142 
VERATRUM ALBUM. 
This is a perennial plant, a native of the mountainous regions of 
Germany, Italy, and Switzerland ; and according to Gerarde, was first 
cultivated in England, about the latter end of the sixteenth century. 
By many, the Veratrum Alburn is supposed to be the EkKefio^og 
hsvxOQ of the Greek writers ; an opinion to which Orfila subscribes, 
but which is founded, like many others respecting the identity of the 
ancient nomenclature with the modern, rather from the similarity of 
their effects, than from any agreement in the botanical description. 
The root of the white hellebore is about one inch thick, fleshy, 
fusiform, of a brownish yellow without, white within, and beset with 
many small fibres ; the stalk, which rises to the height of about four 
feet, is thick, strong, round, upright, hairy ; the leaves numerous, 
very large, oval, entire, lanceolate, plaited, sulcated by numerous 
and parallel ribs, without footstalks, of a yellowish green colour, 
and surrounding the stem at its base; the stalk or stem of th« 
plant is terminated by a pannicle of greenish white flowers, growing 
in very large, branched, terminal spikes : some of these flowers are 
hermaphrodite, and some male. The hermaphrodite flower consists 
of six petals which are oblong, or lance-shaped, veined, persistent; 
filaments six, closely surrounding the germen, shorter than the 
corolla, and terminated by quadrangular anthers : there are three 
distinct germens in each flower, erect, oblong, ending in short, hairy 
styles, and changing into oblong capsules, with two valves, and 
several membranous sheaths, arranged in two rows ; the capsule 
opens into each cell by an interior suture, it contains many oblong, 
compressed, membranous seeds. The male flowers only diff"er from 
the hermaphrodite in the absence of the germens. 
Sensible and Chemical Properties. The recent root has a 
strong unpleasant odour, which is lost by drying ; its taste is nau- 
seous, bitterish, and acrid. The dried roots, as found in the shops, 
have a yellowish grey appearance, somewhat corrugated, and break 
with a short, starchy fracture, with little or no smell. From the 
analysis of MM. Pelletier and Caventon, the following are the 
component parts of white hellebore root : a fatty matter, composed 
of elaine, stearine, and ammonia, acidulous gallate of veratrine,* a 
yellow colouring mailer, starch, gum, and lignin.f 
Deleterious Properties of White Hellebore. Every 
part of this plant, when recent, is extremely poisonous, and both the 
* This substance will be particularly described bereafter. 
t Journ. de Pharm. Aout. 1820. 
