MACOGRAPHIA INDICA. \\"
HISTORY
OF THE PRINCIPAL DRUGS ~
OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN,
,
MET WITH IN “2
BRELTISH:- INDIA,
MENT OF MADRAS,
THE CALCUTTA MEDICAL
_ COLLEGE, OOTACAMUND,
*
(soeeetaetiginins sii
VOL. Th
CORRIGENDA IN VOL. II.
29 419, 6th ”
9
99
‘Page 81, 3rd line from oe for Deodail read Deoddai.
84, 17th ,
top, for lightly read slightly.
»» for apigenen read apigenin.
», for confectis read confectio. |
,», Arabic letters for Jl misplaced.
» Jor either read ether.
., for natural read neutral!
»» for 1-087 read 1°187.
bottom, for spirit read spent.
for dialosis read dialysis.
for acic read acid.
» for naram read waram.
top, erase Toxicology.
bottom, for wae read fruit.
2°
oe
CONTENTS OF VOL.
Terabe sedate oe
es
Anogeiss us ition oi
Quisqualis in ie
Calye eh loribads ui
Termin ee
: pono ‘
oF aI es
Myrracez.
“ Barringtonia po ida
emosa...
Careya ‘arbore ‘
re) oe aaeicatioens
e
Wood ori
Lawso alba an Sie
Punica aide iy cw
ONAGRACEA.
Jussizea euffraticoss ae
| Saucynacen.
IL.
‘ . PAGE
Trichosanthes palmata .., seer AD
; dioi ee Pee ei:
cucumerina Rrra 24
—_ — a ae Bs ef
ochinchinensis a ae
4 Charsniia : eS:
ymbalaria ... ed i
Luffa Seer lim ies bas oe
echinat ae 81
Cephalandra inden 5us Re
ia um os 89
Cotoonsees shal se 8 )
Bryonia laciniosa ... : ja
Mukia rella .., : oe,
Zanonia indica. iss ae
Ecballi laterium : see
Modecca palmata is eras
Trichosanthes nervifolia eee
Rh foetida 2 a
Ampelosicyos scandens _.., viene
DariscEm.
Datisca cannabina ... sae
Trianthema monogyna
Mollugo stricta soi
Spergula .
Gisekia pharnacsidaill Se
- UMBELLIFERR.
Hydrocotyle asiatica
Conium maculatum
angos
Ferula alliacea
tida
_ Alangium Lamarckii lk,
CAPRIFOLIACER.
Viburnum foetidum —
CONTENTS.
ape 102
ica?
PAGE
Valeriana Brunoniana _... .. 240
fs officinalis sak ... 240
» Hardwickii.., vee eee
ComposiTz.
Vernonia anthelmintica 241
ea. a . 243
Elephantopus se caber . 248
Lampracheenium mierocepialam 244
geratum conyzoides .. 244
rao rium Ayapana ... w» 245
-cannabinum ., see BAT
perfoliatum ... sot
el Virga- aurea... vee 247
sie se EO
rangea maderaspatana i wee 248
Erigeron — pe vss 249
roides aes oe. DOL
Blumea bales ete Ramee A 8
» densitlora ... 252
37> orient 254
lacera ° . 255
Ta . see *? 255
Piucuea lanceolata. - 256
8 nthus indicus ~ 257
Inula Helenium _., : . 259
», Tacemosa .., oes 260
», Royleana “ . 260
- -. 260
na Pub ” e262
Siegesbeckia orientalis ; . 264
Ennydta tiuctans .., ee
Kelipta alba... ae any ac 966
Weuelia calendulacea ise .. 268
oy zotla abyssynica
socardia linearifo
CONTENTS; oy
ee ee : PAGE c PAGE
Emilia sonchifolia !:; ... ~~... 319. «Jasminum arborescens ... - -.. 379
_~ Sonchus oleraceus .... se i eae hed glandulifera ... ae io 4
Echinops echinatus ai ine, Oa asminum flexile. ... = vow OB
Dicoma tomentosa... ... —«.. 320 aR one xbupghii no. tes 380
: Notonia grandiflora ies oe oS
_@ Tagetes erecta i eee Sou _ SALVADORACE.
pon halis neelgerriana ve 1. 322 ast e
y nutans re ... 822 Salvadora persica ... be LESSRD a ar
A Calcuaals officinalis ae e822 re cpr ip oe “us es
: Azima tetracantha. sh w. 384
CAaMPANULACER.
Lobelia nicotianzfolia ss One --ArocrsAcBm. i
: Hom scholars — ie <1 886
ERICACER. Rhazy 891
Ai F ator Hea tiack antidysenterica ie 38E
Gaultheria fragrantissima i000 > eres oe ode rum us "398
‘ Oleander ..:. a& v. 401
PLUMBAGINER. 7 hevatia neriifolia .. ie ae we. 406.
Plumbago zeylanica ba 398 Cerbera Odellam ie ie we 410
; donee 399 Pao Pereira .. bee pe it ALZ
as ee re Le: Tabernszemontana coronaria ... 418
Prout Rau aserpentina... wo 414,
sau ‘ Allamanda eathartica 417
Dionysia diapensizfolia .., ne Cari ndas ».. 419
‘ ee ites a : sare. 4 Plumeria acutifolia , 424
Creme a cores ee "347 ‘Ichn frutescens 493
Saromioem Galore gigantn
pun OS Tylophora asthmatica ae
oe dial ea ts + sciculata
‘ butyracea ... igi ., 865 Demia oa ue
oy Blengi” pi ... 862 Dregea volibilis ... me
exandira ee ... 864 Hemidesmus indicus ae.
Achras Sapota ie _. 365 Cosmostigma racetiiosum,,,° .
Gynittema sylvestf® ~~.
Thiele: is Ceropegia bulbosd., «1.
he a Hea Re o ” juncea tee ots tm +
—— Tapre Pt ris = - 366 x gat ero oo: . :
” Ebennm eee w« 068 A é;
< Sea, 888 pienso — prs ata ie oe
Kaki <<. 369 te. esculentum .,.
dy Pe hee a Rheedii Se
STYRAcEs. Caralluma ahs :
riata tae
ica ae ... 369 Periploca aphylla .. oa
racemosa Pentatropis spiralis
wi CONTENTS,
Logantace2. a PAGE
ne PAGE a Quamoclit ri ... 540
oo oe sii -.. 458 sinmate i362 wy w+» 540
a .. 500 35 campanulata ...., ee
colubrina se O02 &. sepiaria 4 = vee 540
i Stryehmos Rheedii .. ae vi 608 >> pes-tigridis we ... 540
potatorum -»+ 506 » ‘While, 00 ose eee
». aquatica %, : -.. 540
,.GENTIANACER. ss ‘ bona-nox .., b3 oy O40
t ii Rivea ornata na i ... O41
Gentiana dahurica.., em ee ia speciosa .. a ws 541
uy UITOO .., * + 510 Convolvulus arvensis vee 542
Swertia chirata 4.0.4 + 511 Evolvulns alsinoides en ¥55 049
>», decussata . Sakmuni Oe Sy Ge
% Cressa, cretica oe 545
f an 5 , . 546
Knushooth .., . 547
Sonanacez.
ec 1 eteempgar nigrum : eet 649
ara vi e049
i hae inane ve poe }
xanthocarpum .., 55 5
» trilobatum us 669° 4
1, verbascifolium .., 560
” - \ . a y
+ ferox ee an
re a
_ Capsicum fru “ira
minimum
Withania somnifera
alans
- Atropa Belladonna
Mandragora officinarum
© Datura tura Stramonium
HISTORY ms
OF THE PRINCIPAL DRUGS
OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN, —
MET WITH IN
_ SURGEON-MAJOR, BENGAL ARMY, QUINOLOGIST TO THE GOVERN-
- PRovessor or cuumistry iy AND
THE CALOUTTA MEDICAL
2 os COLLEGE,
MEN’ OF MADRAS,
OCOTACAMUND, —
| CORRIGENDA.
; ‘
Page 81, 3rd_ line from bottom, for Deodail read Deodali.
» 84, 17th ,, ,, top, for lightly read slightly.
gy eR Pn sg ge ge for apigenen read apigenin.
| » 130, 16th ,, ,, —._ for confectis read confectio.
» 272, 10th ,. Arabic letters for JG misplaced.
» 291,10th ,, ., ., for either read ether.
9 eee
wi, Ve pss Se 12 B
tet apie:
OPINIONS OF THE’ PRESS.
Pharmacographia Indica.
PART IF.
We have received Part II. of the “Pharmacographia Indica,”
which completes the first yolume. This portion fully sustains the
promise of the previous one, and contains a large quantity of
original information relative to Indian Vegetable drugs, as well as
carefully collected extracts from the most reliable sources. Under
the heading ‘*History, Uses, &c.,”’ the authors have got together
some bighiy instructive notes, which will be useful reading, not only
to those interested in drugs and chemicals, but to the — reader
likewise.— Times of India,
It will be seen that every thing wanting to be known about an
Indian drug is made available, and such a book should be in the
hands of medical officers and magistrates, both in the chief towns
_ and the Mofussil. There is always a market in England, Germany,
and America for Indian drags of acknowledged merit, and to
those who speculate, or experiment with such a commodity we
should recommend the “ Pharmacographia Indica” as a flail to
separate the wheat from the chaff.— Madras Mail.
Die vorstehenden Mittheilungen aus der Pharmacographia Indica
bestaitigen, dass in dem Werke ein wichtiger Beitrag zur Kenntniss
indischer Helpflanzen und Nutzpflanzen geboten wird, welcher der
2 gas vieler Kreise in hohem Grade werth ist.—Pharm.
eit
The drugs are too numerous to be mentioned in a review of the
work, but we are satisfied that we shall frequently have occasion to
refer to Pharmacographia Indica for reliable information on Indian “ :
drugs, and more particularly such which are not, or only toa
_ limited extent, articles of European or American commerce. , Pent
) IL. is fully equal to Part I. in interest and cor ess
info ormation, The work is to be recommended to all :
fedica, and more ly that of
il
Part II. of this valuable work has recently been put before us. It
affords the same evidence of careful study as was exhibited by its
predecessor, and it shows that the three joint authors have endea-
voured to fill a gap that has long existed. We do not mean merely
that such a book as this has long been needed, but that the native
pharmacopeia has been too long neglected. : : . The
arrangement of the work before us is convenient for easy reference,
and it seems certain that the work will be found one of great value
to every practitioner in this country. Elsewhere also it might =
found extremely useful.—Madras Times.
The ‘* Pharmacographia Indica” is, however, not valuable merely
to those residing in India and to merchants importing Indian drugs,
but also to students of materia medica in this country, since the
information on a large number of the drugs used in Europe is
brought more closely up to date than in almost any other work on
Materia Medica. ‘ é . The chemical-work that has been
done in India, although in many cases not carried to a definite
conclusion, consisting rather of proximate analyses, is of great value
for future reference, since the exact modes of treating the various
drugs, and the solvents used are always stated. The physiological
action is in many instances described, and the reputation of the
drug among the natives confirmed, or contradicted, as the case may
be. There is thus placed before Western nations a repertory of
materia medica, replete with valuable, because practical information, — :
from which the searcher for new remedies may cull many promising
article.— . ‘ - Dr. Dymock and his colleagues may be
heartily congratulated on having brought to sucha pitch of perfection
this useful work, which it may confidently be predicted will take
as high a place in the pharmaceutical literature of the Hast as its
namesake has in that of the West —Pharm. Journ., Aug. 9th, 1890.
In regard to materia medica generally it must always hold a
place as a book of reference, The favourable opinion ‘which on
formed on the first part of the volume is enhanced by the uniformly
good quality of the matter in this second one. We were at first
disposed to think that this was a book which only specialists would
have use for; but it grows so interesting, and is so full of valuable
information, that we can recommend it to all pharmacists who have a
love for books,—Chemist and Druggist, July 26th, 1890,
PHARMACOGRAPHIA INDICA.
COMBRETACE EH.
TERMINALIA CHEBULA, Retz. °
Fig.—Rozb. Cor. Pl., t. 197; Bedd. Fl. Sylv. t. 27; Gartn.
Fruct. ii., t 97. Chebulic myrobalan (Eng.), Myrobalan
Chébule (’r.).
Hab.—India (table lands). The fruit.
Vernacular.—Har, Hara (Hind.), Wirada (Mar.), Kaduk-kai
(Tum., Mal.), Hora, Haritaki (Beng.), Karakkaya (Tel.), Alale-
kay (Can.), Harade (Guwz.), Hana (Puhart), Silim-kung
(Lepeha).
-
History Uses, &c.—There are several varicties of this
tree, some of which have probably been produced by cultiva-
tion. 1’. citrina, Roxb., is considered by some to be a separate
species. Dutt (Hinda Matarin Medica) informs us that Chebu-
lic myrobalans, in Sanskrit Haritaki, Abhaya, and Pathyd, were
highly extolled by the ancient Hindus as a powerful alterative
and tonic. ‘hey have received the names of Pranada or life-
giver, Sudha or nectar, Bhishakpriya or Physician’s favourite
and so forth.* A mythological origin has also been attributed
to the tree. ‘‘ It is said that when Indra was drinking amrita
in heaven a drop of the fluid fell on the earth and produced the
plant.” On this account it is called Shakra-srishtd “created
* The following are the synonyms of Haritaki in the Raja-nirghanta :—
Har, Siva, Pathy4, Chetaki, Vijaya, Jaya, Pramatthy4, Pramathé, Amogha, —
Kayastha, Pranad4, Amrita, Jivaniya, Hemavati, Patané, Brantand, Abhayé,
_ Javastha, Nandini, Sreyasi, Rohini. In Sankrit prescriptions auy one of
pa See: names ma used. fas ae,
é 5 es
2 COMBRETACELZ.
by Indra.” Indian writers describe seven varieties of Haritaki,
which however are nothing more than the same fruit in dif-
ferent stages of maturity. Very large fruit are considered
particularly valuable, and fetch a fancy price. Chebulic
myrobalans are considered to be laxative, stomachic, tonic, and
alterative. They are prescribed alone or in combination with
Emblic and Beleric myrobalans in a vast number of diseases,
chiefly those affecting the chest and abdomen. The three
myrobalans together are called triphala or the three fruits n
Sanskrit. Various original receipts for their administration
will be found in Dutt’s Hindu Materia Medica. Myrobalans
were known to the early Arabian writers, and through them to
the Greek writer Actuarius, who mentions five kinds. Nicolas —
Myrepsicus also notices them. The author of the Makhzan-el- —
Adwiya, on the subject of chebulic myrobalans, says that the
very young fruit, about the size of cumin seeds, are called —
Halileh-i-zira ; when about the size of a grain of barley, —
Halileh-1-jawi ; when of the size of a raisin, Halileh-i-zangi or
Halileh-i-hindi ; when half arrived at maturity and yellowish,
Halileh-t-chint ; when still further advanced, Hulileh-i-asfar ;
and lastly, when quite mature, Halileh-i-kabuli, Of these |
six varieties of chebulic myrobalans, the second, third, and last
only are in general use for medicinal purposes, the fourth and
fifth, also known as Rangéri har or hirade, are chiefly used by
-tanners.. The Mahometans, like the Hindus, attribute a great
many fanciful properties to the drug; shortly, we may sy, that
the ripe fruit is chiefly used as a purgative, and is considered
to remove bile, phlegm, and adust bile ; it should be combined
with aromatics, such as fennel seeds, caraways, &c. The Arabs
say,—* Ihlilaj is in the stomach like an intelligent housewife,
who is a good manager of the house.” The unripe fruit
(Halileh-i-hindi or Himaja) is most valued on account of its
astringent and aperient properties, and is a useful medicine in
dysentery and diarrhcea ; it should also be given with aromatics.
Locally it is applied as an. astringent. The first and second
kind are supposed to have the same properties as the third in
__ aless degree, and the fourth and fifth the same as the sixth in
Pee et ee | ee oe ae
COMBRETACEM. 3
a less degree. The best way of administering myrobalans as a
purgative is to make an infusion or decoction of from 2 to 4
drachms of fruit pulp with the addition of a pinch of caraway
seeds and a little honey or sugar.
Ainslie notices their use as an application to aphthe. In
the Pharmacopwia of India, Dr. Waring mentions his having
found six of the mature fruit an efficient and safe purgative,
producing four or five copious stools, unattended by griping,
nausea or other ill effects ; probably those used by him were
not of the largest kind. Dr. Hové in his account of a visit to
the Myrobalan Plantation at Bungar in the Concan in 1787,
states that he found one fruit a sufficient purgative, though
_ the manager of the plantation told him that two were generally
used, Twining (Diseases of Bengal, Vol. I., p. 407,) speaks
very favourably of the immature fruit (Halileh-i-zangi) as a
tonic and aperient in enlargements of the abdominal viscera.
We have found them a useful medicine in diarrhoea and dysen-
tery, given in doses of a drachm twice a day. Recently,
Apéry has brought to the notice of the profession
in Europe the value of these black myrobalans in dysentery,
-choleraic diarrhoea, and chronic diarrhoea ; he administers them
in pills of 25 centigrams each, the dose being from 4 to 12 pills
or even more in the 24 hours. (Journ. de Pharm. et de Chim.
Feb. Ist, 1888.) Roxburgh states that the tender leaves,
while scarce unfolded, are said to be punctured by an an insect,
and its. eggs deposited therein, which by the extravasation of
the sap, become enlarged into hollow galls of various shapes
and sizes, but rarely exceeding an inch in diameter. They are
powerfully astringent, and make as good ink as oak galls.
They also yield the chintz painters on the coast of Coromandel
their best and most durable yellow. They are called by the
Tamils Kadu-cai-pu, and by the Telingas Aldicai, (Fl. Ind.
Il., 435.) In the Pharmacopeia of India they are noticed on
the authority of the Rev. J. Kearns of Tinnevelly as a valu-
_ able astringent in diarrhea. The Himalayan tribes eat the a
: seornels of sie L-appropeing; at — use the fruitas a os: for soré
a = KL
4 COMBRET ACE.
Description—The mature myrobalan is of on ovoid form,
from 1—1} inches long, sometimes tapering towards the lower
extremity, obscurely 5 or 6-sided, more or less furrowed longi-
tudinally, covered with a smooth yellowish brown epidermis,
within which is an astringent pulp, enclosing a large rough
bony, one-celled endocarp. :
The unripe fruits are shrivelled, black, ovoid, brittle bodies,
from } to $ ofan inch in length, having a shining fracture
and an astringent taste ; on careful examination the rudiments
of the nut may be distinguished. ©
Chemical composition —According to Stenhouse (1843),
chebulic myrobalans contain about 45 per cent. tannin, also
gallic acid, mucilage and a brownish yellow colouring matter.
Hummel has obtained 31 per cent. of tannic acid, and Paul
32°82, and 26°81 of gallotannic acid from two ordinary samples
of the commercial article, but from a sample of inferior quality
only 6°11 per cent.
Herr Fridolin (1884) reported to. the Dorpat Naturforscher.
‘Gesellschaft the isolation from chebulic myrobalans of a new
organic acid, which he has named chebulinic acid, and considers
to be probably the source of the gallic and tannic acids detect-
ed by previous observers. He obtains it by saturating an
aqueous solution of an alcoholic extract of the fruit with so-
dium chloride, dissolving the matter that separates in water, —
and shaking the solution with acetic ether, which takes up the
chebulinic acid together with tannic acid. The residue after
the evaporation of the ether is dissolved ina little water and
allowed to stand for a few days, when the chebulinic acid crys-
stallizes out in rhombic prisms. The acid, which is odourless
and sweet, dissolves very readily in alcohol and hot water, not
so freely in ether, and with great difficulty in cold water, the
solutions having an acid reaction. In aqueous solution the
chebulinic acid reduces Fehling’s solution, and in some of its
reactions it closely resembles gallic acid, but differs from it in
affording no colour reaction with potassium cyanide.
Fridolin suggests as a formula
composition, C29 H2+ Or9,
Herr i
; probably representing its —
(C” H° 07?) When decomposed —
COMBRETACE Zi. 5
by heating an aqueous solution in a closed tube, chebulinic acid |
takes up the elements of water, and the molecule is split up into
two molecules of gallic acid and one-of tannic acid. Herr
Fridolin suggests the possibility of the existence in other
instances of an organic compound splitting up into tannic and
gallic acids. ;
According to M. P. Apéry, black myrobalans contain an oleo-
resin ofa green colour soluble in alcohol, ether, petroleum
spirit and oil of turpentine; this oleo-resin, which has been
named by him myrobalanin, is coloured red by nitric acid.
(Journ. de Pharm, et de Chim., Feb. 1st, 1388.)
Commerce.—See next article. Very large chebulic myro-
balans are sold in the bazars as Sarvari or Sardari har, and
often fetch a rupee each. Fictitious myrobalans of very large
sizeare manufactured by glueing slices of the pulp upon a
natural fruit.
TERMINALIA BELERICA, 2ozd.
; Fig.—Bedd. Fi. Sylv., t. 19; Wight Ic., t. 91 ; Theede
’ Hort. Mal, iv., t. 10. Beleric myrobalan (Hng.), Myrobalan
_ beléric(Fr.). 4 |
Hab.—India.
Vernacular.—Bahera, Bharla, Balra (Hind.), Bahera, Bohora
( Beng.), Behada, Vahela (Mar.), Ténrik-kay, Thani (Tam.),
Tandra-kéya (Tel.), Tari-kéyi (Ca i
) History, Uses, &c.—tThis tree, in Sanskrit Vibhita
_ and Vibhitaka (fearless), is avoided by the Hindus of North-
ern India, who will not sit in its shade, as it is supposed to
be inhabited by demons. Two varieties of T. belerica are found
in India, one with nearly globular fruit. 3 to Zinch in diameter,
the other with ovate and much larger fruit. ‘Uhe pulp of the fruit
_ (Beleric myrobalan) is considered by Hindu physicians to be —
astringent and laxative, and is prescribed with salt and. lo1
Pepper in affections of the throat and chest. As a constituc 1
of the triphala (three fruits), t.e., emblie, beleric and «
6 COMBRETACE A.
myrobalans, it isemployed in a great number of diseases,and the
kernel is sometimes used as an external application to inflamed — 4g
parts. On account of its medicinal properties the tree bear
the Sanskrit synonym of Anila-ghnaka, or ‘‘ wind-killing.’
According to the Nighantés the kernels are narcotic
Mahometan writers describe Balilaj (the beleric myrobalan) as
astringent, tonic, digestive, attenuant, and aperient, and useful
as an astringent application to the eyes. As long as the doc-
sweet smelling. It is uncertain what this fruit was, but it
_ appears to have been something similar to that of the Afri
oil palm (Hleis guineensis), the outer fleshy coating of which.
yields an oil of the consistence of butter, having a rather plea-
sant violet-like odour when fresh. The later Greek physician
apply the terms pvpo8adavos and pvpeyrxos to Indian myrobalans.
