Economic Botany Collections

Selection of bottled crude drugs from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society collection at Kew

This photo displays some crude drugs from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s donation in their original bottles. The following medicinal uses for these plants come from Theophilus Redwood’s Supplement to the Pharmacopoeia (1857). From left to right the specimens are as follows;

ASCLEPIADACEAE. These simoru roots from Tropical East Africa were presented to the Pharmaceutical Society in 1913 by WJ Bush and Co. EBC 77445

COMPOSITAE Artemesia anomala. These flowers came to the Pharmaceutical Society from the Singapore Collection. This plant was used in Chinese medicine, where it was called chi nu, liu ji nu, nan liu ji nu or qi hao. EBC 77108

CONVOLVULACEAE Operculina turpethum. These white turpeth root samples were given to the Society by the British Drug Houses in 1923. They come from India. The root bark of this species was with milk and used as a purgative in India, though Europeans in the 19th century were undecided as to the true action of this plant. EBC 77414

COMPOSITAE Carthamus tinctorius. These safflower cakes come from Calcutta. They were presented to the Pharmaceutical Society by Mather. The inflorescence of this plant was used to colour broths or in dyeing. The red colour it yields was used in cosmetics as rouge. The seeds also have purgative properties. EBC 51803

Back to Royal Pharmaceutical Society Collection at Kew