134 
PHARMA COG NOSY. 
ties — the northern, collected in Manitoba and in the 
State of Minnesota ; the southern, from Virginia to 
Texas. 
Description. — Nearly entire, with broken and de- 
tached rootlets, crowned with numerous buds and short- 
stem remnants, slenderly conical, more or less tortuous, 
somewhat branched, 3 to 8 cm. long, 2 to 12 mm. 
thick ; externally dark yellow, the crown being rose- 
tinted, longitudinally wrinkled, slightly annulate, 
marked with circular scars of detached rootlets and in 
some cases by a keel which is more prominent near 
the crown in perfectly dry roots ; side opposite keel 
more or less flattened ; cross-section elliptical or tri- 
angular ; fracture short when dry, tough when damp ; 
internally, wood lemon-yellow, 2 to 5 mm. in diameter, 
usually excentral, bark dark yellow, much thickened 
on one side, forming on drying, the keel ; odor slight, 
penetrating ; taste sweetish and acrid. 
Constituents. — The principal constituents are two 
glucosides : senegin, which resembles saponin, 2 to 5 
per cent., and polygalic acid, which is sternuatory. The 
root also contains 0'12 per cent, of a volatile oil which 
is chiefly methyl salicylate ; resin, pectin, sugar and 
considerable proteids. 
TARAXACUM (Dandelion). 
The root of Taraxacum officinale (Fam. Compositse), 
a perennial herb indigenous to Europe and Asia, but 
now naturalized in all civilized parts of the world. 
The root should be collected in spring or in autumn 
either directly before or directly after the vegetative 
activity of the plant. It is used in either the fresh or 
dried condition, the principal supply of the dried root 
coming from Europe. The drug should be preserved 
from the attacks of insects by a few drops of chloroform. 
