CRUDE DRUGS. 



493 



European or White Hellebore closely resembles the Amer- 

 ican Hellebore, but the color varies from whitish to yellowish- 

 brown and visually the rootlets are removed. 



The drug should be kept in well closed vessels, and the leaf 

 and stem bases, if present, should be removed. 



Inner Structure. — See Figs. 215, 216. 



Constituents of Veratrum album. — The drug contains a 

 number of alkaloids, of which the most important is protovera- 



/ ^ 



Fig. 215, Cross section of rhizome of Veratrum viride: a, section of a root near its origin; 

 b, endodermis; c, one of the wavy fibrovascular bundles in the cortex; d, parenchyma; 

 e, fibrovascular bundle of the central cylinder; f, parenchyma. — After Bastin. 



trine, which occurs to the extent of 0.03 per cent, and forms 

 monoclinic prisms which are insoluble in water, soluble in strong 

 alcohol, and with concentrated sulphuric acid give a greenish- 

 colored solution which gradually changes to blue and finally to 

 violet. It also contains the following alkaloids which are physio- 

 logically inactive or but feebly toxic: Jervine (o.io to 0.13 per 

 cent.) forms satiny, lustrous prisms which are colored yellow with 

 hydrochloric acid, the solution afterwards changing to green; 



