RHIZOMA VERATRI VIRIDIS. 695 



the Veratrdidine, discovered by Bullock (1876) in Voxitrum vii'ide. 

 Tobien assigns to jervine the formula C^H^'N'O' ; that of veratroidine 

 is not yet settled. The latter is to some extent soluble in water. 



Weppen (1872) has isolated from this drug Veratramarin, an amor- 

 phous, deliquescent, bitter principle. It occurs in minute quantity only, 

 and is resolvable into sugar and other products. Veratramarin dissolves 

 in water or spirit of wine, not in ether or in chloroform. The same 

 observer has also isolated, to the extent of i per mille, Jeii^c Acid in 

 hard crystals of considerable size,i of the composition C"ff"0'"-|-2 H"0. 

 The acid requires 100 parts of water for solution at the ordinarj^ tem- 

 perature, and a little less of boiling alcohol. It is decidedly acid, and 

 forms well-defined crystallizable salts, containing 4 atoms of the 

 monovalent metals. 



By exhausting the entire rhizome (roots included) with ether and 

 anhydrous alcohol, we obtained 258 per cent, of soft resin, which 

 deserves further examination. Pectic matter to the amount of 10 per 

 cent, was pointed out by Wiegand in 1841. 



According to SchrofF (1860), in the rootlets the active principle 

 resides in the cortical part, the woody central portion being inert. He 

 also asserts that the rhizome acts less strongly than the rootlets, and in 

 a somewhat difi*erent manner. 



Commerce — The drug is imported from Germany in bales. The 

 price-currents distinguish Swiss a.nd Austrian, and generally name the 

 drug as " without fibre." 



Uses — Veratrum is an emetic and drastic purgative, rarely used 

 internally. It is occasionally employed in the form of ointment in 

 scabies. Its principal consumption is in veterinary medicine. 



Substitutes — The rhizome of the Austrian Verati^Tn nigrum L. is 



said to be sometimes collected instead of "WTiite Hellebore; it is of much 



smaller size, and, according to Schroff. less potent. That of the Mexican 



Helonias frigida Lindley {Veratrum frigidum Schl.) appears to exactly 



I resemble that of Verati'um, album. 



RHIZOMA VERATRI VIRIDIS. 



American White Hellebore,^ Indian Poke. 



Botanical Origin — Veratruim viride Aiton, a plant in every respect 

 closely resembling V. album, of which it is one of the numerous forms. 

 In fact, the green -coloured variety of the latter (V. Lobeliunum 

 Bemh.), a plant not uncommon in the mountain meadows of the Alps, 

 comes so near to the American V. viride that we are unable to point 

 out any important character by which the two can be separated.' 



^ For good specimens of -which I am margins, especially about the claw, thick- 

 indebted to Dr. Weppen. — F. A. F. ened and covered with a white mealiness. 



- The name GVeen ^eZ/efiore is sometimes Bot. Mag. xxvii. (1808) tab. 1096. — Regel 



applied to this dmg, but it properly belongs has described four varieties of Veratrum 



to HtUehorua viridis L., which is medicinal album L., as occurring in the region of the 



in some parts of Europe. Lower Ussuri and Amurlaud, one of which, 



'Sims in contrasting Veratrumviridewith var. y., he has identified ^s-ith the Ameri- 



F. aR>uj?i observes tlmt the flowers of the can V. viride. — Tentamen Florae Ussuriensia, 



former are "more inclined to a yellow green," St. Petersb. 1761. 153. 

 the petals broader and more erect, with the 



