SALEP.

C. Insipid.

Orchis mascula and other species.

Salep.

About one inch in length, half inch thick; translucent; horny, shrivelled appearance; internally, whitish and spongy; feeble odor; mild, mucilaginous taste. The most important constituent is a sort of mucilage (about 48 per cent.) which is turned blue by Iodine. It forms, with forty parts of water, a thick jelly. A small proportion of starch in the composition of this mucilage is partly the cause of this formation of jelly.

JALAPA.

DICOTYLEDONOUS.

A. Resin Cells in Circles.

Exogonium purga. Ipomea Jalapa.

Jalap.

Globular, pear shaped, sometimes elongated, forming secondary tubers; externally, brown, smoky (due to the manner in which it is dried), round and thick warts. When broken, shows a thin cortical portion, and near the cambium line a large number of resin cells. Outside the cambium line these resin cells form distinct zones, which are regular and alternate. Between these prominent zones, are smaller ones of resin cells; peculiar odor, partly due to the manner of drying; taste, sweetish, and afterwards slightly acrid. The false Jalaps are destitute of concentric zones, and are whiter in appearance. Its activity is due to resin-12 to 18 per cent.-in crude state; purgative principle, Jalapin (Convolvulin), insoluble in ether, soluble in fixed alkalies, not re-precipitated by acids. Contains also starch, sugar, gum, &c.

ACONITUM.

B. No Resin Cells.

A. Napellus.

Monkshood.

Spindle shape, tapering, about the thickness of finger at top; length one to three inches. Produces a lateral branch at top, the terminal tuber is enlarged, and produces a second tuber, which are joined together; the older is dark brown, and supports the stem; the younger is light yellowish brown, and furnishes the stem of the following year, the old tuber decaying. Externally, dark brown, stem scars or terminal buds visible, longitudinally wrinkled at

lower portion and tuberculated at upper part; few rootlets, not attached in commerce; breaks with a short fracture; internally, white or grayish, tissue sometimes spongy or resinous; transverse section shows thick bark, pith in form of a star, five to eight medullary rays, small wood bundles, sharp and long; inodorous; taste bitter, tingling sensation to tongue; collected after flowering. Adulterated with Masterwort root (Imperatoria ostruthium) doubtless by accidental or careless collection; this is less tapering, slightly compressed, and exhibits several warty zones indicating periods of growth. The central portion is of a yellowish white color, and exhibits a more or less complete ring of brownish dots; with the aid of a lens, elongated dots of paler color are seen next the bark ; these are oil receptacles-not seen in Aconite. Aconite contains Aconitia, crystalline and amorphous; Aconella, identical with Narcotina, resin, fat, mannite, &c.

BULBS.

SCILLA,

A. Tunicated, Simple.

S. maritima.

Squill.

The fresh bulb is pear-shaped, varies in size, occasionally four to five pounds. When collected, the outer scales are removed, the inner ones only employed. The central scales are also rejected, being too fleshy and mucilaginous. These are cut longitudinally and dried, loosing four-fifths of their weight in drying. In commerce, two kinds, red and white, the medicinal qualities of which are the same; differ only in their color, the former being reddish brown externally and rose color internally. All parts of the latter are white. The dried squills are in irregular oblong pieces, more or less contorted, color varying from white to reddish tinge, brittle and pulverizable, but soon attracts moisture and becomes flexible; strong affinity for water; feeble odor; bitter, nauseous, acrid taste, and abounds in mucilage, precipitated by the neutral acetate of lead. Scillitin, (said to be the bitter principle), contains also oxalate of calcium, in extremely sharp, minute, brittle crystals. To these latter is attributed the effect formerly attributed to a volatile acrid principle of occasioning an itching and redness when rubbing a slice of squill on the skin.

ALLIUM.

B. Tunicated, Compound.

A. sativum.

Garlic.

Compound bulb; disk-like axis; rootlets on lower side; bulbets kept apart by fine membrane; short axis, closely surrounded by leaves; cloves, usually five to six in number, of oblong shape, somewhat curved, and in their interior whitish, moist, or fleshy; disagreeable, pungent odor, (due to its volatile oil;) bitter, acrid, taste. The Allium of commerce is a cross between A. sativum and A. Porrum. Contains Volatile Oil, (sulphuretted) Mucilage, albumen, &c.

STEMS.

DULCAMARA.

A. Twigs of Half Shrubs.

Solanum Dulcamara.

Bitter Sweet.

Shrub, six to ten feet high-not upright, but climbing. Branches collected late in autumn, and the extreme twigs selected. Appears in commerce cut up in very small cylindrical pieces one-eighth inch or more in diameter; externally, longitudinally striated; thin, greenish brown epidermis, and underneath of a uniform green color; internally, wood white, with greenish spots surrounding central pith, which is usually hollow; inodorous; taste, bitter-sweet. Contains Solania, supposed to exist combined with Malic Acid. The taste said to be due to a peculiar principle called picroglycion; also, resin, wax, &c.

Large, lofty tree; wood appears either in large, round billets, or rasped; dissected by fine, medullary rays; ducts are rather large; fresh, white; yellow by exposure; inodorous; persistent, bitter Contains Quassin (bitter principle,) 0-1 per cent.

taste.

GUAIACUM.

Brown, Green, Rather Acrid.

G. officinale.

Lignum Vitæ.

Large tree, of which the heart wood is employed. This comes in billets, or most generally, in raspings or shavings. Dark brown color, but when exposed to air brownish green. The wood is very heavy, owing to the large amount of resin it contains, which completely fills its cells. Medullary rays obvious, but very fine; wood fibres never run straight, but are interlaced in various ways; slight odor, more apparent when heated; little taste. The wood assumes a peculiar blue color when brought in contact with any oxidizing agent. The only constituent of interest is the resin, of which the heart wood contains about twenty-five per cent.

C. Dark Red, Astringent.

HÆMATOXYLON.

H. Campechianum.

Logwood.

Medium sized tree, heart wood used, this is of a deep red color, but assumes a blue color when exposed to air, due to Hæmatoxylin. Appears in logs and chips; heavy concentric rings, dark and light, no annual rings, but distinct layers; inordorous, distinct sweet taste, (due to Hæmatoxylin).

An Alkali poured upon a solution of Logwood, turns it a purple color.

Brazil wood,
Santalum, no effect.

red

66

SANTALUM,

D. Dark Red, Scarcely Astringent.

Pterocarpus Santalinus.

Red Saunders.

Large tree; billets or rasped, blood red color, brown by exposure, inodorous and nearly tasteless. Coloring (resinous) principle. Santalin.

E. Yellowish, Fragrant,

SANTALUM ALBUM. S. Album, et citrinum.

Billets, four to six inches in diameter, varies in odor, best perceived when in powder, little taste. is obtained from a variety of yellow sandal wood, S. Myrtifolium.

Sandal Wood.

color, fragrant The Vol. Oil the product of