W82 

 (leaf 2) 

 GENTIANS (Gentia'na spp.) 



In 1719 A. D. Gentiana was adopted as the generic name of this 



?roup of plants by the distinguished French botanist Tournefort 

 the father of plant genera) . The name, however, is very old and 

 according to Dioscorides, a Greek medical writer of the first century, 

 B. C., commemorates Gentius, a king of Illyria in southern Europe 

 (circ. 180-167 B. C.), reputedly the discoverer of the medicinal value 

 of gentian (?'. e., the officinal yellow gentian (G. lutea) of Europe, a 

 well-known drug plant). This large genus of annual, biennial, and 

 perennial herbs of the gentian family (Gentianaceae) is native to 

 the cooler portions of the earth largely in mountainous regions and 

 northern and north temperate areas. It is represented in every far 

 western State, where about 36 species occur. In addition, about 

 11 other gentians are indigenous in the region from Alaska to 

 British Columbia, and Manitoba, and 4 other eastern species reach 

 the edge of the range country at their western limits. Gentians 

 characteristically grow in meadows and other moist, open sites in the 

 mountains, although some species occur in the lower foothills or, 

 farther north, near sea level. 



Apparently correlated with their intense bitter flavor, gentians 

 have a comparatively low palatability mostly poor for cattle and 

 poor to fair for sheep. Although horses seldom eat them, certain 

 species provide fair feed for deer and elk. Some species are abun- 

 dant, especially on the high summer sheep ranges, and supply con- 

 siderable forage. Some observers believe that, despite their rather 

 low palatability, gentians, because of their tonic and stomachic quali- 

 ties, have a distinct value in the range menu of domestic livestock. 

 This is a matter which merits scientific investigation. 



Certain gentians, particularly yellow gentian, have long been 

 famed for their medicinal qualities; many of the complex prepara- 

 tions handed down by the Greeks and Arabs contain gentian among 

 other ingredients. Simple bitters or tonics made from gentian ap- 

 parently are beneficial in all cases of digestive debility or where a 

 general tonic is required and have proved useful in the treatment 

 of malaria and various other diseases. 2 Gentian preparations have 

 a somewhat sweet though bitter flavor and, if taken in overly large 

 amounts, are likely to cause nausea. The roots of yellow gentian, 

 relatively rich in sugar, are frequently fermented and distilled; the 

 resultant liqueur is said to be used as a popular beverage in the Alps. 

 The official preparations in this country include the extract, infusion, 

 or tincture obtained from the roots of yellow gentian, although sev- 

 eral other species have analogous properties. 2 A number of authori- 

 ties have expressed the opinion that American gentians merit chem- 

 ical study as possible substitutes for the Old World G. 1/Mtea and for 

 other purposes. 



8 Wood, H. C., Remington, J. P., and Safltler, S. P., assisted by Lyons, A. B., and 



Wood, H. C., Jr. THE DISPENSATORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BY DR. GEO. B. 



WOOD AND DR. FRANKLIN BACHE. Ed. 19, thoroughly rev. and largely rewritten . . . 

 1,947 pp. Philadelphia and London. 1907. 