YT’. belerica produces a quantity of gum of the Bassora type,
which is collected and mixed with soluble gums for sale as
country gum.
Description.—The fruit of the smaller variety
myrobalan is nearly globular, and suddenly narrowed into a
bert stalk, it is from 4 to # inch in diameter, fleshy, covered —
with a close fulvous tomentum ; the stone is hard and pentago- _
nal, and contains a sweet oily kernel, having three prominent
ridges from base to apex. In the larger variety the fruit. is
ovoid and about double the size, and the flowers have a power- 4
ful stercoraceous odour exactly resembling that of the wood
of Celtis reticwlosa in which W. A. Dunstan has demonstrated
the presence of skatole. The gum is mostly in vermicula:
pieces of a yellowish-brown colour ; in watet it forms a bul cy
gelatinous mass of insipid taste,
Chemical composition—The percentage of tannic Bae
| these Lo appears to vary a Hummel c
COMBEETACE. 7
tained 17°4 per cent.; he remarks that the fruit consists of two
distinct portions, an outer and inner; 100 parts contains 75°4
per cent, outer, and 24°6 per cent. inner. ‘The inner portion
only contains 1°25 per cent. of tannicacid. Paul obtained from
two commercial samples of beleric myrobalans 5°03 and 6°70
of gallotannic acid. (Watt., Selections from the Records of the
Govt. of India, Vol. J., pp. 83 and 93.) We haveexamined the
pulp of the smaller myrobalan removed from the shell enclosing
_ the kernel, and the kernels separately, with the following
POM RT ecco s eS Nene
; results :— |
3 Pulp. Kernel.
Moisture 8:00 11°38 per cent.
1 A cweswxing 4°28 4°38 _
j Petroleum ether extract... +12 29°82 i
eer. OXGrACE {6 iics caaane 41 61 3
4 Aleohoke 2 jf AA RAT EAD "61 s
Aqueous ,, wa wavdttiaes 38°56 25:26 rr
Pulp.—The moisture was determined by heating to 100° C.
_ the finely powdered material. The ash contained no manganese.
The petroleum ether extract consisted of greenish yellow oil.
The ethereal extract contained colouring mattter, resins, a
. trace’ of gallic acid, and oil. No alkaloid was present.
‘The alcoholic extract was yellow, brittle, and highly astrin-
gent. In warm water it was partly soluble. The aqueous
_ solution gave the following tannin reactions : with ferric chloride
indigo-blue, changing to damson on the addition of ammonia ;
: with lime water a light yellow precipitate, turning onsediadl
__ blue on adding an excess ; with bichromate of potash a dirty
_ reddish brown precipitate ; with bromine water no precipitate ;
_ with sulphate of copper a slight precipitate ; on adding ammo-
_ nia a dense nearly white precipitate, rapidly becoming yellow
and then yellowish brown. No alkaloidal principle was detected.
Kernels ——The moisture was determined first by exposure
over sulphuric acid ina vacuum : and then at 100° C. The
ash contained no manganese.
The petroleum ether extract heathen of a pale yellow, thi
nsoluble — c
cf or
8 COMBRETACE.
standing no crystalline deposit was formed ; there was nothing
specially noteworthy regarding its colour reactions. No alka-
loidal principle was detected. The ethereal extract was whitish
and oily ; in light petroleum ether *52 per cent. was soluble,
which added to the petroleum ether extract, would increase
the oil content of the kernels to 30°44 per cent. ; the resi-
due insoluble in light petroleum ether amounted to ‘09 per
cent., and did ‘not afford reactions for alkaloidal principles.
Brannt states that the oil behaves in the same manner as
mastic oil when obtained by expression, and he describes it as
a green fluid oil, from which a white fat of the consistence of
butter separates.
es 1 We alsa Reels eH cad
The alcoholic extract was whitish and partly soluble in hot
water with acid reaction, tasteless; no alkaloid was detected.
The aqueous extract did not reduce an alkaline copper solu- 3
tion until after boiling with a dilute acid. The extract was _
specially examined for saponin with negative results.
The powdered air-dried bark ofthe large variety of 7’. belerica 4
contained 3°71 per cent of moisture, and 18°61 per cent of ash,
in which no trace of manganese could be detected.
With the exception of astringent matter, giving a brownish —
coloration with ferric salts, nothing of special importance was —
detected in either the bark or leaves—no alkaloids or glucosides _
were detected. An alcoholic extract, after separation of th
alcohol, obtained from 10 grams of the bark injected into a —
cat’s stomach, afforded the following symptoms :— 4
Injected at 10-50 a. m. into a cat’s stomach which had fasted j
for about 10 hours. 4
11-15. Vomited twice.
11-25. Solid motion.
11-45, Vomited.
No further symptoms were noted, and the following day the
cat appeared to be in its normal condition.
In the case of the leaves an alcoholic extract induced almo
immediate vomiting without any other symptoms,
ager a i I i aR
=
Bi a ed
amapposed to be dead. ith difficulty he was made
Veer
. ee
COMBRETACE®. "4
Tu neither of the experiments was there heaviness, inability
to move, or any symptoms of intoxication noticed.
- Toxicology.—Roxburgh and Graham notice the popular belief
that certain trees of T. belertca bear fruit the kernels of which
have intoxicating properties ; these trees are said by some to
be always those of the large fruited variety. Native evidence
on this point is conflicting, some people say that they have
eaten both kinds of the seeds freely without experiencing any
narcotic effects, but that when water is taken after eating them
giddiness and a sense of intoxication is experienced, If
vomiting occurs these symptoms soon pass off. There is no
doubt that children often spend many hours under these trees
eating the seeds, and it is quite possible that severe attacks of
indigestion may follow such excesses.
The only cases of poisoning by the Bahira have been record-
ed by Mr. Raddock, Sub-Assistant Surgeon in charge of the -
Malwa BheelCorps. Three boys, from five to nine years of age,
picked up and ate some of the dry nuts near the house of a
Chamar, who had breught them from the jungles for the pur-
pose of colouring leather. Two of these boys, became drowsy,
complained of headache and sickness at stomach, and vomited
freely a thick white frothy mucus The third, a rather weakly
Loy of seven, was first seen by Mr. Raddock on the following
morning. He was in his father’s lap, and appeared as if asleep ;
the legs and arms were relaxed and bent; eyes closed, breath-
ing soft. There was total insensibility; and shaking and call-
ing did not make him stir in the least, or answer. The pulse
was scarcely perceptible, action of the heart frequent and weak.
Body of natural warmth, legs cold, eyes rather glistening,
pupils fixed, neither contracted nor dilated, jaws closed, and only
to be opened by much force. ‘This child had eaten the largest
quantity of kernels—between 20 and 30, At the time, or sub-
sequently, nothing was complained of. He played all day and
at night before going to bed; went to sleep, and was not noticed
until next morning, when he was found insensible, and was ©
te vo
IL-2
10 co ACE
three or four times, the eyes opened with a heavy dull expres- s
sion, and closed again; though he relapsed his condition was
now improved, the insensibility was not so deep, and his hand —
was moved to his throat. Small quantities of strong black
tea were administered. About 10a. m. he became sensible, :
opened his eyes, and answered, when spoken to; towards the -
afternoon he walked abont and improved greatly. At 5 in the :
evening he was sensible but drowsy, pulse small and rapid, .
complained of being giddy, had vomited twice since morning, ;
with relief to the symptoms. His recovery was speedy, Mr.
. Raddock justly infers from these cases that the Bahira is a
mild narcotic poison. In the last mentioned case he is con-
vinced that it wouid have proved fatal had the stomach-pump
not been used, or had emetics failed. He adds that, in two of
the boys who ate about the same quantity, no effects were pre
duced till about eight hours after, and the poison was got ri
of by vomiting. In the third, who ate the most, no effects
were produced in 12 hours; at least no vomiting resulted, an
during sleep, insensibility came on,
epee 0
SA ee ae
myrobalan (avola), so that it is possible that an accident.
might occur from the use of spirit so drugged.
~ Royle and Birdwood merely say that the seeds of the Termé.
nalia belerica are eaten as nuts. O’Shaughnessy, however,
adds that they “are deemed intoxicating.” (Chevers.) ‘
As regards the seeds eaten in moderation,
lead to the conclusion that they are perfectly
us has eaten kernels without any ill effect
experiments we injected into a cat’
extract from 9 grams of the kernels
another experiment we mixed 13-2 grams of kernels, equal t
about 35—40 kernels, reduced to a fine pulp, with about 30
grams of raw meat, also pulped : this mixture was readily eate:
at 11°5 a. m. by a cat which had been fasting for many hours
our experiments _
harmless; one of —
8s. In one of our’
8 stomach an alcoholic ©
with negative results, In 4
COMBRETACE. IL
when the laboratory was closed at 4 p. m. the cat appeared in
its usual condition, no symptoms having been induced, and on
the following morning it appeared to be perfectly well. We
learn that Jogis consider that one kernel eaten daily increases
the appetite for sexual indulgence. Our experiments appear
to be fairly conclusive that these kernels do not possess any
toxic properties.
Commerce.— Myrobalans are one of the principal forest pro-
ducts of India; they are collected in large quantities on Govern-
ment account, and yearly auctions are held by the Forest Con-
servancy Department. Both chebulic and beleric myrobalans
are largely exported for tanning and dyeing. The exports
from the whole of India were :—In 1885-86, 706,000 cwts.,
valued at 30 lakhs of rupees ; in 1886-87, 597,000 ewts., valued
at 23 lakhs of rupees; in 1887-88, 678,000 cwts., valued at 25
lakhs of rupees.
TERMINALIA ARJUNA, Beda.
Fig.—-Fl. Syl., t. 28; D C. Mem. Combr. t. 2.
Hab.—Deccan, Ceylon, North-West Provinces. The bark.
_ _Vernacular.—Kahu, Arjun (Hind.), Vellai-maruda-maram
_ (Tam.), Tella-maddi-chettu (Zel.), Arjun, Sh4rdul, Pinjal
(Mar.), Arjun ( Beng.), Tora-billi-matti (Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—This tree is the Arjuna and
4 Kukubha of Chakradatta, who describes it as tonic, astringent,
_ and cooling, and prescribes it in heart disease and for those pur=
_ poses for which astringents are generally applied. He recom-
mends it to be given in milk, treacle or water when used
internally, or as a ghrita (medicinal butter) made with the =
_ decoction and powder of the bark. a
1» Bio tigi ike pia ted aa
12. COMBRETACEE.
extraordinarily large proportion of calcium carbonate. Exter-
nally it is used in the form of an astringent wash to ulcers.
Description.—The bark is generally sold in short half
quills, frcm } to 2 of an inch thick, and several inches long 5
it has a pinkish colour, which is seen through the thin grey ~
epidermis ; its substance is fibrous and gritty under the teeth ;
it breaks with a short fracture, the internal surface being
of a lighter colour and finely striated. The taste is agreeably
astringent. The bark when magnified shows remarkably
large cells in the medullary rays, and numerous large stone
cells of a bright yellow colour contrast strikingly with the —
pinkish tinge of the other structures. It contains much crys-
talline matter.
Chemical composition.—This is most remarkable, the ash
amounts to 84 per cent. of almost pure calcium carbonate, —
which if calculated into oxalate would amount to 43°5 per
cent, The watery extract is 23 per cent. with 16 per cent.
of tannin; very little colouring matter besides the tannin is
extracted by alcohol. The tannin gave a blue-black precipitate
with ferric salts. : Te
ANOGEISSUS LATIFOLIA, Wall.
Fig.—Bedd. Fl. Sylv., t. 15; Royle Ill., t. 45; Wight Ie., t.
Hab.—Himalayas to Ceylon. The gum and leaves.
_ Syn.—Conocarpus latifolia.
Vernacular.—Dhéoya, Dhaura, Dhava, Bakla (Hind.), Davda
(Que. ., Mar.), Vallai-naga, Vakkali (Z'am.), Chiriman, Yella- 2
maddi (Tel.), Dinduga (Can.). a
History, Uses, &c.—A large and very common tree j
called in Sanskrit Dhava, Dhavala, Madhura-tvacha and Vaka-_
vriksha, or “crane tree,’ on account of the resemblance of
its fruit to the head of a crane (vaka). The wood is ha:
but not durable ; it affords a good fuel and excellent chare
The tree is remarkable for the large amount of gum |
COMBRETACEAE. 13
flows from it, whence the Sanskrit name Dhava, from yj, to
_ flow. The gum has a great reputation in India among calico-
a printers for use with certain dye-stuffs, such as turmeric. The
leaves are used in most parts of the country for tanning.
Description.—Leaves short petioled, ovate, generally
emarginate, entire, smooth, from one to four inches long, and
from one and a half to two broad. Taste very astringent.
In the variety villosa the leaves are rusty villose on both
surfaces, and in the variety parvifolia they are very small and
_ silky pubescent. For a description of the gum the reader is
referred to the article upon the Substitutes for Gum Acacia,
Vol. L, p. 544.
Chemical composition.—The leaves have been examined by
‘ Hummel, who obtained from them a pale yellow decoction, and
15:5 per cent. of tannic acid. (Watt, Selections from the
Records of the Govt. of India Vol. I., p. 93.) iyon, who has
also examined them, obtained a similar result.
QUISQUALIS INDICA, Linn.
. Fig.—Lam. Iil., t. 857; Wiyht Ill., t. 92; Bot. Reg. N.
_ §. XXX.,t 15. Rangoon creeper (Eng.), Liane vermifuge
P(Fr.). ,
Hab.—Malaya. India, cultivated. The seeds.
Vernacular.—Rangun-ki-bel( Hind. ), Vilayati-chameli(Mar.),
Trangun-malli (Tam.), Rangunu-malle-chettu (Tel.),
roe
| History, Uses, &c.—In the Moluccas the seeds have
_ long been held in repute as an anthelmintic, and in 1853 they
were brought forward by Dr. Oxley and Mr. Gordon of Singa-
pore. (Calcutta Med. and Phys. Trans., vii., p. 488.) The
_ testimony adduced in their favour by these authorities is strong, —
and is to the effect that in cases of lwmbrici, four or five of
these seeds, bruised and given in electuary with houey or jam,
4 suffice for the expulsion of the entozoa in children. . puton é
(Med. Plants of Mauritius, p. 58), who gives Liane v if
14 COMBRETACEZL.
as the name of the shrub in the Mauritius, states that if more
than four or five seeds are given they are apt, in some —
constitutions, to cause spasm and other ill effects. (Pharm. of
India.) Loureiro states that the leaves are astringent.
plant is cultivated as a flowering shrab in most parts of India,
but except in the Southern Provinces it very seldom ripens its
fruit, and its medicinal properties are consequently unknown
in most parts of the country.
Description.—The fruits are about an inch in length,
oval or oblong, pointed at either extremity, and sharply pen- —
tagonal ; they dehisce from the apex. The woody pericarp is —
=r
“a
nally, (ig. in Hanbury’s Science Papers, p. 232.)
Shemecal composition. —Quisqualis fruits consist of 41 parts
ed by ether amounts to 15 per cent. ; :% is of a yellow colours
peculiar odour, and has a specific gravity of 9169. It yield
on saponification 94°7 per cent. of fatty acids melting at 43°
The oil with sulphuric acid passes from a reddish-brown col
through red and green to purple. The alcoholic extract, af
removal of the oil, is intensely sweet owing to the presence 0
an amorphous fermentable sugar similar to levulose th
solution in water acidified with acetic acid and s
ether affords on evaporation of the ether a crystalline residue, —
soluble in sulphuric acid without colour, striking an orange j
tates with the alkaloidal reagents. The drug now treated with 3
water yields a deep reddish brown colouring matter of the
nature of an organic acid. It darkens slightly with iron —
salts, gives no precipitate with gelatine, and is wholly removed —
evaporated. The bebavions of the extract points to 2
COMBRETACEZ. 15
presence of cathartic acid, or an analogous acid of the amidic
series. ‘The seeds afford 7 per cent. of an alkaline deliquescent
ash.
CALYCOPTERIS FLORIBUNDA, Lam.
Fig.—Roab. Cor. Pl., t. 87.
Hab.—Western India, Assam. The leaves, root, ‘ata
fruit.
Vernacular.—Bandi-murududu (Tel.), Baguli, Ukshi (Mar.},
Kokoranj, (Hind.), Marsada, Baguli (Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—This is a dense climbing shrub,
The Marathi name Ukshi is evidently derived from the Sanskrit
ga, to sprinkle or moisten, as plants loving shade and moisture,
such as Naregamia alata, flourish beneath it. The leaves are
bitter and astringent, and are chewed by the natives and the
juice swallowed as a remedy for colic. The root ground toa
_ paste with that of Croton oblongifolium is applied to bites of the
‘ Phoorsa snake (Hchis carinata). In pandurog (jaundice) ukshi
fruit and various spices, of each one part, are made into a
4 comrenee powder, of which the dose is two massas.
The fruit, with the root of Grewia pilosa, Lam., is rubbed
a Fito a paste with honey and applied to ulcers.
. Description.—Leaves opposite, shortly petioled, ellipti¢
/ or ovate, acuminate, entire. On the upper surface are thinly
x) scattered long hairs which are most abundant at the edges;
_ the under surface is rusty tomentose, the tomentum being
_ collected in little tufts giving rise to a dotted appearance in
; _ the fully mature leaf; taste very astringent and somewhat
bitter. The fruit is about } inch in length, ovoid, 5-ribbed,
) villous, 1-seeded, and is surmounted by the enlarged calyx;
_ cotyledons conyolute.
Chemical composition—The leaves assayed by Léwenthal’s
_ permanganate and gelatine process yield 6°86 per combo
_ tannin, expressed in pei of alessio acid using Ne
hener’s — 3 Se ae
16 COMBRETACEZ.
The plants of minor importance belonging to this Order,
which are sometimes used medicinally, are:—
Terminalia tomentosa, Bedd. Fl. Sylv., t. 17, and
its variety, T. glabra, Vern.—Asan (Hind.), Ain (Mar.), Kur-
rupu-maruta-maram (Tam.), Piasal (Beng.), Nalla-maddi- —
chettu (Tel.), Tembavu (Mal.), trees common in most parts of
‘India, have an astringent bark which is used for tanning, and
has been recommended for medicinal use by Dr. Al. Ross.
Powdered and mixed with oil it is used for aphthe. The ash of
the bark contains much potash and is eaten by the natives, and
the leaves are used for manuring rice fields. (Bourdillon.)
Paul found 5°97 per cent. of tannin in the bark, and Hummel
40 per cent. We find that the bark of the variety glabra
contains moisture 9°59, ash 14°94, and tannin 7°2 per cent.
"Phe alcoholic extract contained 13°9 per cent. of tannin and
colouring matters precipitated by lead. The tannin gave @
blue-black precipitate with ferric salts.
The flowers of Terminalia paniculata, Roth. Bedd. —
Fl. Sylw., t. 20, Maruthu (Tam., Mal.), a tree of Malabar, the —
Nilgiris and Coorg, are used medicinally by the country people,
pounded with the root of Cissampelos Paretra, as a remedy in
cholera. The juice of the flowers along with that of Guava
bark is administered as an antidote in poisoning by opium. If
the flowers are not obtainable the bark may be used. Th
juice of the flowers or bark, with melted butter and rock salt,
is applied externally in parotitis. The Marathi name for thi
tree is Kinjal, the Tamils call it Maruthu and Vella-maruthu o
Ola-maruthu.
vay
Terminalia Catappa, lann., Bot. Mag. 3004; Bedd
Fl. Sylw., t. 18, the Catappa of the Malays, is now cultivate
all over India, and is known as the almond tree (Badam) to
both natives and Europeans. The fruit is an oval, compressed
smooth drupe, with two elevated grooved margins; it is about
2 inches long and of a dull purple colour when ripe, the pul a
being bright purple. The nut is rough, hard and thick, and
j MYRVACE. 17
3
the kernel which is about half the size of an almond and
nearly cylindrical, is iv common use in Bengal, amongst Huro-
peans under the name of “leaf nut.’ According to Brannt the
almonds contain 28 per cent. of oil, which excels almond oil as
regards flavour and mildness, and has the further advantage
of keeping well. It is of a pale yellowish colour and entirely
- _ inodorous. Its specific gravity is 918 at 15° C., and it is com-
__ posed chiefly of stearin and olein, the stearin separating at
5° C. The bark is astringent, and has been recommended for
internal administration in the form of decection asa remedy
for gonorrhcea and leucorrhcea. (Pharm. de St. Dominque.)
The tree yields a gum of the Bassora type.
MYRTACE.
BARRINGTONIA ACUTANGULA, Gartn.
Fig.—Bedd. Fl. Sylv., t. 204. The fruit, Gartn. Fruct. it.,
4 97, te 101. i
Hab.— Throughout India. The seeds.
Vernacular.—Hijjal, Samandar-phal (Hind., Beng.), Samudar-
| phal (Guz.), Samutra-pullam,. Kadapum (Tam.), Kadamik,
| Kanapa (Tel.), Pivar, Séthphal, Dh&triphal, Ingli (Mar. Can.).
’ History, Uses, &c.—This is an evergreen tree of
] q moderate size, called by Sanskrit writers Hija or Hijjala. The
) fruit is spoken of as Samudra-phala and Dhdtriphala or
_ “nurse’s fruit,” and is one of the best known domestic remedies,
F When children suffer from a cold in the chest, the seed is rub-
| _ bed down on a stone with water and applied over the sternum,
and if there is much dyspnoea a few grains with or without the — . :
_ juice of fresh ginger are administered internally and seldom _
_ fail to induce vomiting and the expulsion of mucus from the
‘passages. To reduce the enlarged abdomen of chi
18 MYRTACEAE.
is given in doses of from 2.to 8 grainsin milk. Rumphius
states that the roots are used to kill fish, and this use of the
bark is known in most parts of India. The fish are said to be
not unwholesome.
B. racemosa, Blume, has similar properties, the bark,
root and seed being bitter. Ainslie states that in Java and in
Ternate the seeds are used for intoxicating fish. The powdered
seeds of these plants induces sneezing.
_ Description.— The dry seeds as met with in the shops
resemble a nutmeg in size and shape; externally they are
somewhat rough, brown, and marked with longitudinal striz ;
internally horny, hard and brittle when dry, but easily soft-
ened by immersion in water ; the bulk of the seed consists of
starch. Taste sweet at first, afterwards bitter and nauscous.
