10LYGALA MILKWORT. 129 



occasionally tinged with red. Leaves numerous, alternate, lanceolate or 

 oblong-lanceolate, 1 to 2 inches long, with rough margins. Flowers in 

 dense spikes, 1 to 1£ inch long, appearing in May and June. 



Habitat. — In dry, rocky woods from Western New England to North 

 Carolina and westward ; most abundant in the South and West. 



Polygala polygama Walter (P. rubella Willdenow). — Bitter Polygala. 



Description. — Calyx : wings broadly obovate, spreading, longer than the 

 petals. Corolla : keel conspicuously crested. Capsule oblong, einarginate. 



A small biennial. Stems numerous, mostly simple, leafy, G to 9 inches 

 high. Leaves alternate, oblanceolate or oblong, 1 inch long. Flowers in 

 terminal racemes, deep rose-color or purplish. There are also produced 

 radical racemes of inconspicuous but fertile flowers, which are prostrate 

 upon the ground, or subterranean. 



Habitat. — Dry, sandy soil from Canada to Florida and westward. Very 

 common. 



Harts Used. — The root of P. Senega is official under the name of senega 

 — United States Pharmacopoeia. Both the root and herb of H. polygama 

 (P. rubella) were formerly official, but have been discarded. 



Constituents. — Senega has a peculiar odor, and a taste which is, at first, 

 sweetish but afterward pungent and acrid. Its most important constitu- 

 ent is a peculiar acrid principle termed senegin, or polygalic acid, which is 

 believed to be closely analogous to saponin, a principle existing in Sapon- 

 aria officinalis and Quillaia bark. From P. polygama (P. rubella) has been 

 obtained a crystalline compound termed polygalamarin, which has a very 

 bitter taste, and foams considerably when agitated with water, in this re- 

 spect resembling saponin. 



Preparations. — Of senega : Abstractum senegas — abstract of senega ; ex- 

 tractum senegas fluidum — fluid extract of senega^ ; syrupus senegas — syrup 

 of senega ; a constituent of syrupus scillae compositus — compound syrup of 

 squill. — United States I^harniacopcma. Of P. polygama there are no official 

 preparations. Both species yield their virtues to water and to diluted 

 alcohol. 



Medical Properties and Uses. — Senega in small or medium doses is dia- 

 phoretic, diuretic, and expectorant ; in large doses, emetic and cathartic. 

 In practice it is chiefly used as a stimulating expectorant in the later 

 stages of bronchial and pulmonary affections after active inflammatory 

 symptoms have been subdued. Its emetic and purgative action has been 

 found useful in rheumatism and dropsy, but other agents are more eligible. 

 It has also some reputation as an emmenagogue. 



Of P. polygama there is little to be said. It is believed to possess prop- 

 erties similar to those of P. amara of Europe, but as this plant is no 

 longer official there its properties cannot be considered of much value. 

 All species of the genus are more or less bitter, and probably possess, if 

 nothing else, mild tonic properties. 

 9 



