Actea
a genus of plants belonging to the order ranunculaceæ, or crowfoots. One species, the A. spicata = the bane-berry, or herb-christopher, is in digenous to many lands. It bears black berries, which are poisonous. With alum, they yield a black dye. The roots are antispasmodic, expectorant, and astringent. A. racemosa, the snakeroot. receives its English name from being used in the United States as an antidote against the bite of the rattlesnake.