like common clover flowers—that is, not like clover heads,
but the single flowers composing these; they are bright yellow, about
one-half inch in length, and are produced in numerous clusters which
appear from June to September. The seed pods, on stalks longer than the
calyx, are nearly globular or ovoid and are tipped with an awl-shaped
style. (Fig. 16.)
Another species, said to possess properties similar to those of
_Baptisia tinctoria_, and substituted for it, is _B. alba_ R. Br.,
called the white wild indigo. This plant has white flowers and is found
in the Southern States and on the plains of the Western States.
_Description of root._—Wild indigo has a thick, knotty crown or head,
with several stem scars, and a round, fleshy root, sending out
cylindrical branches and rootlets almost 2 feet in length. The white
woody interior is covered with a thick, dark-brown bark, rather scaly or
dotted with small, wartlike excrescences. The root breaks with a tough,
fibrous fracture. There is a scarcely perceptible odor, and the taste,
which resides chiefly in the bark, is nauseous, bitter, and acrid.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root of wild indigo is collected in
autumn, and brings from 4 to 8 cents a pound.
Large doses of wild indigo are emetic and cathartic and may prove
dangerous. It also has stimulant, astringent, and antiseptic properties,
and is used as a local application to sores, ulcers, etc.
The herb is sometimes employed like the root, and the entire plant was
official from 1830 to 1840.
In some sections the young tender shoots are used for greens, like those
of the pokeweed, but great care must be exercised to gather them before
they are too far advanced in growth, as otherwise bad results will
follow.
A blue coloring matter has been prepared from the plant and used as a
substitute for indigo, to which, however, it is very much inferior.
CRANE’S-BILL.
_Geranium maculatum_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Geranium.
_Other common names._—Spotted crane’s-bill, wild crane’s-bill,
stork’s-bill, spotted geranium, wild geranium, alumroot, alumbloom,
chocolate-flower, crowfoot, dovefoot, old-maid’s-nightcap, shameface.
_Habitat and range._—Crane’s-bill flourishes in low grounds and open
woods from Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to Georgia and Missouri.
_Description of plant._—This pretty perennial plant belongs to the
geranium family (Geraniaceæ), and will grow sometimes to a height of 2
feet, but more generally it is only about a foot in height. The entire
plant is more or less covered with hairs, and is erect and usually
unbranched. The leaves are nearly circular or somewhat heart shaped in
outline, 3 to 6 inches wide, deeply parted into three or five parts,
each division again cleft and toothed. The basal leaves are borne on
long stems, while those above have shorter stems. The flowers, which
appear from April to June, are borne in a loose cluster; they are rose
purple, pale or violet purple in color, about 1 inch or 1½ inches wide,
the petals delicately veined and woolly at the base, and the sepals or
calyx lobes with a bristle-shaped point, soft-hairy, the margins having
a fringe of more bristly hairs. The fruit consists of a beaked capsule,
springing open elastically, and dividing into five cells, each cell
containing one seed. (Fig. 17.)
_Description of rootstock._—When removed from the earth, the rootstock
of crane’s-bill (fig. 17) is about 2 to 4 inches long, thick, with
numerous branches bearing the young buds for next season’s growth, and
scars showing the remains of stems of previous years, brown outside,
white and fleshy internally, and with several stout roots. When dry, the
rootstock turns a darker brown, is finely wrinkled externally, and has a
rough, spiny appearance, caused by the shrinking of the buds and
branches and the numerous stem scars with which the root is studded.
Internally it is of a somewhat purplish color. Crane’s-bill root is
without odor and the taste is very astringent.
[Illustration: FIG. 17.—Crane’s-bill (_Geranium maculatum_), flowering
plant, showing also seed pods and rootstock.]
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Crane’s-bill root depends for its
medicinal value on its astringent properties, and as its astringency is
due to the tannin content, the root should, of course, be collected at
that season of the year when it is richest in that constituent.
Experiments have proved that the yield of tannin in crane’s-bill is
greatest just before flowering, which is in April or May, according to
locality. It should, therefore, be collected just before the flowering
period, and not, as is commonly the case, in autumn. The price of this
root ranges from 4 to 8 cents a pound.
Crane’s-bill root, which is official in the United States Pharmacopœia,
is used as a tonic and astringent.
SENECA SNAKEROOT.
_Polygala senega_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Senega.
_Other common names._—Senega snakeroot, Seneca-root, rattlesnake-root,
mountain-flax.
_Habitat and range._—Rocky woods and hillsides are the favorite haunts
of this indigenous plant. It is found in such situations from New
Brunswick and western New England to Minnesota and the Canadian Rocky
Mountains, and south along the Allegheny Mountains to North Carolina and
Missouri.
_Description of plant._—The perennial root of this useful little plant
sends up a number of smooth, slender, erect stems (as many as 15 to 20
or more), sometimes slightly tinged with red, from 6 inches to a foot in
height, and generally unbranched. The leaves alternate on the stem, are
lance shaped or oblong lance shaped, thin in texture, 1 to 2 inches
long, and stemless. The flowering spikes are borne on the ends of the
stems and consist of rather crowded, small, greenish white,
insignificant flowers. The flowering period of Seneca snakeroot is from
May to June. The spike blossoms gradually, and when the lowermost
flowers have already fruited the upper part of the spike is still in
flower. The seed capsules are small and contain two black, somewhat
hairy seeds. (Fig. 18.) The short slender stalks supporting these seed
capsules have a tendency to break off from the main axis before the seed
is fully mature, leaving the spike in a rather ragged-looking condition,
and the yield of seed, therefore, is not very large. Seneca snakeroot
belongs to the milkwort family (Polygalaceæ).
A form of Seneca snakeroot, growing mostly in the North-Central States
and distinguished by its taller stems and broader leaves, has been
called _Polygala senega_ var. _latifolia_.
[Illustration: FIG. 18.—Seneca snakeroot (_Polygala senega_), flowering
plant with root.]
_Description of root._—Seneca snakeroot (fig. 18) is described in the
United States Pharmacopœia as follows: “Somewhat cylindrical, tapering,
more or less flexuous, 3 to 15 cm. long and 2 to 8 mm. thick, bearing
several similar horizontal branches and a few rootlets; crown knotty
with numerous buds and short stem remnants; externally yellowish gray or
brownish yellow, longitudinally wrinkled, usually marked by a keel which
is more prominent in perfectly dry roots near the crown; fracture short,
wood light yellow, usually excentrically developed; odor slight,
nauseating; taste sweetish, afterwards acrid.”
The Seneca snakeroots found in commerce vary greatly in size, that
obtained from the South, which is really the official drug, being
usually light colored and small. The principal supply of Seneca
snakeroot now comes from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and farther northward,
and this western Seneca snakeroot has a much larger, darker root, with a
crown or head sometimes measuring 2 or 3 inches across and the upper
part of the root very thick. It is also less twisted and not so
distinctly keeled.
Seneca snakeroot is often much adulterated with the roots of other
species of Polygala and of other plants.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The time for collecting Seneca snakeroot
is in autumn. Labor conditions play a great part in the rise and fall of
prices for this drug. It is said that very little Seneca snakeroot has
been dug in the Northwest during 1906, due to the fact that the Indians
and others who usually engage in this work were so much in demand as
farm hands and railroad laborers, which paid them far better than the
digging of Seneca snakeroot. Collectors receive from about 55 to 70
cents a pound for this root.
This drug, first brought into prominence as a cure for snake bite among
the Indians, is now employed as an expectorant, emetic, and diuretic. It
is official in the Pharmacopœia of the United States.
STILLINGIA.
_Stillingia sylvatica_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Stillingia.
_Other common names._—Queen’s-delight, queen’s-root, silverleaf,
nettle-potato.
_Habitat and range._—This plant is found in dry, sandy soil and in pine
barrens from Maryland to Florida west to Kansas and Texas.
[Illustration: FIG. 19.—Stillingia (_Stillingia sylvatica_), upper
portion of plant and part of spike showing male flowers. (After Bentley
and Trimen, Medicinal Plants.)]
_Description of plant._—Like most of the other members of the spurge
family (Euphorbiaceæ) stillingia also contains a milky juice. This
indigenous, herbaceous perennial is about 1 to 3 feet in height, bright
green and somewhat fleshy, with crowded leaves of a somewhat leathery
texture. The leaves are practically stemless and vary greatly in form,
from lance shaped, oblong, to oval and elliptical, round toothed or saw
toothed. The pale-yellow flowers, which appear from April to October,
are borne in a dense terminal spike and consist of two kinds, male and
female, the male flowers arranged in dense clusters around the upper
part of the stalk and the female flowers occurring at the base of the
spike. (Fig. 19.) The seeds are contained in a roundish 3-lobed capsule.
_Description of root._—Stillingia consists of somewhat cylindrical or
slenderly spindle-shaped roots from 6 inches to a foot in length,
slightly branched, the yellowish white, porous wood covered with a
rather thick, reddish brown, wrinkled bark, the whole breaking with a
fibrous fracture. As found in commerce, stillingia is usually in short
transverse sections, the ends of the sections pinkish and fuzzy with
numerous fine, silky bast fibers, and the bark showing scattered
yellowish brown resin cells and milk ducts. It has a peculiar unpleasant
odor, and a bitter, acrid, and pungent taste.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Stillingia root is collected late in
autumn or early in spring, usually cut into short, transverse sections
and dried. The price ranges from 3 to 5 cents a pound.
This root, which is official in the United States Pharmacopœia, has been
a popular drug in the South for more than a century, and is employed
principally as an alterative.
WILD SARSAPARILLA.
_Aralia nudicaulis_ L.
_Other common names._—False sarsaparilla, Virginian sarsaparilla,
American sarsaparilla, small spikenard, rabbit’s-root, shotbush, wild
licorice.
_Habitat and range._—Wild sarsaparilla grows in rich, moist woods from
Newfoundland west to Manitoba and south to North Carolina and Missouri.
_Description of plant._—This native herbaceous perennial, belonging to
the ginseng family (Araliaceæ), produces a single, long-stalked leaf and
flowering stalk from a very short stem, both surrounded or sheathed at
the base by thin, dry scales. The leafstalk is about 12 inches long,
divided at the top into three parts, each division bearing five oval,
toothed leaflets from 2 to 5 inches long, the veins on the lower surface
sometimes hairy.
The naked flowering stalk bears three spreading clusters of small,
greenish flowers, each cluster consisting of from 12 to 30 flowers,
produced from May to June, followed later in the season by purplish
black roundish berries, about the size of the common elderberries. (Pl.
V, fig. 2.)
_Description of rootstock._—Wild sarsaparilla rootstock has a very
fragrant, aromatic odor. Rabbits are said to be very fond of it, whence
one of the common names, “rabbit’s-root,” is derived. The rootstock is
rather long, horizontally creeping, somewhat twisted, and yellowish
brown on the outside. (Pl. V, fig. 2.) The taste is warm and aromatic.
The dried rootstock is brownish gray and wrinkled lengthwise on the
outside, about one-fourth of an inch in thickness, the inside whitish
with a spongy pith. The taste is sweetish and somewhat aromatic.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root of wild sarsaparilla is
collected in autumn, and brings from 5 to 8 cents a pound.
This has long been a popular remedy, both among the Indians and in
domestic practice, and was official in the United States Pharmacopœia
from 1820 to 1880. Its use is that of an alterative, stimulant, and
diaphoretic, and in this it resembles the official sarsaparilla obtained
from tropical America.
