110 Kansas Academy of Science. 



CULTIVATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN THE 

 UNITED STATES 



To Meet the Emergency Caused by the European Conflict. 



By L. K. Say RE. 



THE present European conditions have emphasized the ne- 

 cessity of the cultivation of medicinal plants in the United 

 States. Hitherto v^^e have been almost wholly dependent upon 

 European countries for most of the medicinal plants, valuable 

 preparations of which are manufactured here. The attention 

 of the American people has frequently been called to the need 

 of the development of the cultivation of crude drugs on Ameri- 

 can soil, but thus far very few have heeded the advice of 

 pharmacists in this direction. Some years ago, in California, 

 several comparatively large sections of land were set aside 

 for the growing of the more important narcotic solanaceous 

 leaves, such as belladonna, hyoscyamus and stramonium. This 

 enterprise was started by a large manufacturing firm of New 

 York City. Since that time the work has been carried on by 

 Prof. Albert Schneider, of San Francisco. Some of the prod- 

 ucts of this farm have been sent to the pharmaceutical labora- 

 tory of the University of Kansas for analysis. The results of 

 these analyses have shown that the plants raised on the Pacific 

 coast are equal, if not superior, in alkaloidal constituent to 

 those of the European cultivation. 



When we consider the many tons of these plants consumed 

 in the United States in making preparations such as tinctures, 

 fluid extracts and medicated plasters, it becomes evident that 

 the supply, if furnished by our own country, would not only 

 be a profitable undertaking, but would put us in an independ- 

 ent position. The dependence upon Europe is brought forcibly 

 to our attention by the statement that the supply of many of 

 these drugs will soon be exhausted. Unless some change oc- 

 curs in European affairs, the United States will be forced to 

 provide substitutes for these well-known and tried agents. 



It would seem that most any rich soil would yield abundance 

 of our common stramonium, or jimson weed. On account of 

 its commonness, it is called the barnyard weed. Every one 

 who knows anything about medicinal plants knows that this 