Chemical composition.—The active principle of these seeds
appears to reside in a body allied tosaponin. The aqueous solu- —
tion forms a stable froth when shaken, and tastes at first sweet and q
afterwards bitter and acrid. This solution precipitated with —
barium hydrate, the precipitate collected, dissolved in hydro- —
chloric acid, the barium removed as sulphate, and the clear liquor
boiled, threw out an insoluble substance related to sapogenin, —
and the filtrate gave the reactions for glucose. The aqueous —
extract gave an immediate precipitate of a proteid nature witl
acids, which, dissolving to some extent when heated and sepa-
as saponin. Rectified spirit dissolved 24 per cent. of extract
containing gallic acid, sugar and some saponin ; and the subse-
quent treatment with water removed more saponin together
with gum and proteids, The remaining principles that could
be identified were a fat, caoutchouc, a very large quantity of
- starch and cellulose, the ash consisting of alkaline and delique:
cent salts, if
MYRTACEZA. 19
CAREYA ARBOREA, Rozb.
) Fig.—Rowb. Cor. Pl. iié., 14, t. 218; Wight Ill., 99, 100;
_. Bedd. Fl. Sylv., t. 205. Pera brava (Port. ), Wild Guave.
— (Eng.).
Hab -—Throughout India.
Vernacular.—Kumbhi (Hind., Beng.), Kumbha (Mar., Gut. ‘'
Putai-tanni-maram, Arjama (J'am.), Kumbhia, Gonju (Can.),
Kumbhi, Dudippi, Gavuldu ray Pern (Mal.). The dried
calices, Vékumbha (Guz.), Bakumbka (Beng.).
History, Uses, &c.—0. arborea is a large deciduous
_ tree, the leaves of which turn red in the cold season. Itis
_ the Kumbhi of Sanskrit writers, and appears to have been so
_ named on account of the hollow on the top of the fruit giving
it somewhat the appearance of a water-pot. The bark of the
_ tree and the calices of the flowers are well known Indian
4 remedies, and are valued on account of their astringent and
mucilaginous properties, being administered internally in
coughs and colds and applied externally as an embrocation.’
| Rheede (Hort. Mal. iii., 36,) states that wild pigs are very
_ fond of the bark, and that it is used by hunters to attract
Z them. An astringent gum exudes from the fruit and stem,
_ and the bark is made into coarse cordage. (Bourdillon.)
, The Tamil name Puta-tanni-maram signifies “ water-bark-tree,”
in allusion to the exudation trickling down the bark in dry
j weather.
Bes
Description -—Calyx ? to 1 inch, terete, campanulate,
4 obscurely pubescent, lobes ovate, obtuse, ovules in two rows
. in each cell of the ovary. Fruit 24 by 2 inches, globose, sur-
q “mounted by an enlarged mouth having a depressed pit at the
vertex within the calyx teeth. Bark thick, fibrous, externally
abounds with thick mucilage,
Chemical com position.—The thick red bark from old | sees e!
ontain ee eee a blue-black |
_ash-coloured, internally reddish when dry, the whole ane. —
20 : MYRTACEZL,
iron salts and containing 29 per cent of Pb O in its lead salt.
The tannin was ina free state. The bark left 10°6 per cent: —
of carbonated ash from the reduced calcium oxalate which 4
occurred in large simple crystals in the liber.
CARYOPHYLLUS AROMATICUS, Linn.
Fig.—Bentl. and Trim., t. 112. Clove tree (Eng.), Giro-
- flier aromatique (I’r.).
Hab.—Moluccas, cultivated elsewhere. The flower buds
and fruit.
Vernacular.—Laung (MHind.), Lavanga (Mar., Can.), Long
(Beng.), Lavang (Guz.), Lavangdlu, Lavanga-pu (Tel.), Ki
_ rambu, [lavangap-pu, er (Tam. ). The fruit, N orl
(Ind. Bazar).
History, Uses, &c.—The clove tree is said to be i
digenous only in the five small islands, which constitute
Moluccas proper, viz., Tarnati, Tidori, Mortir, Makiyan an
Bachian. It was afterwards introduced into other neighbour
ing islands, where it is now cultivated, and ata later” :
order that their breath might have an agreeable odour. (Pharm
éographia.) It is difficult to say when they were first intre
duced into India, but they are mentioned by Charaka, who
considered to be the oldest Sanskrit medical writer, under the
name of Lavanga, a name which, with various modifications, is 3
applied to cloves all over India. They are regarded by Sans
krit writers as light, cooling, stomachic, digestive and u
in thirst, vomiting, Ralcdaaiess colic, &c., and are pres¢
with other spices and with rock salt. (Dutt’s Hindu Mat
Medica.) A paste of cloyes is applied to the forehead and
MYRTACEZ. 21
as a remedy for colds. A clove roasted in the flame of a
lamp and held in the mouth is a popular remedy for sore
throat. ‘The early Arabian writers call them Karanfal, a
name evidently derived from the Indian languages of the
Malabar Coast, Ceylon, and the Straits*; this name appears
to us to have been the source from whence the Greeks have
derived the name xapvopvdAov which we meet with in Galen and
Pliny; the latter writer speaks of Caryophyllon as resembling
pepper but longer and more brittle and imported forthe sake of
itsodour. We do not think it possible thata spice in such ”
common use in the Hast can have escaped their notice.
Paulus describes cloves as the flowers of a tree, and Kxapqroeidy
(like a nail). Myrepsicus in a prescription calls mother
cloves yapeépaXdov ro péya To Neydpevov map “IraXots avGopadov, In the
debased Greek of the later Greek physicians, the name
takes various forms more nearly corresponding to the Arabic.
Later Arabian and Persian authors of treatises on Materia
Medica describe cloves as the fruit of a tree growing in
Java or Batavia, a territory belonging to the Dutch Chris-
tians. In the Makhzan-el-Adwiya, a work written about one
hundred years ago, it is distinctly stated that they are only
_ produced in the Dutch possessions, and that they are of two-
_ kinds, male and female. The fruit of the clove is called Nar-
laung (male clove) in India, a strange mistake but a common
one among Asiatics, who argue that the seed-bearing organ or
plant must be the male. Mahometan writers describe cloves
as hot and dry, and consider them to be alexipharmic and
cephalic, whether taken internally or applied externally ; they
_ also recommend them for strengthening the gums and per-
a fuming the breath, and on account of their pectoral, cardiacal, —
tonic, and digestive qualities. They have a curious supersti-
tion to the effect that one male clove eaten daily will prevent
conception. On the other hand, they tell us that the saliva
after Cloves have been chewed, if applied to the orifice of the :
male urethra before connection, increases the sexual orgasm
in both parties. In modern medicine cloves are used as a
> * Kirambu, Tamil; Karaémpu, Malay; Karambu, Cingalese
4
5
4
|
eee MYRTACEAE.
carminative and stimulant ; to relieve irritation of the throa’
accompanied by racking cough, and to deaden the pain
toothache.
Description.—The flowers of the Clove grow in cymes
lection as witnessed by one of us at Zanzibar is by hand, eac
clove is about two-thirds of an inch long, and consists of th
calyx-tube, which divides above into four pointed spreadi
- sepals, surmounted by a globular bud, consisting of 4 pe
and enclosing a number of stamens. All parts of the cl
abound iu oil cells. If of good quality it should be plump,
a rich brown colour, and the oil should exude upon pressur
being made with the finger nail ;the taste should be aroma
and very pungent.
Mother cloves, called in India Narlaung (male cloves), a
ovate-oblong berries about an inch long, and contain two da
brown oblong cotyledons which abound in starch; they h
the odour of cloves, but contain much less essential oil.
Clove stalks, in Guzerathi Vikunia, are oo Dont
India for re-export to Europe. :
‘The oil of cloves of the Indian bazars is made ey steeping
cloves in sweet oil. No — oil is manufactured in the
country.
Chemical composition.—Oleum Caryophylli, whick is t
most important constituent of cloves, is obtainable to the
extent of 16 to 20 per cent. But to extract the whole, the
_. distillation must be long continued, the water being returned
to the same material.
The oil is a colourless or yellowish liquid with a powe
odour and taste of cloves ; sp. gr. 1:046 to 1-058. Itisam
of a terpene and an oxygenated oil call
ed Hugenol, i in)
MYRTACE LZ. 23
‘proportions. According to Schimmel & Co., the genuine oil of
ves has a specific gravity of 1:067, and the oil of clove stalks
specific gravity of 1:060 to 1:063. The former, which is
med light oil of cloves, and comes over in the first period
f the distillation, has the composition C? °H**, a specific gravity
f 0-918, and boils at 254° C. Vapour density 7-7. It deviates
the plane of polarization slightly to the left, and is not coloured
on the addition of ferric chloride ; it is converted by Br into
_ CS H22 (250°—260°). (Beckett and Wright Journ. Chem. Soc.
29,1.) Eugenol has a specific gravity of about 1:080 at 0° C.,
and possesses the taste and odour of cloves. Its boiling point
s 252° (Church), vapour density 64. Eugenol, C!°H'202,
devoid of rotatory power, it belongs to the phenol class, and
as been met with in the oils of pimento, bay, canella, cinnamon,
According to G. Laube and H. Aldendorff, the percentage
£37: 72, cellulose 10°56, ash 4°84. The dried spice yielded
. Rtrogon 1:15, volatile oil and fat 27-72. A principle called
caryophyllin, which occurs in silky needles in stellate groups,
been isolated from cloves ; by the action of nitric acid it is
verted into caryophyllic acid. (Watts, Dict. Chem., 2nd Ed.)
Commerce—The imports of cloves into India in 1884-85
ere 4,791,006 lbs., valued at Rs. 11,09,841, all from the east
oast of Africa and Zanzibar. Of this quantity 4,598,419 Ibs.
ame to Bombay. During the same year Bombay re-exported
618,465 lbs., of which 1,112,224 lbs. went to the United King-°
dom, and 473,799 lbs. to China and the Straits.
MELALEUCA LEUCADENDRON, Linn.
Fig.—Bentl. and Trim., t. 108.
_ Hab.—Indian Archipelago, Malay Peninsula. The essen-
tial oil. :
q Vernacular: -—Kayaputi-ka-tel (Hind.), Kaiyoppudl om i
7 Tam.), Kayaputi-tail (Beng.), Kayputi-nu-tel (Guz.), Kayaputi-
‘
24 MYRTACER.
History, Uses, &c.—This oil appears to have been firs
prepared as an article of commerce by the Dutch about 172’
account of their aromatic properties ; this led to their distilla
tion, and Rumphius relates how the oil was obtained in ve!
small quantities, and was regarded as a powerful sudorific.
the present century, about the time when it first became
article of commerce in England. The island of Bouro in
Molucca Sea is stated by Bickmore, an American trave
who passed some time there, to produce about 8,000 bottle
annually ; but from the trade returns of the Straits Settle
ments it appears that the largest quantity is shipped fr
Celebes. (Pharmacographia.) The oilis much used in India
psoriasis, eczema and acne so common in India.
__ Deseription.—Cajuput oil varies in colour from yel
green to bluish green; it is a transparent mobile flu itl
an agreeable camphoraceous odour, and bitter aromatic taste
sp. gr. 0°926, it remains liquid at 18° C., and deviates the ray
of polarized light to the left. a
Chemical composition.—The researches of Schmidt and oth eI
chemists have shown that caj uput oil consists chiefly of hydrate
of cajuputal or cineol, C'°H'®0, which may be obtained from
the crude oil by fractional distillation at 174° C. If itis
peatedly distilled from P?O* it is converted into terpe
Cineol, a liquid smelling like camphor, is the chief constit
of Ol. Cinw and Ol. Cajuputi; it occurs
(Weber.) For its reactions and chemical composition
reader is referred to Watt’s Dict. of Chem, by Morley
MYRTACEZ. 95
Muir (ii. 187), R. Voiry (Chem. News, June 15th 1888,
p. 241,) states that on fractional distillation cajuput oil yields a
terpilenol, which has no action on polarized light. He further
obtained acetic, butyric and valerianic po: mixed with a _
carbide boiling at 160° in a vacuum.
The green tint of the oil is due to copper, a minute propor:
_ tion of which metal is usually present in all that is imported.
It may be made evident by agitating the oil with very dilute
_ hydrochloric acid. To the acid, after it has been put into a
platinum capsule, a little zinc should be added, when the copper
a will be immediately deposited on the platinum. The liquid
- may be then poured off, and the copper dissolved and tested.
_ When the oil is rectified, it is obtained colourless, but it readily
_ becomes green if in contact fora short time with metallic
copper.
| Commerce.—The oil is imported into India from Singapore
_ in large quantities packed in common black quart bottles.
From the official trade reports of the latter port it appears that
India is the chief market for this article. Average value,
sour iE Ep bottle. eee
EUGENIA JAMBOLANA, Lam.
Fig.— Wight Ic., t. 585 ; Bedd. Fl. Sylv. 4., t. 197,
Hab.—India. The fruit, leaves, seeds and bark. E
P Vernacular.—Jémun (Hind.), Kalajam (Beng.), J&mbia
_ (Mar.), Navel (Tam.), Jambiido (Guz.), Neredi (Tel.), Nevale
| (Can.).
_ dant crop of subacid edible fruit, during the hot weather, is com-
— mon all over the country. In some places the fruit attains the
of a pigeon’s egg, and is of superior quality. In Guzerai
large kind i is called i tag amaae: iso 8 has num
a n loud- yt
skrit, itisecalled
1). acohabie isan Pr ieniele ‘th ck.
History, Uses, &c.—This tree, which yields an abun-
26 MYRTACEZ.
phala (king’s-fruit), &c. According to the Dirghama-Sutraitis
one of the four colossal mythic trees which mark the four cardinal _
points, standing to the south of Mount Méru ; four great rivers
rise at its foot. The Vishnupurana states that the continent of
Jambudvipa takes its name from this tree. Ibn Batuta, who —
visited India in 1332, mentions w»+> (Jamin) as one of the
fruits of Delhi. A vinegar prepared from the juice of the ripe —
fruit is an agreeable stomachic and carminative ; it is also used
as a diuretic. A sort of spirituous liquor, called Jémb4va, 1s
described in recent Sanskrit works as prepared by distillation
from the juice. The bark is astringent, and is used, alone or
in combination with other medicines of its class, in the prepa-
ration of astringent decoctions, gargles and washes. The fresh
juice of the bark is given with goat’s milk in the diarrhm@a of
children. (Chakradatta.) The expressed juice of the leaves
s used alone or in combination with other astringents in dysen-
tery, as for example in the following prescription :—Take of |
the fresh juice of the leaves of B. Jambolana and the Mango
aboata drachm each, Emblic myrobalans a drachm, and admin- |
ister with goat’s milk and honey. (Bhavaprakasa.) a :
The author of the Makhzan notices the Jamin at conside —
able length; after describing the tree, he says that the fruit is
a useful astringent in bilious diarrhoea, and makes a good
-gargle for sore throat or lotion for ringworm of the head. The
root and seeds, he observes, are useful astringents, also the
leaves. He tells us that a kind of wine is made from the fruit,
and that the juice of the leaves dissolves iron filings, or, as lie
expresses it, reduces them to so light a condition that
float upon the surface of the liquid as a scum.
A wine and syrup of the fruit has been shown to us by Mr. M
C. Pereira of Bombay; they much resemble in flavour pene
preparations made with red currants, and a
stomachic and astringent properties,
‘MYRTACEZ. 37
,
3
Dri ©. Graeser, of Bonn, has published in the Centralblait
fiir Klinische Medicina highly-interesting account of a series of
experiments with the extract of the fruit of Syzygium Jambola-
num on dogs, which had previously been made diabetic by the
administration of phloridzin.
Dr. Graeser thought that the best way of studying the phy- —
siological and therapeutic action of the new drug was to admin-
ister it to dogs which had artificially been made diabetic by a
method introduced by V. Mehring, who found that artificial
diabetes can at any moment be produced in dogs by the admin-
istration of phloridzin.
A young dog of 2,700 to 4,800 grammes body weight, to
which 2°5 to 4°8 grammes of phloridzin (1 gramme to 1 kilo
body weight) have been given, in the course of a day will show
an excretion of sugar, lasting for twenty-four tc thirty hours,
and amounting to 5°89 to 12-45 grammes. Graeser first gave
_ the daily dose of phloridzin, but later on he split the quantity
into doses of 1 gramme, given every two to three hours. In
both cases the excretion of sugar was the same. Diarrhoea
was caused by phloridzin in three cases. After “Graeser had
experimented for some time with phloridzin alone he began to
| administer simultancously phloridzin and extract of Syzygium
_ Jambolanum. The latter was given before, along with, or after
phloridzin, and invariably had the effect of reducing the
expected excretion of sugar most considerably. This reduction
_ amounted to at least half, in some cases even to nine-tenths, of
_ the quantity of sugar which would have resulted had phloridzin
' alone been given. At the same time the duration of the dia-
_ betes was shortened. Dogs, which under phloridzin alone had
_ excreted 5:89 to 12°45 grammes of sugar, showed under the
_ jambul treatment a maximum excretion of 2:906 grammes of —
_ Sagar, and a minimum excretion of 1-5 gramme.
_ 4As jambul showed such a powerful effect on the avtificialtysd ay
_ produced diabetes, it may be anticipated that when given ab)
_ the proper time and ina dena dose it will —— patie ae
: excretion of sugar, ;
28 MYRTACEA!.
It is not yet known how jambul given in large doses acts on
the pathological diabetes mellitus of man. But it is well worth
trying. The experiments on man are all the more justified as
no ill effect has ever yet been produced by the new drug. 4
_ favourable effect of such experiments would prove that phlorid
zin diabetes and pathological diabetes are of a similar nature.
In all the animals on which Graeser experimented no signs
of any secondary effects of jambul extract were observed, not
even after doses of 18 grammes. In one case diarrhcea set in,
which, as further experiments proved, was caused by phloridzin
and not by jambul.
_All his experiments were made with extract of jambul pre-
pared by Mr. R. H. Davies, F.1.C., chemist to the Society of
Apothecaries, London, from seeds which the author had him-
self brought over to Europe. As the fruit contains great quan
tities of starch, it was thought advisable to eliminate this a
much as possible in preparing the extract. Several extracts
were prepared out of the whole fruit, or solely out of the kern
or solely out of the pericarp ; 100 grammes of the fruit gav
16} grammes kernel-extract, and 11% grammes pericarp extrac
The most given in one single dose was 6 grammes, the m
mum daily dose 18 grammes.
_ Whether the active principle is contained in the pericar
or kernel cannot as yet be decided toa certainty, Proba
it is contained in both, but to a greater extent in the pericarp.
From the long series of experiments which he has mad
Graeser draws the following conclusions :— Lee
~ 1. Phloridzin diabetes is considerably lessened by jamb |
extract. '
2. Jambul extract is non-poisonous, and does not
ill effect.
3. The active principle contained jin jambul is not -
known. It will have to be determined by carefal analysis
further experiments. (Chem. and Pruggist 1889.) Ses
With reference to Graeser’s experiments, G. I, Tay
(Vratch., 1889, p. 1029,) records having obtained neg
cause an
MYRTACE. 29
sults with the sceds in three cases of diabetes in which the urine
_ contained from 6 to 7 per cent. ofsugar. In these cases the pow-
_ dered seeds were given in doses of one gram 4 to 6 times a day.
2 Description,—The fruit unless improved by cultivation
is about the size and shape of a small olive, of a purple colour,
and very astringent; within it is a thin white papery shell,
which encloses a large green kernel, also very astringent. The
bark is grey and fissured externally; internally it is red and
fibrous ; its minute structure is remarkable in having several
_ rows of very large, pitted, oblong-oval cells, which can be
easily seen with the naked eye. The odour is like that of oak-
_ bark, and the taste very astringent. The leaves are 3 to 6
inches long, ovate or oblong, obtuse, more or less acuminate,
_ coriaceous, smooth, shining, closely nerved, the numerous
nerves uniting within the margin, When crushed they have
_ an agreeable terebinthinate odour, and on distillation yield a
_ bright green oil.
Chemical composition.—The proximate composition of dry
Jambul seeds according to Elborne is—
Essential oil a trace —
Chlorophyll and fat 0°37 —
Resin soluble in alcohol aad ether sy imei OOO
Gallic acid vey ee
Albumin 1°25
Coloured extractive soluble in water ............ 2°70
Moisture 10°00
Tusoluble residue Wicks, Oe
100-00
’ Jambulin, a eect is stated to have been found in the
seeds; itis said to have the power of preventing the diastatic
j conversion of starch, &., into sugar. The bark of the tree.
= contains 12 per cent. of tannin and affords a Kino-like gum es
Commerce.—The © at and seeds are ‘sold in the
rkets,
30 MYRTACEA.
‘-PSIDIUM GUYAVA, Linn. |
Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal. iii. , t. 34, 35 ; Rumph. Amb. 1.,
47. Guava tree (Ung.), Goyavier (Fr.).
Hab.—Anmerica, naturalized in India. The bark
leaves.
Vernacular.—Lal-safri-4m, Sufed-safri-Am (Hind.), Lal-jam
Sufed-jam (Duwk.), Téambara peru, Pandhara peru (Mar), Shiv
appu-goyy4-pazham, Vellai-goyy4-pazham (T'am.), Tella-jém
pandu, Erra-jam-pandu (Tel.), Bili-shibe-hannu, Kempu-shibé
hannu (Can.), Dhop-goachhi-phal, Lal-goachhi-phal (Beng.).
History, Uses, &c.—The red and white guavas appea'
to be only varieties of one and the same species. They ha
been, introduced into India from America, probably b
the Portuguese, and are now universally cultivated, and ir
some parts of the country have run wild. ‘The fruitis a favo
ite with the natives, who like its strong aromatic flavow
It is astringent and has a tendency to cause costi 3S
Europeans generally prefer it cooked, or in the form
In Goa the Portuguese make a kind of cheese of it. The
which is also astringent, is recommended in the Pharmacopet
of India as a remedy for the chronic diarrhoea of children.”
Dr. Waitz (Diseases of Children in Hot Climates, p. 225,) dire
half an ounce of the root bark with six ounces of water to b
boiled down to 3 ounces ; of this decoction, the dose is one o:
more teaspoonfuls three or four times a day. He also recom:
mends the same preparation as an external astringent in the
prolapsus ani of children (p. 233). The leaves have also k er
used successfully as an astringent in diarrhcea.
Discourtilz places this plant among the aromatic anti
modics; a decoction of the young leaves and shoots is prescrib
in the West Indies in febrifuge and antispasmodic — a
fusion of the leaves in cerebral affections, nephritis and cac
the pounded leaves are locally applied in rheumatism ; an ex:
is used in epilepsy and chorea; the tincture is red
spine of children suffering from convulsions, The rv
MYRTACE. al
7 conserve are astringent and suitable to those suffering from
_ diarrhoea and dysentery. (Corre et Lejanne, Résumé de la Mat.
