SALEP 139 



Roots 3 to 11 cm. long, 0.5 to 1.5 mm. in diameter; externally 

 light or dark brown, longitudinally wrinkled; fracture somewhat 

 fibrous; internally, cortex white, central cylinder yellowish. 



Inner Structure. See Figs. 60 and 61. 



Powder. Yellowish or brownish-black; calcium oxalate in 

 raphides about 0.040 mm. in length; starch grains somewhat spher- 

 oidal, 0.002 to 004 mm. in diameter, single or compound; tracheae 

 spiral, scalariform or with simple pores; sclerenchymatous fibers 

 long, thin-walled; parenchyma thick-walled, with numerous simple 

 pores. 



Constituents. Volatile oil, several resins, a bitter glucosidal 

 principle, tannin, gallic acid, starch, calcium oxalate in the form of 

 raphides, and ash about 6 per cent. 



The principle known as cypripedin is a resinous extract prepared 

 by pouring a concentrated alcoholic tincture into water, collecting 

 the precipitate and mixing it with some absorbent powder. In some 

 cases it is merely an evaporated aqueous extract, but in either case 

 it is practically worthless. 



Allied Plants. The rhizomes and roots of other species of Cypri- 

 pedium possess properties analogous to the drug just described and 

 of these the following may be mentioned: Cypripedium aretinum, 

 C. candidum, C. hirsutum and C. acaule. 



SALEP. Radix Salep or Tubera Salep. The fleshy tuberous 

 roots of various species of Orchis and other allied genera (Fam. 

 Orchidacese). The tubers are collected from wild plants growing 

 in Asia Minor, southern and southwestern Asia and Germany. At 

 the flowering period the plant has 2 tubers (Fig. 62), the one shriveled 

 and from which the flowering plant is developed and another joined 

 to it from which a new plant will be developed in the following season. 

 Sometimes the commercial article shows both of these tubers; the 

 shriveled one, however, should be rejected and only the young firm 

 and fleshy tubers selected for the market. These are stripped of 

 their brown outer covering, carefully washed, being boiled in order to 

 destroy their vitality and to facilitate drying, which is done in the 

 open air. The commercial supplies are chiefly obtained from Asia 

 Minor, especially the ports of Smyrna and Constantinople. 



Description. Nearly globular, ovoid or somewhat ellipsoidal, 

 more or less compressed; from 1 to 4 cm. in length and from 0.5 to 2 

 cm. in diameter; externally light yellowish or grayish-brown, some- 

 what translucent, irregularly furrowed but otherwise nearly smooth, 

 and occasionally with a small conical bud at the summit; hard and 

 of a horny texture; inner surface with numerous scattered vascular 