_Similar species._—The American spikenard (_Aralia racemosa_ L.), known
also as spignet, spiceberry, Indian-root, petty-morrel, life-of-man, and
old-man’s-root, is employed like _Aralia nudicaulis_. It is
distinguished from this by its taller, herbaceous habit, its
much-branched stem from 3 to 6 feet high, and very large leaves
consisting of thin, oval, heart-shaped, double saw-toothed leaflets. The
small greenish flowers are arranged in numerous clusters, instead of
only three as in _nudicaulis_, and also appear somewhat later, namely,
from July to August. The berries are roundish, reddish brown, or dark
purple.
The rootstock is shorter than that of _nudicaulis_, and much thicker,
with prominent stem scars, and furnished with numerous, very long,
rather thick roots. The odor and taste are stronger than in
_nudicaulis_. It is also collected in autumn, and brings from 4 to 8
cents a pound.
The American spikenard occurs in similar situations as _nudicaulis_, but
its range extends somewhat farther south, Georgia being given as the
southern limit.
The California spikenard (_Aralia californica_ Wats.) may be used for
the same purposes as the other species. The plant is larger than _Aralia
racemosa_, but otherwise is very much like it. The root is also larger
than that of _A. racemosa_.
GINSENG.
_Panax quinquefolium_ L.
_Other common names._—American ginseng, sang, red-berry, five-fingers.
(Pl. V, fig. 3.)
_Habitat and range._— Ginseng is a native of this country, its favorite
haunts being the rich, moist soil in hardwood forests from Maine to
Minnesota southward to the mountains of northern Georgia and Arkansas.
For some years ginseng has been cultivated in small areas from central
New York to Missouri.
_Description of plant._—Ginseng is an erect perennial plant growing from
8 to 15 inches in height, and bearing three leaves at the summit, each
leaf consisting of five thin, stalked, ovate leaflets, long pointed at
the apex, rounded or narrowed at the base, the margins toothed; the
three upper leaflets are largest and the two lower ones smaller. From 6
to 20 greenish yellow flowers are produced in a cluster during July and
August, followed later in the season by bright crimson berries. It
belongs to the ginseng family (Araliaceæ).
_Description of root._—Ginseng has a thick, spindle-shaped root, 2 to 3
inches long or more, and about one-half to 1 inch in thickness, often
branched, the outside prominently marked with circles or wrinkles. (Pl.
V, fig. 3.) The spindle-shaped root is simple at first, but after the
second year it usually becomes forked or branched, and it is the
branched root, especially if it resembles the human form, that finds
particular favor in the eyes of the Chinese, who are the principal
consumers of this root.
Ginseng root has a thick, pale yellowish white or brownish yellow bark,
prominently marked with transverse wrinkles, the whole root fleshy and
somewhat flexible. If properly dried, it is solid and firm. Ginseng has
a slight aromatic odor, and the taste is sweetish and mucilaginous.
_Collection and uses._—The proper time for digging ginseng root is in
autumn, and it should be carefully washed, sorted, and dried. If
collected at any other season of the year, it will shrink more and not
have the fine plump appearance of the fall-dug root.
The National Dispensatory contains an interesting item concerning the
collection of the root by the Indians. They gather the root only after
the fruit has ripened, and it is said that they bend down the stem of
ripened fruit before digging the root, covering the fruit with earth,
and thus providing for future propagation. The Indians claim that a
large percentage of the seeds treated in this way will germinate.
Although once official in the United States Pharmacopœia, from 1840 to
1880, it is but little used medicinally in this country except by the
Chinese residents, most of the ginseng produced in this country being
exported to China. The Chinese regard ginseng root as a panacea. It is
on account of its commercial prominence that it is included in this
paper.
_Cultivation._—There is probably no plant that has become better known,
at least by name, during the past ten years or more than ginseng. It has
been heralded from north to south and east to west as a money-making
crop. The prospective ginseng grower must not fail to bear in mind,
however, that financial returns are by no means immediate. Special
conditions and unusual care are required in ginseng cultivation,
diseases must be contended with, and a long period of waiting is in
store for him before he can realize on his crop.
Either roots or seeds may be planted, and the best success with ginseng
is obtained by following as closely as possible the conditions of its
native habitat. Ginseng needs a deep, rich soil, and, being a plant
accustomed to the shade of forest trees, will require shade, which can
be supplied by the erection of lath sheds over the beds. A heavy mulch
of leaves or similar well-rotted vegetable material should be applied to
the beds in autumn.
If roots are planted, they are set in rows about 8 inches apart and 8
inches apart in the row. In this way a marketable product will be
obtained sooner than if grown from seed. The seed is sown in spring or
autumn in drills 6 inches apart and about 2 inches apart in the row. The
plants remain in the seed bed for two years and are then transplanted,
being set about 8 by 8 inches apart. It requires from five to seven
years to obtain a marketable crop from the seed. Seed intended for
sowing should not be allowed to dry out, as this is supposed to destroy
its vitality.
_Price._—The price of wild ginseng roots ranges from $5 a pound upward.
The cultivated root generally brings a lower price than the wild root,
and southern ginseng roots are worth less than those from northern
localities.
_Exports._—The exports of ginseng for the year ended June 30, 1906,
amounted to 160,949 pounds, valued at $1,175,844.
WATER-ERYNGO.
_Eryngium yuccifolium_ Michx.
_Synonym._—_Eryngium aquaticum_ L.
_Other common names._—Eryngium, eryngo, button-snakeroot,
corn-snakeroot, rattlesnake-master, rattlesnake-weed, rattlesnake-flag.
_Habitat and range._—Although sometimes occurring on dry land,
water-eryngo usually inhabits swamps and low, wet ground, from the pine
barrens of New Jersey westward to Minnesota and south to Texas and
Florida.
_Description of plant._—The leaves of this plant are grasslike in form,
rigid, 1 to 2 feet long, and about one-half inch or a trifle more in
width; they are linear, with parallel veins, pointed, generally clasping
at the base, and the margins bristly with soft, slender spines. The
stout, furrowed stem reaches a height of from 2 to 6 feet, and is
generally unbranched except near the top. The insignificant whitish
flowers are borne in dense, ovate-globular, stout-stemmed heads,
appearing from June to September, and the seed heads that follow are
ovate and scaly. (Pl. V, fig. 4.) Water-eryngo belongs to the parsley
family (Apiaceæ) and is native in this country.
_Description of rootstock._—The stout rootstock is very knotty, with
numerous short branches, and produces many thick, rather straight roots
(Pl. V, fig. 4), both rootstock and roots of a dark-brown color, the
latter wrinkled lengthwise. The inside of the rootstock is yellowish
white. Water-eryngo has a somewhat peculiar, slightly aromatic odor, and
a sweetish, mucilaginous taste at first, followed by some bitterness and
pungency.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root of this plant is collected in
autumn and brings from 5 to 10 cents a pound.
Water-eryngo is an old remedy, and one of its early uses, as the several
common names indicate, was for the treatment of snake bites. It was
official in the United States Pharmacopœia from 1820 to 1860, and is
employed now as a diuretic and expectorant, and for promoting
perspiration. In large doses it acts as an emetic, and the root, when
chewed, excites a flow of saliva. It is said to resemble Seneca
snakeroot in action.
AMERICAN ANGELICA.
_Angelica atropurpurea_ L.
_Synonym._—_Archangelica atropurpurea_ Hoffm.
_Other common names._—Angelica, purple-stemmed angelica, great angelica,
high angelica, purple angelica, masterwort.
_Habitat and range._—American angelica is a native herb, common in
swamps and damp places from Labrador to Delaware and west to Minnesota.
_Description of plant._—This strong-scented, tall, stout perennial
reaches a height of from 4 to 6 feet, with a smooth, dark-purple, hollow
stem 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The leaves are divided into three parts,
each of which is again divided into threes; the rather thin segments are
oval or ovate, somewhat acute, sharply toothed and sometimes deeply cut,
and about 2 inches long. The lower leaves sometimes measure 2 feet in
width, while the upper ones are smaller, but all have very broad
expanded stalks. The greenish white flowers are produced from June to
July in somewhat roundish, many-rayed umbels or heads, which sometimes
are 8 to 10 inches in diameter. The fruits are smooth, compressed, and
broadly oval. (Pl. VI, fig. 1.) American angelica belongs to the parsley
family (Apiaceæ).
_Description of root._—American angelica root is branched, from 3 to 6
inches long, and less than an inch in diameter. The outside is light
brownish gray, with deep furrows, and the inside nearly white, the whole
breaking with a short fracture and the thick bark showing fine resin
dots. It has an aromatic odor, and the taste at first is sweetish and
spicy, afterwards bitter. The fresh root is said to possess poisonous
properties.
The root of the European or garden angelica (_Angelica officinalis_
Moench) supplies much of the angelica root of commerce. This is native
in northern Europe and is very widely cultivated, especially in Germany,
for the root.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root is dug in autumn and carefully
dried. Care is also necessary in preserving the root, as it is very
liable to the attacks of insects. American angelica root ranges from 6
to 10 cents a pound.
American angelica root, which was official in the United States
Pharmacopœia from 1820 to 1860, is used as an aromatic, tonic,
stimulant, carminative, diuretic, and diaphoretic. In large doses it
acts as an emetic.
The seeds are also employed medicinally.
YELLOW JASMINE OR JESSAMINE.
_Gelsemium sempervirens_ (L.) Ait. f.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Gelsemium.
_Other common names._—Carolina jasmine or jessamine, Carolina wild
woodbine, evening trumpet-flower.
_Habitat and range._—Yellow jasmine is a plant native to the South,
found along banks of streams, in woods, lowlands, and thickets,
generally near the coast, from the eastern part of Virginia to Florida
and Texas, south to Mexico and Guatemala.
_Description of plant._—This highly ornamental climbing or trailing
plant is abundantly met with in the woods of the Southern States, its
slender stems festooned over trees and fences and making its presence
known by the delightful perfume exhaled by its flowers, filling the air
with a fragrance that is almost overpowering wherever the yellow jasmine
is very abundant.
The smooth shining stems of this beautiful vine sometimes reach a length
of 20 feet. The leaves are evergreen, lance shaped, entire, 1½ to 3
inches long, rather narrow, borne on short stems, and generally
remaining on the vine during the winter. The flowers, which appear from
January to April, are bright yellow, about 1 to 1½ inches long, the
corolla funnel shaped. (Fig. 20.) They are very fragrant, but poisonous,
and it is stated that the eating of honey derived from jasmine flowers
has brought about fatal results.
Yellow jasmine is a perennial, and belongs to a family that is noted for
its poisonous properties, namely, the Logania family (Loganiaceæ), which
numbers among its members such powerful poisonous agents as the
strychnine-producing tree.
_Description of rootstock._—The rootstock of the yellow jasmine is
horizontal and runs near the surface of the ground, attaining great
length, 15 feet or more; it is branched, and here and there produces
fibrous rootlets. When freshly removed from the ground it is very
yellow, with a peculiar odor and bitter taste. For the drug trade it is
generally cut into pieces varying from 1 inch to 6 inches in length, and
when dried consists of cylindrical sections about 1 inch in thickness,
the roots, of course, thinner. The bark is thin, yellowish brown, with
fine silky bast fibers, and the wood is tough and pale yellow, breaking
with a splintery fracture and showing numerous fine rays radiating from
a small central pith. Yellow jasmine has a bitter taste and a pronounced
heavy odor.
[Illustration: FIG. 20.—Yellow jasmine (_Gelsemium sempervirens_).]
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root of yellow jasmine is usually
collected just after the plant has come into flower and is cut into
pieces from 1 to 6 inches long. It is often adulterated with portions of
the stems, but these can be distinguished by their thinness and dark
purplish color. The prices range from 3 to 5 cents a pound.
