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used as a spice, condiment, and stomachic remedy since earliest 
times. It is native to Malabar and many Islands in the Indian 
Ocean and is now cultivated in many tropical countries. In many 
cases the commercial grades as Singapore, Penang, Malabar, 
Acheen and Sumatra are named after the localities of origin. 
Pepper is used chiefly as a flavoring agent: it is a stimulant to the 
mucous membranes and increases the secretions of the gastro- 
intestinal tract. 
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) U.S.P. This plant is indige- 
nous to England and has been extensively cultivated in various 
parts of Europe and throughout the United States. Known to the 
ancient herbalists as “Mentha palustris—Peper-Mint” it was early 
cultivated for the distillation of its volatile oil. The plant is used 
in decoction as a diffusive stimulant and flavor, the presence of 
menthol in the volatile oil imparting a cool sensation when air is 
drawn into the mouth. Peppermint culture began in the U.S. in 
Wayne County, N. Y. State in 1820. Today it is grown com- 
mercially in southern Michigan and Indiana; and to a lesser ex- 
tent in northern Ohio. Since 1936, experimental cultivation has 
been developed on the muck lands of Washington, Oregon, and 
California. Next to turpentine, peppermint oil is the largest es- 
sential oil produced in volume in the United States. Between 
30,000 and 40,000 acres in the U. S. yield 350,000 to 400,000 
pounds annually. 
PokeweEeED (Phytolacca decandra), Pigeonberry, N.F.  Poke- 
weed is one of the largest perennial herbs of the United States, 
growing in rich soil along roadsides and woody pastures. It must 
not be confused with Indian Poke or Veratrum, The American 
Indians used the root pounded to a pulp as a poultice. The very 
young shoots of pokeweed are often used as a pot-herb, like 
ar 
asparagus. The saponin present gives the drug its alterative anc 
emetic properties. It was formerly used in obesity but such use is 
not without danger. The roots, fruits, and seeds are poisonous 
if taken internally. Pokeweed has been used to adulterate Atropa 
Belladonna, the source of atropine. 
POMEGRANATE (Punica granatum) N.O. One of the most an- 
cient of oriental cultivated fruits, it has been introduced into all 
tropical and warm temperate regions. The fruit was held sacred 