_ Med. Coloniale, p. 108.)
_ Description.—The external surface of the bark when
_ fresh is smooth and brown, marked by superficial scars indica-
ting the separation of squamous plates of dead bark. These
_ plates sometimes remain partially attached. Beneath the
_ brown epidermis the fresh bark is green; its inner surface
_ is marked by longitudinal striz, and is of a light brown colour.
_ The taste is astringent and agreeably acid. The leaves are
aromatic, egg-shaped or oblong, short stalked, covered with
_ soft down underneath, and with the principal veins very
_ prominent.
Microscopic structure.—Sections show that the bark consists
_ of an epidermis, made up of two rows of brick-shaped brown
4 cells, and alternate zones of vascular and parenchymatous
_ tissue, varied towards the inner part by three broken circles
of liber cells. The medullary rays are numerous, and together
_ with the parenchyma of the outer part of the bark, loaded with
green colouring matter; in the rays this extends some distance
to its substance, and makes them very conspicuous. The
scular system is loaded with crystals, and contains a few
arch granules.
Chemical composition.—The watery extract of the bark con-
4 tains, as the mean of two determinations, 27:4 per cent. of
tannin, Spirit dissolves the same amount of extract from it
as water, about 33 per cent. The tannin gives a blue-black
_ colour with ferric salts, a pinkish precipitate with gelatine, and
a dirty green with acetate of lead; the lead compound when
_ perfectly dry yields 29 per cent. of oxide.
_ After exhausting the bark by means of water and alcohol,
_ another colouring matter is removed by soda, probably oxidized
tannin. Ether extracts chlorophyll, and a little resin soluble
_ ammonia are present. The mineral-matter obtained by i
ion is 10 per cent., and consists of calcium ¢
_ with a bright red colour in alkaline liquids. No alkaloids ¢ OB: a
oo MYRTACEM.
afforded by the calcium oxalate which is present in the bark in
the form of simple crystals. The tannage or inspissa
watery extract of guava bark is reddish brown and brittle
very soluble in water, and containing as it does tannin ina f "et
state, should be a useful astringent. 7
MYRTUS COMMUNIS, Linn.
Fig.—Duhamel ed. nov. t. 48. Myrtle (Zng.), Myrte (Pry
Hab.—Europe. Cultivated in India. The leaves, fruit
and bark.
Vernacular.— Aas (Arab.), Vilayati-mehndi (Hind.).
berries, Hab-el-aas (Arab., Ind. bazars).
History, Uses, &c.—Amongst the ancients the Myrtl
(pvpoim) was a phallic emblem sacred to Venus, at the festi
of Myrrha, the incestuous mother of Adonis, married wom
wore wreaths of the leaves; and in Virgil’s infernal regi
the victims of love concealed themselves among the my
At Romethis plant was not allowed to be placed upon the
of Bona Dea, but at the festivals of Hleusis every one
crowned with it; it was supposed not only to inspire love,
to maintain it. According to a Greek myth, the nymph Myr-
sine, having outstripped Athene in a race, was turned into a
myrtle bush by the goddess, who, however, repenting of he
cruelty afterwards, became particularly attached to the plan
The Romans, after they had intended fighting for the Sab
women whom they had carried off, purified themselves w
sprigs of myrtle, ideo tune lecta (says Pliny) quoneam conjuc
et huic arbort preest Venus. Pliny also tells us that Romul
planted two myrtles at Rome, one of which afterwards becam
the favourite of the patricians, and the other of the people 5 _
withered, but when the power of the latter was in the ascen
the patrician myrtle faded. Before pepper was known my
berries were employed as a spice to season foo ical ci Ly
flavoured with them, (Hist. Nat, 15, $5.), Das sia
MYRTACEZ. 33
superstitions concerning the myrtle extending down to modern
times, see De Gubernatis (Myth. des Plantes, II., 283).
The myrtle occupies a prominent place in the writings of
__ Hippocrates, Pliny, Dioscorides, Galen, and the Arabian
“writers. Pliny furnishes an account of it, of which the following
is a summary: The berries arrest hemoptie ; they are used in
dysentery and as an application to indolent ulcers and inflamed
eyes; and in wine are an antidote to the poison of mushrooms;
they also cure the bites of scorpions, inflammation of the blad-
der, headaches, abscesses, aphthe, leucorrhces, and other
mucous discharges. The juice is diuretic, but constipates.
An ointment made with it cures eruptions of the skin and
_ darkens the hair. The dried leaves in powder arrest sweats ;
in fomentations check the white flux, correct prolapsus of the
- womb and rectum, and are employed to cure ulcers, burns,
_ erysipelas, otorrhcea, alopecia, and eruptions of the skin, to
_ arrest hemorrhage, and as an application to lentigo, ptery-
gion, panaris, condylomata, and swelled testicles. A wine
_ made from the berries was used for most of these purposes,
_ andwasregardedas tonic. Thus catalogue of virtuesis repeated,
but hardly enlarged, by subsequent ancient writers, who,
owever, following Galen, ascribe to myrtle the opposite quali-
ties of cold and hot, or astringent and stimulant, the former
residing chiefly in the leaves, the latter in the berries.
In 1876 attention was directed to the medicinal properties of
the plant by Delioux de Savignac, who recommended an infu-
sion or diluted tincture of the leaves as an astringent lotion,
and the finely powdered leaves as an application to ulcers, &c.
He also used the powder in doses of -1 to 4 grams internally
_ in chronic catarrh of the bladder and in menorrhagia; and
_ the infusion in chronic bronchitis. The Oxymyrsine or ‘ wild
_ myrtle,” mentioned by the ancients, the Aas-el-bart of Mahome-
; tan writers, is not a myrtle, but the Ruscus aculeatus or ;
_ “buteher’s broom.” :
_ __ Of late years the volatile oil of myrtleleaves has been brought
_ to notice as an antiseptic and rubefacient when used exter
nally; Mes inteelaigs3 in spell ee! poe
i
No 160° and 170° C,/ B Jahns (1889) examined a samp
gO
34 MELASTOMACEZ:.
promotes digestion like myrtle berries, but in large doses it
acts as an irritant. It is excreted by the kidneys and through»
the respiratory tracts, and communicates a peculiar odour to the |
urine. According to Lauder Brunton the urine of perso
taking it gives a precipitate with nitric acid ; he considers tha
like copaiba it may be used asan expectorant inchronic bronchi
with profuse expectoration and in chronic inflammation of the
bladder or urethra. It is best administered in gelatine capsules:
containing 4 to 5 drops of the oil. The fragrant water distilled
from the flowers and leaves is known in France as Hau d’ ange.
According to Brannt, the manufacturers of volatile oils in
Southern France place a myrtle water upon the market wh:
is actually prepared from the oil.
Chemical composition. —Riegel (1849) obtained from the rip
berries a volatile oil, resin, tannin, citric acid, malic acid, sugar,
etc. Raybaud (1834) found the volatile oil, as distilled town :
leaves, flowers, and fruit, to have ayellowish or greenish-yello
colour, and to be lighter than water. Gladstone (1863) :
tained it to have aspecific gravity of +891, to be de
to consist mostly of a hydrocarbon, C!°H'S, boiling be
Spanish origin, having a sp. gr. of °910 at 16°, and a rotat
power of [a] =+26°7°. On fractional distillation the terpene,
C! °H'®, came overat 158°— 160°; rotatory power [a]p= +386°8'
and corresponded in its chemical properties with dextropin
Cineol, boiling at 170°, a second constituent, was obtained bh
Wallach’s process. A little camphor was also present but coul
not be isolated: (Journ. Chem. Soc., J une, 1889.) The bit
principle has not been investigated; it is probably a glucosid
Oommerce.—Dried myrtle berries are obtainable in most ¢
the Indian bazars.
MELASTOMACEA.
MEMECYLON EDULE, Roos,
Fig.—Rowb. Cor. Pl. I., t. 82; Wight Ic, t, 278. .
wood tree (Hng.), Mémecylon comestible
MELASTOMACEA. 85
Hab.—Eastern and Western Peninsulas, Ceylon.
; Vernacular.—Anjana, Yalki, Kurpa, Lokhandi (Mar.),
_ Kashamaram (Tam.), Alli-cheddu (Zel.), Surpa (Can.), Wari-
_ kaha, Seroo-kaya (Cingh.).
History, Uses, &c.—M. edule, also called M. tincto-
rium from its use in dyeing, is a shrub or small tree growing
on hilly ground. In Sanskrit itis called Anjani, a name derived
from anjana,a pigment or collyrium. The leaves are used
in India and Ceylon as a dye, and afford an evanescent yellow
_ lake when used alone. They are chiefly valued on account of
_ their action as a mordant, and are used with myrobalans and
Sappan wood or Chayroot (Oldenlandia umbellata) in pre-
ference toalum in producing a deep red colour much used by mat-
makers in Madras. Medicinally, an infusion of the leaves is
used as an astringent collyrium in conjunctivitis, anda de-
_ coction of the root in menorrhagia, The pounded bark with
_ aromatics, such as ajwan, pepper, and zedoary is tied up in a
_ cloth for fomentation or applied as a plaster (lep) to bruises.
Dr. Peters has brought to our notice the use of the leaves in
_ the Deccan as a remedy for gonorrhoea of considerable repute.
Sprengel, apparently misled by the Cinghalese name Wari-
_ kaha, supposed the leaves to be source of the Wars dye of the
3 # Arabians.
F Description.—The Flora of British India notices twelve
' varieties of this extremely variable plant, which is generally a
large bush, remarkable for its bright green foliage, and clus-
_ ters of purplish-blue flowers on the bare branches, which are
_ succeeded by globose deep purple berries about } inch in
_ diameter, and crowned with the 4-toothed limb of the calyx.
4 The berries are edible but astringent. The leaves are from 14 to
' 8% inches in length, and 1 to 1} inch broad, entire, firm, and
_ leathery, with short petioles, and very indistinct lateral vena-
_ tion, they turn yellowish-green when dry; the taste is acid,
_ bitter and astringent.
Chemical composition. —Prof, Dragendorff (Pharm. Zeitchr. a
_ fit Russland, xxi., 232,) proved the absence of an
36 MELASTOMACEZ,
and the presence of a yellow glucoside in the leaves. The
latter he considered not to bear any resemblance to chryso-
phanic acid. ie
A proximate analysis of the leaves, which we have made,
icdicated the following constituents :—
Moisture 6-90
Chlorophyll and resins . 5°5)
Resins, malic acid and glucose; spirit extract 16-0
Colouring matter, gum, malates and glucose; water
extract
- Dissolved by soda solution
Starch and pararabin removed by boiling dilute HC)...
Crude fibre and silica ro bikes
23°32
The total malic acid amounted to 6-48 per cent., glucose 6-25,
and the total inorganic matter 11°80 per cent. The alcoholic
extract was brown in colour, sweet and styptic to the taste, and
nearly all soluble in water ; the solution readily reduced
Hing’s solution, and gave a crystalline precipitate -
acetate. The aqueous solution was yellow-culoured ; it a
a precipitate of mucilage and salts with two volumes of alcoho
and gave a crystalline precipitate with lead acetate. A dec
tion of the leaves afforded a green colour with iodine solut
through the blending of the natural colour with the starch
iodide. The colouring matter is freely soluble in water, spar:
ingly in spirit, and insoluble in ether. The aqueous solution
turned greenish-brown by ferric chloride and is not affected
gelatine, the colour is not precipitated by
acetate or by acids ;
LYTHRACEA, 37
affords an intense yellow colour with diluted alkali, and orange
brown when concentrated, and is precipitated in brown flocks
- by acids. Sulphuric acid forms with it a yellowish-brown
solution, from which it separates on standing in a pulveralent
condition ; nitric acid dissolves it with the formation of a fine
red hue. The decomposition product is resinoid and amor-
phous, and is neutral in reaction,
LYTHRACE®.
AMMANNIA BACCIFERA, Linn.
Fig.—Lam. Iil., t. 77, f. 5.
Hab.—-Tropical India. The herb.
Vernacular.—Dad-mari { Hind.), Guren, Bhér-jambiil (Mar.);
Kallurivi, Nirumel-neruppu (Z'am.), Agni-venda-péku (Tel.);
Kallur-vanchi (Mal.) ;
_ History, Uses, &c.—Ammannia is supposed by some
_ tobe the Agni-garbha, “ ‘or plant pregnant with fire ” of Sanskrit
_ writers, but this is very doubtful, as the same name is applied
_ to the Arani or soft wood used in the production of the sacrifi-
| cial fire. The properties of this plant and its use by the natives
asa blistering agent appear to have been first brought to the
' notice of Europeans by Roxburgh. Ainslie quotes him, and
_ remarks that the plant has a strong muriatic smell, but not
disagreeable ; the leaves are extremely acrid, and are used by
_ the natives to raise blisters in rheumatism, fevers, &c., the
_ fresh leaves bruised and applied to the part intended to be
4 blistered, perform their office in half an hour, and most
effectually. In Pudukota, under the name of. Sigappup-
_ pugat, the plant is used to prepare a liniment which is
_ applied to the temples asa remedy for burning pain in the
- eyes. The author of the Bengal Dispensatory states that he
4 not produced. in less than twelye hours in any, and in three
- andiyiduals not for 24 Baws The bruised leayes had _
a made a trial of the leaves in eight instances ; ‘‘ blisters were :
38 LYTHRACE®.
removed from all after half an hour. The pain occasioned was
absolutely agonizing until the blister rose; they caused more
pain than cantharides, and were far inferior to the Plumbago
rosea in celerity and certainty of action.” According to Fleming,
the leaves are applied to cure herpetic eruptions. The authors
of the Pharmacopeia of India merely notice the unfavourable
opinion of the drug expressedin the Bengal Dispensatory. We
have made some experiments with an ethereal tincture of the |
leaves, which lead us to form a much more favourable opinion of
them; in several instances it blistered rapidly, effectually, and
without causing more pain than the liquor epispasticus of the
Pharmacopeia, which it resembles in colour. Upon evapora-
tion of the ether a dark green resinous extract is left.
spirituous tincture was. also tried, but it was not nearly 80
efficient. Dr. Bholanath Bhose describes a mode of treatment —
of obstinate spleen disease by the juice of the leaves administered
internally, but its administration in this manner has been
objected to as causing pain and yielding uncertain results. I
the Concan the juice is given with water to animals when i
heat to extinguish sexual appetite ; the plant fresh or dried i
administered in decoction with ginger and Cyperus root for
intermittent fevers, and its ashes are mixed with oil and applie ‘j
to herpetic eruptions. Ammannia is common in low mois
ground in India, and flowersin November and December.
>
Description.—An herbaceous, erect, much-branched —
plant, having foliage something like that of rosemary ; stems 4
sided ; leaves sessile, opposite, lanceolate, attenuated, about an
inch long and 4 inch broad, much smaller on the upper parts
the plant ; calyx 4-cleft to the middle ; lobes acute ; accessory
teeth very small; flowers very minute, aggregated in the axils
of the leaves, almost sessile; tube of the calyx at first narro 7
and tightened round the ovary, in fruit cup-shaped ; petals
wanting; capsule longer than the calyx, 1-celled; flowers red.
The whole plant has an aromatic and rather agreeable odour.
Chemical composition.—An alcoholic extract prepared
80 per cent. alcohol was made from the air-dried and pow
LYTHRACEZ. .
plant: the greater part of the alcohol distilled off, and the
remainder allowed to evaporate by exposure to air. When free
from alcohol the extract was boiled with water, and the liquid
_ separated from insoluble matter while hot. The filtrate was at
first of a dark reddish brown colour, but became turbid on
cooling, a dark resin separating on the sides of the capsule: no
crystalline matter separated. After standing for some days the
fluid was separated from suspended matter, and agitated with
ether. The ether extract was of a yellow colour, indistinctly
crystalline, possessed a very aromatic odour, and had a strongly
acid reaction. An aqueous solution gave a deep brownish, almost
black precipitate with ferric salts : with ammonia a deep caramel
yellow colour, which darkened somewhat on exposure, With
_ alkaloidal reagents negative results were obtained; after boiling
with dilute sulphuric acid, the solutionslightly reduced Fehling’s
solution, indicating the probable presence of a glucoside.
Some of the aqueous solution rubbed on the skin of the arm
produced no vesication. The dark resin which separated on
_ water, dried to a brittle black mass, but with a purple tinge, in
_ thin layers. This substance was easily soluble in alkalies, and
cold nitric acid it dissolved at once, forming a deep reddish
liquid, which after standing for a short time evolved nitrous
fumes. In acetic acid it was also soluble, but less readily than
in nitricacid. In ether it was insoluble. An alcoholic solution
_ gave with ferric chloride a black precipitate, which was changed
_ to dark brown on the addition of acids. Applied to the skin in
_ alcoholic solution negative results were obtained. That portion
_ Of the alcoholic extract originally insoluble in water consisted
_ Of resinous matter. Some of the powdered plant was distilled
with water, the distillate had a slight odour, but yielded
_ practically no extractive when agitated with ether. In one
_ with ammonia, but on repeating the experiment negative results
q were obtained. An alcoholic tincture of the plant applied to the ; cs
_ skin of the arm produced no vesication, and a pimeilnts negative =
40 LYTHRACEZ:.
result was also obtained with an ethereal solution, and though —
there is very little doubt that plumbagin is the active principle —
of the drug, only in one experiment wasany reaction similar to —
that yielded by plumbagin obtained. It is probable that th
sample operated on was inactive from the failure to obtain am:
shaken with ether afforded a yellow crystalline substance which, :
on re-solution, gave a red colour with alkalies.
WOODFORDIA FLORIBUNDA, Salisb. _
. Fig.—Rozxb. Cor. Pl., t.31; Bot. Mag., t. 1906. Dow
Grislea (Eng.), Grisléa multiflore (F'r.).
Hab.—Throughout India. The flowers.
Vernacular.—Dhai, Davi, Devti (Hind. \ Dhaitf, Dhaosh
Phulsatti (Mar.), Dhaiphul (Beng. ), Serinjf (Tel.), Pe
(Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—The Sanskrit names of this shir >
well describe its prominent characters. It is called Agni-jva
(fire-flame), Tamra-pushpi (red-flowered), Guchchha-push
(cluster-flower), Parvati (hill-born). The usual nameis Dhé taki.
It is mentioned by Chakradatta and Sarangadhara on accou
of its astringent properties. Asa medicine the flowersare chiefly
prescribed by the natives in dysentery, beaten up with hon
into a kind of confection, They are also thought to be of
in menorrhagia ; externally they may be used as an astring’
The natives of the Concan in bilious sickness fill the patien’
mouth with sesamum oil, and apply the juice of the leaves
the crown of the head; this is said to causethe oil inthe mou
“to become yellow from absorption of bile; fresh oil is the
given repeatedly until it ceases to turn yellow. Comm
the flowers are of considerable ee as. a = dseing
tanning material.
LYTHRACEZ. 41
Description.-—The flowers and their calices are red, the
latter are permanent, and retain their colour after the flower
has faded. As met with in commerce the calices generally
contain the nearly mature capsules, which are two-celled and
two-valved and completely enclosed. The seeds are light
brown, very minute, oblong and very numerous; if the calyx
is soaked in water it will be seen to be 12-toothed. In
ordinary samples of the article some of the flowers are in small
racemes, and a good many lanceolate leaves with a whitish
under surface studded with black dots are mixed with them;
both sides of the leaf will, if examined with a lens, be seen to
be covered by a close dense tomentum. The enlarged calices
are very astringent.
Chemical composition.—The flowers yielded to Hummel 20°6
per cent. of tannic acid, which explains their use by the Hindus
in connection with alum as a mordant and with other dye-stuffs,
(Watt, Select. from the Records of the Govt, of India, Vol. 1., pp.
91 and 93.)
Commerce.—The article is collected in large quantities. -
_ Value, Rs. 15—-25 per kandy of 5¢ cwts. The variation in
_ price depends upon the quantity in the market.
LAWSONIA ALBA, Lam.
Fig.—Lam. IIl., t. 296, f. 2; Wight Ill., t.87; Griff, Ic. Pl.
Asiat, t. 580. Henna (Eng.), Henné (Fr.).
Hab.—Western India; cultivated throughout India. The
leaves and flowers.
Vernacular.~-Méhndi (Hind.), Mendi (Mar-., Guz mF Masaioial,
Aivanam (TZam.), Méhédi (Beng.), Goranta (Tel.), Gorante
(Can.).
_ History, Uses, &c.—Henna is the Mendika and Rakta-
garbha, or “ plant pregnant with red colouring matter,” of
Sanskrit writers. It is much esteemed by the Mahomete
a There i is a tradition that their — ede of it as “ Sy
11.—6
42 LYTHRACEZ.
ridhin”? (the best of herbs). In Arabic it is called Hinna
‘Arabic and Persian works give Arkén and Fékiliytin as t
Greek names ;* they describe the leaves as a valuable exterr
application in headache, combined with oil so as to form
-paste, to which resin is sometimes added. They are appli
to the soles.of the feet in small-pox, and are supposed
prevent the eyes being affected by the disease. They 4
have the reputation of promoting the healthy growth of the
hair and nails. An ointment made from the leaves is sp
of as having valuable healing properties, and a decoc
is used as an astringent gargle. The bark is given
jaundice and enlargement of the spleen, also in calc
affections, and as an alterative in leprosy and obstinate
diseases, in decoction it is applied to burns, scalds, &c.
seeds, with honey and tragacanth, are described as cephal
An infusion of the flowers is said to cure headache, and to
a good application to bruises; a pillow stuffed with them
the reputation of acting as a soporific. (Dr. Emerson.)
ointment is also applied to bruises, and a perfu
prepared from them, which is called in Arabic Duhn
and is used as a cosmetic. |
Ainslie notices the use of an extract prepared from the
flowers and leaves by the Tamil physicians of Southern India
as a remedy in lepra, half a teaspoonful twice a day being t
dose. He also says that the leaves are applied externally
cutaneous affections. In the Concan the leaf-juice mixed wi
water and sugar is given as a remedy for spermatorrhcea, a
with milk in the condition popularly known as “ hot an d
fits.’’ .
In the Pharmacopeia of India attention is drawn to th
use in an obscure affection called « burning of the f
often met with in India; and the editor mentions his
himself witnessed, when in Burmah, a great amount of |
* The evmpos of Dioscorides (i., 109, a
46) appear to be Henna, as nai his Wve tie at tac
Arkan «\3 5! is an Arabic word meaning a blight or diuéiig:
CO
plants or men yellow (jaundice).
LYTHRACE. 43
rary relief from the remedy when numerous other means had
previously failed. The fresh leaves beaten up into a paste with
_ vinegar were applied as a poultice to the soles of the feet in.
most cases, but some patients obtained greater relief from
_ using strong frictions with the bruised leaves over the part.