Yellow jasmine, which is official in the United States Pharmacopœia, is
used for its powerful effect on the nervous system.
PINKROOT.
_Spigelia marilandica_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Spigelia.
_Other common names._—Carolina pinkroot, Carolina pink, Maryland pink,
Indian pink, starbloom, wormgrass, wormweed, American wormroot.
_Habitat and range._—This pretty little plant is found in rich woods
from New Jersey to Florida, west to Texas and Wisconsin, but occurring
principally in the Southern States. It is fast disappearing, however,
from its native haunts.
_Description of plant._—Pinkroot belongs to the same family as the
yellow jasmine, namely, the Logania family (Loganiaceæ), noted for its
poisonous species. It is a native perennial herb, with simple, erect
stem 6 inches to 1½ feet high, nearly smooth. The leaves are stemless,
generally ovate, pointed at the apex and rounded or narrowed at the
base; they are from 2 to 4 inches long, one-half to 2 inches wide,
smooth on the upper surface, and only slightly hairy on the veins on the
lower surface. The rather showy flowers are produced from May to July in
a terminal one-sided spike; they are from 1 to 2 inches in length,
somewhat tube shaped, narrowed below, slightly inflated toward the
center, and again narrowed or contracted toward the top, and terminating
in five lance-shaped lobes; the flowers are very showy, with their
brilliant coloring—bright scarlet on the outside, and the inside of the
tube and the lobes a bright yellow. The seed capsule is double,
consisting of two globular portions more or less united, and containing
numerous seeds. (Pl. VI, fig. 2.)
_Description of rootstock._—The rootstock is rather small, from 1 to 2
inches in length and about one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness. It is
somewhat crooked or bent, dark brown, with a roughened appearance of the
upper surface caused by cup-shaped scars, the remains of former annual
stems. The lower surface and the sides have numerous long, finely
branched, lighter colored roots, which are rather brittle. Pinkroot has
a pleasant, aromatic odor, and the taste is described as sweetish,
bitter, and pungent.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Pinkroot is collected after the
flowering period. It is said to be scarce, and was reported as becoming
scarce as long ago as 1830. The price paid to collectors ranges from 25
to 40 cents a pound.
The roots of other plants, notably those of the East Tennessee pinkroot
(_Ruellia ciliosa_ Pursh), are often found mixed with the true pinkroot,
and the _Ruellia ciliosa_ is even substituted for it. This adulteration
or substitution probably accounts for the inertness which has sometimes
been attributed to the true pinkroot and which has caused it to fall
into more or less disuse. It has long been known that the true pinkroot
was adulterated, but this adulteration was supposed to be caused by the
admixture of Carolina phlox (_Phlox carolina_ L., now known as _Phlox
ovata_ L.), but this is said now to be no part of the substitution.[4]
The rootstock of _Ruellia ciliosa_ is larger and not as dark as that of
the Maryland pinkroot and has fewer and coarser roots, from which the
bark readily separates, leaving the whitish wood exposed.
Pinkroot was long known by the Indians, and its properties were made
known to physicians by them. It is official in the United States
Pharmacopœia, and is used principally as an anthelmintic.
AMERICAN COLOMBO.
_Frasera carolinensis_ Walt.
_Synonym._—_Frasera walteri_ Michx.
_Other common names._—Frasera, meadowpride, pyramid-flower,
pyramid-plant, Indian lettuce, yellow gentian, ground-centaury.
_Habitat and range._—American colombo occurs in dry soil from the
western part of New York to Wisconsin, south to Georgia and Kentucky.
_Description of plant._—During the first and second year of the growth
of this plant only the root leaves are produced. These are generally
somewhat rounded at the summit, narrowed toward the base, and larger
than the stem leaves, which develop in the third year. The leaves are
deep green and produced mostly in whorls of four, the stem leaves being
3 to 6 inches in length and oblong or lance shaped. In the third year
the stem is developed and the flowers are produced from June to August.
The stem is stout, erect, cylindrical, and 3 to 8 feet in height. The
flowers of American colombo are borne in large terminal, handsome
pyramidal clusters sometimes 2 feet in length, and are greenish yellow
or yellowish white, dotted with brown purple. They are slender stemmed,
about 1 inch across, with a wheelshaped, 4-parted corolla. The seeds are
contained in a much compressed capsule. (Fig. 21.) American colombo is
an indigenous perennial, and belongs to the gentian family
(Gentianaceæ).
[Illustration: FIG 21.—American colombo (_Frasera carolinensis_),
leaves, flowers, and seed pods.]
_Description of root._—The root is long, horizontal, spindle shaped,
yellow, and wrinkled. In the fresh state it is fleshy and quite heavy.
The American colombo root of commerce, formerly in transverse slices,
now generally occurs in lengthwise slices. The outside is yellowish or
pale orange and the inside spongy and pale yellow. The taste is bitter.
American colombo root resembles the official gentian root in taste and
odor, and the uses are also similar.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The proper time for collecting American
colombo root is in the autumn of the second year or in March or April of
the third year. It is generally cut into lengthwise slices before
drying. The price of American colombo root ranges from 3 to 5 cents a
pound.
The dried root, which was official in the United States Pharmacopœia
from 1820 to 1880, is used as a simple tonic. In the fresh state the
root possesses emetic and cathartic properties.
BLACK INDIAN HEMP.
_Apocynum cannabinum_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Apocynum.
_Other common names._—Canadian hemp, American hemp, amy-root,
bowman’s-root, bitterroot, Indian-physic, rheumatism-weed, milkweed,
wild cotton, Choctaw-root.
The name “Indian hemp” is often applied to this plant, but it should
never be used without the adjective “black.” “Indian hemp” is a name
that properly belongs to _Cannabis indica_, a true hemp plant, from
which the narcotic drug “hashish” is obtained.
_Habitat and range._—Black Indian hemp is a native of this country, and
may be found in thickets and along the borders of old fields throughout
the United States.
_Description of plant._—This is a common herbaceous perennial about 2 to
4 feet high, with erect or ascending branches, and, like most of the
plants belonging to the dogbane family (Apocynaceæ), contains a milky
juice. The short-stemmed opposite leaves are oblong, lance-shaped oblong
or ovate-oblong, about 2 to 6 inches long, usually sharp pointed, the
upper surface smooth and the lower sometimes hairy. The plant is in
flower from June to August and the small greenish white flowers are
borne in dense heads, followed later by the slender pods, which are
about 4 inches in length and pointed at the apex. (Fig. 22.)
[Illustration: FIG. 22.—Black Indian hemp (_Apocynum cannabinum_),
flowering portion, pods, and rootstock. (After King’s American
Dispensatory.)]
_Other species._—Considerable confusion seems to exist in regard to
which species yields the root which has proved of greatest value
medicinally. The Pharmacopœia directs that “the dried rhizome and roots
of _Apocynum cannabinum_ or of closely allied species of Apocynum” be
used.
In the older botanical works and medical herbals only two species of
Apocynum were recognized, namely, _A. cannabinum_ L. and _A.
androsaemifolium_ L., although it was known that both of these were very
variable. In the newer botanical manuals both of these species still
hold good, but the different forms and variations are now recognized as
distinct species, those formerly referred to _cannabinum_ being
distinguished by the erect or nearly erect lobes of the corolla, and
those of the _androsaemifolium_ group being distinguished by the
spreading or recurved lobes of the corolla.
Among the plants that were formerly collected as _Apocynum cannabinum_
or varietal forms of it, and which are now considered as distinct
species, may be mentioned the following:
Riverbank-dogbane (_A. album_ Greene), which frequents the banks of
rivers and similar moist locations from Maine to Wisconsin, Virginia,
and Missouri. This plant is perfectly smooth and has white flowers and
relatively smaller leaves than _A. cannabinum_.
Velvet dogbane (_A. pubescens_ R. Br.), which is common from Virginia to
Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The entire plant has a soft, hairy or
velvety appearance, which renders identification easy. According to the
latest edition of the National Standard Dispensatory it is not unlikely
that this is the plant that furnishes the drug that has been so
favorably reported upon.
_Apocynum androsaemifolium_ is also gathered by drug collectors for
_Apocynum cannabinum_. Its root is likewise employed in medicine, but
its action is not the same as that of _cannabinum_, and it should
therefore not be substituted for it. It closely resembles _cannabinum_.
_Description of rootstock._—The following description of the drug as
found in commerce is taken from the United States Pharmacopœia: “Of
varying length, 3 to 8 mm. thick, cylindrical or with a few angles
produced by drying, lightly wrinkled longitudinally, and usually more or
less fissured transversely; orange-brown, becoming gray-brown on
keeping; brittle; fracture sharply transverse, exhibiting a thin brown
layer of cork, the remainder of the bark nearly as thick as the radius
of the wood, white or sometimes pinkish, starchy, containing
laticiferous ducts; the wood yellowish, having several rings, finely
radiate and very coarsely porous; almost inodorous, the taste starchy,
afterwards becoming bitter and somewhat acrid.”
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root of black Indian hemp is
collected in autumn and brings from 8 to 10 cents a pound.
It is official in the United States Pharmacopœia and has emetic,
cathartic, diaphoretic, expectorant, and diuretic properties, and on
account of the last-named action it is used in dropsical affections.
The tough fibrous bark of the stalks of black Indian hemp was employed
by the Indians as a substitute for hemp in making twine, fishing nets,
etc.
PLEURISY-ROOT.
_Asclepias tuberosa_ L.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Asclepias.
_Other common names._—Butterfly-weed, Canada-root, Indian-posy,
orange-root, orange swallowwort, tuberroot, whiteroot, windroot, yellow
or orange milkweed.
_Habitat and range._—Pleurisy-root flourishes in the open or in pine
woods, in dry sandy or gravelly soil, usually along the banks of
streams. Its range extends from Ontario and Maine to Minnesota, south to
Florida, Texas, and Arizona, but it is found in greatest abundance in
the South.
_Description of plant._—This is a very showy and ornamental perennial
plant, indigenous to this country, and belonging to the milkweed family
(Asclepiadaceæ); it is erect and rather stiff in habit, but with
brilliant heads of bright orange-colored flowers that attract attention
from afar.
The stems are rather stout, erect, hairy, about 1 to 2 feet in height,
sometimes branched near the top, and bearing a thick growth of leaves.
These are either stemless or borne on short stems, are somewhat rough to
the touch, 2 to 6 inches long, lance shaped or oblong, the apex either
sharp pointed or blunt, with a narrow, rounded, or heart-shaped base.
The flower heads, borne at the ends of the stem and branches, consist of
numerous, oddly shaped orange-colored flowers. The corolla is composed
of five segments, which are reflexed or turned back, and the crown has
five erect or spreading “hoods,” within each of which is a slender
incurved horn. The plant is in flower for some time, usually from June
to September, followed late in fall by pods, which are from 4 to 5
inches long, green, tinged with red, finely hairy on the outside, and
containing the seeds with their long silky hairs. (Pl. VI, fig. 3.)
Unlike the other milkweeds, the pleurisy-root contains little or no
milky juice.
_Description of root._—The root of this plant is large, white and
fleshy, spindle shaped, branching. (Pl. VI, fig. 3.) As found in
commerce it consists of lengthwise or crosswise pieces from 1 to 6
inches in length and about three-fourths of an inch in thickness. It is
wrinkled lengthwise and also transversely and has a knotty head. The
thin bark is orange brown and the wood yellowish, with white rays. It
has no odor, and a somewhat bitter, acrid taste.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root, which is usually found rather
deep in the soil, is collected in autumn, cut into transverse or
lengthwise slices, and dried. The price ranges from 6 to 10 cents a
pound.
