Veratrum

(ver-a'-trum). A genus of liliaceous plants. V. album, white hellebore, a European plant closely related to V. viride. It is a violent emetic and cathartic, and is actively poisonous; it is now little used, except as an insect-powder. For this use it is highly valued, as it destroys many insects which the ordinary buhach does not affect. Unof. V. sabadilla. Cevadilla, cebadilla, a bulbous plant of the order Melanthacea?; it contains a number of alkaloids, and is the source of Veratrin a. The seeds are official in the B. P. under the name Sabadilla. V. viride, American hellebore; the rhizome and rootlets of the plant contain jervin, veratrin, and other alkaloids. It is a powerful depre ant of the heart and a paralyzant of the spinal cord. Its action is similar to that of aconite, but is regarded as inferior. It is highly esteemed in puerperal fevers, pneumonia, and aneurysm. V., Ext., Fid. Dose V., Tinct., 50 per cent. Dose n.