Related Species.—Rumex Acetosella, Linné, Field or Sheep sorrel, has a leafy stem, from 6 to 12 inches in height, with lanceolate-hastate, pleasantly-acid leaves. The flowers are small, reddish, in panicled racemes. Valves ovate, scarcely enlarging in fruit, destitute of granules. Stamens and styles on separate plants; styles adherent to the angles of the ovary. This weed is found in abundance throughout the United States, growing in pastures, waste grounds, and worn fields, flowering all summer (G.—W.). A strong tincture of the fresh plant (℥viii to alcohol, 76 per cent, Oj), in doses ranging from 1 to 30 drops, has been suggested by Dr. Scudder (Spec. Med.) as a remedy where there is a “tendency to degeneration of tissue,” and he states that whether “in syphilis, scrofula, or cancer, the indication for its use is the replacement of tissue with lower organizations.” The urinary apparatus and renal secretions are influenced by it.
Library · King's American Dispensatory, vol. 2, 1905
RUMEX ACETOSA.—SORREL. Related Species (Rumex Acetosella, sheep sorrel)
Harvey Wickes Felter and John Uri Lloyd, vol. 2, p. 1686. Transcribed from the page image on September 25, 2026, as printed.