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Polygala Species

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Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 2

Part of the book series: Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs ((HERBAL DRUGS,volume 2))

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Abstract

More than thirty species of the genus Polygala (Polygalaceae) are or have been used as medicinal plants [1], The most well-known medicinal species is undoubtedly P. senega L., which serves as the source of senega root. Synonyms of this crude drug include rattlesnake root, seneca snake root, seneca root, snake root (E); Klapperschlangenwurzel, Virginische Schlangenwurzel (G); racine de sénéga, racine de Polygala [2–4]. The vernacular term snakeroot is confusing, as it has also been applied to a wide range of other plants including Eupatorium urticaefolium, Aristolochia serpentaria and Senecio aureus [5]. Another medically important Polygala species is P. tenuifolia Willd. (syn. P. sibirica L.) [1,6]. The root bark of this plant is used in traditional Chinese medicine under the name of Yuanzhi for a variety of disorders [7].

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Authors
  1. P. A. G. M. De Smet
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Drug Information Center, Royal Dutch Association for the Advancement of Pharmacy, Alexanderstraat 11, 2514 JL, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Peter A. G. M. De Smet

  2. Institut für Arzneimittel des Bundesgesundheitsamtes, Seestraße 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany

    Konstantin Keller

  3. Westpreußenstraße 71, 81927, München, Germany

    Rudolf Hänsel

  4. College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, B3H 3J5, Canada

    R. Frank Chandler

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De Smet, P.A.G.M. (1993). Polygala Species. In: De Smet, P.A.G.M., Keller, K., Hänsel, R., Chandler, R.F. (eds) Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 2. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs, vol 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-48906-8_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-48906-8_22

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-48906-8

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