36 
NAT. ORDER. ARACE^. 
when they ajDpear in naked clusters, of a bright scarlet color, 
making a very conspicuous appearance in the swamps and damp 
woods where they are most commonly found growing. 
This plant is a native of North and South America, and is quite 
common in almost every part of the United States, growing in 
swamps, in damp woods, by the side of small streams, along ditches, 
and in other moist shady places. The root is the medicinal part 
of the plant, which in a recent and lactescent state is extremely 
acrimonious, and upon being chewed, excites an intolerable sensa- 
tion of burning and pricking in the tongue, worse than that of 
Capsicum hacatum, the strongest kind of Cayenne pepper, which 
continues for several hours. This active principle is a peculiar 
substance, Aroine, highly volatile, having no affinity with water, 
alcohol, oil or acids, and becoming an inflammable gas by heat or 
distillation. When cut in slices and applied to the skin, it has 
been known to produce blisters. This acrimony, however, is gra- 
dually lost by drying, and may be so far dissipated by the applica- 
tion of heat, as to leave the root a bland farinaceous aliment ; its 
medical efficacy, therefore, resides wholly in the active volatile 
matter, and consequently the powdered root must lose much of its 
power on being long kept. Lewis says, " the fresh and moderately 
dried roots were digested in water, in wine, in proof sjDirit, and in 
rectified spirit, with and without heat : the liquors received no 
color, and but very little if any taste. In distillation, neither spirit 
nor water, brought over any sensible impregnation from the arum. 
The root nevertheless loses in those operations almost the whole 
of its pungency." Dr Cullen considers it a general stimulant, not 
only exciting the activity of the digestive powers, where they hap- 
pen to be languid, but stimulating the whole system ; in proof of 
this he observes, that it has been useful in intermittent fevers. The 
ancient writers condemned its use in any form, they fancied that it 
possessed poisonous jDroperties, and was wholly incapable of being 
valuable as a medicine in any complaint whatever. 
