66 A COMPENDIUM OF 
sweetish taste and a faint odor. The parsley 
root is said to contain mucilage, starch, sugar, 
and a volatile oil. At one time the root was 
used as a carminative, diuretic, and nephretic, 
but now rarely if ever prescribed, except in the 
form of the pearls of apiol made by, or rather, 
bearing the name of Joret & Homolle, and Fou- 
gera & Co. ,which brands of apiol are well thought 
of by the profession asemmenagogues. There 
is an apiol found in the stores which resembles 
at first glance an oleoresin; when fresh has a 
dark brown color, but on standing becomes dark, 
viscid, and has a tenacious odor resembling in 
no wise the plant or root. The dose is from 10 
to 15 drops. The name is derived from the 
Greek words petra, a rock, and selinum, rock 
selinum, from its native habitat. 
Phytolaccz Decandra, Poke Weed or root, 
Crow-berry, Pigeon-berry, Cancer-root, etc — 
Natural order Phytolaccaceee. The Poke plant 
is a perennial and native of the North American 
Continent, but it flourishes in Africa and South- 
ern Europe to a great extent, and is supposed 
to have been introduced from our country in the 
Same manner as the European plants have been 
brought here, and by us naturalized. The Poke 
Teaches 6 to 9 feet (2-to 3 meters) high with a 
cylindrical hollow stem, bearing oblong ovate 
lanceolate leaves, acute at both ends and of a 
green inclining to purple color as the plant ages. 
Flowers occur in racemes forming a berry-like 
fruit with ten cells containing ten seeds. The 
root of the Poke is fleshy, large and conical (or 
as some have it, fusiform) wrinkled and dingy 
looking, and when cut transversely exhibits a 
