PT.ANTS FURNISHING ROOT DRUGS. 57 



time, usually Iroiii .luiie to St'ineiuber, followefl lato in fall by jukIs. which 

 are from 4 to 5 inches long, green, tinged with red, finely hairy on the outside, 

 and containing the seeds with their long silky hairs. (PI. VI, fig. .*?. ) Unlike 

 the other milkweeds, the pleuris.v-root contains little or no milky juice. 



Disci iijlirm of mot. — The root of this plant is large,, white and fleshy, 

 s|»in(li<' shaped, branching. (PI. VI, fig. H.) As found in conanerce it con- 

 sists of lengthwise or crosswise pieces from 1 to (1 inches in length and 

 about three-fourths of an inch in thickness. It is w!-inkled lengthwise and 

 also transversely and has a knotty head. The thin hark is orange brown and 

 the wood yellowish, with white rays. It has no odor, and a .somewhat bitter, 

 acrid taste. 



Collection, prices, and 7<.se.v. — The root, which is usually found rather deep in 

 the soil, is collected in autumn, cut into transverse or lengthwise slic(»s. and 

 dried. The price ranges ivtnn (> to 10 cents a pound. 



Pleurisy-root was much esteemed by the Indians, has long been used in do- 

 mestic practice, and is official in the United States Pharmacopoeia. It is used 

 in disordered digestion and in affections of the lungs, in the last-named instance 

 to promote exiiectoration, relieve pains in the chest, and induce easier breath- 

 ing. It is also useful in producing perspiration. 



Other species. — Besides the official pleurisy-root there are two other species 

 of Asclepias which are emi)loyed to some extent for the same purposes, namely, 

 the common milkweed and the swamp-milkweed. 



The common milkweed (Axclepias syriaca L.) is a perennial, native in fields 

 and waste places from Canada to North Cirolina and Kansas. It has a stout, 

 usually simple stem H to ."> feet in height nnd oblong or oval leaves, smooth on 

 the upper surface atid densely hairy beneath. The flowers, similar in form to 

 those of Asclepias tiiherosa, are pinkish purple and appear from June to Au- 

 gust, followed by erect pods 3 to 5 inches long, wooly with matted hairs and 

 covered with prickles and borne on recurved stems. The plant contains iin 

 abundance of milky juice. 



The root of the common milkweed is from 1 to 6 feet long, cylindrical, and 

 finely wrinkled. The short branches and scars left by former stems give the 

 root a rough, knotty appearance. The bark is thick, grayish brown, and the 

 inside white, the root breaking with a short, splintery fracture. Common milk- 

 weed root has a very bitter taste, but no odor. 



It is collected in autunni and cut into transverse slices liefore drying. Com- 

 mon milkweed root ranges from G to 8 cents a pound. 



Swamp-milkweed {Asclepias incarnata L. ) is a native perennial herb found in 

 swamps from Canada to Tennessee and Kansas. The slender stem, leafy to 

 the top. is 1 to 2 feet in height, branched above, the leaves lance shaped or 

 oblong lance shaped. The flowers, also similar to those of titberosa, appear 

 from July to September, and are flesh colored or rose colored. The pods are 

 2 to 3J inches long, erect, and very sparingly hairy. 



The root of the swamp-milkweed, which is also collected in autumn, is not 

 quite an inch in length, hard and knotty, with several light-brown rootlets. 

 The tough white wood, which has a thick central pith, is covered with a thin, 

 yellowish brown bark. It is practically without odor, and the taste, sweetish 

 iit first, finally becomes bitter. This root brings about 3 cents a pound. 



COMFREY. 



Symphytum officinale L. 



Other common names. — Symphytum, healing-herb, knitback, ass-ear, back- 

 wort, blackwort, bruisewort, gum-plant, slippery-root. 



107 