Pleurisy-root was much esteemed by the Indians, has long been used in
domestic practice, and is official in the United States Pharmacopœia. It
is used in disordered digestion and in affections of the lungs, in the
last-named instance to promote expectoration, relieve pains in the
chest, and induce easier breathing. It is also useful in producing
perspiration.
_Other species._—Besides the official pleurisy-root there are two other
species of Asclepias which are employed to some extent for the same
purposes, namely, the common milkweed and the swamp-milkweed.
The common milkweed (_Asclepias syriaca_ L.) is a perennial, native in
fields and waste places from Canada to North Carolina and Kansas. It has
a stout, usually simple stem 3 to 5 feet in height and oblong or oval
leaves, smooth on the upper surface and densely hairy beneath. The
flowers, similar in form to those of _Asclepias tuberosa_, are pinkish
purple and appear from June to August, followed by erect pods 3 to 5
inches long, wooly with matted hairs and covered with prickles and borne
on recurved stems. The plant contains an abundance of milky juice.
The root of the common milkweed is from 1 to 6 feet long, cylindrical,
and finely wrinkled. The short branches and scars left by former stems
give the root a rough, knotty appearance. The bark is thick, grayish
brown, and the inside white, the root breaking with a short, splintery
fracture. Common milkweed root has a very bitter taste, but no odor.
It is collected in autumn and cut into transverse slices before drying.
Common milkweed root ranges from 6 to 8 cents a pound.
Swamp-milkweed (_Asclepias incarnata_ L.) is a native perennial herb
found in swamps from Canada to Tennessee and Kansas. The slender stem,
leafy to the top, is 1 to 2 feet in height, branched above, the leaves
lance shaped or oblong lance shaped. The flowers, also similar to those
of _tuberosa_, appear from July to September, and are flesh colored or
rose colored. The pods are 2 to 3½ inches long, erect, and very
sparingly hairy.
The root of the swamp-milkweed, which is also collected in autumn, is
not quite an inch in length, hard and knotty, with several light-brown
rootlets. The tough white wood, which has a thick central pith, is
covered with a thin, yellowish brown bark. It is practically without
odor, and the taste, sweetish at first, finally becomes bitter. This
root brings about 3 cents a pound.
COMFREY.
_Symphytum officinale_ L.
_Other common names._—Symphytum, healing-herb, knitback, ass-ear,
backwort, blackwort, bruisewort, gum-plant, slippery-root.
_Habitat and range._—Comfrey is naturalized from Europe, and occurs in
waste places from Newfoundland to Minnesota, south to Maryland.
_Description of plant._—This coarse, rough, hairy perennial herb is from
2 to 3 feet high, erect and branched, with thick, rough leaves, the
lower ones ovate lance shaped, 3 to 10 inches long, pointed at the apex,
and narrowed at the base into margined stems. The uppermost leaves are
lance shaped, smaller, and stemless. Comfrey is in flower from June to
August, the purplish or dirty-white, tubular, bell-shaped flowers
numerous and borne in dense terminal clusters. (Pl. VI, fig. 4.) The
nutlets which follow are brown, shining, and somewhat wrinkled. Comfrey
belongs to the borage family (Boraginaceæ).
_Description of root._—Comfrey has a large, deep, spindle-shaped root,
thick and fleshy at the top, white inside, and covered with a thin,
blackish brown bark. (Pl. VI, fig. 4.) The dried root is hard, black,
and very deeply and roughly wrinkled, breaking with a smooth, white,
waxy fracture. As it occurs in commerce it is in pieces ranging from
about an inch to several inches in length, only about one-fourth of an
inch in thickness, and usually considerably bent. It has a very
mucilaginous, somewhat sweetish and astringent taste, but no odor.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root is dug in autumn, or sometimes
in early spring. Comfrey root when first dug is very fleshy and juicy,
but about four-fifths of its weight is lost in drying. The price ranges
from 4 to 8 cents a pound.
The mucilaginous character of comfrey root renders it useful in coughs
and diarrheal complaints. Its action is demulcent and slightly
astringent.
The leaves are also used to some extent.
STONEROOT.
_Collinsonia canadensis_ L.
_Other common names._—Collinsonia, knobroot, knobgrass, knobweed,
knotroot, horse-balm, horseweed, richweed, richleaf, ox-balm,
citronella.
_Habitat and range._—Stoneroot is found in moist, shady woods from Maine
to Wisconsin, south to Florida and Kansas.
_Description of plant._—Like most of the other members of the mint
family (Menthaceæ), stoneroot is aromatic also, the fresh flowering
plant possessing a very pleasant, lemon-like odor. It is a tall,
perennial herb, growing as high as 5 feet. The stem is stout, erect,
branched, smooth, or the upper part hairy.
The leaves are opposite, about 3 to 8 inches long, thin, ovate, pointed
at the apex, narrowed or sometimes heart shaped at the base, and
coarsely toothed; the lower leaves are largest and are borne on slender
stems, while the upper ones are smaller and almost stemless. Stoneroot
is in flower from July to October, producing large, loose, open terminal
panicles or heads of small, pale-yellow lemon-scented flowers. The
flowers have a funnel-shaped 2-lipped corolla, the lower lip larger,
pendent, and fringed, with two very much protruding stamens. (Pl. VII,
fig. 1.)
_Description of root._—Even the fresh root of this plant is very hard.
It is horizontal, large, thick, and woody, and the upper side is rough
and knotty and branched irregularly. (Pl. VII, fig. 1.) The odor of the
root is rather disagreeable, and the taste pungent and spicy. In the
fresh state, as well as when dry, the root is extremely hard, whence the
common name “stoneroot.” The dried root is grayish brown externally,
irregularly knotty on the upper surface from the remains of branches and
the scars left by former stems, and the lower surface showing a few thin
roots. The inside of the root is hard and whitish.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Stoneroot, which is collected in autumn,
is employed for its tonic, astringent, diuretic, and diaphoretic
effects. The price of the root ranges from 2 to 3½ cents a pound.
The leaves are used by country people as an application to bruises.
CULVER’S-ROOT.
_Veronica virginica_ L.[5]
_Synonym._—_Leptandra virginica_ (L.) Nutt.[5]
_Pharmacopœial name._—Leptandra.
_Other common names._—Culver’s-physic, blackroot, bowman’s-root,
Beaumont-root, Brinton-root, tall speedwell, tall veronica, physic-root,
whorlywort.
_Habitat and range._—This common indigenous herb is found abundantly in
moist, rich woods, mountain valleys, meadows, and thickets from British
Columbia south to Alabama, Missouri, and Nebraska.
[Illustration: FIG. 23.—Culver’s-root (_Veronica virginica_), flowering
top and rootstock.]
_Description of plant._—Culver’s-root is a tall, slender-stemmed
perennial belonging to the figwort family (Scrophulariaceæ). It is from
3 to 7 feet in height, with the leaves arranged around the simple stems
in whorls of three to nine. The leaves are borne on very short stems,
are lance shaped, long pointed at the apex, narrowed at the base, and
sharply toothed, 3 to 6 inches in length, and 1 inch or less in width.
The white tube-shaped flowers, with two long protruding stamens, are
produced from June to September and are borne in several terminal,
densely crowded, slender, spikelike heads from 3 to 9 inches long. (Fig.
23.) The flowers, as stated, are usually white, though the color may
vary from a pink to bluish or purple, and on account of its graceful
spikes of pretty flowers it is often cultivated in gardens as an
ornamental plant. The fruits are small, oblong, compressed, many-seeded
capsules.
_Description of rootstock._—After they are dried the rootstocks have a
grayish brown appearance on the outside, and the inside is hard and
yellowish, either with a hollow center or a brownish or purplish pith.
When broken the fracture is tough and woody. The rootstock measures from
4 to 6 inches in length, is rather thick and bent, with branches
resembling the main rootstock. The upper surface has a few stem scars,
and from the sides and underneath numerous coarse, brittle roots are
produced, which have the appearance of having been artificially inserted
into the rootstock. (Fig. 23.) Culver’s-root has a bitter and acrid
taste, but no odor.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The rootstock and roots should be
collected in the fall of the second year. When fresh these have a faint
odor, resembling somewhat that of almonds, which is lost in drying. The
bitter, acrid taste of Culver’s-root also becomes less the longer it is
kept, and it is said that it should be kept at least a year before being
used. The price paid to collectors ranges from 6 to 10 cents a pound.
Culver’s-root, which is official in the United States Pharmacopœia, is
used as an alterative, cathartic, and in disorders of the liver.
DANDELION.
_Taraxacum officinale_ Weber.[6]
_Synonyms._—_Taraxacum taraxacum_ (L.) Karst.;[6] _Taraxacum
dens-leonis_ Desf.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Taraxacum.
_Other common names._—Blow-ball, cankerwort, doon-head-clock,
fortune-teller, horse gowan, Irish daisy, yellow gowan, one-o’clock.
(Fig. 24.)
_Habitat and range._—With the exception, possibly, of a few localities
in the South, the dandelion is at home almost everywhere in the United
States, being a familiar weed in meadows and waste places, and
especially in lawns. It has been naturalized in this country from Europe
and is distributed as a weed in all civilized parts of the world.
_Description of plant._—It is hardly necessary to give a description of
the dandelion, as almost everyone is familiar with the coarsely toothed,
smooth, shining green leaves, the golden-yellow flowers which open in
the morning and only in fair weather, and the round, fluffy seed heads
of this only too plentiful weed of the lawns. In spring the young,
tender leaves are much sought after by the colored market women about
Washington, who collect them by the basketful and sell them for greens
or salad.
Dandelion is a perennial belonging to the chicory family (Cichoriaceæ),
and is in flower practically throughout the year. The entire plant
contains a white milky juice.
_Description of root._—The dandelion has a large, thick, and fleshy
taproot, sometimes measuring 20 inches in length. In commerce, dandelion
root is usually found in pieces 3 to 6 inches long, dark brown on the
outside and strongly wrinkled lengthwise. It breaks with a short
fracture and shows the thick whitish bark marked with circles of milk
ducts and a thin woody center, which is yellow and porous. It is
practically without odor and has a bitter taste.
_Collection and uses._—Late in summer and in fall the milky juice
becomes thicker and the bitterness increases, and this is the time to
collect dandelion root. It should be carefully washed and thoroughly
dried. Dandelion roots lose considerably in drying, weighing less than
half as much as the fresh roots. The dried root should not be kept too
long, as drying diminishes its medicinal activity. It is official in the
United States Pharmacopœia.
Dandelion is used as a tonic in diseases of the liver and in dyspepsia.
[Illustration: FIG. 24.—Dandelion (_Taraxacum officinale_).]
_Imports and prices._—Most of the dandelion root found on the market is
collected in central Europe. There has been an unusually large demand
for dandelion root during the season of 1907, and according to the
weekly records contained in the “Oil, Paint, and Drug Reporter,” the
imports entered at the port of New York from January 1, 1907, to the end
of May amounted to about 47,000 pounds. The price ranges from 4 to 10
cents a pound.
QUEEN-OF-THE-MEADOW.
_Eupatorium purpureum_ L.
_Other common names._—Gravelroot, Indian gravelroot, joe-pye-weed,
purple boneset, tall boneset, kidneyroot, king-of-the-meadow,
marsh-milkweed, motherwort, niggerweed, quillwort, slunkweed,
trumpetweed.
_Habitat and range._—This common native perennial herb occurs in low
grounds and dry woods and meadows from Canada to Florida and Texas.
