RUMEX (U. S. P.)—RUMEX. History and Description

These four species of dock possess similar medicinal properties. The roots of several other species have been medicinally employed, and may be used indiscriminately with the above, as the R. patientia and R. alpinus of Europe, and the R. acutus and R. sanguineus of this country. These various dock-roots have hardly any odor, an astringent, bitterish taste, and yield their virtues to alcohol, or boiling water. The young leaves of some of the species are sometimes used as greens. Yellow dock root varies in length from 4 to 6 inches, or more, and has an epidermis easily removed, beneath which are the bark layers, the woody part, and the medulla. The bark of Yellow dock root is the most active part, though the whole root is generally employed. Occasionally the root is divided longitudinally into halves or quarters; it is sometimes called Sour dock, Narrow dock, or Curled dock. The term Sour dock has been given to it probably on account of the sourness of the petioles, and which is due to the oxalic acid they contain. As officially described rumex is "from 20 to 30 Cm. (8 to 12 inches) long, about 10 to 15 Mm. (⅖ to ⅗ inch) thick, somewhat fusiform, fleshy, nearly simple, annulate above, deeply wrinkled below; externally rusty brown, internally whitish, with fine, straight, interrupted, reddish, medullary rays, and a rather thick bark; fracture short; odor slight, peculiar; taste bitter and astringent"—(U. S. P.).