The Texas serpentaria has a larger rootstock, with fewer roots less interlaced than the Virginia serpentaria.
Collection, Prices and Uses — The roots of serpentaria are collected in autumn. Various other roots are sometimes mixed with serpentaria, but as they are mostly high-priced drugs, such as golden seal, pinkroot, senega and ginseng, their presence in a lot of serpentaria is probably accidental, due simply to proximity of growth of these plants. Abscess-root (Polemonium Reptans L.) is another root with which serpentaria is often adulterated. It is very similar to serpentaria, except that it is nearly white. The price of serpentaria ranges from 35 to 40 cents a pound.
Serpentaria is used for its stimulant, tonic, and diaphoretic properties. Both species are official in the United States Pharmacopoeia.
CHAPTER XXIII.
POKEWEED.
Phytolacca Decandra L. a.
Synonym — Phytolacca Americana (L). a.
Pharmacopoeial Name — Phytolacca.
Other Common Names — Poke, pigeon-berry, garget, scoke, pocan, coakum, Virginia poke, inkberry, red inkberry, American nightshade, cancer-jalap, redweed.