292 
The  Pharmacognosy  of  Helonias.    {  Amju-iyUr;9^7 
iarm. 
errors  and  omissions  in  the  official  description  of  these  drugs  make 
it  desirable  that  an  effort  be  made  to  clear  up  the  subject.  He- 
lonias, known  in  different  localities  as  devil's  bit,  blazing  star,  droop- 
ing starwort,  unicorn  plant,  false  unicorn  root,  colic  root,  etc.,  is  the 
dried  rhizome  and  roots  of  Chamcelirium  lutenm  (Linne)  A.  Gray,  a 
smooth,  perennial,  dioecious  herb  of  the  lily  family,  growing  in  low 
grounds  from  New  England  to  Georgia  and  westward.  Authentic 
Fig.  2.  Cross  section  of  the  central  portion  of  a  seedling  rhizome  of 
Helonias.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  endodermal  layer  is  indistinct.  A,  a 
foramen ;  B,  a  foramen  with  section  of  root  in  place ;  C,  collateral  mestome 
strand;  D,  narrow  bands  of  trachea  that  extend  from  the  epidermis  to  the 
pericycle. 
specimens  for  use  in  this  work  were  collected  by  the  writer  in  the 
vicinity  of  Baltimore. 
A  medical  history  of  helonias  dates  back  to  its  use  by  the  Amer- 
ican Indian.  It  has  long  been  recognized  by  the  American  Homeo- 
pathic Pharmacopoeia,  and  is  now  included  in  the  National  Formu- 
lary. Judging  from  the  amount  used  in  present-day  medicine,  it 
ranks  among  the  important  domestic  drugs. 