_Description of plant._—The stout, erect, green or purple stem of this
plant grows from 3 to 10 feet in height, and is usually smooth, simple
or branched at the top. The thin, veiny leaves are 4 to 12 inches long,
1 to 3 inches wide, ovate or ovate lance shaped, sharp pointed, toothed,
and placed around the stem in whorls of three to six. While the upper
surface of the leaves is smooth, there is usually a slight hairiness
along the veins on the lower surface, otherwise smooth. Toward the
latter part of the summer and in early fall queen-of-the-meadow is in
flower, producing 5 to 15 flowered pink or purplish heads, all
aggregated in large compound clusters, which present a rather showy
appearance. (Pl. VII, fig. 2.) This plant belongs to the aster family
(Asteraceæ).
Another species which is collected with this and for similar purposes,
and by some regarded as only a variety, is the spotted boneset or
spotted joe-pye-weed (_Eupatorium maculatum_ L.). This is very similar
to _E. purpureum_, but it does not grow so tall, is rough-hairy, and has
the stem spotted with purple. The thicker leaves are coarsely toothed
and in whorls of three to five, and the flower clusters are flattened at
the top rather than elongated as in _E. purpureum_.
It is found in moist soil from New York to Kentucky, westward to Kansas,
New Mexico, Minnesota, and as far up as British Columbia.
_Description of root._—Queen-of-the-meadow root, as it occurs in
commerce, is blackish and woody, furnished with numerous long dark-brown
fibers, which are furrowed or wrinkled lengthwise and whitish within. It
has a bitter, aromatic, and astringent taste.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root is collected in autumn and is
used for its astringent and diuretic properties. It was official in the
United States Pharmacopœia from 1820 to 1840. The price ranges from 2½
to 4 cents a pound.
ELECAMPANE.
_Inula helenium_ L.
_Other common names._—Inula, inul, horseheal, elf-dock, elfwort,
horse-elder, scabwort, yellow starwort, velvet dock, wild sunflower.
_Habitat and range._—This perennial herb has been naturalized from
Europe, and is found along roadsides and in fields and damp pastures
from Nova Scotia to North Carolina, westward to Missouri and Minnesota.
It is native also in Asia.
_Description of plant._—When in flower elecampane resembles the
sunflower on a small scale. Like the sunflower, it is a member of the
aster family (Asteraceæ). It is a rough plant, growing from 3 to 6 feet
in height, but producing during the first year only root leaves, which
attain considerable size. In the following season the stout densely
hairy stem develops, attaining a height of from 3 to 6 feet.
The leaves are broadly oblong in form, toothed, the upper surface rough
and the under side densely soft-hairy. The basal or root leaves are
borne on long stems, and are from 10 to 20 inches long and 4 to 8 inches
wide, while the upper leaves are smaller and stemless or clasping.
About July to September the terminal flower heads are produced, either
singly or a few together. As already stated, these flower heads look
very much like small sunflowers, 2 to 4 inches broad, and consist of
long, narrow, yellow rays, 3 toothed at the apex, and the disk also is
yellow. (Pl. VII, fig. 3.)
_Description of root._—Elecampane has a large, long, branching root,
pale yellow on the outside and whitish and fleshy within. (Pl. VII, fig.
3.) When dry the outside turns a grayish brown or dark brown, and is
generally finely wrinkled lengthwise. As found in commerce, elecampane
is usually in transverse or lengthwise slices, light yellow or grayish
and fleshy internally, dotted with numerous shining resin cells, and
with overlapping brown and wrinkled bark. These slices become flexible
in damp weather, and tough, but when they are dry they break with a
short fracture. The root has at first a strongly aromatic odor, which
has been described by some as resembling a violet odor, but this
diminishes in drying. The taste is aromatic, bitterish, and pungent.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The best time for collecting elecampane
is in the fall of the second year. If collected later than that the
roots are apt to be stringy and woody. Owing to the interlacing habit of
the rootlets, much dirt adheres to the root, but it should be well
cleaned, cut into transverse or lengthwise slices, and carefully dried
in the shade. Collectors receive from 3 to 5 cents a pound for this
root.
Elecampane, which was official in the United States Pharmacopœia of
1890, is much used in affections of the respiratory organs, in digestive
and liver disorders, catarrhal discharges, and in skin diseases.
ECHINACEA.
_Brauneria angustifolia_ (DC.) Heller.
_Synonym._—_Echinacea angustifolia_ DC.
_Other common names._—Pale-purple coneflower, Sampson-root, niggerhead
(in Kansas).
_Habitat and range._—Echinacea is found in scattered patches in rich
prairie soil or sandy soil from Alabama to Texas and northwestward,
being most abundant in Kansas and Nebraska. Though not growing wild in
the Eastern States, it has succeeded well under cultivation in the
testing gardens of the Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C.
_Description of plant._—This native herbaceous perennial, belonging to
the aster family (Asteraceæ), grows to a height of from 2 to 3 feet. It
sends up a rather stout bristly-hairy stem, bearing thick rough-hairy
leaves, which are broadly lance shaped or linear lance shaped, entire, 3
to 8 inches long, narrowed at each end, and strongly three nerved. The
lower leaves have slender stems, but as they approach the top of the
plant the stems become shorter and some of the upper leaves are
stemless.
The flower heads, appearing from July to October, are very pretty, and
the plant would do well as an ornamental in gardens. The flowers remain
on the plant for a long time, and the color varies from whitish rose to
pale purple. The heads consist of ray flowers and disk flowers, the
former constituting the “petals” surrounding the disk, and the disk
itself being composed of small, tubular, greenish yellow flowers. When
the flowers first appear the disk is flattened or really concave, but as
the flowering progresses it becomes conical in shape. The brown fruiting
heads are conical, chaffy, stiff, and wiry. (Pl. VII, fig. 4.)
_Description of root._—Echinacea has a thick, blackish root (Pl. VII,
fig. 4), which in commerce occurs in cylindrical pieces of varying
length and thickness. The dried root is grayish brown on the outside,
the bark wrinkled lengthwise and sometimes spirally twisted. It breaks
with a short, weak fracture, showing yellow or greenish yellow wood
wedges, which give the impression that the wood is decayed.
The odor is scarcely perceptible, and the taste is mildly aromatic,
afterwards becoming acrid and inducing a flow of saliva.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—The root of echinacea is collected in
autumn and brings from 20 to 30 cents a pound. It is said that echinacea
varies greatly in quality, due chiefly to the locality in which it
grows. According to J. U. Lloyd, the best quality comes from the prairie
lands of Nebraska, and that from marshy places is inferior.
Echinacea is said to be an alterative, and to promote perspiration and
induce a flow of saliva. The Indians used the freshly scraped roots for
the cure of snake bites.
BURDOCK.
_Arctium lappa_ L.
_Synonym._—_Lappa major_ Gaertn.
_Pharmacopœial name._—Lappa.
_Other common names._—Cockle-button, cuckold-dock, beggar’s-buttons,
hurr-bur, stick-button, hardock, bardane. (Fig. 25.)
_Habitat and range._—Burdock, one of our most common weeds, was
introduced from the Old World. It grows along roadsides, in fields,
pastures, and waste places, being very abundant in the Eastern and
Central States and in some scattered localities in the West.
_Description of plant._—Farmers are only too well acquainted with this
coarse, unsightly weed. During the first year of its growth this plant,
which is a biennial belonging to the aster family (Asteraceæ), produces
only a rosette of large, thin leaves from a long tapering root. In the
second year a round, fleshy, and branched stem is produced, the plant
when full grown measuring from 3 to 7 feet in height. This stem is
branched, grooved, and hairy, bearing very large leaves, the lower ones
often measuring 18 inches in length. The leaves are placed alternately
on the stem, on long, solid, deeply furrowed leafstalks; they are thin
in texture, smooth on the upper surface, pale and woolly underneath;
usually heart shaped, but sometimes roundish or oval, with even, wavy,
or toothed margins.
[Illustration: FIG. 25.—Burdock (_Arctium lappa_), flowering branch and
root.]
The flowers are not produced until the second year, appearing from July
until frost. Burdock flowers are purple, in small, clustered heads armed
with hooked tips, and the spiny burs thus formed are a great pest,
attaching themselves to clothing and to the wool and hair of animals.
Burdock is a very prolific seed producer, one plant bearing as many as
400,000 seeds.
_Description of root._—Burdock has a large, fleshy taproot (fig. 25),
which, when dry, becomes scaly and wrinkled lengthwise and has a
blackish brown or grayish brown color on the outside, hard, breaking
with a short, somewhat fleshy fracture, and showing the yellowish wood
with a whitish spongy center. Sometimes there is a small, white, silky
tuft at the top of the root, which is formed by the remains of the bases
of the leafstalks. The odor of the root is weak and unpleasant, the
taste mucilaginous, sweetish, and somewhat bitter.
While the root is met with in commerce in its entire state, it is more
frequently in broken pieces or in lengthwise slices, the edges of which
are turned inward. The roots of other species of Arctium are also
employed.
_Collection, prices, and uses._—Burdock root is official, and the United
States Pharmacopœia directs that it be collected from plants of the
first year’s growth, either of _Arctium lappa_ or of other species of
Arctium. As burdock has a rather large, fleshy root, it is difficult to
dry and is apt to become moldy, and for this reason it is better to
slice the root lengthwise, which will facilitate the drying process. The
price ranges from 5 to 10 cents a pound. The best root is said to come
from Belgium, where great care is exercised in its collection and
curing.
Burdock root is used as an alterative in blood and skin diseases. The
seeds and fresh leaves are also used medicinally to a limited extent.
PLATES.
EXPLANATION OF PLATES.
PLATE I. Fig. 1.—Marginal-fruited shield-fern (_Dryopteris
marginalis_), showing upper surface of leaf, the lower surface with
the “sori,” or “fruit dots,” arranged on the margins, and the erect,
chaffy rootstock. Fig. 2.—Skunk-cabbage (_Spathyema foetida_), showing
flowering plant with thick rootstock and whorl of crowded roots;
unfolded leaf and spathe laid open to show rounded spadix; also
seedling, and transverse section of rootstock. Fig. 3.—Sweet-flag
(_Acorus calamus_), showing swordlike leaves, flowering head produced
from the side of the stalk, and long, creeping rootstock. Fig.
4.—Bethroot (_Trillium erectum_), showing leaves, various views of the
flower, and root. Arrangement of the different parts of the plant is
in threes.
PLATE II. Fig. 1.—Chamaelirium (_Chamaelirium luteum_), showing the
male plant. Note the arrangement of the long-stemmed leaves along the
entire stem and the graceful spike of feathery flowers, as compared
with the grasslike basal leaves and the erect flowering spikes of
Aletris (fig. 2), with which it is often confused. The rootstock of
Chamaelirium, with the slightly curved upward end, is also shown. Fig.
2.—Aletris (_Aletris farinosa_). Note the grasslike leaves at the base
of the stem and the erect spikes of urn-shaped flowers, as compared
with the arrangement of the leaves all along the stem and the drooping
plumelike spikes of Chamaelirium (fig. 1), with which Aletris is
frequently confused. The rootstock of Aletris, which is rough and
scaly and almost completely hidden by the fibrous roots, is,
unfortunately, not well shown in the illustration. Fig. 3.—Wild yam
(_Dioscorea villosa_), showing part of the vine, with its drooping
clusters of flowers and 3-winged seed capsules; also the long,
horizontal rootstock. Fig. 4.—Blue flag (_Iris versicolor_), showing
sword-shaped leaves, the flowers, and part of the rootstock.
