Argel

Argel, or ARGHEL (Solcnostemma argel), a plant of the order Asclepiadaceæ, a native of Arabia and of the north of Africa, deserving of notice only because of the frequent use of its leaves for the adulteration of senna. They are lanceolate and leathery, and may readily be distinguished from genuine senna leaves by their texture, their being downy, their greater heaviness, the comparative absence of veins, and the symmetry of their sides, the sides of the true senna-leaves being unequal. They are acrid, and are said to cause sickness and griping, but seem to possess little or no purgative properties.