| |
Washington, D.C. | July, 1930 |
THE HERB HUNTERS GUIDE
BY A.F. SIEVERS, Senior Biochemist, Office of Drug and Related Plants, Bureau of Plant Industry |
AMONG THE WILD PLANTS of the United States are many that have long been used in the practice of medicine, some only locally and to a minor extent, but others in sufficient quantity to make them commercially important. The collection of such plants for the crude-drug market provides a livelihood for many people in rural communities, especially in those regions where the native flora has not been disturbed by agricultural or industrial expansion and urban development. There is an active interest in the collection of medicinal plants because it appeals to many people as an easy means of making money. However, it frequently requires hard work, and the returns, on the whole, are very moderate. Of the many plants reported to possess medicinal properties, relatively few are marketable, and some of these are required only in small quantities. Persons without previous experience in collecting medicinal plants should first ascertain which of the marketable plants are to be found in their own locality and then learn to recognize them. Before undertaking the collection of large quantities, samples of the bark, root, herb, or other available material should be submitted to reliable dealers in crude drugs to ascertain the market requirements at the time and the prevailing prices. To persons without botanical training it is difficult to describe plants in sufficient detail to make identification possible unless such descriptions are accompanied by illustrations. It is the purpose of this publication to assist those interested in collecting medicinal plants to identify such plants and to furnish other useful information in connection with the work.
WASHINGTON, D.C. The publisher gratefully acknowledges the kindness of Mr. Stanley Damulis for the loan of his copy of the original publication from which this printing was made.
TRINITY CENTER PRESS Box 335, Beaumont, Ca. 92223
THE COLLECTION of medicinal plants for the crude-drug market has long afforded a gainful occupation for many people in the rural sections of this country. From the days of the early settlers numerous native plants have been credited with medicinal properties, which have led to their use as home remedies and in the manufacture of proprietary medicines, although some of the more important ones enter widely into official pharmaceutical products. Other plants of similar interest have been introduced from foreign countries and have become established and in some cases widely distributed. Among the plants that furnish products for the crude-drug trade are common weeds, popular wild flowers, and important forest trees. Many of these possess no pronounced medicinal properties, but so long as there is a market demand for them their collection continues to be of interest. For many of these plants there is little commercial demand, but a large number are consumed in substantial quantities, ranging from a few tons to 50 tons or more annually. |
Aletris Aletris farinosa |
American Bittersweet Celastrus scandens |
American Cranberrybush Viburnum trilobum |
American Elder Sambucus canadensis |
American False-Hellebore Veratrum viride |
American Linden Tilia americana |
American Mountain-Ash Sorbus americana |
American Pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides |
Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis |
Balm Melissa officinalis |
Balm-of-Gilead Poplar Populus candicans |
Bamboo Greenbrier Smilax pseudo-china |
Bayberry Myrica cerifera, M. carolinensis |
Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
Bitter Nightshade Solanum dulcamara |
Black Cherry Prunus serotina |
Blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium |
Black Mustard Brassica nigra |
Black Willow Salix nigra |
Blessed Thistle Cnicus benedictus |
Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis |
Blue Cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides |
Blueflag Iris Iris versicolor |
Blue Vervain Verbena hastata |
Bogbean Menyanthes trifoliata |
Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum |
Bugleweed Lycopus virginicus |
Burdock Arctium minus |
Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa |
Butternut Juglans cinerea |
Button-Snakeroot Eryngium aquaticum |
Canada Wildginger Asarum canadense |
Carolina-Jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens |
Carolina-Vanilla Trilisa odoratissima |
Cascara Buckthorn Rhamnus purshiana |
Catnip Nepeta cataria |
Celandine Chelidonium majus |
Chamaelirium Chamaelirium luteum |
Citronella Horsebalm Collinsonia canadensis |
Cohosh Bugbane Cimicifuga racemosa |
Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara |
Comfrey Symphytum officinale |
Common Juniper Juniperus communis |
Common Winterberry Ilex verticillata |
Culvers-Physic Veronica virginica |
Dandelion Leontodon taraxacum |
Echinacea Echinacea angustifolia |
Elecampane Inula helenium |
Figwort Scrophularia marilandica |
Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida |
Foxglove Digitalis purpurea |
Fragrant Goldenrod Solidago suaveolens |
Fringetree Chionanthus virginica |
Ginseng Panax quinquefolium |
Golden Groundsel Senecio aureus |
Goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis |
Goldthread Coptis trifolia |
Ground-Ivy Nepeta hederacea |
Gum Plant Grindelia robusta, G. squarrosa |
Hazel Alder Alnus rugosa |
Hemlock Tsuga canadensis |
Hemp Dogbane Apocynum cannabinum |
Hoarhound Marrubium vulgare |
Hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana |
Hoptree Ptelea trifoliata |
Horsechestnut Aesculus hippocastanum |
Horse Nettle Solanum carolinense |
Horseweed Erigeron canadensis |
Jack-In-The-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum |
Jimson Weed Datura stramonium |
Ladyslipper Cypripedium pubescens, C. parviflorum |
Leather Woodfern Dryopteris marginalis, D. filixmas |
Liverleaf Hepatica americana, H. acutiloba |
Lobelia Lobelia inflata |
Mad-Dog Skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora |
Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum |
Maypop Passiflora incarnata |
Moonseed Menispermum canadense |
Mullein Verbascum thapsus |
Narrow Dock Rumex crispus |
Oregon Hollygrape Berberis aquifolium |
Peppermint Mentha piperita |
Pinkroot Spigelia marilandica |
Pipsissewa Chimaphila umbellata, C. maculata |
Poison Hemlock Conium maculatum |
Pokeberry Phytolacca americana |
Prickly-Ash Zanthoxylum americanum, Z. clava-herculis |
Prickly Lettuce Lactuca scariola |
Purplestem Angelica Angelica atropurpurea |
Purple Trillium Trillium erectum |
Quack Grass Agropyron repens |
Sassafras Sassafras variifolium |
Saw Palmetto Serenoa serrulata |
Seneca-Snakeroot Polygala senega |
Skunkcabbage Spathyema foetida |
Slippery Elm Ulmus fulva |
Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens |
Smooth Sumac Rhus glabra |
Snakeroot Aristolochia serpentaria A. reticulata |
Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum |
Spearmint Mentha spicata |
Sweet Birch Betula lenta |
Sweet Cudweed Gnaphalium obtusifolium |
Sweetfern Comptonia peregrina |
Sweetflag Acorus calamus |
Tamarack Larix laricina |
Tansy Tanacetum vulgare |
Trailing-Arbutus Epigaea repens |
Turtlehead Chelone glabra |
Twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla |
Upland Cotton Gossypium hirsutum |
Virginia Strawberry Fragaria virginiana |
Wahoo Euonymus atropurpureus |
White Ash Fraxinus americana |
White Mustard Brassica alba |
White Oak Quercus alba |
White Pine Pinus strobus |
Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum |
Wild-Sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis |
Wild Yam Dioscorea villosa |
Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens |
Witch-Hazel Hamamelis virginiana |
Wormseed Chenopodium ambrosioides anthelminticum |
Wormwood Artemisia absinthium |
Yarrow Achillea millefolium |
Yellowroot Xanthorhiza simplicissima |
Yellow Wild-Indigo Baptisia tinctoria |
Yerba Santa Eriodictyon californicum |