Part 9

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.

Synonym.—Phytolacca americana L.

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).

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.

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.