_ In Southern India Henna seeds are called Iswan, a corruption.
of the Persian word Isband or Ispand, a name applied to the
seeds of Peganum Harmala by the Persians. They are used
_ by the Mahometans of those parts as a substitute for the true
_ Ispand in certain superstitious observances. (See Peganum.)
_ The use of Henna for dyeing the hands and feet appears to
be common among Mahometans in Asia and Africa, and was
_ probably practised by the ancient Egyptians and Jews. Sir G.
_ Birdwood has the following remarks upon its history in more
Western countries :—“ Solomon is supposed by Sprengel to
refer to the Henna plant in his Epithalamium (I. 14), ‘ My
beloved is unto meas a cluster of Samphire (or Cypress or
Camphire) in the vineyards of Engedi.’”? It is undoubt-
dly the «vmpos of Dioscorides and “ Cyprus in Egypt” of
Pliny. It is mentioned by Avicenna also under the name of,
‘ Henna.”’*
-Description.—Leaves opposite, smooth, short petioled,
oblong, or broad lanceolate, pointed at both ends, an inch or
more long and less than half an inch broad; the flowers are in
terminal, globular, cross-armed panicles, small, greenish white
_ and very fragrant ; the fruit is round, the size of a pepper-corn,
_ four-grooved, with the apex depressed, four-celled ; the seeds
are angular, The decoction of the leaves is of a deep orange
colour, which is destroyed by acids, and deepened by alkalies
_and vegetable astringents; it stains the skin of an orange red
colour, which does not disappear until the epidermis has been
renewed.
_ Chemical composition. —The colouring matter of Henna is a
kind of tannin to which M. Abd-el-Aziz Herraory has given’
the name of hennotannic acid. This’ principle is brown, of
* Cf. P. Bellonius Obs. I. 64. He visited Egypt in A. D.
AA , LYTHRACEAE.
resinoid appearance, and soluble in boiling water.
the properties of tannin, such as blackening ferric salts
and precipitating gelatine. It reduces oxide of copper im —
de Pharmacie, Jan. 1863.) According to C.J. S. Thompson —
the leaves yield to boiling water from 12 to 15 per cent. 0 the
brown colouring matter, which is soluble in glycerine, st.ong
solutions of potash and ammonia, and dilute acids, but very
slightly in ether, chloroform or alcohol : the leaves also yield
2 per cent. of an olive-green resin solable in ether and alcohol.
PUNICA GRANATU\M, Linn.
_ Fig.—Bentl. and Trim., t. 113. Pomegranate ( Eng.)y
Grenadier commun (f’r.).
Hab.—Socotra, Arabia, Africa (?). Cultivated throughout
India. The fruit, rind, and root bark.
_ Vernacular.—Anér, Darim (Hind.), Dalim (Beng.), Dalimba
(Mar.), Dédam (Guz.), Médalai (Tam.), D4nimma | a3
Délimbe (Can.) ; the flowers, Julnér, Gulnér (Arab., Pers
Hind.), Pu-madalai (Tam.), Puyvu-dénimma (Te?.), Hushi-
délimbe (Can.). 4
History, Uses, &cC.—The pomegranate, which by Dine
bach’s account is the Poa 2id7 of Hippocrates, is in culture in
the south of Europe, Arabia, Japan, Persia, and Barbary. ek
is also much cultivated in India, but the Indian fruit ig :
inferior to that which is imported from the Persia Feats
The Sanskrit name is Dadima, and the fruit is kt ee
dana (parrots’ food) and Kuchaphala (breast fruit). Hinde
physicians prescribe the juice of the ripe fruit nctaiel te i
saffron as a cooling medicine. They also use the rind of
fruit and the flowers, combined with aromatics, such as clo
cinnamon, coriander, pepper, &c., as an astringent in g
bowel affections as are not accompanied with tenesmus, pg
Concan the juice of the green frnit, rubbed with waite a
LYTHRACE. 45
and ginger is given in honey as a remedy for piles, The
juice of the flowers with Durva root juice (Cynodon daclylon)
_ is used to stop bleeding from the nose. The root bark does
not appear to be mentioned in any Sanskrit works on Materia
_ Medica.. The Arabs call the pomegranate Rumman ; Anér is
the Persian name. Mahometan writers describe three kinds,
sweet, sour, and subacid. The Rummdén-i-bari or Wild Pome-
granate of these writers is, perhaps, the P. protopunica discov-
ered by Balfour in Socotra, and which probably exists in the
neighbouring continents of Africa and Arabia, but this name
is also applied by the Arabs to the Tutsan or large Hypericum.
_ Besides using the flowers and rind in a variety of ways on
account of their astringency, they recommend the root bark as
being the most astringent part of the plant, and a perfect specific
_ in casesof tapeworm : itisgiven, in decoction, prepared with two
_ ounces of fresh bark, boiled in a pint and a half of water till
_ but three-quarters of a pint remain; of this when cold a
_ wineglassful may be drunk every half hour, till the whole is
_ taken. This dose sometimes sickens the stomach a little, but
_ seldom fails to destroy the worm, which is soon after passed.*
4 The seeds of the pomegranate are considered to be stom-
chic, the pulp cardiacal and stomachic. It would appear that
the Arabs derived their knowledge of the medicinal qualities of
_ this plant from the ancients, as a similar account of them is
_ found in Dioscorides and Pliny. The balaustium of these
_ writers is the double pomegranate flower, a word which in the
' corrupted form of Balusitun is common in Arabic aud Persian
_ books.t The root bark and rind of the fruit are official in the
4 Pharmacopeia of India. _ 'Che official preparation of pomegran-
_ ate root bark is open to objection on account of its nauseous-
_ ness, and Mr. Siebold, inorder to obviate this, has suggested a
process for removing the astringent rua eee ae J tt
q ee av | 896.) With a similar object Dr. Von Sc
: pare with Dioscorides i i., 131, epi — |
___t Plin. 13, 34; 28, 57 to 61; Scribon. Comp. 85
2 mig it is used to stop bleeding in accordance with the
46 = LYTHRACEZ. ~
has recommended the use of an extract free from tannic acid; «
ie
Sept. 18, p. 556.) ‘The extract is prepared by treating
decoction of the bark with milk of lime to remove the tannic
acid, filtering, neutralizing the filtrate exactly with sulphurie
acid, evaporating it on a water bath almost to dryness, treatin
the residue with 70 percent. alcohol, and then driving off
alcohol from the extract obtained, the product is described
nearly entirely crystalline and soluble in water with a slight
turbidity. Theyieldis about one gram of extract from twenty
grams of bark. In order to retard as much as possible thé
absorption of the pelletierine, which is present in the ext
as a sulphate, it is recommended to add to this quantity on
or two grains of tannic acid to convert the alkaloid into
difficultly soluble tannate.
It has been stated occasionally that the administration 0
pelletierine to adults has been followed by symptoms of poison
ing, though not very serious ones, and this has caused hesita-
tion in administering it to children. Some recently reporte
cases appear, however, to indicate that the physiological a
of this tenifuge is relatively less energetic in infants ¢
in adults. (Archiv. der Pharm., Sept. 1886, p. 409.)
Méplain administered six centigrams of pelletierine toa ch
two and a half years old, and Dr. Bétencés the same quantity
to a child five years old without the least symptom of poisonin;
but with the removal of the worm in both cases. In anothé
case a dose of ten centigrams was successfully administe
to a child ten years of age. (Pharm. Journ., Oct. 2, 1886.)
Description.—The fruit of the pomegranate tree, in
nical language a balausta, is a spherical somewhat flattened 2
obscurely six-sided berry of the size of a c
often much larger, crowned by the thick, tubular, 5 to9-too
calyx. Ithasa smooth, hard, coriaceous skin, which, chou
fruit is ripe, isof a brownish yellow tint, often finely ee
LYTHRACEZ. 47
cells; below these,a confused conical diaphragm separates the
lower and smaller half, which in its turnis divided into 4 or 5 irre-
gular cells. Each cell is filled with a large number of grains,
crowded on thick spongy placentz, which in the upper cells are
parietal but in the lower appear to be central. The grains,
which are about 3} an inch in length, are oblong or obconical
and many-sided, and consist of a thin transparent vesicle, con-
taining an acid, saecharine, red juicy pulp surrounding an
elongated angular seed.
The peel as imported is in irregular, more or less concave
fragments, some of which have the toothed, tubular calyx still
enclosing the stamens and style. It is y to #5 of an inch
thick, easily breaking with a short corky fracture; externally
itis rather rough, of a yellowish brown or reddish colour. In-
ternally it is more or Jess brown or yellow, and honeycombed
with depressions left by the seeds. It has hardly any odour,
_ but has a strongly astringent taste. The bark occurs in rather
_ thin quills or fragments, 3 to 4 inches long. Their outer sur-
face is yellowish grey, sometimes marked with fine longitudinal
striations or reticulated wrinkles, but more often furrowed by
bands of cork, running together in the thickest pieces into broad
t conchoidal scales, The inner surface, which is smooth or
_ marked with fine strie, and is of a greyish yellow, has often
_ strips of the tough whitish wood attached to it. The bark
7 breaks short and granular; it has a purely astringent taste, but
' scarcely any odour. (Pharmacographia.)
: Microscopic structure.—The middle layer of the peel consists
_ of large thin-walled and elongated, sometimes even branched,
_ cells, among which occur thick-walled cells and fibro-vascular
bundles, Both the outer and the inner surface are made up of
smaller, nearly cubic and densely-packed cells. Small starch
48 LYTHRACE.
bark is traversed by narrow medallary rays, and very lar
l hymat ll ttered through the liber. Touch
with a dilute solution of a persalt of iron, the bark assumes a
dark blackish blue tint. a
Chemical composition.—“‘The bark contains, according
Wackenroder (1824), more than 22 per cent. of- tannic ac
Ellagic Acid, C'*H80°, and sugar. Punico-tannic acid
accompanied by common tannic acid, yielding by means
sulphuric acid, gallic acid, which appears sometimes to p
exist in the bark. Ifa decoction of pomegranate bark is pre
pitated by acetate of lead, and the lead is separated from t
filtered liquid, the latter on evaporation yields a considerable.
amount of mannite. This is probably the Punicin or Granatin
of former observers.” (Pharmacographia, 2nd Ed., p. 2919
Tanret (1878) announced the discovery of a liquid alkalo
which has the tenicide power of the bark. The alkaloid
obtained in a pure state by distilling its ethereal solution in
current of hydrogen, and maintaining the residue at a tempey
ture of 130° to 140° C. until it no longer gives off the vapor
of water. The temperature is then raised, and the liquid colk-
lected that distils between 180° and 185° C.
Pelletierine so obtained is colourless, but in the open air
in flasks incompletely filled it becomes coloured very rapid];
At zero its sp. gr. is. 0°999 and at 21°C. 0-985. It is ve
soluble in water, with which it undergoes a contraction
volume, a mixture of ] part of pelletierine with 2-5 parts of
having at 21° C. a sp. gr. of 1-021.
Pelletierine is dextrogyre, having in aqueous solution ar
tory power of [a]s =+80, that of the sulphate prepared
the distilled alkaloid is + 5-98. With sulpharie acid
potassium bichromate pelletierine gives a green colour
intense as alcohol under the same conditions, a
Analyses of the alkaloid as well as of the crystalline
that it forms with sulphuric and hydrochloric acids indicat
”
ONAGRACEA, 49
formula O8H'3NO. It therefore furnishes another example
- of a volatile oxygenated base, near to conhydrine, C8H!7NO
_and tropine, C°H''NO. From some experiments made by
Tanret it appears that the bark of the fibrilla of the roots
_ contains by far the largest proportion of alkaloid, viz., 2°25 per
cent. when dry. Tanret subsequently obtained from the bark
a second alkaloid, isopelletierine, having anthelmintic properties,
and two inactive alkaloids.
Commerce.— Pomegranate root bark is seldom to be met with
in the shops, as few gardens are without the plant; it is freshly
_ dug when required. © The rind is brought to Bombay from the
_ Persian Gulf ports chiefly. Value, Re. 14 per maund of 37}
_ Ibs. The dried seeds are also imported,
ONAGRACEZi.
JUSSLZA SUFFRUTICOSA, Linn.
Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal. w., t. 50 ; Lam. Ill, ¢. 280, f. 3.
Hab.—India, Ceylon. The plant. e
_ Vernacular.—Lal-bon-lavanga (Beng.), Ban-laung (Hind.),
ana-lavanga (Mar.), Nir-kirambu (Tam.), Kavacula (Can.),
~Hemarago (Cingh.).
History, Uses, &c.— Rheede under the name of Oatrainbu
fa man,and Bhillavi-anga would signify « having a body like
hallavi.” According to Rheede a decoction of this plant is
used in Malabar to dissipate flatulence, act as a diuretic, purge
he body and destroy worms; when ground small and steeped
butter-milk it is administered in dysentery. Ainslie quotes
‘neede, and says that the plant is called Hamarago in Ceylon.
iller, he says, has noticed the resemblance of its fruit to the
.
ove, and in Jamaica J. repens is used as an
50 SAMYDACEM, _
also noticed by Loureiro (Fi. Cochin. 226) under the name of
Epilobium fruticosum. The Indian vernacular names all bear
testimony to the resemblance of the fruit to a clove, and
angustifolium). The astringent properties of Jussiea ap)
to be known to the peasantry in most parts of India.
Description.—An erect, branching, suffruticose plat
to 6 ft. Leaves 3by ? in., moreorless villous, ovate-lanceolate
sometimes nearly linear, shortly petioled or sessile. Ped
very short. Calyx-lobes broadly lanceolate or ovate. Peta
yellow, obovate, Capsule 1-2 in., linear-cylindric, more or
villous, 8-ribbed, membranous, breaking up between the ribs.
SAMYDACE.
CASEARIA ESCULENTA, Rozt,
Fig.—Bedd. Fl. Syl., t. 208.
Hab.—Malabar, Bombay to Coorg, Ceylon.
Vernacular.—Mora~égerti, Bithori, Pingri, Mormassi (Marj)
‘Sétaganda (Goa.), Gundu-gungura (Tel.), Kaddlashingi
{Tam.), Chilla, Chilara, Bairi (Hind ).
_ History, Uses, &c.—The species of Casearia found
India are not numerous, most of the genus being native
America, where several species are used medicinally,
esculenta is a small shrub of very variable appearance and
unlike the species tomentosa figured by Rheede (Hort. Mal.
50) which he calls 7’sjerow-kanelli, and for which he gives
following synonyms.—Fruita caurins do mato (Port.), “
cowrie fruit,” Wilde dwerg appelen (Dutch), ‘* Wild ¢
apple.” Bedousi (Brah.). 2
Roxburgh tells us that the roots of 0. esculenta are used 2
purgative by the inhabitants of the Circar hills, that he
unsuccessfully to extract a colouring matter from the fruj
that the young leaves are eaten in stews, 3
E.
4 SAMYDACE AE. 5}
i
In Western India the root hasa great reputation as a remedy
_ for hepatic enlargéments and for piles. A decoction made by
boiling 99 to 120 grains of it for a dose in a pint of water down
to one quarter of a pint is administered internally three times
aday, anda paste made by braying the root ona stone is.
sometimes applied locally as well when piles are present. The
administration of the drug promotes the action of the liver, and
the local application may be of use as the root is astringent.
_ The Marathi word Gt (mora) signifies a pile, and siyj~ (dgeru)
the intestinam rectum. Sdtaganda is compounded of ata
(séta) seven, and az (ganda) a ring, and is applied to this
plant because the transverse section of the largest roots shows
seven concentric dark rings. Mormassi is a compound of
Mora with a corruption of the Sanskrit av (masht), which
gnifies a soft tumour. The root has long been known asa
rag used by the Goanese in Bombay, but its source was only
scidentally discovered in 1888 when breaking up some waste
land for cultivation, In native practice the root is administered
in decoction with garlic, and sometimes the leaves and root
are given on the Western coast, We have received the root
from Dr. P. S. Mootooswamy of Tanjore, who states that it is”
used in the South as a remedy for diabetes, for which disease
considered to be a specific. An extract of the root has
n administered by us in doses of from 10 to 20 grains or
more in a number of cases of chronic hepatic congestion with
decided benefit ; it removes the feeling of weight and tension in
t he hepatic region and acts as a gentle aperient upon the bowels.
A syrup of the strength of 20 grains of extract in two fluid
drachms has also been found to be an efficient preparation,
_ Description.—tThe root is from } to 2 inchesin diameter,
en very crooked, forming angular bends; it consists of a
tral red woody column, having seven ora less number of
k concentric rings. The bark is of a deep dull-red colour, —
thick, and extremely hard, it is covered with a thin papery
8 uber of an ochre-yellow colour. The taste is astringent. h
root yields to water a Semen dark reddish-bro
52 PASSIFLOREZ.
silkiness of the liber cells.
_ Chemical composition.—Operating upon the root-bark, oti
removed 8 per cent. of brownish-yellow resin, partly soluble
spirit, with a neutral reaction. Alcohol extracted about
per cent. of dark-red colouring matter consisting mostly
tannic acid. This extract was only partly soluble in water
insoluble portion became clear with ammonia, but the li
rapidly pectinised. The tannic acid gave a brownish-g
colour with ferric salts. The aqueous extract was also da
coloured, and nearly half of it was precipitated by ne
plumbic acetate as one or more organic acids. This ex
and that part of it forming a lead compound was tested ph
logically and found to have a cathartic effect ; the lead
The powder has a cobweb-like character due to the length ot
characters of cathartic acid. The portion of aqueous extract:
precipitated by lead contained a neutral principle erystulli
in white transparent prisms. The root had still another co
ing matter removed by soda solution, a small quant ity of s
and it left 4:8 per cent. of mineral matter when bi
tannin of Casearia root is related to Ratanhia-tannic aci
the composition of its lead salt and in yielding a crystal 1
- sugar when boiled with acids, The insoluble tannin is
similar to the Ratanhia red.
PASSIFLOREZ.
; CARICA PAPAYA, Linn.
Fig.— Bot. Reg. 459, Papaw (Eng.), Papayer (Fr.).
Hab.—America. Cultivated ——— tains
milky juice.
Vernacular.—Papiya, Arand-kharbus (Hind. ) Pang
Papai (Mar.), sii daira Aa 2 Ba
nae (Can.) elie:
PASSIFLOREZ:. 53
History, Uses, &c,—In the Brazils the hermaphrodite
variety of C. Papaya is called mamao macho (male mamao),
the fruit-bearing variety mamao femea (female mamao), and a
cultivated variety of the latter mamao melao (melon mamao).
The anthelmintic properties of the milky juice were first noticed
in the 17th century by Hernandez. Its digestive action upon
meat was probably known in the West Indies at a very early
date, and appears to have been communicated to the inhabi-
tants of India upon the introduction of the tree by the Portu-
guese, as it has long been the practice to render meat tender
by rubbing it with the juice of the unripe fruit or by
wrapping it in the leaves. The author of the Makhzan-el-
adwiya (A.D. 1770) accurately describes the tree, and men-
tions the use of the juice, mixed with that of fresh ginger,
for making meat tender. Medicinally, he says, it is a remedy
for hemoptysis, bleeding piles, and ulcers of the urinary
passages; if is also useful in dyspepsia ; rubbing the wilk
in two or three times cures ringworm, or psoriasis (4,5)
_ causing a copious serous exudation attended with itching. (Op.
eit. sub voce Papiya.) The attention of the profession in India
was called to the use of the milk as an anthelmintic in 1810 by
ee Dr. somiaaarg (Asiatic Researches, Vol. XI.), who cites an inter-
a sage from the writings of M. Charpentier Cossigni in
_ support of its alleged virtues, Further confirmatory evidence
has more recently been adduced by M. Bouton (Med. Plants of
Mauritius, 1857, p. 65), and it may justly be concluded that
the statements as to its efficacy as an anthelmintic are founded
on fact. The following mode of administration employed by
the late Dr, Lemarchand, of the Mauritius (cited by Bouton),
it would be desirable to adopt in all future trials with this
remedy. Take of fresh Papaw milk, honey, of each a table-
spoonful; mix thoroughly, gradually add three or four table-
spoonfuls of boiling water; and when sufficiently cool take the
whole at a draught, following its administration two hours sub-
P sequently by a dose of castor oil, to which a portion of. lime- >
juice or vinegar may be added. This may be repeated twodays
successively if required, The above is a dose for an e
o4 PASSIFLOREM.
the quantity may be given to children between 7 and 10 yearso
(Bengal Dispensatory, p. 352), that he had administered thi
milky juice as an anthelmintic, in doses of from 20 to 60 dro
without obvious effect, is fully explained. It is principall
effectual in the expulsion of lumbrici. On teenia it is reported
to have little effect. Anthelmintic virtues have also been
assigned to the seeds, but the evidence of their efficacy is v
inconclusive. A belief in their emmenagogue properties p
vails amongst all classes of women in Southern and Wester
India, and also in Bengal; so much so, that they assert that if.
a pregnant woman partake of them, even in moderate qua
ties, abortion will be the probable result; the same prejudice
exists against eating the fruit. Facts in support of the allege
emmenagogue properties of the Papaw are still wanting. (Pha
of India, p. 97.) Lt.-Col. Cox has brought to the notice of
_ Madras ‘Agri-Horti-caltural Society that the leaves ai
the south to extract guinea-worms; an ounce of the leaf is rub!
with 60 grains of opium and 60 grains of common salt, and the
paste applied to the part. ‘‘Of course the worm has to b
wound out in the usual manner, but it aware comes out mo
quickly and easily when treated in this way.”
