335. Rhamnus cathartica, N.F.—Buckthorn.
335. RHAMNUS CATHARTICA, N.F.—BUCKTHORN. The fruit of Rham'nus cathar'tica Linné. Habitat: Europe, Northern Asia, and naturalized in North America. Small, berry-like fruits about the size of a pea, borne on a receptacle at the end of a slender stalk; apex tipped with the style remnants. Smooth, purplish or black when fresh, in which state they are generally used; wrinkled on drying; four-celled, each containing a single triangular seed, surrounded by a brownish-green pulp; odor unpleasant; taste sweetish, afterward bitter and nauseous. They contain rhamnocathartin, rhamnin, sugar, gum, and tannin. A syrup is made from the juice, having strong purgative properties. Dose of syrup: 2 to 5 fl. dr. (8 to 20 mils). The green fruit treated with lime yields a pigment, sap-green.
