Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
March,  1921.  J 
Poke  Root  in  Medicine. 
-33 
in  a  book  written  by  Frances  Peyre-Porcher,  M.D.,  published  in 
1862,  entitled  "Resources  of  the  Southern  Fields  and  Forests,  Med- 
ical, Economical,  and  Agricultural,"  Charleston,  1863.  By  com- 
mand of  the  Surgeon-General,  the  author  was  released  temporarily 
from  service  in  the  field  and  hospital  to  enable  him  to  investigate 
into  the  medicinal,  economical,  and  useful  properties  of  plants, 
herbs,  and  drugs  found  within  the  limits  of  the  Confederate  States 
to  enable  them  to  be  used  as  substitutes  for  drugs,  medicinal  sub- 
stances, etc.,  which  they  were  unable  to  obtain  during  the  American 
Civil  War,  and  the  following  is  the  account  of  his  investigation 
as  to  the  use  and  properties  of  Phytolacca  decandra: 
"The  juice  of  the  leaves  or  berries,  inspissated  in  the  sun  to 
the  consistence  of  an  extract,  will,  it  is  said,  discuss  hard  tumours 
if  applied  to  the  part,  'and  destroy  cancers  by  eating  them  out  by 
the  roots'  ('Am.  Herbal,'  by  J.  Stearns).  Mixed  with  brandy,  it 
is  extolled  in  the  cure  of  rheumatism,  easing  pain  and  reducing 
discharge  of  the  cutaneous  and  urinary  secretions.  One  ounce  of 
the  dried  root  infused  in  a  pint  of  wine  is  said  to  act  kindly  as  an 
emetic,  in  doses  of  two  tablespoonfuls.  Bigelow  also  was  of  the 
opinion  that  it  resembled  ipecacuanha  in  its  mode  of  operation ;  but 
later  experimenters  give  an  unfavourable  report,  as  it  is  sometimes 
uncertain,  acting  too  powerfully  by  accumulation.  The  pulverized 
root  is  also  emetic  in  doses  of  one  to  two  drachms.  'The  tincture 
of  the  ripe  berries  seems  to  have  acquired  a  well-founded  reputa- 
tion as  a  remedy  in  chronic  and  syphilitic  rheumatism  and  for  allay- 
ing syphilitic  pains.'  By  some,  thought  to  be  more  useful  than 
guaiacum.  The  decoction  has  been  used  in  scrofula  also.  A  spirit 
distilled  from  the  berries  killed  a  dog  in  a  few  moments  by  its 
violent  emetic  effect,  and,  according  to  De  Candolle,  it  is  a  powerful 
purgative.  The  French  and  Portuguese  mixed  it  with  their  wine 
to  give  it  colour,  and  this  was  prohibited  by  Royal  Ordinance  of 
Louis  XVI  'on  pain  of  death  as  it  injured  the  flavour.'  Lind.  Nat. 
Syst.  Bot.  210;  Mer.  et  de  L.  Diet,  de  M.  Med.,  states  that  two 
spoonfuls  of  the  juice  of  the  old  plant,  which  is  acrid,  will  purge 
violently;  applied  externally,  it  will  irritate  the  skin,  and  it  is  used 
in  the  cure  of  sanious  ulcers,  cutaneous  eruptions,  itch,  and  hemor- 
rhoids. For  the  latter  affection  an  infusion  is  injected  per  rectum. 
Drs.  Jones  and  Kollock,  of  Georgia,  assure  us  (adds  Merat)  that 
they  cure  syphilis  with  it,  in  all  its  stages,  without  the  use  of  mer- 
cury.  Dr.  Rush  relates  that  several  students  of  Yale  College  were 
