502 LILIA CUM 



In the East, Chub-clifni Is still as highly esteemed as it ever 



-^ 



was, and the China Trade Returns show a steady yearly 

 increase in the quantity shipped from Southern China. 



Description. — The tubers, which are formed upon the 

 fibrous roots of the plant, are of the shape and size of an 

 elongated kidney potato, somewhat flattened, knotty, covered 

 with a rusty-coloured bark, sometimes smooth and shining, 

 sometimes rough; internally their substance is of a pink- 



and inodorous. 

 The drug is 



m 



wood. 



^ 



Microscopic structure.— The bark consists of thick-walled 



brown 



lin 



bulk 



made up of a parenchyma, the cells of which are large, thin- 

 walled, and loaded with starch, some pink colouring matter is 

 also present. The starch grains are large and have a radiate 

 hilum. The vascular system is scalariform, and is associated 

 with porous wood cells. 



Chemical composition.— The authors of the Fharmacographia 

 endeavoured to obtain from the drug Parillin, the crystalline 

 principle of sarsaparilla, but without success. 

 A proximate analysis of the air-dried drug afforded : — 



Ether extract (fat) 0'33 



Alcoholic extract (sugar, glucoside) 1*72 



Aqueous extract (sugar, gum, &c.) 6* 79 



Crude fibre . 13-79 



Ash 



1-47 



Moisture g-lO 



Starch (by difference) 69-80 



10000 



