THE SENEKA.
1257
Polyg'ala Sen'ega, Linn. L. E. D .—The Seneka.
Sex. Syst. Diadelphia, Octandria.
(Radix, L. D. —Root, E.)
—The root of this plant was introduced into medicine as aCei,, y l° r the bites of venomous animals, in the early part of the last( 4 n j/\ lj .V Dr. Tennant, a Scotch physician, residing in Pennsylvania
like 01 ^ NY . Gen. Char. —Sepals persistent, the two inner ones wing-On^V Petals three to five, adnate to the tube of the stamen; the inferiorel]jpt. ' s hap e d (perhaps composed of two united). Capsule compressed,’ or obcordate. Seeds pubescent, carunculated at the hilum,ft? of a coma (D. C.)
° v ate' —Stems several, somewhat erect, simple, terete. Leaves
H'iftg aoceolate, the upper ones acuminate. Racemes somewhat spiked.
^ orbieulate. Capsule elliptical, emarginate (D. C.)hig]j 0t P er ennial, branching. Stems annual, from nine to twelve inchesa] t ’ ° Ccas i°nally tinged at their lower part with red or puiple. Leaves''hit sess ’l e > or °n very short stalks, paler beneath. Flowers small,titlin’ -Ate of the calyx white, with green veins. Capsule small, con-}j S tw 'o blackish seeds.
United States of America : most abundant in the southern andSler « parts.
fi(Jt *ie ? ClUl,TI0N '—Senega or Senekafiw ^es called the seneka-snakeroot i
root ( radix senega seu senecce),— .oucu me seiienu-siiu.iy,ci uvi or the rattlesnake root, is importedqujjj l le United States in bales. It varies in size from that of a writingttnj * to that of the little finger; it is contorted, presents a number ofo^es, and terminates superiorly in an irregular tuberosity, whichIt'Q '•races of numerous stems: a projecting line extends the wholetIa ck i° f l ' le root - r P' le cortical portion is corrugated, transverselythick, of a greyish yellow colour. The central portion ( medi-woody and white. The taste of the root is at first sweetish andof Sa] ^nou S , afterwards acrid and pungent, exciting cough and a flow(jo" a: its odour is peculiar and nauseous.cl l(; . iIPo siTi°N.—Senega root has been repeatedly made the subject ofh ar( j '? a i investigation. In the last century it was examined by Burck-ISjQ^’ ?y Keilhorn, and by Helmutli (Murray, App. Med. ii. 564). Inaj 1( j . 11 " as analyzed by Gelilen (Grnelin, Ilandb. d. Chem. ii. 1249);(n„ ln 1811 bv Fougeron ( Journ. de Chim. Med. ii. 549). Peschierari al v C - ^ Uoebel and Kunze, Pharm Waarenk.) also published anin s °f it. In 1826, Feneulle {Journ. de Chim. Med. ii- 431),
by r, 7 l>oth by Dulong d’Astafort [Journ. de Pharm. xiii. 567) ancl(/^ 0 cl" {Journ. de Chim. Med. iii. 600), in 1832 by TrommsdorfPentral-Blatt fur 1832, S. 449), and in 1836 by Quevennen% de Pharm. xxii.) I subjoin three of these:—