PLATE III. Fig. 1.—Large yellow lady’s-slipper (_Cypripedium
hirsutum_), showing plant with its broad, parallel-veined leaves, and
curious, baglike flower, and also rootstock with wavy roots. Fig.
2.—Canada snakeroot (_Asarum canadense_), showing, to the right, the
flowering plant, and to the left the fruiting plant, together with the
creeping rootstocks. Fig. 3.—Virginia serpentaria (_Aristolochia
serpentaria_), plant showing seed capsules and rootstock. Fig.
4.—Soapwort (_Saponaria officinalis_), showing the upper flowering
portion and seed pods; also the runners and roots.
PLATE IV. Fig. 1.—Oregon grape (_Berberis aquifolium_), showing a
branch with the leathery, holly-like leaves, and clusters of berries.
Fig. 2.—Blue cohosh (_Caulophyllum thalictroides_), showing upper
portion of the plant, with flowering head. Fig. 3.—Canada moonseed
(_Menispermum canadense_), showing a portion of the vine in flower.
Fig. 4.—Hydrangea (_Hydrangea arborescens_), showing a flowering and
fruiting branch.
PLATE V. Fig. 1.—Indian-physic (_Porteranthus trifoliatus_), showing
upper flowering portion, and base of stem with root. Fig. 2.—Wild
sarsaparilla (_Aralia nudicaulis_), showing flowering plant with
rootstock, and to the left a fruiting head. Fig. 3.—Ginseng (_Panax
quinquefolium_), showing the upper portion in flower, and the root.
Fig. 4.—Water-eryngo (_Eryngium yuccifolium_), showing the long,
grasslike leaves, stout-stemmed flowering heads, and rootstock.
PLATE VI. Fig. 1.—American angelica (_Angelica atropurpurea_), showing
leaves, fruiting head, and to the right a portion of the stem with
broad, expanded leafstalk. Fig. 2.—Pinkroot (_Spigelia marilandica_),
showing flowering top and seed capsules. Fig. 3.—Pleurisy-root
(_Asclepias tuberosa_), showing flowering top, pods with escaping
hairy seeds, and root. Fig. 4.—Comfrey (_Symphytum officinale_),
showing the thick, rough leaves, the clusters of flowers, lower
portion of plant with root, and sections of root.
PLATE VII. Fig. 1.—Stoneroot (_Collinsonia canadensis_), showing
flowering top and base of stem with root. Fig. 2.—Queen-of-the-meadow
(_Eupatorium purpureum_), showing leaves and flowers. Fig.
3.—Elecampane (_Inula helenium_), showing leaves, flowers, and root.
Fig. 4.—Echinacea (_Brauneria angustifolia_), showing flowering plant.
PLATE I.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.—MARGINAL-FRUITED SHIELD-FERN (DRYOPTERIS
MARGINALIS).]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.—SKUNK-CABBAGE (SPATHYEMA FOETIDA).]
[Illustration: FIG. 3.—SWEET-FLAG (ACORUS CALAMUS).]
[Illustration: FIG. 4.—BETHROOT (TRILLIUM ERECTUM).]
PLATE II.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.—CHAMAELIRIUM (CHAMAELIRIUM LUTEUM).]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.—ALETRIS (ALETRIS FARINOSA).]
[Illustration: FIG. 3.—WILD YAM (DIOSCOREA VILLOSA).]
[Illustration: FIG. 4.—BLUE FLAG (IRIS VERSICOLOR).]
PLATE III.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.—LARGE YELLOW LADY’S-SLIPPER (CYPRIPEDIUM
HIRSUTUM).]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.—CANADA SNAKEROOT (ASARUM CANADENSE).]
[Illustration: FIG. 3.—VIRGINIA SERPENTARIA (ARISTOLOCHIA SERPENTARIA).]
[Illustration: FIG. 4.—SOAPWORT (SAPONARIA OFFICINALIS).]
PLATE IV.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.—OREGON GRAPE (BERBERIS AQUIFOLIUM).]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.—BLUE COHOSH (CAULOPHYLLUM THALICTROIDES).]
[Illustration: FIG. 3.—CANADA MOONSEED (MENISPERMUM CANADENSE).]
[Illustration: FIG. 4.—HYDRANGEA (HYDRANGEA ARBORESCENS).]
PLATE V.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.—INDIAN-PHYSIC (PORTERANTHUS TRIFOLIATUS).]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.—WILD SARSAPARILLA (ARALIA NUDICAULIS).]
[Illustration: FIG. 3.—GINSENG (PANAX QUINQUEFOLIUM).]
[Illustration: FIG. 4.—WATER-ERYNGO (ERYNGIUM YUCCIFOLIUM).]
PLATE VI.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.—AMERICAN ANGELICA (ANGELICA ATROPURPUREA).]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.—PINKROOT (SPIGELIA MARILANDICA).]
[Illustration: FIG. 3.—PLEURISY-ROOT (ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA).]
[Illustration: FIG. 4.—COMFREY (SYMPHYTUM OFFICINALE).]
PLATE VII.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.—STONEROOT (COLLINSONIA CANADENSIS).]
[Illustration: FIG. 2.—QUEEN-OF-THE-MEADOW (EUPATORIUM PURPUREUM).]
[Illustration: FIG. 3.—ELECAMPANE (INULA HELENIUM).]
[Illustration: FIG. 4.—ECHINACEA (BRAUNERIA ANGUSTIFOLIA).]
INDEX.
Acorus calamus. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
Actaea racemosa. _See_ Cohosh, black, 35–36
Agropyron repens. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Ague-grass. _See_ Aletris, 19–20
root. _See_ Aletris, 19–20
Aletris, A. aurea, A. farinosa, A. lutea, and A. obovata. _See_
Aletris, description, 19–20
description, 19–20
_See also under_ Chamaelirium.
Aloe-root. _See_ Aletris, 19–20
Alumbloom. _See_ Crane’s-bill, 44–45
root. _See_ Crane’s-bill, 44–45
Amy-root. _See_ Indian hemp, black, 55–56
Angelica, American, description, 51
atropurpurea and A. officinalis, European, garden, great, high,
purple, and purple-stemmed. _See_ Angelica, American, 51
Apocynum, A. album, A. androsaemifolium, A. cannabinum, and A.
pubescens. _See_ Indian hemp, black, 55–56
Apple, devil’s, hog, and Indian. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
May, description, 39–40
Aralia californica, A. nudicaulis, and A. racemosa. _See_ Sarsaparilla,
wild, 48–49
Archangelica atropurpurea. _See_ Angelica, American, 51
Arctium lappa. _See_ Burdock, 64–65
Arisaema triphyllum. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Aristolochia reticulata and A. serpentaria. _See_ Serpentaria, 26–27
Arum, three-leaved, and A. triphyllum. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Asarabacca, broad-leaved. _See_ Snakeroot, Canada, 25–26
Asarum and A. canadense. _See_ Snakeroot, Canada, 25–26
Asclepias, A. incarnata, A. syriaca, and A. tuberosa. _See_
Pleurisy-root, 56–57
Aspidium, A. filix-mas, and A. marginale. _See_ Male-fern, 11–12
Ass-ear. _See_ Comfrey, 57–58
Backwort. _See_ Comfrey, 57–58
Balm, horse, and ox. _See_ Stoneroot, 58–59
Indian. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Baptisia, B. alba, and B. tinctoria. _See_ Indigo, wild, 43–44
Barberry, California, and holly-leaved. _See_ Oregon grape, 36–37
Bardane. _See_ Burdock, 64–65
Basket-fern. _See_ Male-fern, 11–12
Bathflower. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
wort. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Bear-corn. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
Bear’s-paw root. _See_ Male-fern, 11–12
Beaumont-root. _See_ Culver’s-root, 59–60
Beewort. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
Beggar’s-buttons. _See_ Burdock, 64–65
Berberis, B. aquifolium, B. nervosa, B. pinnata, and B. repens. _See_
Oregon grape, 36–37
Bethroot, description, 20–21
Birthroot. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
wort. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Bitterroot. _See_ Indian hemp, black, 55–56
Blackroot. _See_ Culver’s-root, 59–60
wort. _See_ Comfrey, 57–58
Blazingstar. _See_ Chamaelirium and Aletris, 17–18, 19–20
Bloodroot, description, 40–41
Blow-ball. _See_ Dandelion, 60–61
Blueberry-root. _See_ Cohosh, blue, 37–38
Bog-onion. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Boneset, purple, spotted, and tall. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
Bouncing-bet. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Bowman’s-root. _See_ Indian-physic; Indian hemp, black; and
Culver’s-root, 42–43, 55–56, 59–60
Brake, knotty, and sweet. _See_ Male-fern, 11–12
Brauneria augustifolia. _See_ Echinacea, 63
Brinton-root. _See_ Culver’s-root, 59–60
Broom, clover, indigo, and yellow. _See_ Indigo, wild, 43–44
Brown dragon. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Bruisewort. _See_ Soapwort and Comfrey, 31, 57–58
Bugbane. _See_ Hellebore, American, and Cohosh, black, 18–19, 35–36
wort. _See_ Hellebore, American, and Cohosh, black, 18–19, 35–36
Bumblebee-root. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Burdock, description, 64–65
Butter-dock. _See_ Dock, yellow, 27–29
Butterfly-weed. _See_ Pleurisy-root, 56–57
Button-snakeroot. _See_ Water-eryngo, 50–51
Cabbage, meadow, and swamp. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
skunk, description, 15
Calamus. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
_See also under_ Flag, blue.
Calomel, vegetable. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
Canada-root. _See_ Pleurisy-root, 56–57
Cancer-jalap. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Cane, sweet. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
Cankerroot. _See_ Goldthread, 34
wort. _See_ Dandelion, 60–61
Cat’s-foot. _See_ Snakeroot, Canada, 25–26
Caulophyllum and C. thalictroides. _See_ Cohosh, blue, 37–38
Centaury, ground. _See_ Colombo, American, 53–54
Chamaelirium, description, 17–18
luteum and C. obovale. _See_ Chamaelirium, description, 17–18
_See also under_ Aletris.
