THE PLANT AS HEALER 151 
In view of the series of alkaloids known to exist in 
the Solanacee, it is not’surprising to find in a recent 
American publication an account of the use of Datura 
Metel as a narcotic by certain primitive Indian_tribes. 
It would be of immense interest if evidence were 
obtained of native use of the abundant droseras of 
Australia, and in view of the application of Drosera 
rotundifolia in Great Britain might well point to 
the existence of unexplored medicinal principles in 
this group destined to be of value in tuberculous 
disease. 
In the meantime there is waiting at our door the im- 
provement and development of the important drug 
plants known to us, and the even more limited, but very 
practical, and urgent question of the production in 
England of the necessary herbs to make good the inter- 
ruption of the supply occasioned by the war. Though 
more medicinal plants are grown in this country than is 
usually realised, Mr. Evans (1) affirms that many more 
could be introduced, as, for instance, Cascara Sagrada as 
a hedge plant, while Podophyllum peltatum could be 
reared in Norfolk or the New Forest. English henbane, 
lavender and mint stand untouched by any rivalry. It 
is a recognised fact that English henbane is the only 
really satisfactory kind, and this is a plant of great 
importance, as its use is not attended by the deleterious 
gastric effects of opium. On the other hand, the open 
tracts of country and well-organised system of gather- 
ing and export gave the Central Powers a practical 
monopoly of the herb trade prior to the war. 
These matters should be considered together if the 
industry is to be established, and Mr, A. D. Hall 
