164 
Some  California  Drugs. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharar. 
April,  1879. 
ON  SOME  CALIFORNIA  DRUGS. 
Colusa,  March  10th,  1879. 
Editor  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  : 
We  send  you  by  mail  samples  of  Rhamnus  purshiana,  Berberis  aqui- 
folium  and  Eriodictyon  c  aliform  cum,  all  of  which  are  natives  of  Califor- 
nia, or  more  properly  speaking  the  Pacific  Slope.  There  has  been  con- 
siderable stir  in  the  last  year  or  two  about  the  above-named  drugs,  as- 
there  usually  is  about  new  remedies.  The  rhamnus,  I  believe,  was 
first  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  medical  profession  by  Dr.  J.  H.  Bundyy 
an  eclectic  physician,  under  the  name  of  "Cascara  Sagrada,"  which  was 
given  it  by  the  early  Mexican  settlers  of  California,  and  means  literally 
translated  "  holy  bark  it  also  bears  the  name  of  chittam  bark,  and 
by  the  latter  name  it  is  universally  known  through  the  Coast  Range 
Mountains  of  the  Pacific  Slope.  It  has  been  used  for  years  in  domes- 
tic practice,  and  is  considered  an  infallible  remedy  by  the  Mexicans  for 
almost  every  complaint. 
Berberis  aqui  folium  or  grape  root,  is  a  hardy  plant  with  fruit  resem- 
bling the  wild  grape,  and  flourishes  extensively  throughout  the  Coast 
Range  and  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  ;  it  also  is  -ised  extensively  in 
domestic  practice,  especially  by  the  American  residents,  for  tonic  and 
anti-malarial  purposes.  It  has  certainly  proved  to  be  excellent  and 
without  doubt  it  contains  other  properties  that  will  render  it  a  valuable 
remedy. 
Eriodictyon  californicum, or  yerba  santa,  is  a  hardy  evergreen,  flourish- 
ing best  in  the  mountains,  but  it  is  to  be  found  in  sheltered  glades  and 
ravines  near  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento.  It  grows  from  two  to  five 
and  six  feet  in  height  and  is  covered  with  a  resinous  exudation  that  per- 
vades every  part  of  the  stem  and  leaf,  but  more  especially  the  leaf.  It 
is  used  more  extensively  perhaps  than  any  other  of  our  domestic  drugs, 
and  has  been  proved  to  be  an  excellent  expectorant  and  diaphoretic. 
The  bush,  when  green,  presents  a  striking  and  pleasing  appearance  y 
the  leaves  are  of  a  rich  dark  green  and  have  the  appearance  of  being 
covered  with  varnish. 
Grindelia  robusta  and  Grindelia  squarrosa  also  deserve  mention,  as  they 
are  rapidly  growing  in  demand  in  the  medical  profession. 
Grindelia  robusta,  or  tar  weed,  as  it  is  vulgarly  termed,  is  found  in 
abundance  covering  the  high  mountain  ridges  and  valleys  ;  it  blooms 