Chandler’s-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Chickentoe. _See_ Crawley-root, 24–25
Chimney-pink. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Chocolate-flower. _See_ Crane’s-bill, 44–45
Choctaw-root. _See_ Indian hemp, black, 55–56
Cimicifuga and C. racemosa. _See_ Cohosh, black, 35–36
Cinnamon-sedge. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
Citronella. _See_ Stoneroot, 58–59
Clover-broom. _See_ Indigo, wild, 43–44
Coakum. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Cockle-button. _See_ Burdock, 64–65
Cohosh, black, description, 35–36
blue, description, 37–38
Colicroot. _See_ Aletris; Yam, wild; and Snakeroot, Canada, 19–20,
21–22, 25–26
Collard. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
Collection of root drugs, 10–11
Collinsonia and C. canadensis. _See_ Stoneroot, 58–59
Colombo, American, description, 53–54
Colt’s-foot, false, and colt’s-foot snakeroot. _See_ Snakeroot, Canada,
25–26
Comfrey, description, 57–58
Common names of plants, confusion, 10
Coneflower, pale-purple. _See_ Echinacea, 63
Coonroot. _See_ Bloodroot, 40–41
Coptis and C. trifolia. _See_ Goldthread, 34
Corallorhiza and C. odontorhiza. _See_ Crawley-root, 24–25
Coralroot, late, small, and small-flowered. _See_ Crawley-root, 24–25
Corn, bear. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
crow. _See_ Aletris, 19–20
snakeroot. _See_ Water-eryngo, 50–51
Cotton, wild. _See_ Indian hemp, black, 55–56
Couch-grass, description, 12–13
Crane’s-bill, description, 44–45
spotted, and wild. _See_ Crane’s-bill, description, 44–45
Crawley. _See_ Crawley-root, 24–25
Crawley-root, description, 24–25
Crow-corn. _See_ Aletris, 19–20
foot. _See_ Crane’s-bill, 44–45
soap. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Cuckold-dock. _See_ Burdock, 64–65
Culver’s-physic. _See_ Culver’s-root, 59–60
root, description, 59–60
Curcuma, Ohio. _See_ Goldenseal, 31–33
Cypripedium, C. hirsutum, C. parviflorum, and C. pubescens. _See_
Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
Daffydown-dilly. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Daisy, Irish. _See_ Dandelion, 60–61
Dandelion, description, 60–61
Dealers in root drugs, communication necessary, 11
samples to be sent, 11
Descriptions of plants furnishing root drugs, 11–65
root drugs, 11–65
scope of, 11
Devils-apple. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
bit. _See_ Chamaelirium and Aletris, 17–18, 19–20
bite. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
bones. _See_ Yam, wild, 21–22
ear. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Dioscorea, D. villosa, and D. villosa var. glabra. _See_ Yam, wild,
21–22
Dishcloth. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Dock, bitter, blunt-leaved, broad-leaved, butter, common, curled,
narrow, and sour. _See_ Dock, yellow, 27–29
cuckold. _See_ Burdock, 64–65
elf, and velvet. _See_ Elecampane, 62–63
yellow, description, 27–29
Dogbane, riverbank, and velvet. _See_ Indian hemp, black, 55–56
grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Doon-head-clock. _See_ Dandelion, 60–61
Dovefoot. _See_ Crane’s-bill, 44–45
Dracontium and D. foetidum. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
Dragon, brown, and dragon-turnip. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Dragon’s-claw. _See_ Crawley-root, 24–25
Dropwort, western. _See_ Indian-physic, 42–43
Dryopteris filix-mas and D. marginalis. _See_ Male-fern, 11–12
Duckretter. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
Duck’s-foot. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
Durfa-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Durfee-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Dutch-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Earth-gall. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
Echinacea angustifolia. _See_ Echinacea, description, 63
description, 63
Elder, horse. _See_ Elecampane, 62–63
Elecampane, description, 62–63
Elf-dock. _See_ Elecampane, 62–63
wort. _See_ Elecampane, 62–63
Eryngium, E. aquaticum, and E. yuccifolium. _See_ Water-eryngo, 50–51
Eryngo. _See_ Water-eryngo, 50–51
Eryngo, water, description, 50–51
Eupatorium maculatum and E. purpureum. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
Explanation of plates, 68
term “root drugs”, 9
Eye-balm. _See_ Goldenseal, 31–33
root. _See_ Goldenseal, 31–33
Fern, basket, evergreen wood, male shield, and marginal-fruited shield.
_See_ Male-fern, 11–12
male, description, 11–12
Feverroot. _See_ Crawley-root, 24–25
Fin’s-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Five-fingers. _See_ Ginseng, 49–50
Flag, blue, description, 22–23
_See also under_ Sweet-flag.
lily, and water. _See_ Flag, blue, 22–23
myrtle. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
poison. _See_ Flag, blue, 22–23
_See also under_ Sweet-flag.
rattlesnake. _See_ Water-eryngo, 50–51
sweet, description, 16
_See also under_ Flag, blue.
Flax, mountain. _See_ Snakeroot, Seneca, 45–47
Fleur-de-lis, American. _See_ Flag, blue, 22–23
Flower-de-luce, American. _See_ Flag, blue, 22–23
Fluctuation in prices of drugs, 11
Fortune-teller. _See_ Dandelion, 60–61
Frasera, F. carolinensis, and F. walteri. _See_ Colombo, American,
53–54
Fuller’s-herb. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Garget. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Gelsemium and G. sempervirens. _See_ Jasmine, yellow, 51–52
Gentian, yellow. _See_ Colombo, American, 53–54
Geranium and G. maculatum, spotted, and wild. _See_ Crane’s-bill, 44–45
Gillenia, G. stipulacea, and G. trifoliata. _See_ Indian-physic, 42–43
Gilliflower, mock. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Ginger, Indian, and wild. _See_ Snakeroot, Canada, 25–26
Ginseng, American. _See_ Ginseng, description, 49–50
blue, and yellow. _See_ Cohosh, blue, 37–38
description, 49–50
Goldenseal, description, 31–33
Goldthread, description, 34
Gowan, horse, and yellow. _See_ Dandelion, 60–61
Grape, Oregon, description, 36–37
Rocky Mountain. _See_ Oregon grape, 36–37
Grass, Chandler’s, creeping wheat, devil’s, dog, durfa, Durfee, Dutch,
Fin’s, quack, quake, quick, quitch, scutch, twitch, wheat, and
witch. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
couch, description, 12–13
myrtle, and sweet. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
Gravelroot and Indian gravelroot. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
Ground-centaury. _See_ Colombo, American, 53–54
lemon. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
raspberry. _See_ Goldenseal, 31–33
squirrel pea. _See_ Twinleaf, 38–39
Gum-plant. _See_ Comfrey, 57–58
Hardock. _See_ Burdock, 64–65
Healing-herb. _See_ Comfrey, 57–58
Heart-snakeroot. _See_ Snakeroot, Canada, 25–26
Hedge-pink. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Hellebore, American, description, 18–19
big, false, green, swamp, and white. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
fetid. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
Helmetpod. _See_ Twinleaf, 38–39
Helonias, description, 17–18
dioica. _See_ Chamaelirium or Helonias, description, 17–18
Hemp, American, and Canadian. _See_ Indian hemp, black, 55–56
black Indian, description, 55–56
Hog-apple. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
Holly, mountain. _See_ Oregon grape, 36–37
Horse-balm and horseweed. _See_ Stoneroot, 58–59
elder and horseheal. _See_ Elecampane, 62–63
gowan. _See_ Dandelion, 60–61
Horsefly-weed. _See_ Indigo, wild, 43–44
Hurr-bur. _See_ Burdock, 64–65
Huskwort. _See_ Aletris, 19–20
Hydrangea arborescens and wild hydrangea. _See_ Hydrangea, description,
41–42
description, 41–42
Hydrastis and H. canadensis. _See_ Goldenseal, 31–33
Indian apple. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
balm and Indian shamrock. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
dye, Indian turmeric, and Indian-paint, yellow. _See_ Goldenseal,
31–33
ginger. _See_ Snakeroot, Canada, 25–26
gravelroot. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
hemp, black, description, 55–56
hippo. _See_ Indian-physic, 42–43
lettuce. _See_ Colombo, American, 53–54
paint, red. _See_ Bloodroot, 40–41
physic, description, 42–43
_See also_ Indian hemp, black.
pink. _See_ Pinkroot, 52–53
poke. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
posy. _See_ Pleurisy-root, 56–57
root. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild, 48–49
shoe, yellow. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
turnip. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Indigo, American, white wild, and yellow: indigo-broom and indigo-weed.
_See_ Indigo, wild, 43–44
wild, description, 43–44
Inkberry and red inkberry. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Introduction to bulletin, 9–10
Inul. _See_ Elecampane, 62–63
Inula and I. helenium. _See_ Elecampane, 62–63
Ipecac, American, and false. _See_ Indian-physic, 42–43
Iris and I. versicolor. _See_ Flag, blue, 22–23
Itchweed. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
Jack-in-the-pulpit. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Jalap, cancer. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Jasmine, Carolina. _See_ Jasmine, yellow, 51–52
yellow, description, 51–52
Jaundice-root. _See_ Goldenseal, 31–33
Jeffersonia and J. diphylla. _See_ Twinleaf, 38–39
Jessamine, Carolina. _See_ Jasmine, yellow, 51–52
yellow, description, 51–52
Joe-pye-weed and spotted joe-pye-weed. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
Kidneyroot. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
King-of-the-meadow. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
Knitback. _See_ Comfrey, 57–58
Knobgrass. _See_ Stoneroot, 58–59
root. _See_ Stoneroot, 58–59
weed. _See_ Stoneroot, 58–59
Knotroot. _See_ Stoneroot, 58–59
Lady-by-the-gate. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Lady’s-slipper, description, 23–24
large yellow, small yellow, and yellow. _See_ Lady’s-slipper,
description, 23–24
Lappa and L. major. _See_ Burdock, 64–65
Latherwort. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Lemon, ground, and wild. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
Leptandra and L. virginica. _See_ Culver’s-root, 59–60
Lettuce, Indian. _See_ Colombo, American, 53–54
Licorice, wild. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild, 48–49
Life-of-man. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild, 48–49
Lily, flag, liver, and snake. _See_ Flag, blue, 22–23
wood. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Liver-lily. _See_ Flag, blue, 22–23
London-pride. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Lords-and-ladies. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Mahonia, trailing. _See_ Oregon grape, 36–37
Male-fern, description, 11–12
nervine. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
shield-fern. _See_ Male-fern, 11–12
Mandrake, American, and wild. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
Maple, vine. _See_ Moonseed, Canada, 40
Marsh-milkweed. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
turnip. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Masterwort. _See_ Angelica, American, 51
May-apple, description, 39–40
Meadow-cabbage. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
pride. _See_ Colombo, American, 53–54
turnip. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Medicinal uses of root drugs, 9
Menispermum and M. canadense. _See_ Moonseed, Canada, 40
Methods of cleaning and drying root drugs, 10
Milkweed, common, orange, swamp, and yellow. _See_ Pleurisy-root, 56–57
marsh. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
_See also_ Indian hemp, black.
Moccasin-flower, yellow. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
Mock-gilliflower. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Monkey-flower. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
Moonseed, Canada, description, 40
Motherwort. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
Mountain-flax. _See_ Snakeroot, Seneca, 45–47
holly. _See_ Oregon grape, 36–37
Mouthroot. _See_ Goldthread, 34
Myrtle-flag, myrtle-grass, and myrtle-sedge. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
sweet. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
Names of plants, confusion, 10
Nerve-root. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
Nervine, male. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
Nettle-potato. _See_ Stillingia, 47–48
Niggerhead. _See_ Echinacea, 63
weed. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
Nightshade, American. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Noah’s-ark, yellow. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
Nosebleed. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Old-maid’s-nightcap. _See_ Crane’s-bill, 44–45
pink. _See_ Soapwort, 31
man’s-root. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild, 48–49
One-o’clock. _See_ Dandelion, 60–61
Onion, bog. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Orange-blossom. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
root. _See_ Goldenseal and Pleurisy-root, 31, 56–57
Oregon grape, description, 36–37
Ox-balm. _See_ Stoneroot, 58–59
Panax quinquefolium. _See_ Ginseng, 49–50
Pappoose-root. _See_ Cohosh, blue, 37–38
Parilla, yellow. _See_ Moonseed, Canada, 40
Pauson. _See_ Bloodroot, 40–41
Pea, ground-squirrel. _See_ Twinleaf, 38–39
Pelican-flower. _See_ Serpentaria, 26–27
Pepper-turnip and wild pepper. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Petty-morrel. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild, 48–49
Phlox, Carolina, and P. ovata. _See under_ Pinkroot, 52–53
woods. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Physic-root. _See_ Culver’s-root, 59–60
Phytolacca, P. americana, and P. decandra. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Pigeon-berry. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Pink, Boston, chimney, hedge, and old-maid’s. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Carolina, Indian, and Maryland. _See_ Pinkroot, description, 52–53
Pinkroot, Carolina, and East Tennessee. _See_ Pinkroot, description,
52–53
description, 52–53
Plant names, confusion, 10
Plants furnishing root drugs, 11–65
descriptions, 11–65
Plates, explanation, 68
Pleurisy-root, description, 56–57
Pocan. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Pockweed. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
Podophyllum and P. peltatum. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
Poison-flag. _See_ Flag, blue, 22–23
_See also under_ Sweet-flag.
