379. Aralia nudicaulis.—False Sarsaparilla. Wild Licorice.
379. ARALIA NUDICAULIS Linné.—FALSE SARSAPARILLA. WILD LICORICE. Habitat: North America. (Rhizome.) Horizontal, often 300 mm. (12 in.) in length, and about the thickness of the little finger; it has a yellowish-brown, wrinkled, and annulate bark, inclosing a yellow wood and spongy pith; somewhat aromatic; taste warm, aromatic, and sweetish. The rhizome of Ara'lia racemo'sa, N.F. Linné (American Spikenard) is short and from 25 to 50 mm. (1 to 2 in.) thick, marked above by prominent stem-scars and beset below with long, branching rootlets; externally pale brown, internally whitish; more aromatic and spicy than A. nudicau'lis. Both rhizomes are used extensively in domestic practice as stimulant, diaphoretic, and alterative. Dose: 30 to 60 gr. (2 to 4 Gm.), in infusion.