__ Evers has employed the milk in the treatment of splenic
hepatic enlargement with good results ; a teaspoonful with y
equal quantity of sugar divided into three. doses was administere
daily. (Ind. Med. Gaz., Feb, 1875.) In1877, the milky j
began to attract attention in Europe as a digestive ferme
and Herr Wittmack (1878) examined its properties with the
following results :—He obtained, after repeated incision of |
half ripe fruit, 1°195 grammes of white milky juice of»
consistence of cream. This dried in a watch glass to a h
vitreous white mass, having what appeared to be greasy spt
on the surface, but which really were flocks of a o
substance that always adheres to the more hardened |
PASSIFLOREH. BS
The odour and flavour of the fresh juice recalled that of petro-
_leum or of vulcanised india-rubber- e microscope showed
it to be a fine grumous mass containing some larger particles
and isolated starch grains. Jodine coloured the juice yellowish
_ brown. A portion of the juice was dissolved in three times its
weight of water, and, this was placed with 10 grammes of
quite fresh lean beef in one piece in distilled water, and boiled
for five minutes. Below the boiling point the meat fell into
Several pieces, and at the close of the experiment it had sepa-
rated into coarse shreds. In the control experiments made
without the juice the boiled meat was visibly harder. Hard
boiled albumen, digested with a little juice at a temperature of
20° C., could after twenty-four hours be easily broken up with
_ aglassrod. 50 grammes of beef in one piece, enveloped in a
leaf of C. papaya during 24 hours at 15° C., after a short boil-
4 ing became perfectly tender; a similar piece wrapped in paper
and heated in the same manner remained quite hard. Some
comparative experiments were also made with pepsin, and the
following are the conclusions arrived at by the author :—
(1) The milky juice of the Carica papaya is (or contains)
a ferment which has an extraordinarily energetic action upon
nitrogenous substances, and like pepsin curdles milk ; (2) this
juice differs from pepsin in being active without the addition
of free acid, probably it contains a small quantity, and further
_ it operates ata higher temperature (about 60° to 65° C. ) and in
_ ashorter time (5 minutes at most); (8) the filtered j juice differs
_ chemically from pepsin in that it gives no precipitate on boiling,
_ and further that it is precipitated by mercuric chloride, iodine,
and oll the mineral acids; (4) it resembles pepsin in being
: precipitated by neutral whales of lead, and not giving a pre-
_ cipitate with sulphate of copper and perchloride of iron. Sf ot: =
4 Jour., Nov. 30, 1878. ) ee
_ ‘The active principle has since been separated and given the —
a name of Papain ; it is now an article of commerce in
_ for medicinal purposes, and is said to be capable of d
q 200 times its weight of Aibrin ; it has been used as a
diphtheritic false ‘ and a
| eet Paced ee
56 PASSIFTOREZ.
in old standing cases of chronic eczema, more especially of the —
palms of the hands, and where other remedies failed grea
benefit has attended its application in the following way :—1
grains of papain, and 5 grains of powdered borax, in 2 drachn
of distilled water, to be painted on the parts twice daily.
In the Therapeutic Gazette (1886), Dr. A. Jacobi records
successful results in several cases in which papain was appl
topically to diphtheritic membranes. In these cases a mixture
of one part of papain and two parts each of glycerine and wate
were applied with a brush; within twelve hours the memb
began to slough off, and was freely expectorated. Sim
results were obtained in England a few years before this, but
want of uniformity and hence uncertainty to a certain exter
prevented the remedy coming into general use.
Dr. George Herschell (Brit. Med. Journ., 1886, p. 6
- records the treatment of the chronic stomach catarrh of c
dren with powders composed of Papain-Finkler, gr. 4 to
Sacch. lactis, gr. i; Sodii Bicarb., gr. v-,to be taken after ev
meal. This relieves the aggravating symptoms of dyspepsi
such as loss of appetite and sleep, irritability, headache, an
sometimes a cough, which so much affect children. Dr, F
dyspepsia of adults, when heartburn and flatulence are the chie
indications of impaired digestion, he finds papain valuable ii
conjunction with carbolic acid and an alkali, as in the follo
ing draught:—Sodii Bicarb. gr. xy., Glycer. acid, carbolic.
m. vili.; Spt. Ammon. Arom., m. xx., Aque ad Ziss. sis
to be taken an hour after food along with 2 grains of Pa:
Finkler. (Chem. and Druggist, 1886.)
3
Description.—The tree is from 20 to 80 feet h
without branches when young, but old trees often produce
number of separate heads. The leaves are alternate, pe ee
7-partite; segments oblong, acute, sinuated, the ; iddle
fid; corolla tubular in the male and d-lobed in the —
a
< _- PASSIFLOREBA, 57
ivided nearly to the base into five segments; male flowers
illary in slightly compound racemes or panicles, white ; female
reap on a different tree, in the axils of the leaves, large
md fleshy, yellowish ; fruit succulent, oblong, furrowed; the
size ofa small melon, yellowish-green when ripe, and con-
aining a number of round, grey, sliny seeds, which smell like
ress, In the unripe state the fruit abounds in a thick milky
_ juice.
_ Chemical composition and Physiolegical action.—The fruit
‘has been examined by Dr. T. Peckolt (Zeitschr. des Oesterr.
Apoth. Ver. 1879, 361—373) ; it was gathered in the full-grown
ut unripe condition, when it contains a considerable quantity
of milky juice, which disappears almost entirely after it has
been kept fora few days. The analysis of the fresh fruit of
he three varieties freed from acid gave the following
numbers :—
; Fruit of | Fruit of Her.
emale culti-| may dite
female gama vated plant.
pinboas ie substance oesesiesers nae Oe vive 0-046
page ’ 0-165 Ce Oet eee
N eee tee 0-020 uf vor
Ibuminoids 1-070 0-500 0-735
238 8°580 4°333
ctinous matter 1°315)
ric acid 0-075
itric = {combine with bases. 0-020 + 0-483 2-332
alic acid 0-083 |
Stan, &e 5 +503)
Ww 85-351 92-500 89-445
RIND codes obi sc 5A cianiase bia ced veeses 3-180 . 2-920 5091
~The fresh fruit of the female plant gave 1- 239 per cent. of
h, and the dried fruit 8°457 per cent. It contained a large
mount of soda, potash, and phosphoric acid. The 288 fruit
no free acids.
The seeds contain an oil, papaya oil ; caricin, an oil-liké
58 PASSIFLOREZ.
soluble in hot water and alcohol; a resin acid, having an irri
tating and bitter taste, insoluble in water and ether, soluble i
alcohol and alkalies ; and a soft resin similar to that found i
the fruit flesh of the female plant. ( Year-Book of Pharmacy, 1880,
p- 212.) Dr. Sidney Martin (Journ. Physiol. V., 218—230,
VI., 336—360 ; Journ. Chem. Soc. 1886, 641,) has shown pap
to be a protolytic ferment, which acts very similarly to tryp
Experiments performed with fibrin and white of egg show
that some degree of digestion occurs when the liquid is faintl
acid (0°05 per cent. of HCl); the presence of more ati
than this hinders the action of the ferment. Digestion t
place actively only in neutral or in alkaline solutions (0°25
cent. of sodium carbonate) ; it occurs most readily ata ter
perature between 35° and 40°C. ‘The results of digestion a
peptones, leucine and tyrosine and an intermediate globul
like substance, similar to that formed in pancreatic. digestion.
In the author’s second paper on the same subject the fei
ment in papaw juice is shown to be associated with an a
mose, and to give the following reactions in addition to t
previously described by Wurtz:—The solution gives a biur
reaction, and it is precipitated from aneutral solution of sodi
magnesium sulphate or sodium chloride alone, as globuli
are, It is soluble in glycerol, and if precipitated from
solution by alcohol, the filtrate has no proteolytic power.
kind of albumose is one nearly akin to the protalbumose
-Kuhne and Chittenden, and is called a-phytalbumose, Pa
juice also contains a milk-curdling ferment. The prot
present in papaw juice were found to be as follows :—
(1) Globulin, resembling serum globulin in its most im
tant properties.
(2) Albumin.
(3) 8-phytalbumose precipitated almost completely by
by saturation with. neutral salts, but not by dialysis.
differs from the heteroalbumose of Kiihne and Chittenden |
not being precipitated by dialysis, by copper sulphate,
mercuric chloride, . Boe
OUCURBITACES. 59
(4) a«-phytalbumose; solublo in cold or boiling water;
‘not precipitated by saturation with neutral salts, except in an
acid solution. This is the vegetable peptone referred to by.
ines (Journ. Physiol. ii.) as hemialbumose. It differs from
-pitation by sodium chloride er by copper sulphate. Both these
albumoses give the biuret reaction.
No peptones occur in the juice, but leucine and tyrosine are
_ present. By a series of digestion experiments carried out
_on each of these proteids by papain in a neutral liquid, it was
found that both the globulin and albumen are changed into
‘@-phytalbumose, and that this becomes a peptone-like sub-
stance, and forms leucine and tyrosine. The a-phytalbumose
becomes a similar peptone-like substance, leucine and tyrosine
q being formed. This peptone-like substance resembles the
ld euteroalbumose of Kiihne and Chittenden, except that a
solution of it, when rendered acid by acetic acid in the pre-
~ of sodium chloride, dees not become cloudy on warming,
No true peptones are formed. Probably digestion in the plant
itself is very slow, as much more liquid was used in the experi-
mts than is present in the juice. The albumose forms —
bably the circulating proteid in the plant, (Year-Book of —
Pharm., 1886, p. 97).
CUCURBITACE.
CITRULLUS COLOCYNTHIS, Schraa.
| Fig.—Wight Ic., t. 498 ; Bentl. and Trim. 114. Bitter
pple (Eng.), Cofoqaiais (Fr r.).
Biggs —India, Asia, Africa. The fruit and root.
: Vernacular, —Indrayan (Hind.), Indrayan (@uz.), Peykou
natti, peer (Tam.), Kuruvrandawan (Mar.), Eti-puchcha,
ipépara (Tel.), Dodda-hal-mekki (Can.), Indréyan Lage ).
History, Uses, &c.—Wild colocynth is comr
2 tracts of North-West, Central a nd South
60 CUCURBITACEZE.
ripens in the cold season. Aitchison observes that it is ve
common all over the desert country of Beluchistan, where
called Khar- kushta. The fresh fruit is brought for sale by
use of the Government Sanitary Establishments. :
Sanskrit writers-describe the fruit as bitter, acrid, cathart
and useful in biliousness, constipation, fever and worms. The
also mention the root as a useful cathartic in jaundice, as
enlargements of the abdominal viscera, urinary diseases, r
matism, &. Sarangadhara gives a receipt for a compo
pill, which contains Mercury 1 part, Colocynth pulp, Sulp
Cardamoms, Long Pepper, Chebalic myrobalans, and Pelli
root, of each 4 parts. The Sanskrit names for colocynth
Indravéruni and Vishalé. In India the fruit or root, wi
without nux vomica, is rubbed into a paste with water
applied to boilsand pimples. In rheumatism equal parts
root and long pepper are given in pills. A paste of the re
applied to the enlarged abdomen of children. (Qompare
Serib. Comp. 80, and Pliny 20, 8.)
Mahometan writers call the colocynth plant Heawg ori
cuss its properties at great length. They consider it to |
very drastic purgative, removing phlegm from all parts
system, and direct the fruit, leaves and root to be used.
drug is prescribed as with us, when the bowels are obsti
_ costive from disease or lesion of the nervous centres, als
dropsy, jaundice, colic, worms, elephantiasis, &c.
minative aperient. A similar preparation is made wi
barb root instead of pepper. The same author tells us
seeds are purgative, and mentions their use for pri
* Compare Hippocrates de morb. mutiers ii, yi y,
CUCURBITACEZ. 61
hair from turning grey, a purpose for which “ bitter apples”
are apparently employed in England in the present day. As
_ regards the purgative properties of the seeds he is incorrect,
_ for when thoroughly washed they are eaten by the Arabs in
_ time of famine. Colocynth was familiar to the Greeks and
Romans.*
Description.—The Indian fruit is nearly globular, of the
size of an orange, smooth, marbled with green and yellow when
fresh, yellowish-brown when dry, and contains a scanty greyish-
white pulp in which a number of brown seeds are embedded.
This pulp in the fresh fruit is spongy and juicy, and occupies
the whole of the interior of the frait. Peeled colocynth is un-
_ known in the Indian market except as an import from Europe.
The seeds are disposed in vertical rows on three thick parietal
‘placente, which project to the centre of the fruit, then divide
‘and turn back, forming two branches directed towards one
another. The seeds are of flattened ovoid form, 3-10ths of an
inch long by 2-10ths broad, not bordered. ‘The testa is hard
and thick, with a finely-granulated surface, and is marked on
each side of its smaller end by two furrows directed towards the
_ hilum. The leaves are glabrous and nearly smooth above,
_-muricated beneath, with small, white, hair-bearing tubercles,
_ many cleft and lobed, the lobes obtuse. The root is fibrous,
tough and stringy, of a yellowish-white colour. All parts of
the plant are very bitter, and the dust when dry very irritating
to the eyes and nostrils.
Chemical composition.—The bitter principle was isolated DY =e
Hiibschmann in 1847, by Lebourdais in 1848, and by Walz
(1858), whotreated alcoholic extract of colocynth with water,
and mixed the solution firstly with neutral acetate of lead, and
subsequently with basic acetate of lead. From the filtered
liquid the lead was separated by means of sulphuretted hydrogen, _
and then tannic acid added to it. The latter caused the colo- —
eyuthin to be precipitated; the precipitate washed and dried
* kohoxivéis, Theophr. H. P. i, 19, 22. vii., 1, 8,6; Dios. iv
“Colocynthis, Plin. 20,8. < oe
_ bitter, and its alcoholic solution had a marked acid reaction. It
62 CUCURBITACEZ.
was decomposed by oxide of lead, and, finally, the colocynthin
was dissolved out by ether.
Walz thus obtained about per cent. ofa yellowish mass or
tufts, which he considered as possessing crystalline structure, 4
and to which he gave the name colocynthin. He assigns toit
the formula 05° H®* 025, Colocynthin is a violent purgative.
Colocynthin is decomposed, according to Walz, by boiling
dilate hydrochloric acid, and then yields colocynthein, C** H%
O'5, and grape sugar.
The same chemist termed colocynthitin that part of the alco-
holic extract of colocynth, which is soluble in ether, but not in’
water. Purified with boiling alcohol, colocynthitin forms 4
tasteless crystalline powder.
The pulp perfectly freed from seeds and dried at 100°C.,
affords 11 per cent. of ash; the seeds alone yield only 2°7 per
cent, (Pharmacographia.) The seeds contain after decortica-
tion about 48 per cent. of fatty oil and 18 per cent albumi-
nous substances besides a small quantity of sugar. (Fliickiger.)
We have examined the roots dried at 50° C., and reduced
to powder ; the powder contained a large amount of starch —
and woody fibre; for the chemical examination, no separation
of fragments of woody fibre by asieve was attempted, the pow.
dered roots being used as a whole.
Dry ether was digested with a known weight of the powder
for some days, and was found to extract ‘14 percent. only. The
extractive was of a yellow colour, bitter, and consisted chiefly
of oily matter. Water digested with this extract acquired a
very bitter taste. Another portion of the powder was exhausted ©
with 84 per cent. alcohol, by which treatment 12°62 per cent.
of a soft yellow non-crystalline extract was obtained dried at
100° C,
By the action of cold water on the extract, *88 per cent. of
insoluble, soft yellow residue was left; this residue was not
| had the properties of a fat acid. The aqueous extractive was —
_ somewhat milky; repeated filtration failed to make it bright: it
CUCURBITAOCEZE. 63
was acidulated with acetic acid and agitated with acetic ether.
‘he acetic ether extract was yellow and most intensely bitter, it
mounted to ‘3 per cent. caleulatedon the roots. The greater
art of this extract was soluble in water, the solution being
intensely bitter. The residue insoluble in water consisted of
fatty matter, and after repeated washing with water, it still had
a bitter taste. The aqueous solution of the acetic extract gaye
with tannic acid a white curdy precipitate,
Acetic ether appears to be a better solvent for colocynthin
than light petroleum ether, and it can be separated from either
_ an acid or alkaline solution by the reagent. The acetic ether
extract soluble in water may be looked upon as crude
colocynthin. Henke appears to have obtained abont °6 per cent.
of colocynthin from the commercial drug freed from seeds,
while Walz obtained about °25 per cent.
- Average value, Re. 1 per 100 fruits. The fruit sup-_
plied from Saharunpore, N.-W. Provinces, in no way differs
i om that collected in the Deccan.
4 compound extract from 60 Ibs of dried fruit.
CITRULLUS VULGARIS, Schrad,
Fig.—Hook. Kew Journ. Bot., :444., 45 Water-mclom: fe
Eng.), Melon d’eau (Fr.) : ‘cau
Hab.—Cultivated throughout the Hast. ‘The seeds, ~—
Vernacular.—Tarbu
’ j (Hind.), Tarmuj (Beng.), Kalin
_ (Mar.), Pitcha-pullum (Tam.), Kérigu (@uz.).
64 CUCURBITACE®.
+
History, Uses, &c.—tThe distinction between the q
when the latter, it is the Citrullus amarus of authors. C. Jis-
tulosus, Stocks, has thick stems, leaves sparingly lobed, and
is plentifully supplied with long somewhat hispid hairs. (Fl,
is globular, about as large as colocynth fruit, does not become
sweet when ripe, and is used in the same manner as the Vege-
table Marrow. The seeds of the water-melon are of interest aS
being one of the four cold cucurbitaceous seeds of the ancient s
which, according to Guibonrt, were originally those of Cucumis
sativus, L., Cucumis Citrullus, DC., (the water-melon), Cucumis
Melo, L., and Lagenaria, vulg. clavata, DC., but he rems
that in Paris the seeds of Cucurbita Pepo, Duch., and Cucur.
bita maxima (the potiron of the French) are now substitute
for those of Cucumis Citrullus and Lagenaria vulgaris.
India the four cold cucurbitaceous seeds sold in the bazars a:
those of Cucumis utilissimus, Benincasa cerifera, Cucumis Mel
and Citrullus vulgaris. These seeds are in constant deman
and are kept decorticated and ready for use. The natives.
e—
emetic, and in small doses with honey as a stomachic for chil:
dren. (Murray.) Popularly the use of water melons is sup:
posed to be specially conducive to choleraic Seizures, but t
evidence upon which this opinion is based
wholly inconclusive. According to Brannt th
melon are brought from Senegal to France,
pressed, yielding as much as 30 per cent. of a fluid pale ye
oil which is used as a table oil and in the manufacture —
OCUCURBITACE ZA. Gk
CUCUMIS TRIGONUS, out.
Fig.—Wight Iil., t. 105; Ic., t. 497; Rheede, Hort, Mal
viii. 11. Var. pubescens, Royle Til, £. 47; Wight Te., t. 496.
Hab.—India. The fruit.
Vernacuier.—Bislambhi (Hind.), Kattut-tumatti (Tam.),
_Adavi-puchcha (Tel.), Katvel, Karit (Mar.), Hal-mekki (Can. i
Var. pubescens, Takmaki ( Mar.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant occurs in two very
distinct forms, the wild bitter form has smooth fruits about the
size and shape of a small egg, marked with green and yellow
treaks like colocynth. The pubescent or semi-cultivated form
as velvety fruits which are quite sweet when ripe, and are
ten as a vegetable when green. The wild fruits are never
aten, but are used sometimes medicinally in the same way
as Citrullus amarus, The seecs are considered very cooling, —
d are beaten into a paste with the juice of Cynodon dactylon
Durya) and applied to herpetic eruptions,
_ The bitter gourd, is like colocynth, called Vish4lé in Sanskrit, —
ind is brought for sale in the Concan at the feast of the Divali
new year of the Hindus, as there is a custom at that season of
bly some be
Deaced in these three sr on and on that account the
eation gal attributed to them. But thei
m to be this. It i is Pa: the same as that which
ice bof eating Nimba
. These leaves are bitte a
by eating them, therefore, «
evious year, and fits onese
it Fonat Pitter,
one h eat a
vdieo
e to the precipitate caking on the sides of the filter.
66 CUCURBITACEZ.
“supposed to be alexipharmic, and to have the power of remov- —
ing all pains and aches. The fruit pounded or boiled with cow "ga
strengthen the memory, and remove vertigo. Itis the Bali
mucca-piri of Rheede, who gives Tindalica as the Portugu
and Milten as the Dutch name. His brahminical na
Carinti is Marathi, and most of his brahminical names a
derived from the South Concan dialect of that language, sho
ing that he obtained his information concerning the medicinal
properties of plants from Shenvi and Sarasvat Brahmins who
hhad migrated to Malabar from the Southern Concan. Modern
investigation has shown that the medicinal properties of this
gourd in no way differ from those of colocynth.
Chemical composition.—The dried fruit was digested with 8
per cent, alcohol, and the resulting tincture concentrated until
most of the alcohol had been expelled ; water was then ad
and the mixtureagitated with petroleum ether. The petro
which left a greasy stain on paper: with the exception of a
flocks it was soluble in alcohol, with acid reaction and bit
taste. On allowing the alcoholic solution to evaporate, 80
small warty masses separated which were destitute of crystal
structure under the microscope. After agitation with petroleum
ether, the aqueous solution, still containing some alcohol,
heated on the water bath to drive off all the spirit, and thes
extract was then mixed with water and agitated with a
ether containing some acetic acid. The acetic ether extra
was reddish brown, very bitter and partly soluble in boi
water. The insoluble residue was brittle when cold and ve
bitter, and had the properties of a resin, and would appear t¢
correspond with the resin of colocynth described by Meis
and others-
The aqueous solution obtained by the action of boiling
on the acetic ether extract was cooled and mixed with aq
tannic acid, and the curdy precipitate separated by filt
and slightly washed ; thorough washing was not posible
CUCURBITACE. 67
residue was: obtained, in which prisms were detected on micro-
scopic: examination. Generally the reactions afforded by this
_ bitter principle -agreed with those usually ascribed to colocyn-
thin. It failed, however, to-yield any dark green greasy, precipi
_ tate with boiting aqueous hydrochloric acid, as is mentioned in
_ Muir and Morley’s edition of Watts’ Chemical Dictionary. We
4 further tested a sample of colocinthin, which had beewobtained
from Dr. Schuchardt of Gorlitz, for this reaction, but with
4 negative results. Regarding the- production of this dark
a green greasy precipitate ; on boiling colocynthin with concen-
trated aqueous hydrochloric acid, the first effect of heat was the
rmation of a clear reddish yellow solution; on continued
ullition the liquid became darker and turbid, and on the
rface a dirty white scum appeared,. wholly destitute of «any
en tinge, and on diluting with water, the scum.became of a
ht reddish dirty tint.
_ The dried fruit with a few seeds lost 12°22 per cent. whad
heated to 100°C. The-ash amounted to 9°74-per cent.
LAGENARIA VULGARIS, Seringe.
a Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal. viii, t. 53 a Tis t: 106.
_ The bottle gourd (Hng.).
Hab.—Cultivated throughout India. The fruit.
