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.