WHITE HELLEBORE 



391 



latter being irregularly traversed in a characteristic manner by 

 yellowish fibro- vascular bundles. The cortex also exhibits occasional 

 bundles (leaf- traces) , and gives off here and there a root. 



The drug has a bitterish, acrid taste but little odour ; the powder 

 is strongly sternutatory. 



FIG. 211. White Hellebore rhizome. 

 B, longitudinal section of rhizome. 

 ceutical Journal.) 



A, rhizome with roots. 

 Natural size. (Pliarma- 



The student should observe 



(a) That the rhizome is usually entire, 



(b) That the roots are greyish in colour, and not often much 



shrivelled transversely, 



(c) The characters of the transverse section ; 



and should compare the drug with American veratrum (see below) . 



Constituents. White hellebore contains several alkaloids, amount- 

 ing in all to 0-5 to 1-0 per cent. The most important and the 

 most toxic of these is protoveratrine, CgaH^NOn (0-03 per cent.), 

 which is obtainable in small crystals melting at 245 to 250. It 

 closely resembles aconitine in its action, and is in addition a power- 

 ful sternutatory. Jervine, C 26 H 37 NO 3 ,2H 2 O, is also crystalline and 



