The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1881-09-02
HEALING By HERBS.
Their Growth in Every Section. and the
Trade in Them.

Trade in Them.
s'In the beginning of the present cen.
tury," says the New York Star, sBoston
had visitation of the scarlet fever. The
oldschool physicians were unable to cope
with the disease and their patients were
given over to death. Samuel Thomp-
son appeared among the sick. He dis
carded the use of mineral medicines
and the compounds prescribed by the
old pharmacopoeia, and as aconsequence
he was not recognized by the regular
physicians. But he cured his patients
with syrup made fremlobelia, beau
tiful biennial plant with pink flower and
hbrous root. Hissuccess aroused the eenvy
-of the old school physicians, and he was
accused Of Witchcraft and placed on trial
for his life. The Boston jury was suffi-
GENTLY intelligent to acquit him, and
DR.. Thompson, who was the father of
medical botany in this country, came to
be recognized authority among medi-
cal men. But full justice was never
done him-the regular physicians stole
his remedies and incorporated them in
their books as their own.
Au uAO HI06OAh blLL1O bu0 6CuOOl VI
medicine which DR.. Thompson founded
can hardly be said to have recognized
represeL tation, but the simple remedies
which he prescribed are used to an ex-
tent hardly credible. There are in this
city q large number of establishments
doing business as botanic druggists
Their business consists In collecting,
importing and selling herbs, leaves,
seeds and other vegetable matter, to be
used in part for the manufacture of
tinctures, extracts and concentrations
for the use Of Irregular" practitioners !;
in part, also, for the manufacture of
perfumes, but in the main to be dis
posed of and applied as simple remedies
1t is estimated that million pounds of
medicinal herbs reach this city annually
'tWhlle many medical men do not
admit that herbs possess any wonderful
virtues, there are some among their
number who stoutly advocate their I'M
failing efficacy. Among them is the
eolored Voudoo doctor, John B. Bass,
who believes there is nothing good in
nature outside the vegetable kingdom
It is claimed by his friends that he is
the only man in this city who speaks
the Voudoo language.
eMr. Walter Adams, wholesale boz
tanic druggist, gave some interesting
information to the reporter. He said the
herbs used in the American pharmaco-
pHia are mainly the products of this
country, but small proportion being
imported. They are in endless variety,
Al, IL, 1o
plants, bark and roots.
SIN what particular section of the
country are these herbs grown, and
what class of persons pluck them p
asked the reporter.
In every section from Maine to Cal
ifornia,' he replied, and they are gath
cred for private use by tens of thousands
Of people, but for the market only q
small number Of persons InaAe it bus
sness
sWho are they9
Principally the members of the
Shaker communities in this state and in
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio and
other states. These people cultivate
farms of these herbs, and sell them
wholesale to druggists in the city and
elsewhere
rs the traffic larger
/" 4 carry stock of 100000 pounds,
and there re several other large houses
in the business. It is safe to say ], ,000, 900
pounds Of medicinal herbs are brought
into this market every year. They are
Of course thoroughly dried when gath
cred, and in the drying process they
lose about 100 per cent. of their weight.
The flowers are usually gathered when
in blossom, and leaves, bark, seeds and
roots about the months of September
and October. Any person can do the
work, but skilled man must direct and
supervise the gathering, drying and
packing. The roots and barks are sold
crude, cut, crushed or powdered, and
the leaves, herbs and flowers crude, cut
or powdered
I" is the business important in pc
cuniary sense.
"sMost certainly so. Our goods cost
from three cents per pound to 81 per
pound, the price being governed by the
supply. An article which can be had
one year for twenty five cents per pound
may cost next year So or 81. This year,
for instance. the plant known as Craw-
ley, a preparation from which is largely
and successfully used in fever cases, has
been sold as high as 81 a pound
"sWhat herbs are dealt in princi-
pally?
"sMy catalogue contains list of
nearly five hundred varieties, and it is by
no means complete. I might say that
medicinal herbs grow wild in endless
varieties, supplying fluid and solid
extracts, tinctures, oils and concentra-
tions to the pharmacopoeia, in addition
| to simple remedies in the forms of teas,
powders and syrups.'
sssAre these herbs cultivated for the
marketY
"sMany of them are on the farms OF
the Shaker communities. Before the
great fire which consumed the Shaker
buildings st Lebanon in this state, some
five years ago, that was great place foi
the cultivation of medicinal plants.
Among those largely cultivated are
sweet balm, sweet basil, belladonna
leaves, burdock root and leaves, caraway
seed, castor leaves, comfrey, dandelion,
/ SWEEP l6rus 1oA-S4OVeS, uOr6HOuuus leu
tuce, lovage root and leaves, marigold
flowers, sweet mojoram, parsley root,
leaves and seed, peony root and flowers,
poppy flowers, pumpkin seed, ounce
seed, rose, rue, saffron, sage, spotted
/ candus, strawberry vines, suufower seed,
tanzy, thyme, yellow dock and worm
wood. A small proportion of the herbs
used are imported from France, Germany
and South America. Irish moss which
is said to contain remarkable properties,
is imported from Ireland in considerable
quantities, and ginseng, which is used
as nervlne and tonic, is largely i'm
ported from China. Many roots and
herbs can. be imported more cheaplJ
than they can be raised here
".There is an inclination in some
circles to class men as quacks who ad
here to botanic remedies
"sThat may be but / think it is {
great mistake. A century ago the ole
school physicians had everything theil