Poke and Virginian poke. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Indian. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
stinking. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
Pokeweed, description, 29–30
Polecat-weed. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
Polygala senega and P. senega var. latifolia. _See_ Snakeroot, Seneca,
45–47
Porteranthus stipulatus and P. trifoliatus. _See_ Indian-physic, 42–43
Potato, nettle. _See_ Stillingia, 47–48
Preparation of root drugs for market, 10–11
Prices, approximate range, 11
conditions affecting, 11
fluctuations, 11
paid to collectors, 11
Priest’s-pintle. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Puccoon, red, white, and puccoon-root. _See_ Bloodroot, 40–41
yellow. _See_ Goldenseal, 31–33
Pyramid-flower and pyramid-plant. _See_ Colombo, American, 53–54
Quack-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Quake-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Queen-of-the-meadow, description, 61–62
Queen’s-delight and queen’s-root. _See_ Stillingia, 47–48
Quick-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Quillwort. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
Quitch-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Rabbit’s-root. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild, 48–49
Raccoon-berry. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
Raspberry, ground. _See_ Goldenseal, 31–33
Rattlebush. _See_ Indigo, wild, 43–44
Rattleroot. _See_ Cohosh, black, 35–36
Rattle-snakeroot, rattletop, and rattleweed. _See_ Cohosh, black, 35–36
Rattlesnake-flag, rattlesnake-master, and rattlesnake-weed. _See_
Water-eryngo, 50–51
root. _See_ Snakeroot, Seneca, 45–47
Red-benjamin. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
berry. _See_ Ginseng, 49–50
root. _See_ Bloodroot, 40–41
weed. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Rheumatism-root. _See_ Yam, wild, and Twinleaf, 21–22, 38–39
weed. _See_ Indian hemp, black, 55–56
Richleaf. _See_ Stoneroot, 58–59
Richweed. _See_ Cohosh, black, and Stoneroot, 35–36, 58–59
Riverbank-dogbane. _See_ Indian hemp, black, 55–56
Rocky Mountain grape. _See_ Oregon grape, 36–37
Root drugs, cleaning, 10
collection, 10–11
dealers, communication necessary, 11
samples to be sent, 10–11
descriptions, 11–65
drying, method, 10
time required, 10
explanation of term, 9
medicinal uses, 9
methods of cleaning and drying, 10
number described, 9
official and nonofficial, 9
packing for shipment, 10
plants furnishing, 11–65
preparation for market, 10–11
Root drugs, samples for dealers, 10, 11
time for collecting, 10
required for drying, 10
Ruellia ciliosa. _See under_ Pinkroot, 52–53
Rumex, R. crispus, and R. obtusifolius. _See_ Dock, yellow, 27–29
Rush, sweet. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
Sampson-root. _See_ Echinacea, 63
Sang. _See_ Ginseng, 49–50
Sangree-root. _See_ Serpentaria, 26–27
Sangrel. _See_ Serpentaria, 26–27
Sanguinaria and S. canadensis. _See_ Bloodroot, 40–41
Saponaria and S. officinalis. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Saponary. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Sarsaparilla, American, false, and Virginian. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild,
48–49
Texas, and yellow. _See_ Moonseed, Canada, 40
wild, description, 48–49
Scabwort. _See_ Elecampane, 62–63
Scoke. _See_ Pokeweed, 29–30
Scourwort. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Scutch-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Sedge, cinnamon, myrtle, and sweet. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
Segg, sweet. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
Seneca-root. _See_ Snakeroot, Seneca, 45–47
Senega. _See_ Snakeroot, Seneca, 45–47
Serpentaria, description, 26–27
Texas and Virginia. _See_ Serpentaria, 26–27
Serpentary. _See_ Serpentaria, 26–27
Seven-barks. _See_ Hydrangea, 41–42
Shameface. _See_ Crane’s-bill, 44–45
Shamrock, Indian. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Sheepweed. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Shield-fern, male, and marginal-fruited. _See_ Male-fern, 11–12
Shoofly. _See_ Indigo, wild, 43–44
Shotbush. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild, 48–49
Silverleaf. _See_ Stillingia, 47–48
Skunk-cabbage, description, 15
weed. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
Slippery-root. _See_ Comfrey, 57–58
Slunkweed. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
Snagrel. _See_ Serpentaria, 26–27
Snakebite. _See_ Bloodroot, 40–41
lily. _See_ Flag, blue, 22–23
root, black. _See_ Snakeroot, Canada, and Cohosh, black, 25–26, 35–36
button, and corn. _See_ Water-eryngo, 50–51
Canada, description, 25–26
colt’s-foot, heart, southern, and Vermont. _See_ Snakeroot, Canada,
25–26
rattle. _See_ Cohosh, black, 35–36
Red River, Texas, and Virginia. _See_ Serpentaria, 26–27
Seneca, description, 45–47
Senega. _See_ Snakeroot, Seneca, 45–47
Snakeweed. _See_ Serpentaria, 26–27
weed, black. _See_ Snakeroot, Canada, 25–26
Soaproot. _See_ Soapwort, description, 31
wort, common. _See_ Soapwort, description, 31
description, 31
Spathyema foetida. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
Speedwell, tall. _See_ Culver’s-root, 59–60
Spiceberry. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild, 48–49
Spigelia and S. marilandica. _See_ Pinkroot, 52–53
Spignet. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild, 48–49
Spikenard, American, California, and small. _See_ Sarsaparilla, wild,
48–49
Squawflower. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
root. _See_ Bethroot; Cohosh, black; and Cohosh, blue 20–21, 35–36,
37–38
Starbloom. _See_ Pinkroot, 52–53
grass. _See_ Aletris, 19–20
wort. _See_ Chamaelirium and Aletris, 17–18, 19–20
wort, drooping. _See_ Chamaelirium, 17–18
mealy. _See_ Aletris, 19–20
yellow. _See_ Elecampane, 62–63
Starchwort. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Stick-button. _See_ Burdock, 64–65
Stillingia, description, 47–48
sylvatica. _See_ Stillingia, description, 47–48
Stoneroot, description, 58–59
Stork’s-bill. _See_ Crane’s-bill, 44–45
Sunflower, wild. _See_ Elecampane, 62–63
Swallowwort, orange. _See_ Pleurisy-root, 56–57
Swamp-cabbage. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
hellebore. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
milkweed. _See_ Pleurisy-root, 56–57
turnip. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
Sweet-betty, and sweet-william, wild. _See_ Soapwort, 31
cane, sweet grass, sweet myrtle, sweetroot, sweet rush, sweet sedge,
and sweet segg. _See_ Sweet-flag, 16
flag, description, 16
_See also under_ Flag, blue.
slumber. _See_ Bloodroot, 40–41
Symphytum and S. officinale. _See_ Comfrey, 57–58
Symplocarpus foetidus. _See_ Skunk-cabbage, 15
Taraxacum, T. dens-leonis, T. officinale, and T. taraxacum. _See_
Dandelion, 60–61
Tetterwort. _See_ Bloodroot, 40–41
Tickleweed. _See_ Hellebore, American, 18–19
Trillium and T. erectum, ill-scented, purple, and red. _See_ Bethroot,
20–21
Triticum and T. repens. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
True-love. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Trumpet-flower, evening. _See_ Jasmine, yellow, 51–52
weed. _See_ Queen-of-the-meadow, 61–62
Tuberroot. _See_ Pleurisy-root, 56–57
Turkey-claw. _See_ Crawley-root, 24–25
Turmeric. _See_ Bloodroot, 40–41
Turmeric, Indian, and turmeric-root. _See_ Goldenseal, 31–33
Turnip, dragon, Indian, marsh, meadow, pepper, and swamp. _See_ Turnip,
wild, 13–14
wild, description, 13–14
Twinleaf, description, 38–39
Twitch-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Umbil-root and yellow umbil. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
Umbrella-plant. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
Unicorn-plant. _See_ Aletris, 19–20
root. _See_ Chamaelirium and Aletris, 17–18, 19–20
root, false. _See_ Chamaelirium, 17–18
true. _See_ Aletris, 19–20
Unicorn’s-horn. _See_ Chamaelirium and Aletris, 17–18, 19–20
Valerian, American. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
Vegetable calomel. _See_ May-apple, 39–40
Venus’-cup and Venus’-shoe. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
Veratrum, V. album, and V. viride, American, green, and true. _See_
Hellebore, American, 18–19
Veronica, tall, and V. virginica. _See_ Culver’s-root, 59–60
Vine-maple. _See_ Moonseed, Canada, 40
Wake-robin. _See_ Turnip, wild, 13–14
robin, ill-scented, purple, and red. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Water-eryngo, description, 50–51
flag. _See_ Flag, blue, 22–23
Wheat-grass and creeping wheat-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Whiteroot. _See_ Pleurisy-root, 56–57
Whorlywort. _See_ Culver’s-root, 59–60
Windroot. _See_ Pleurisy-root, 56–57
Witch-grass. _See_ Couch-grass, 12–13
Woodbine, Carolina wild. _See_ Jasmine, yellow, 51–52
Wood-fern, evergreen. _See_ Male-fern, 11–12
lily. _See_ Bethroot, 20–21
Woods-phlox. _See_ Soapwort, 31
World’s-wonder. _See_ Soapwort, 31
Wormgrass, wormweed, and American wormroot. _See_ Pinkroot, 52–53
Yam, wild, description, 21–22
Yellow-eve. _See_ Goldenseal, 31–33
root. _See_ Goldenseal, Goldthread, and Twinleaf, 31–33, 34, 38–39
Yellows. _See_ Lady’s-slipper, 23–24
-----
Footnote 1:
_Phytolacca americana_ L. by right of priority should be accepted, but
_P. decandra_ L. is used in conformity with the Pharmacopœia.
Footnote 2:
Bulletin 51, Part VI, Bureau of Plant Industry, “Goldenseal.”
Footnote 3:
King’s American Dispensatory, Vol. I, 1898, from Berberidaceæ, by C.
G. and J. U. Lloyd, 1878.
Footnote 4:
Bulletin 100, Part V, Bureau of Plant Industry, “The Drug Known as
Pinkroot.”
Footnote 5:
Some authors hold that this plant belongs to the genus Leptandra and
that its name should be _Leptandra virginica_ (L.) Nutt. The
Pharmacopœia is here followed.
Footnote 6:
Although the combination _Taraxacum taraxacum_ (L.) Karst. should be
accepted by right of priority, the usage of the Pharmacopœia is
followed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
● Fixed typos; non-standard spelling and dialect retained.
● Renumbered footnotes and moved them all to the end of the final
chapter.
● Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
● Images without captions use the HTML alt text supplied by the
transcriber in place of a caption.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AMERICAN ROOT DRUGS ***
Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.
Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.
START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG™ LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg License when
you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg work (any work
on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg™ License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg electronic works
provided that:
• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
to the owner of the Project Gutenberg trademark, but he has
agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation.”
• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
works.
• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
receipt of the work.
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg’s
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.
The Foundation’s business office is located at 41 Watchung Plaza #516,
Montclair NJ 07042, USA, +1 (862) 621-9288. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg electronic works
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.
Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.
This website includes information about Project Gutenberg,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
