540 SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



Menyanthes. FOLIA MENYANTHIDIS, FOLIA TRIFOLII FIBRINI, 

 MENYANTHES LEAVES OR MARSH BUCKBEAN LEAVES. The leaves 

 of Menyanthes trifoliata (Fam. Gentianacese), a low perennial herb, 

 having thick, horizontal rhizomes and growing in bogs in the northern 

 United States, and from Greenland to Alaska. The plant is indige- 

 nous to Europe and Asia and the leaves are official in several of the 

 foreign Pharmacopoeias. The leaves are gathered in May or June, 

 at the time of the flowering of the plant, and carefully dried. 



Description. Leaves, 3-foliate, having long sheathing petioles; 

 the latter from 7 to 15 cm. in length, dark brown and finely striate, 

 usually much flattened and considerably twisted; leaflets usually 

 much broken in the drug, when entire, nearly sessile, elliptical or 

 ovate, from 2 to 6.5 cm. in length and 1 to 4 cm. in breadth, summit 

 obtuse or rounded, base spatulate, margin entire, occasionally some- 

 what undulate, olive-green and glabrous; odor distinct, slight; taste 

 very bitter. 



Inner Structure. Petiole consisting of parenchyma, having large 

 intercellular spaces, which shrink to such an extent in the drying of 

 the drug as to give it a spirally twisted character. In addition, there 

 are usually about 12 fibro vascular bundles, which are arranged in an 

 interrupted circle, enclosed by a distinct endodermis. The upper 

 and lower surfaces of the leaves are much alike, consisting of polygonal 

 cells, which are developed to papillae and in which the cuticle is thick 

 and much wrinkled ; the palisade cells are short cylindrical and occur 

 in 2 to 4 layers beneath the upper epidermis; the loose mesophyll 

 layer consists of nearly isodiametric cells having large intercellular 

 spaces. 



Constituents. A bitter glucoside, menyanthin, yielding on 

 hydrolysis glucose and menyanthol. A mixture of fatty acids, 

 occurring in the form of esters of cholesterin and ceryl alcohol. A 

 reddish-yellow coloring principle, resembling carotin, also cane 

 sugar and chlorophyll. Menyanthes should yield not less than 23 

 per cent of aqueous or diluted alcohol extractive and not more than 

 10 per cent of ash. 



APOCYNACEJE, OR DOGBANE FAMILY 



A large family, comprising over 1000 perennial herbs, shrubs and 

 trees. They are very widely distributed, occurring mostly, however, 

 in tropical regions. The leaves are usually opposite, the flowers 

 regular and 5-merous, and the fruits are either follicles or drupes. 

 Non-articulated laticiferous tubes are present in all parts of the 



