'•}    The  Pharmacognosy  of  Helonias. 
293 
The  chemical  constituents  of  helonias  have  never  been  properly 
investigated,  nor  has  its  pharmacognosy  been  thoroughly  gone  into, 
as  the  National  Formulary,  fourth  edition,  fails  to  mention  its  most 
striking  characteristic,  a  feature  recognized  by  Millspaugh  in  his 
work  "  Medicinal  Plants,"  published  in  1892. 
This  feature  is  aptly  described  in  these  words.  "When  the 
root  (rhizome)  is  cut  across  it  will  be  plainly  noticeable  that  the 
Fig.  3.  Radial-longitudinal  section  of  Helonias  rhizome.  A,  epidermis, 
showing  annuli;  B,  foramen,  showing  cells  of  the  tube  wall;  C,  bands  of  nar- 
row trachea. 
fibrous  rootlets  pierce  the  cortex  through  ample  foramina,  in  which 
they  are  freely  movable  like  threads  in  the  eye  on  a  needle." 
The  drug  consists  of  an  annulate  rhizome  of  upright  or  oblique 
growth  (Fig.  1),  1  to  5  cm.  long,  0.5  to  1  cm.  in  diameter,  bearing 
at  the  crown  numerous  leaf  bases  or  in  rhizomes  of  oblique  growth, 
one  or  more  stem  scars  in  addition.  Below  there  are  numerous 
roots,  often  stripped  of  their  cortical  layers,  and  piercing  the  cortex 
of  the  rhizome  through  characteristic  openings.  They  enter  the 
cortex  of  an  upright  rhizome  at  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees,  are 
A 
B 
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