482 
Senega  of  Commerce. 
j  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t       Oct.,  1881. 
is  derived  from  States  south  of  tlie  Ohio  river,  the  term  "  Southern 
senega"  has  been  accepted  as  applicable  to  the  drug  that  answers  the 
description  and  authorities  accept  as  officinal  senega.  The  States  of 
Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois  were  once  Western  States.  Since,  the 
West  has  moved  far  beyond,  and  thus  it  is  that  even  in  Cincinnati, 
once  a  Western  city,  the  senega  Avhich  is  derived  from  these  States  is 
called  by  dealers  Southern  senega."  This  senega  reaches  our  city 
(Cincinnati)  in  parcels  of  from  a  few  pounds  to  bales  of  one  or  two 
hundred  pounds.  It  comes  from  country  stores  and  direct  from  the 
gatherer.  Sometimes  it  is  nice  and  clean,  again  it  is  scarcely  washed 
at  all  and  frequently  is  gathered  with  the  top  attached  and  in  this 
manner  sent  to  market.  Owing  to  the  high  price,  it  is  not  so  liable  'to . 
admixtures  as  cheaper  roots,  but  it  is  not  unusual  to  find  others  of  our 
indigenous  roots  mixed  with  it.  There  have  been  several  articles 
written  upon  this  subject  in  our  journals  at  home  and  abroad,  so  that 
it  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  dwell  upon  this  phase  of  the  question 
other  than  to  say  that  we  believe  the  larger  share  of  these  admixtures 
to  result  from  carelessness  with  the  digger,  rather  than  from  any  inten- 
tion to  adulterate.  In  concluding  our  remarks  upon  Southern  senega, 
we  call  attention  to  the  specimens  which  accompany— derived  as  fol- 
lows :  Nos,  1  and  2  from  Kentucky  and  No.  3  from  Indiana. 
Northern  Senega. — Let  us  bear  in  mind  that  the  original  senega 
root,  and  all  that  was  used  until  about  ten  years  ago,  was  derived  from 
the  sections  of  country  that  we  have  named. ^    To  produce  it,  the  typ- 
ical species,  Polygala  senega,  Lin.,  and  Polygala  senega,  var.  latifolia, 
are  gathered  indiscriminately.    Until  a  few  years  ago,  there  was  no 
reason  for  a  division  of  the  senegas  of  commerce.    Now,  however, 
dealers  in  senega  speak  of    Northern  Senega,"  the  distinction  being 
brought  about  by  the  appearance  in  market  of  a  root  unlike  the  origi- 
nal, such  being  derived  from  the  Northwest,  about  the  44th  degree  of 
latitude,  and  from  the  States  of  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.    The  first 
consignments  of  this  senega  that  we  have  been  able  to  trace  were 
noted  about  ten  years  ago.    It  is  very  large,  sometimes  white,  again 
rather  dark  brown.    The  knot  at  the  top  of  the  root,  from  which 
spring  the  stems,  is  often  two  or  three  inches  in  diameter,  even  of 
the  dried  plant.    The  root,  just  below  the  knotty  head,  is  (when  dry) 
^The  typical  Polygala  senega,  Lin.^  is  native  to  the  eastern  portions  of 
the  United  States;  however  it  does  not  seem  to  be  in  abundance  sufficient 
to  repay  gathering.  L. 
