The extended (1820-1942) appearance of podophyllum, the dried roots and rhizomes of certain Podophyllum species, in the US Pharmacopoeia was due to its early popularity in this country as a cathartic and cholagogue. Although podophyllum had received some application in early American medicine as a remedy for cancer, it was not until recently that the natural product was shown to be an effective antimitotic agent and actually useful in ...