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ADULTERATION OF BLACK HELLEBORE ROOT. 
He says, u Itis somewhat remarkable that the intermixture 
of bane-berrv rhizomes with those of black hellebore should 
not have hitherto been noticed in this country, as such an in¬ 
termixture is certainly not of recent origin, for I have lately 
found specimens of what has been called black hellebore, and 
which I have proved had been in stock more than sixteen 
years, which consisted always entirely of bane-berry rhizomes. 
At present, in some instances, the whole of the drug forwarded 
to me as black hellebore consist of bane-berrv, and in other 
instances I have found a large intermixture of the false with 
the genuine rhizomes. 
(( Upon a superficial examination, the resemblance between 
black hellebore and bane-berry rhizomes is most remarkable; 
but on a more careful inspection, we find marked distinctive 
characters, both physical and chemical, between them. 
Some of these we shall now refer to, and in order that they 
may be more readily noticed, we place them in a tabular form 
as follows: 
“ 1. General Distinctive Characters. 
Black Hellebore. 
Rhizome variously twisted and 
knotted; and presenting on its upper 
surface, when of any length, short 
projections at intervals. 
Grayish or brownish in colour, and 
without any perceptible red tinge. 
Internally of soft texture, and 
medullary appearance. 
No marked odour in a dried state. 
Taste bitter, very acrid, biting, and 
nauseous, more especially so if 
freshly died. 
A transverse section of the radi¬ 
cles exhibits an undivided, or but 
very slightly stellate meditullium. 
Bane-berry. 
Rhizome twisted and knotted, but 
less so than black hellebore, and pre¬ 
senting on its upper surface large and 
long projections. 
Reddish-brown in colour. 
Dense and woody internally. 
Odour somewhat narcotic, especi¬ 
ally when freshly dried or moistened. 
Taste bitter, but very slightly 
acrid, even when in a fresh state. 
A transverse section of the radicles 
exhibits a meditullium, in which the 
woody bundles are arranged in a 
cruciate, triangular, or more or less 
radiate manner, according to their 
size. 
“ The best of all the distinctive characters alluded to above, 
and one which with ordinary care will at once enable any 
one to distinguish with facility the two rhizomes, is that 
presented by the transverse sections of their respective 
radicles. 
“ 2 . Chemical Distinctive Characters. 
“ An infusion, made by macerating one ounce of black 