Vernacular.—Tumba, Belaschora-tumbi, Karwa-tumba
ind.), Tikta-lau (Beng.), Karu-bhopala, Bhopala ( poid
orakai (Tam.), Anapa-kai (Zed.), Gara-dudi (Mal.),
History, Uses, &c.—The shell of this - g
dried is much used in the — :
63 CUCURBITACEZ.
of all kinds, and for making the native guitar or Tambur
The fruit often attains an enormous size, and is used as
buoy for crossing rivers and transporting baggage. Among
the Hindus as amongst the Greeks gourds are considered to b
emblematic of fecundity, prosperity, and good health. Ther
are two varieties of the bottle gourd, a sweet one, called
Sanskrit Aldbu, and a bitter one known as Katutumbi. Th
fruit varies much in shape. The outer rind is hard am
ligneous, aad encloses a spongy white flesh, very bitter, an
powerfully emetic and purgative, The seeds are grey, fla
and elliptical, surrounded by a border which is inflated at th
sides but notched at the apex; their kernels are white, oil
and sweet. In India the pulp in combination with other drug
is used in native practice as a purgative; it is also applie
_ externally as a poultice. The seeds were originally one of th
four cold cucurbitaceous seeds of the ancients, but pumpk
seeds are now usually substituted for them. :
The Hindus administer a decoction of the leaves in jaundic
it has a purgative action, .
Toxicology.x—Dr. Burton Brown notices the poisonous pr
perties of the bitter variety of this gourd, the symptom
observed being similar to those after poisoning by elaterium ¢
colocynth.
- BENINCASA CERIFERA, Savi.
Fig.—BRheede Hort. Mal. viii., t. 8,
Hab.—Cultivated throughout India. The fruit.
_ Vernacular.—Petha (Hind.), Kumra (Beng.), Kohala (Mar.
Birda-gimiidu (Tel.), Bhurun-koholun (Guz.), Kumbuli (Tam.
Kuvali (Mal.). Rago.
History, Uses, &c.—Dautt in his Hindu Materia Me
gives us the following account of the medicinal use o
gourd which is called Kushménda in Sanskrit :—“ The
is considered tonic, nutritive and. diuretic, and a
cheemoptysis and other hemorrhages from int ernal org
eee.
“i
CUCURBITACE. 69
would appear that the old Sanskrit writers were not acquainted
vith its peculiar action on the circulatory system by which it
pidly puts a check to hemorrhage from thelungs. The Raja
lirghantu, the oldest work on therapentics, gives a long
count of its virtues, but does not allude to its use in phthisis
or hemoptysis. Neither does Susruta mention it in his chap-
_ ters on the treatment of hemorrhage and phthisis, though the
plant is alluded to by him elsewhere. The more recent compila-
_ tions, such as Chakradatta Sangraha, Sarangadhara, &e., give
_ numerous preparations of the article; of these Khanda Kush-
_ mandaka or the confection may be taken as an example. In pre-
_ paring this medicine, old ripe gourds are selected. Those not
_ at least a year old are not approved. ‘They are longitudinally
_ divided into two halves, and the pulp seraped ont in thin flakes
_by an iron comb or scraper. The watery juice that oozes
ied up tightly in a cloth, and the fluid portion allowed to drain
ay. The softened and drained pulp is dried in the sun, and
e watery portion preserved for future use. Fifty tolés of the
prepared pulp are fried in sixteen tol4s of clarified butter, and
again boiled in the juice of the fruit, till reduced to the con-
sistence ofhoney. To this are added fifty tolis of refined sugar,
and the whole is heated over a gentle fire till the mass assumos
q such a consistence as to adhere to the ladle. The pot is now
q removed from the fire, and the following substances, namely,
_long pepper and ginger, each two tolés, cumin seeds, carda-
_ moms, cinnamon, folia malabathri, black pepper and coriander,
ch half a tol4 in fine powder, are added to the syrup and
of honey are now added to the confection, which is preserved
rred briskly with a ladle, till the mass is cool. Hight tolas — :
70 CUCURBITACE.
pei allowed to drain, saffron, leer cardamoms and mela 4
sugar are then added. ‘4
In insanity, epilepsy and other nervous diseases the fresh —
juice of the fruit is given either with sugar or as an adjunct
other medicines. According to Dr. Savinge of Rajamundry
has been used with success in diabetes, 4 ozs. of the juice with
100 grs. each of saffron, and the bran of red rice, are giv
morning and evening and a strict diet enjoined.
The fruit of B. cerifera is sub-rotund, 12 to 15 inches
diameter, hairy when young, smooth with a whitish bloom wh
ripe.
TRICHOSANTHES PALMATA, fvzb.
Fig.—Wight Ill., tt. 104, 105,
Hab.—Throughout India. The fruit and stem.
Vernacular.—Lal-indrayan (Hind.), Kaundal {Mar.), Mé4
(Beng.), Koratti, Shavari (Tam.), Avagude (Can.), Kakapalam
(Mal.), Avaguda, Abuvva (7'el.),
History, Uses, &c.—Sanskrit writers describe Mahé.
kéla as a kind of gourd with an exterior resembling an orange,
but with pulp like cowdung. Mahikala is also a name of
Ganesha, the god of wisdom, the causer and remover ol
obstacles, the son of Shiva and Parvati. This gourd is useda
a ear ornament (kundala) for the figure of Ganesha or aa
which is dressed up and seated in state in every Hindu house
once a year, to bring good luck to the inmates. At this sez
large quantities of the fruit are brought for sale in the aise
The plant and fruit are considered medicinal. According
Ainslie, the fruit pounded and intimately blended with wa.
cocoanut oil is considered a valuable application for cleani
and healing offensive sores inside the ears, and is also used
cure ozena. The root is said by Wight to be used asa c
medicine, especially in inflammation of the lungs. In the
gal Dispensatory it is stated that numerous trials were
CUCURBITACE. 71
_ with the fruit to ascertain whether it had purgative properties.
_ Three grain doses thrice daily produced no sensible effect.
. ‘In Bombay the natives sometimes smoke it as a remedy
; for asthma. Sir T. Madava Row proposed in the Indian papers
4 (1888) this remedy for the Crown Prince of Germany.—“Take
the external cover of the fruit of 7’. palmata, powder it, and
inhale the smoke of it, like that of tobacco. Do this three
times a day for three days. This is found in an important
work in Sanskrit on medicine.” The root with an equal portion
F of colocynth root is rubbed into a paste and applied io car-
_ buncles ; combined with equal portions of the three myrobalans
and turmeric, it affords an infusion which is flavoured with honey
_ and given in gonorrhea, 7. palmata is supposed by some to
be the Hanzal ahmar or red colocynth of Mahometan writers.
Description.—The fruit is round, oval, or pyriform, the
: size of a small apple, crimson when fresh, of a dull orange
_ colour when dry, marked at one end by a deep cicatrix with
_ sharp raised edges, at the other there is a prominence to which
a portion of the stalk sometimes remains attached. In the dry
ruit, which has a thin, brittle, very bitter shell, the segments
(of pulp with their seeds are loose, so that the contents of the
gourd rattle. If a dry segment be soaked in water it soon
_ Softens, yielding a dark green pulp which smells like savine,
_ and has an acrid and bitter taste. The seeds, ranging in num-
' ber from 60 to 100 in each fruit, are flat, but very
' irregular in shape, generally somewhat triangular, and ave (2)
7-16ths of an inch in length ; they have a hard blackish shell,
and sweet oily kernel. The vine is perennial, often as thick as
_ @ man’s arm; it has a warty grey bark, marked by seven deep
_ longitudinal fissures, which correspond to the medullary diyi-
sions between seven wedge-shaped woody and vascular bundles
_ into which the stem is divided. The vine is not bitter.
72 OUCURBITACEZE.
at first, a yellow solution passing to orange red and purple.
Frohde’s reagent colours it first orange, then reddish brown,
and finally greenish brown. The bitter principle resembles te
some extent colecynthin, and the name “ trichosanthin”’ is pro:
posed for it. The frnits when being burnt, and when decomp S-
ing in moist situations, give off large quantities of ammonia, —
The green pulp in the interior of the fruit in which the seeds _
are embedded, contains a colouring matter which has more ©
usual green colouring matter of plants. Prof. Michie &mitl
(Proc, Roy. Soc. Edin. 1890), comparing the absorption spectre
of this colouring matter with chlorophyll, finds in the fort
two very dark bands, one in the red extending from near G
about half way between C and D, the other in the yellow :
the more refrangible side of D. ‘There are two other faint
bands, one on each side of BE. The action of hydrochloric a
and ammonium sulphide upon the colouring matter alters
spectrum in a characteristic manner that i disti
guishes it from chlorophyll. a
Toaicology.—Roxburgh informs us that the fruit is reckon ed
poisonous. ‘The Madras Chemical Examiner (1888) reported:
“4 woman who is said to have eaten the seeds (fruit ?) of t
plant with suicidal intent, suffered from vomiting, purging, a
griping, and died collapsed. No alkaloid was found in t
viscera, and a portion of the fruit was found non-poisono
with a guinea-pig.”
TRICHOSANTHES DIOICA, Roxb.
Hab.—Throughout the plain of North India, Guzerat t
Assam, Bengal.
TRICHOSANTHES CUCUMERINA, Lin
Fig. —Itheede Hort. Mal. viii., t. 15. Sabino Pb)
pert (Dutch).
« Hab,.—Thronghout India ed Ouse: Tho plant in
OUCURBITACE 2. "3
Vernacular.—Jangli-chichonda, Palwal (Hind.), Patol, Bon-
_patol (Beng.), Rén-paryal, Karu-parval (Mar.), Parwar (Guz.),
_ Kattup-pepudal (Tam.), Chyad-potta{ Ted. ), Gwal-kakri(Punj.),
Dummaala (Cingh.), Padavalam {Mal.). -
History, Uses, &c.—In Northern India, Bengal and
Guzerat the fruit of T. dioica is considered to be the Patola of
Sanskrit writers, and in Western and Southern India, where
T. dioica is not found, T. cucumerina is used as Patola.
Patola or Patolaka, “shaped like a muscle shell,” is a medicine
in great repute amongst the Hindus as a febrifuge and laxative
in bilious fevers, the decoction of the whole plant being
administered in combination with other bitters. It is also
considered to purify the blood and remove boils and skin
eruptions; aromatics may be added to the decoction. The
following prescription from Chakradatta may be taken as an
example:—Take of Patola, Tinospora, Cyperus, Chiretta, Neem-
bark, Catechu, Oldenlandia, Root bark of Adhatoda, equal parts,
in all two tolas (360 grains), and prepare a decoction which is
divided doses during 24 hours. The drug is also administered
in combination with Turbith as a drastic purgative in jaundice
nd dropsy; the Patoladya churna is a compound purgative
powder of this kind. Both of these plants are found in a wild
grains of the plant with an equal guantity of Coriander for a
_ night, and in the morning add honey to it and strain the liquor;
this quantity makes two doses, one of which is taken in tl
morning and one at ni he Conca leaf
74 CUCURBITACEZ.
steamed, stuffed with spices, fried in melted butter, and eaten
with wheaten bread as a remedy for spermatorrhcea. Ainslie, 4
under the name of 7’. laciniosa, notices the use of 7’. cucwmerina
as astomachic and laxative medicine among the Tamools, and q
says it is the Patola of Southern India, Rheede gives the ~
following account of its medicinal properties :—‘‘ Decoctum
cum saccharo sumptum, digestioni confert, tormina intesti-
epotus, valde purgativus est, in ipsa accessione februm quoti-
dianarum ac quartanarum ex pituita provenientium, frigus vel
diminuit vel in totum tollit, per vomitum scilicet: stipes im
decocto datus phlegmati exroianwde conducit: fructus qua-
quo modo sumpti tumores expellunt.”
From our observation of the action of these plants we cannot
find that they differ in any way from colocynth ; like that drug
they require to be combined with aromatics to prevent griping’
Their febrifuge action appears to depend upon their purgative 4
properties. |
Description.—7. dioica—Stems twining, more or less
woolly and scabrous. Leaves 3 by 2 in., harsh, sinuate-dentate,
not lobed; petiole ? in.; tendrils 2- fd. Male peduncles in
pairs. Calyx-tube 1? in., narrow. Fruit 2 to 34 in., oblong,
acute, orange-red. | Seeds § to 3 in., half-ellipsoid, compressed,
corrugate on the margin. Plant dicecious.
- 4. cucumerina—Stems twining, more or less pubescent.
Leaves 2t0 4 in., usually 5-lobed about half-way down, lobes
obtuse, or if acute not acuminate; petiole 3 in.; tendrils 2-fid. —
Male peduncles in pairs, often racemed, Oalys tabs 1 inch.
Fruit 1 to 4 in., oblong, acute, red. Seeds 3 to 4 in., half-
ellipsoid, compressed, corrugate. Plantdicecious. (FL Br. Ind.) |
MOMORDICA DIOICA, Rozi.
Fig.— Wight Ic,, tt. 505, 506; Rheede, Hort. Mal. viit., 18
Hab.—Throughout India The tubers. —
CUCURBITACE. 75
Vernacular.—Kirara, Dhar-karela (Hind.), Karantoli (Mar.),
_Palupaghel-kalung (Tam.), Agokara, Angakara (Tel.), Hrima-
_ pavel (Mal.), Madahagala (Can.).
Uses, Description, &e.—The muricated fruit of this
plant is called Vahasa by Sanskrit writers, that of the wild
; plant is extremely bitter, but under cultivation it loses much of
its bitterness and. is commonly used as a vegetable. The fruits
| burst irregularly when ripe showing the red arillus of the seeds,
__ which are black, shining, and almost spherical. The plants
are male and female, and have rather large yellow blossoms.
The tubers of the female plant are the largest, and are used
medicinally. Rheede says that the plant is truly cephalic, for
mixed with cocoanut, pepper, red sandal, and other ingredients,
and applied in the form of liniment, it stops all pains in the
head. Ainslie notices the use of the root by Hindu doctors in
the form of electuary in cases of bleeding piles, and in certain
bowel affections connected with such complaints, the dose
_ being about 2 drachms or more twice daily. In the Concan
aq the juice of the root is a domestic remedy for the inflammation
_ caused by the contact with the urine of the House-lizard.
_ The roots, which often weigh a pound or more, much resemble
_ aturnip, but are more elongated; they are of a yellowish-
white colour, and marked externally with whitish, raised
circular rings ; the taste is astringent.
Chemical composition.—The air-dried roots lost 72°78 per
eent, when heated to 100° C., and afforded 3°42 per cent. of
_ ash.’ The ash contained a slight trace of manganese.
The coarsely -powdered roots were exhausted with 80 per cent.
alcohol; from the resulting tincture most of the alcohol was
_ distilled off, and the remainder allowed to evaporate by expo»
_ sure to the air. During evaporation a deep yellow oily looking
was somewhat bitter, and lefs an unpleasant
_ Metallic taste in the mouth. By the addition of water the _
_ extract was converted into a turbid orange yellow
which was agitated with petroleum ether. ote
_ matter separated, and the liquid gelatinized. The alcoholic
76 CUCURBITACE.
The petroleum ether extract was of a light yellow colou
soft, non-crystalline, and possessed a fragrant odour similar to —
that of methyl] salicylate. In ether it was wholly soluble; @
with the exception of a few white flocks it was also soluble i
absolute alcohol, with acid reaction. In eold aqueous caust
soda it was insoluble, but when gently warmed a portion dis
solved, and the liquid assumed a deep orange colour; t
during digestion with the caustic soda solution a very fragrant
odour was noticed. The agitation of an ethereal solution of t
petroleum ether extract with dilute hydrochloric acid, afforde
traces of an alkaloid.
The aqueous residue after treatment with petroleum spirit
was agitated with ether. The ethereal extract was yellowis:
soft, indistinetly crystalline, and had an odour similar to th
noted in the petroleum ether extract. In water the extract w:
partly soluble with strongly acid reaction, and the solu
gave marked indications of the presence of an alkaloid :
ferric chloride the solution gave a dirty violet-reddish color
tion. ‘The residue insoluble in water was yellowish, and part
soluble in ammonia with yellow coloration: the insolu
residue was whitish. The addition of acids to the ammoniae
solution caused the precipitation of white flocks.
e original aqueous solution after separation of ether
rendered alkaline with carbonate of soda and agitated
ether; the ethereal extract amounted only to a trace,
afforded indications of an alkaloid with the u
no special colour reactions were noted.
After separation of ether, the aqueous alkaline residue
acidified with acetic acid and agitated with acetic ether: 3
extract thus obtained was reddish, and partly gelatinized on
evaporation : it was partly soluble in acetic acid, a turbidi
being produced by dilution with water. i ice
In order to ascertain whether a purgative principle was
sent or not, an alcoholic extract from 10 grams of the root
rubbed up with water and injected into a cat’s stomach, no]
gative action was produced, and with the exceptic
aa
sual reagents:
CUCURBITACE &. 77.
ack of vomiting one hour and ten minutes after administra-
ion of the drug, no symptoms appeared to be induced.
MOMORDICA COCHINCHINENSIS, Spreng.
- Fig.—Bot. Mag., t. 5145.
Hab. +-Bongal to Tenasserim, Destale Peninsula, Canned
Vernacular.—Kakrol (Hind., Beng.).
History, Uses, &c.—The seeds after the shells have
been removed are fried and eaten either alone or with other
food. (Makhzan.) They are considered to be good for cough and
ins in the chest. Powdered they form one of the in-
edients of the hot stuff known as Jhal in Bengal, which,
xed with melted butter, is given to women immediately after
parturition, and daily for a few days afterwards. Jhal is
believed to act as a stimulant, destroying the excess of
legmatic humours which are supposed to be produced in the
ly after delivery. (C. 'L. Boso. ) A plaster made with the roots
s said to promote the growth of the hair, and prevent its fall-
; off. The plant is called in Sanskrit Karkataka, from the
semblance of the seeds to the shell of acrab. This plant
is the Muricia cochinchinensis of Loureiro, who says that the
berries are used for colonring food, and that the seeds and
leaves are aperient and abstergent and useful in hepatic and
lenic obstructions, in unhealthy ulcerations, lumbago; and
ternally in procidentia utert et ani, fractures and pees:
the bones.
Description.—The seeds are 3 by & of an inch in
ameter, and } ofan inch thick, ovate, compressed, black ;
rugated on the margins and sculptured on the faces. The |
lis fragile, and encloses an oily kernel. :
Chemical composition.—Kakrol seeds deprived of siete
elded 43°74 per cent. of a slightly greenish oil when eate
ith light petroleam ether. ae oil pon
properties a thin
78 CUCURBITACEZ,
and exposed to a temperature of 100° C., in the course of an
hour the oil assumed a translucent white appearance, and could —
be scraped off the glass as a white powder which, when boiled —
with petroleum ether, yielded only a trace of soluble matter,
consisting of oil. Exposed to the air without being heated, i 4
24 hours a thin layer presented numberless little white cauli-
flower like masses, while a portion of the oil assumed an arbo:
escent pattern on the glass. After saponification of the oi
and decomposition of the soap, the separated fatty acids had
melting point of 48°—49° ©.
In addition to oil, a very slightly bitter glucoside was pr
sent, which afforded no special colour reactions with reagents.
MOMORDICA CHARANTIA, Linn.
Fig.—Bot. Mag., t. 2455; Wight Ic.,t. 504; Bot. Reg
é. 980. |
Hab.—tThroughout India. The fruit.
Vernacular.—Karela (Hind.), Kéralé (Mar.), Pava-kai, P:
vakkapchedi (Tam.), Kakara-chettu (Tel.), Karala (Beng.).
Muricated var., Uchchhe (Beng.), Hagala (Can.).
Description, Uses, &c.—There aretwo chief varietie
differing in the form of the fruit, the one being longer aD
. more oblong, and the other smaller, more ovate, muricated
tubercled. There are besides many intermediate gradations.
The fruit is bitter but wholesome, and is eaten by the nativ
It requires, however, to be steeped in salt water before be
cooked ; the smaller variety is most esteemed. (Drury.) Fi
Rheede, Wight and Gibson we learn that the Hindus use
whole plant combined with cinnamon, long pepper, rice a0
the oil of Hydnocarpus Wightiana, as an external appl
tion in scabies and other cutaneous diseases. The fruit
leaves are administered as an anthelmintic, and are app.
externally in leprosy. One-eighth of a seer of the juice of
leaves is given in bilious affections, as an emetic and purgati
alone or combined with aromatics ; the juice is rubbed in,
CUCURBIT ACE. 79
‘burning of the soles of the feet, and with black pepper is rub-
d round the orbit as a cure for night blindness, The Sans-
t name is Karavella, the muricated variety is called Sushavi,
d bears the synonym Kandira or “armed with arrows.” The
author of the Makhzan-el-Adwiya describes the fruit as tonic
and stomachic, and says that it is useful in rheumatism and
; ; he also mentions
ts anthelmintic properties. He points out that some have
erroneously supposed it to be identical with the Katha-el-himar
a the Arabs, which is a violent purgative. Drury has the
following description of M. Charantia:—“ Climbing, stem
re or less hairy; leaves palmately 5-lobed, sinuate, toothed,
en young more or less villoas on the underside, particularly
on the nerves; peduncles slender, with a reniform bracteole
Ba bout the middle, female with it near the base; fruit oblong or
vate, more or less tubercled or muricated; seeds with a thick
Rotched margin and red aril ; flowers middle- sized, pale yellow.”
In n the rainy season the plant may be seen in almost every gar-
Jen in India. The fruit is also offered for sale in the market,
d when well cultivated attains the size of a cucumber.
MOMORDICA CYMBALARIA, Fenzl.
Fig.—Lyon Med. Jurisp. for India, p. 200, jf. 14.
Hab.—Deccan Peninsula, Mysore, Concan. The tubers,
Vernacular.—Kadavanchi (Mar.).
History, Uses, &c.—The whole plant is acrid; it is
eutioned here as a number of the tubers were ainewade to
@ Chemical Analyser to Government, Bombay, from Satara, as
ving been found in the possession of a person suspected of
ministering drugs to procure abortion. Our specimen was
80 CUCURBITACEZL.
forwarded to Dr. Barry, Acting-Chemical Analyser, in connee-
tion with a case of abortion.
Description.—Root tuberous, ovoid; the tubers had th
odour of cucumbers, and examined under the microscope, |
central portion was seen to consist of starch cells, between th
- portion and the epidermal layer irregular masses of a resin0'
substance were observed; leaves 1—2 inch broad, 5-angult
or slightly 5-lobed, middle lobe not elongated, glabrous ¢
slightly pubescent, often punctulate on both surfaces, dentate
petiole ;—14 in. Male raceme 1—2 in., with usually on
_two to four flowers ; calyx-lobes lanceolate ; petals } in., whit
filaments two, one 2-fid, one 3-fid, so each with one anthe
cell; filaments inserted near the top of the calyx tube, anthe
completely exsert. Female peduncle 3—2 in., one floweret
ebracteate (the male peduncle has a minute bract). Fruit $—
by 7 in. Seeds §—+ in., few, shortly obovoid, smooth, shin
(71. of Brit. India.) The fruit has eight prominent
tai is covered with silky hairs ; while still green, it dehi
into four parts, and discharges its seeds, which are obov
dark brown, slightly warty, as large as a small peppere
and with a prominent hilum.
