INTRODUCTION.
Reading edition
More than half of the root drugs recognized in the Eighth Decennial Revision of the United States Pharmacopœia occur in this country, some native and not growing elsewhere and others introduced. All of the official root drugs found in the United States have been included in this bulletin, as well as such native and introduced “nonofficial” roots (those not at present recognized in the United States Pharmacopœia) as seemed to be most generally quoted in the trade lists of the country, the total number of root drugs described being 50. While the most important root drugs thus given are limited to 50, there are included under each of these, wherever required, brief descriptions of related species. It would be impossible to include within the limits of this paper all of the root drugs that are used in this country, but the aim has been to give information concerning those which seem to be the most important commercially, according to the numerous drug lists that have been consulted.
All of the root drugs herein mentioned occur in quantities sufficient for commercial purposes, but the roots of many of the species that also occur in other countries are nevertheless largely imported.
In speaking of “root drugs” in this paper only those are included of which the underground portion is found in commerce, whether in the form of root, rootstock, bulb, or corm, excluding the roots that are used solely for their bark or for their gums or resins.
Except in the botanical descriptions, the term “roots” is generally used, regardless of the fact that the part under consideration may be a rootstock, root, or bulb. In this the commercial practice is followed, which makes no distinction as to the form of the underground portion as classified by botanists, but catalogues them all under the general term “roots.”
The medicinal uses are referred to in only the briefest and most general manner, for it is clearly not within the province of a publication of this character to go into details regarding these matters. The statements made are based on the information contained in various dispensatories and other works relating to materia medica.
The illustrations are for the most part made from a collection of photographs taken from nature by C. L. Lochman. A few have 10been taken from various publications, mention of which is made under the illustrations in question.