16 PHARMACAL PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE. 



versely, as bryonia, calumba, colchicum, chicory, bittersweet, and couch 

 grass; some longitudinally, as gentian, calamus, belladonna, and some 

 are generally cut in any direction, as inula, rhubarb, and zedoary. 



It should be remembered that peeling, cutting and slicing exposes 

 the tissues containing the active constituents to the climatic influences 

 which hasten their evaporation, dissipation and chemical decomposition, 

 therefore, these operations should be reduced as much as is practicable 

 with a reasonably rapid and uniform method of drying or curing. In 

 other words, the pieces should be left as large as possible. 



Peeling is done by hand, likewise rossing (removing the outer bark) 

 of barks, but cutting and slicing may be done by suitable mechanical 

 devices. 



Scalding. Certain drugs, as ginger, sarsaparillas, curcuma, salep and 

 a few others, are placed in boiling water before drying. This kills the 

 cells and prevents sprouting, it destroys parasites which may be present 

 and hastens drying because moisture escapes much more rapidly from 

 dead cells than from living cells. 



Liming and Bleaching. It has become customary to bleach and lime 

 certain drugs, as ginger, calamus, orris root and nutmegs. These 

 processes are not necessary or desirable, excepting perhaps in rare 

 instances, and will be passed over without further comment. Here we 

 may also mention the pernicious custom of coloring certain substances, 

 as tea and coffee. 



Drying. After the drug has been collected, cleaned, garbled and 

 otherwise prepared, it is ready to be cured or dried. This is an exceed- 

 ingly important process to which careful attention must be given. The 

 object to be attained is the removal of moisture in order to prevent 

 the development of microbes, higher fungi and other organisms which 

 feed upon the cell contents including more or less of the active con- 

 stituents. It is desirable to dry drugs as quickly as possible. Exposing 

 the drugs to direct sunlight is as a rule not preferable. Drying of 

 leaves and herbs should be done under a shed with open sides and ends to 

 insure free circulation of air. Fortunately , the work of drying becomes 

 easy as well as simple in California, as most drug-yielding plants mature 

 during the dry season, so that provision for protection from rains need 

 not be made. However, the dews and fogs of the nights, in many 

 localities, especially near the coast, demand special consideration. 

 Large sheds as above suggested should be built with tables or hurdles 

 on which the drug may be spread. These sheds should be long and 

 narrow and the roof should be quite high above the hurdles. The drug 

 should be spread evenly and turned several times daily. The tops of 

 the hurdles or tables should be perforated to permit ready circulation 

 of air from below. As soon as the air becomes very damp in the 



