The cultivation of medicinal rhubarb has long been carried on, more or less persistently, in several European countries. Seeds of R. Rhaponticum, a native of S. Siberia and the Volga basin, were cultivated at Bodicott, near Banbury, a century ago ; and in 1867, some 40 acres of the plant were flourishing in that village, the soil being rich, friable loam. The roots are taken up in the autumn on to November, generally when 3-4 years old, though they are better at 6-7 years. The clumps, weighing perhaps 60-70 lb., are freed from earth and the smaller roots ; the central portion is trimmed, pared, and sliced longitudinally ; the lateral roots are also trimmed, pared, and assorted. All are then dried slightly in the open air in sheds, and afterwards thoroughly in a building heated by flues, for several weeks, and are stored in a warm, dry place. The best pieces are not inferior to the Chinese drug in size and colour ; but in odour, flavour, texture, and structure, they are not so good. The drug commands a low price, and is exported to the Continent and America. The same species is also grown at Austerlitz and Auspitz, in Moravia, and at Ilmitz, Kremnitz, and Frauenkircben, in Hungary. In France, R. palmatum, R. undulatum, R. compactum, and R. Rhaponticum were largely grown half a century ago; but the cultivation is now confined to the vicinity of Avignon, and a few minor spots. The first two species were long since raised extensively for the Russian Government at Kolywan and Krasnojarsk, S. Siberia.• R. Emodi (australe) yields the drug in Silesia. The cultivation of R. paimatum, almost the most valuable species, is attended with great difficulty, on account of the central root being very liable to decay. A Russian botanist suggests a remedy for this, in cutting away the old leaf-sheaths and withered stalks before they have had time to rot at the root, thus preventing an accumulation of water. It is further recommended to cover or stop the eye of the stalk ; to plant in light, black soil, in a shady situation, not having a S. aspect ; at distances of 8 ft. apart; and to water well, especially with water containing abundance of lime, as in the native haunts of the plant.
St. Ignatius' Beans (FR., Ryes de St. Ignace, Noix Isagur ; GER., Ignatiusbohnen).—The seeds of Strychnos Ignatii (S. Philippensis, Ignatiana Philippinica) are sometimes used in the same way as Nux-vomica, but especially when cheap, for the preparation of strychnine. The shrub is a native of the Bisayan group of the Philippines, being remarkably abundant in the islands of Samar, Bohol, and Cebu ; it has also been introduced into Cochin-Cbina. The seeds are used medicinally throughout E. Asia ; they contain about 1 per cent. of strychnine. They are occa sionally abundant in the English market. The preparation of the alkaloid has been described under Alkalies—Organic (see p. 231).
Sarsaparilla (Fa., Salsepareille ; GEE., Sarsaparill).—A preparation of the root of several species of Smilax is extensively used as an alterative and tonic. Much doubt still rests upon the origin of the drug ; the plants to which it is attributed are natives of the swampy forests of tropical America, from S. and W. Mexico, southwards into the N. part of S. America. In the absence of any botanical classification of the plants yielding sarsaparilla, the varieties of the drug itself may be grouped according to their peculiarities. They are usually distinguished as "mealy" and " non-mealy," the former containing much starch, the latter but little. The chief kinds of the
first class are :—(1) " Honduras " ; shipped from Belize, in bales secured by hides and iron bands, and made up of rolls 30 in. long, and 2i-1 in. thick, bound with roots. It was noticed in great abundance in the district just explored by H. Fowler, Colonial Secretary. The wholesale value of this variety is about ls.-ls. 4d. a lb. In 1878, Guatemala exported over 136 quintals (of nearly 2 cwt.), nearly all of which went to Belize, and 4 quintals direct to England. (2) "Guatemala"; n kind much resembling the preceding, except in having a more pronounced orange colour ; it is packed in the same way. (3) " Brazilian," " Para," or " Lisbon " ; packed in tight cylindrical rolls, 3 ft. long and 6 in. thick, the ends shaved off, and the whole bound by a plant stem ; formerly appreciated in England, but now seldom met with ; it is probably furnished by S. papyracea. Of the non-mealy descriptions, the most important are :—(1) "Jamaica " ; the bulk of the drug shipped under this name is collected in the Cordillera of Chiriqui, Isthmus of Panama, where the plant grows at altitudes of 4000-8000 ft.; the roots are gathered by the natives, and brought down to Boca del Toro, on the Atlantic coast, for shipment. Being 6 ft. and more long, they are doubled up in bundles 18 in. long and 4 in. thick, and tied with long rootlets of the same plant. This is the most esteemed variety in English commerce, and is worth 15-19d. a lb. A well-prepared form of the drug, grown in Jamaica, is much paler and more mealy than the commercial "Jamaica" sarsaparilla, and is not esteemed. The exports of this, in 1871, were 1290 lb. (2) " Guayaquil "; differs widely from the foregoing kinds, and is roughly packed in large bales. It is a coarse kind, and usually has the rhizome attached. It is collected in the valleys that open on the plain on the W. side of the Andes, especially in Alansi ; it is very fertile, sometimes yielding 75 lb. of the wet drug from one plant. It is second in value to "Jamaica," and fetches about 13-16d. a lb. In 1878, Guayaquil exported 371 quintals (of nearly 2 cwt.), valued at 5561. (all to England); and, in 1877, 224 quintals, valued at 3361. (3) "Mexican"; shipped from Vera Cruz, in straight bundles about 3 ft. long ; it is probably yielded by S. medico, on the E. slopes of the Mexican Andes, where it is gathered throughout the year, and sun-dried. It is slender, without rootlets, and has the rhizome attached.
The collectors of sarsaparilla are guided in their choice of the plant by three (1) Many stems from a root; (2) prickles closely set ; (3) leaves thin : the first is essential, a species with few stems do not yield roots worth digging for, while the others have at least three long roots, radiating horizontally. The uncovering of the roots is performed by scraping away the earth by the hand and a pointed stick ; when all are laid bare, the largest are cut off near the crown, and a few slender noes are left to aid in the regeneration of the plant ; the stems are cut off near the ground, and a little earth and dead leaves are heaped over the crown, which soon sends up new shoots. The yield of a 4-years' plant may be I6 lb., but a well-grown one may give 32-64 lb. ; cutting may be renewed in two years, but the yield will be less, and the roots more slender and less starchy. The dried root has little odour, but emits a very perceptible one on boiling; the flavour is earthy.