H. 1". I.— 283. 



AMERICAN ROOT DRUGS. 



INTRODUCTION. 



More than half of the root drugs recognized in the F^ighth Decen- 

 nial Revision of the United States Pharniacopo'ia occur in this 

 country, some native and not growing elsewhere and others intro- 

 duced. All of the official root drugs found in the United States 

 have been included in this bulletin, as well as such native and intro- 

 duced *' nonofficial '' roots (those not at present recognized in the 

 United States Pharniacopieia) as seemed to be most generally quoted 

 in the trade lists of the country, the total number of root drugs 

 described being 50. AVhile the most imi)ortant root drugs thus 

 given are limited to i'>(), 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 countrv, but the aim has been to 

 give information concerning those which seem to be the most im- 

 portant 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 pa])er 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 gener- 

 ally 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 under- 

 ground 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 publica- 

 tion 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 



107 