Chemical composition.—A bitter glucoside was isolated
water. It was almost insoluble in ether, and was precipit
from its aqueous solution by tannin and alkaloidal reag
With strong sulphuric acid it turned bright red and the 20
gradually changed to purple, which remained for several ho
_ A yellow acid resin of very acrid properties was presen!
the tincture, together with a saccharine principle.
A tuber weighing 2 grams was incinerated, the ash amo’
ed to 6 per cent.
LUFFA ACUTANGULA, Roxb. Var. am
Fig.— Bot. Mag. 1638. : 3
‘Hab.—Throughout India, The fruit and vine.
Vernacular.—Karela-toria, Karvi-turai (Hind.), Kadu
Kadu- dorka (Mar.), Ghosha-lata, Tito-torai (Beng.), re
CUCURBITACEZ. 81
D 'Tam.); Chedu-bira, Verri-bira (Tel.), Kadvi- ghisodi (Guz.),
- Hire-bll (Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant iscalled in Sanskrit
| Koshataki a general name for the genus Luffa, from kosha, the
cocoon of a silk-worm, and in allusion to the way in which the
: 4 ~ seeds are enclosed within a fibrous network. The names Dalika
~ and Ghoshaka appear more particularly to appertain to this
species. The Hindus apply the juice of the immature gourd,
_ which has been slightly roasted, to the temples to cure
a headache, and administer an infusion of the ripe fruit as a vomit
a and purge. Roxburgh notices the cathartic and emetic pro-
4 perties of the fruit. In the Pharmacopeia of India the plant is
_ described as a bitter tonic and diuretic, and is recommended in
_ enlargements of the spleen on the authority of Dr. J. A. Green
and Mr. J.C. Dickenson. The juice of the leaves is used as an
external application to sores, and the bites of venomous animals,
d the pulp of the fruit is administered internally in the latter
ass of cases to cause vomiting and purging, just as colocynth
used where that plant is abundant. The dried fruit is pow-
x
videsmus is given with milk, cumin and sugar in gonorrhea,
Description.—The vine of L. amara resembles that of
the cultivated plant. The fruit is smooth, from 3 to 5 inches
n inch in diameter, which is deciduous. Internally it is filled
with white spongy pulp, of a cucumber odour. The seeds are
grey and marked with small irregular black prominent —
The leaves are bitter, the fruit less so.
LUFFA ECHINATA, fozb.
Fig.—Lyon, Med. Juris. for India, p. 201. :
Hab.—Guzerat, Sind, Bengal, Dacca. The elses: ae
Vernacular.—Kukar-lata, Bindaél, Chagst |
Hind. )s rea cea a (Guz.), D
ili (Cun.).
82 CUCURBITACEZ..
History, Uses, &c.—This plant is used medicinally in
most parts of India. In the Nighantas it bears the following
Sanskrit, names : Devadali, Vrata-kosha, Devataddi, Gard, Jimti-
ta, Taraki, Veni, Jélani, and Akhu-visha-ha ; it is described as
expelling bile, phlegm, and removing piles, swellings, jaund
phthisis, hiccough, worms and fever, and acting as an emetic
In Guzerat the fruit is well known as Vapala-bij, a nat
derived from the Sanskrit vdpa, ‘ weaving,” in allusion to
cocoon-like network in which the seeds are enclosed.
drug is a frequent ingredient in the compound decoctio
which are prescribed for bilious fevers. In the Concan a
' grains of the bitter fibrous contents of the fruit are giv
infusion for snake-bite and in cholera after each stool
putrid fevers the infusion is applied to the whole body, a
in jaundice it is applied to the head and also given inte
nally; the infusion has algo a reputation as a remedy
colic. We have not met with any notice of the medicinal use
of this plant in European works on the Materia Medica 0
India. :
Description.—The stems are herbaceous, scandent, fiv
sided, slightly hairy ; tendrils two cleft ; leaves generally fir
lobed, somewhat hairy, margins scallop-toothed; petioles |
long as the leaves, ribbed; fruit oval, the size of a nutme
_ armed with numerous long, rather soft, diverging bristle
obscurely divided into three cells by a network of dry fibre
and opening at the top with a perforated stopple, which
off when the seeds are ripe; seeds about 18, ovate, compres:
black and scabrous; testa very hard; kernel white.
fibrous substance in which the seeds are enclosed is intense
th
bitter.
Chemical composition.—The air-dried fruit deprived of s
as much as possible was agitated with 80 per cent. alcohol:
greater part of the spirit removed by distillation, a
_ remainder allowed to evaporate by exposure to air. “a
spontaneous evaporation the tincture gelatinized, Wh
extract no longer smelt of alcohol it was gently warmed
_ water bath, water added, and when cold the turbid 1
ony
CUCURBITACH ZL, 83
_ repeatedly agitated with ether. The ether was much coloured ;
ewenons flocks separated during agitation.
‘The ethereal solution contained a large amount of chlorophyll,
and after evaporation of the ether, the residue became partly
crystalline. The extract was repeatedly treated with light
petroleum ether, which removed some waxy and much salen’
_ jing matter, anda crystalline principle, appearing as needles and
stellate masses under the microscope, which was not further
examined. The dark residue insoluble in petrolenm ether was
3 then boiled with water; the aqueous solution was slightly
% yellow, became turbid on cooling, and possessed an extremely
bitter taste. This aqueous solution was agitated with ether;
on spontaneous evaporation a yellow transparent varnish was
left, destitute of any crystalline structure. The extract treated
with water afforded a white curdy precipitate with tannic
acid: no precipitate with Mayer’s reagent: with ferric chloride
it afforded a slight greenish coloration; after boiling with
dilute sulphuric acid, the solution readily reduced Fehling’s
lution. This principle would appear to be allied to, if not
identical with, colocynthitin.
Its physiological action was fied in the o following experi-
ent :—0°0296 gram. was dissolved in a few drops of alcohol
nd warm water, and injected into a full grown, fasting cat’s
_ stomach at 10-50 a, m.
11-20 a. m.—Vomited several times, first contents of the sto-
mach, and then white frothy mucus, not tinged with blood.
12-0 noon.—Passed a solid stool: lying on its side breathing
slow.
1-40 p. m.—Passed a semi-solid stool tinged with blood ;
pupils somewhat dilated ; now and again contraction pt
abdominal muscles: uneasy, chiefly on its side, but shifts”
its position frequently.
2-45 p. m.—Pupils widely dilated: less of power in hind:
legs, unable to stand: appears to have some difficu
raising its head, which it keeps between its fo
which are eee _expression anz
84 CUCURBITACEZ.
2-55 p.m.—Slight convulsive movements of hind legs; —
breathing very shallow ; pupils widely dilated ; position
as before. 4
2-57 p.m.—Marked convulsive movements of hind legs;
breathing spasmodic and loud. a
3-4 p. m.—Spasmodic gasps at intervals of about 10 second:
3-15 p. m.—Died ; no further convulsive movements.
Death thus resulted in 4 hours 25 minutes after introductio
of the drug into the stomach, and only one stool was passed
which could be ascribed as being due to its action.
Post-mortem examination 20 minutes after death :—Bot
lungs pale and collapsed ; no fluid in pleural cavity.
Heart contracted, and empty ; no clots,
Stomach contained frothy glairy mucus, and a deep yello
fluid, walls darkly congested ; no effusion of blood.
Liver congested. Spleen normal. Kidneys, central porti
lightly congested. .
Intestines—Rectum highly congested, with bloody adherer
mucus ; the lower portion of the jejunum comparatively slightl}
congested in patches, the upper portion more deeply congest
until the duodenum is reached, when the whole of the |
was of a dark claret colour, from uniform congestion.
ilium was wholly free from congestion and was bile stained. ©
e gelatinous flocks which separated on agitating th
aqueous alcoholic extract with ether had
ties :—By boiling with water pal lution
which was filtered. The insoluble residue on the filter y
soluble in boiling absolute alcohol, on concentration micr
copic needles, rods, and plates se
further exam
the following prop
+ Int? likase
CUCURBITACEM. 85
ting off the alcohol, brittle yellowish flakes were left. In
mmonia the principle dissolved forming a deep yellow solu-
ion ; on the addition of acids the colour was discharged, slightly
ellowish flocks being*precipitated, which redissolved in alkalies
ith a deep yellow coloration: with tannin no precipitate
was produced. Fréhde’s reagent gavea yellow colour in the
cold, becoming emerald green on heating, and changing on
cooling to blue, green, and finally to yellow. Nitric acid gave
a yellow colour. Mayer’s reagent, after acidulation with sul-
phuric acid, gave no precipitate. Concentrated sulphuric acid
gave a deep yellow: on the addition of bichromate of potash
there was n0 special colour reaction. On boiling with dilute
in boiling water, and not eo tern iaties ; slightly soluble in
ether; dissolving in alkalies with a deep yellow coloration
and reprecipitated in gelatinous flocks by acids. The aqueous
. :
ghtly bitter, and precipitated an alkaline copper solution
iling.
The gelatinizing properties of this principle appear to be
marked. *1016 gram when dissolved in 100 ¢. c. of boil-
en expelled, agitation with acetic ether yielded an extrac-
e, highly bitter, which afforded reactions similar to those =
locynthin.
ay were unable to obtain the principle in a crystalline
‘The seeds contain a bland fluid oil free from bitterness, an
ich possesses some siccative properties. sist
Towicology.—Dr. Burton Brown (Punjab Poisons,
otices the use of the fruit as an abo
86 . CUCURBITACEM.
Kirtikar recorded (Trans. Bomb. Med. and Phys. Soc.) a case of -
poisoning with symptons resembling those of cholera, after the —
administration of one fruit as a purgative; this dose prove
fatal, The drug must therefore be used: with great caution.
CEPHALANDRA INDICA, ‘Naud.
Pig.— Wight Iil., t. 105; Hook. Ic. Pl. I., ¢. 138.
Hab.—Throughout India.
Vernacular.—Kunduri (Hind.), Telakucha (Beng.), Kova
(Tam.), Ran-tondla (Mar.), Gholi (Guz.), Tonde-konde (Co
History, Uses, &c.—This plant is called in Sansk
Vimba, Vimbaja, Pandkéri and Tundiks ; it has a scarlet fruit
and Indian beauties are descriped as Vimboshta, ‘red
cherry-lipped,” by poets and story tellers. The root and ju
the leaves is used medicinally ; the wild fruit is very biti
but that of the cultivated form is sweet and is much used
vegetable. In Hindu medicine the juice of the tuberous roo
is used as an adjunct to the metallic preparations prescribed |
diabetes in doses of one tola (180 grs.) every morning. UD
states that he has known several patients who were ben
by its use. Ainslie notices its use in southern India, and sa
that the juice of the leaves is applied to the bites of anim:
Moodeen Sheriff states that in the bazars of the south the
is sold as a substitute for Caper root. In the Concan the
pounded with the juice of the leaves is applied to the wh
body to induce perspiration in fever, and the green fruit
chewed to cure sores on the tongue. We have found the
green leaves useful as a colouring agent in preparing Sa
ointment from the essential oil,
Description.—-Fruit bitter, fleshy, cylindrical, smooth,
green, with ten white stripes when unripe, in which state iti
CUCURBITACEZ. 87
stony ground and becomes crooked and knotty. It is peren-
ial and often attains a considerable size, but the average
iameter in the wild plant is from 1 to 2 inches at the thickest
art a little below the crown. Externally the root is of a pale
yellowish-brown colour, with indistinct circular constrictions
and longitudinal furrows. The transverse section is yellow
with distinct medullary rays. The root is traversed by nume-
- rous bundles of stout woody fibres; when wounded a clear juice
exudes having a cucumber odour, which dries into an opalescent
The root has an acid and astringent taste, and is not
rom woody fibre. Dried at 100° C. the powder lost 6°76 per
ent. of moisture. The ash amounted to 15°52 per ceut., there
acid ; the acid solution gave indications of the presence of an
kaloid. The separated ether left on evaporation a soft
yellowish non- orystalline residue, possessing a fragrant a
ether wad benzol. The aqueous solution after separation of
ether was rendered alkaline with carbonate of soda, ont
_ agitated with ether. Thehydrochloric acid solution referred to
above was treated in a similar manner, and the separated eth
ixed. The mixed ethereal solution left on sponenyee e
88 CUCURBITACE.
reagents. The special properties of this alkaloid will be con= 4
sidered later. The principle insoluble in acids had the q
properties of a resin, a
The alkaline aqueous solution was subsequently agitated with —
chloroform, and then with amylic alcohol. In both cases ex-
tracts were yielded partly soluble in dilute acids, the solutions :
affording precipitates with alkaloidal reagents. From colour —
reactions and the physical properties of these alkaloids, they
appeared to be similar to the one first extracted by ether. The
three acid solutions were consequently mixed, agitated with —
amylic alcohol, which removed a trace of resin; the acid then a
neutralized with carbonate of soda, and the solution agitated
with fresh amylic alcohol. On evaporating off the amylic
alcohol, a varnish-like residue was left, easily soluble in alcohol
and amylic alcohol, but less readily dissolved by ether chloro-
form. In water the extract was only very slightly soluble;
dilute sulphuric acid it was not wholly soluble, a trace of resin
being left. The acid solution was strongly bitter. Wi
alkaline carbonates it gave a white precipitate ; with platin
and auric chlorides amorphous precipitates: it also yield
precipitates with phosphomolybdic acid, potassio-mercu
_ Ether chloroform and amylic alcohol also extracted a gol
brown resin, insoluble in alkaline carbonates, easily soluble im
caustic soda, and less readily dissolved by ammonia. In amyli¢
alcohol the resin was: more easily soluble than in ether
CUCURBITACE. 89
¢hloroform. From its alkaline solutions it was precipitated by
_ dilute acids in yellowish flocks.
_ After agitation with amylic alcohol the alkaline solution was
_ precipitated with plumbic acetate; on decomposing the lead
_ salt with hydro-sulphuric acid an organic acid was obtained,
which afforded the reactions of citric acid. The liquid after
separation of the lead precipitate was treated with hydro-
sulphuric acid, the filtrate evaporated to a syrup, and heated for
some hours on the water bath, on diluting with water a strongly
__acid solution was obtained, the acidity of which was not due to
- aceticacid; the nature of this organic acid was not determined. ©
_ Aprinciple which easily reduced an alkaline cupric solution
__ was also present in the liquid.
The tubers contained starch ; they did not afford any tannic
matter.
ZEHNERIA UMBELLATA, Thwaites.
Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal. viii,, t. 26. :
Hab.— Throughout India, The fruit and roots.
Vernacular.—Tarali (Hind.), Kudari (Beng.),Gometta(Mar.),
id-danda (Tel.), Karivi-valli (Mal.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant is the Gointhi— or
Karivi-valli of Rheede, who notices its use by the Hindus of
Malabar as a depurative, useful in gonorrhcea, dysuria and —
nd notices the use of the fruit and roots as a medicine by
he natives, but does not give any particulars, The root is
isually prescribed as a Paushtika or invigorating medicine,
combined with roasted on
oa CUCURBITACEH. 7
~-In the Concan the juice of the leaves is applied to parts which
have become inflamed from the application of the juice of the
marking nut (Semicarpus Anacardium). a
_ Description.—From the Flora of British India it will
seen that this is a very variable plant common on hed
throughout Jndia, Ceylon, Malaya, China and North Austre
It is digcious, and has a root consisting of many pendu
tubers.
_.. The leaves are shortly petioled, cordate or sagittate
' hastate at the base, the lobes longer than the petiole, 3 to
lobed, or palmately 5-partite, sinuate and sharply too
male flowers umbelled or shortly racemose at the apex
long slender peduncle; female on a different plant, so
short-peduncled ; berry oval or oblong, size of a pig
egg, smooth, red when ripe. The tubers are of an
gular, elongated form, usually about one inch in diame
brown externally, white internally; they have a faint nau
taste.
CORALLOCARPUS EPIGAZA, Hook. f
Fig.— Wight Ic., t. 503.
Hab.— Panjab, Sind. Guzerat, Deccan. The tubers.
Vernacular.—Ak&s-gadda, Chhilihinda, Garaj-phal (H
Karvi-nai (Guz.), Akdsha—garudan, Gollan-kovaik—kizha
(Tam.), Ak4sha-garuda-gaddalu, Naga-donda (Tel.), A
garuda-gadde (Oan,), Siva-linga (Mar.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant is called in Sans
Chhilihinda, Patdla-garuda and Maha-mula or “ great
It is described in the Nighantas as very strengthening, ar
begetter of phlegmatic humors, and a valuable remedy
rheumatism. Ainslie remarks that the Vytians hold
great estimation, and prescribe it in the latter stages of
tery, and old venereal complaints. It is usually a
CUCURBITACER. ; 91
_in powder, the dose being about one drachm in the 24 hours,
and continued for eight or ten days together; this quantity
"generally produces one or two loose motions every day. It is
_ onions,and castor oil. In the Deccan and Mysore the root has
_ a repute as a remedy for snake-bite; it is administered inter-
nally and applied to the bitten pat: This plant is used in -
India as a substitute for the Lif or Liifa of the Arabian and
Persian physicians, the Bryonia dioica of more Western coun-
tries, and the dpmedos Aeven of Dioscorides. The Arabic word
_ Liifa is probably a corruption of «ven,
The vernacular names are mostly compounds of Akas, “the
sky,” and Gadda, “a tuberous root.’ The Marathi name
signifies ‘‘ the linga of Siva,” and is an allusion to the shape
of the fruit. ?
Description.—The root is a turnip-shaped tuber, some-
imes weighing as much as 5 to 6 pounds. Externally it is
Howish white and marked with raised circular rings; the
taste is bitter, mucilaginous, and subacid. When cut the
tuber exudes a viscid juice, which soon hardens into an
opalescent gum.
Chemical composition.—The bitter principle of C. epigcaa
can be removed from an aqueous extract, previously separated
from mucilage by treatment with alcohol, by agitation with
chloroform or amylic alcohol. It is a whitish amorphous mass
soluble in water and spirit, and very slightly soluble in ether.
_ Its solution is precipitated by tannin and not by either basic —
or neutral plumbic acetate, It is coloured reddish-brown b :
= sulphuric acid, and after several hours assumes a purplish hi
_ owing to the gradual deposition of a black powder. The pu
colour is not so well marked as that afforded by trict 0:
thin and the bitter principle of Momordica Cymbalaria. I
solves in nitric acid without colour, This
same as bryos which 1
ot ee ary
ose al
92 CUCURBITACE.
Bryony root, and we have been able to confirm this by finding 4
in the decomposition products two resinoid bodies differing in”
their solubility in ether. Bryonin is a glucoside resolved by
boiling with dilute sulphuric acid into glucose and two amo
phous bodies, bryoretin, soluble in ether, and hydrobryore
insoluble in ether but soluble in alcohul
C48 H84 O21 — O21 H35 07 + O21 37 OF + CS
Bryonin Bryoretin Hydrobryoretin Glucose.
‘We have been unable to find a second bitter principle in th
tubers, for on washing the lead precipitate of the extract unti
free from bryonin, and treating the lead compound with hy
drogen sulphide, the solution was free from bitterness, and
evaporated residue was not coloured by sulphuric acid. 4h
tubers contained much starch, a little resin, and 10 per cent
of white saline ash. ‘
BRYONIA LACINIOSA, Zinn.
Fig.— Wight Ic., t. 500 ; Rheede Hort. Mal. viii, 19.
Hab.—From the Himalaya to Ceylon, Pegu. The pla
Vernacular.—Bajguriya, Ghargu-néru (Hind.), Kavya
Kavale-che-dole (Mar.), Nehoemeka (Mal.), Lingatondi (Can}
History, Uses, &c.—This plant appears to be the B
of Sanskrit writers, and is-said to have been used in Ve
times to frighten away evil spirits; it is still known in Hi
as Bajguriya or “ Baja beads.” It is also probably one of
plants included by the name Ghantéli (see Mukia scabr
Rheede (viii. 19) calls it Nehoemeka, and says that the Po:
guese call it Nhola, and the Dutch Slitten. The vernacula
name Ghargu-ndéru signifies a string of ankle bells, such @
are worn by dancing girls. These bells have vertical slits i
them, resembling the white vertical lines on the fruit of
Bryony. The juice of B. laciniosa is given with milk, ho
or sugar in bilious attacks, and in the commenceme!
fevers when there is flatulence and constipation; it
CUCURBITACEZL, 93
out the bowels, and is often sufficient without further
eecerment 3 in cases of this kind which arise from over eating.
; Description. —A climbing plant with a smooth stem
common in hedges. The leaves are palmately 5-lobed, more
or less deeply divided, segments oblong, lanceolate acuminated,
serrated ; petioles muricated, upper surface of the leaf thickly
studded ‘with white, jointed, calcareous hairs, rising from a
_ Calcareous areola; male and female flowers, in the same axils,
the peduncles of the male flowers, which are numerous, remain-
ing until the fruit ripens; flowers small, pale yellow; fruit
round, smooth, marked with white vertical stripes, the size of
a marble, red when ripe, with the exception of the stripes,
which remain of a dead white. The whole plant is very bitter.
_ Chemical composition.—An alcoholic extract of the plant
was made with 84 per cent. alcohol, water added, and the
turbid mixture agitated with light petroleam ether, which
‘removed colouring matter and a small amount of fat.
After separation of the petroleum ether the bright yellow
queous solution was agitated with chloroform. The chloro-
m extract was yellowish, non-crystalline and very bitter.
ted with warm water the greater part dissolved, the
f
as produced; whereas in Watts’ Dictionary of Resecgene!
dst Edition, sulphuric acid is stated to dissolve bryonin
“forming a blue liquid which changes to green.”? Gmelin,
owever, (Handbook of Chemistry) states that it is coloured
brown by oil of vitriol. We have tested the action of con-
trated sulphuric acid on a specimen of bryonin ob
from Dr. Schuchardt, and find that no such eae
described in Watts’ Petpet a bes
rownish red, . age:
94 CUCURBITACEM,
MUKIA SCABRELLA, 4rn. 4
Pig.— Wight Ic., t. 501; Rheede Hort, Mal. viii., 13. q
Hab.—Thronghout India, The plant in fruit, :
Vernacular.—Agamaki (Hind.), Mosumiski (Tam.), Pu
budinga, Nédhosa (Tel.), Chirati (Mar.), Mucca-piri (Mal.).
_ History, Uses, &c.—Ainslie gives Ahilaykum as
Sanskrit name of this plant in Southern India. This is evide
a corruption of sf¢s@—q (Ahilékhana), “ marked like a snak
in allusion to the vertical white stripes upon the
Another Sanskrit name which appears to have been applied
this plant as well as to Bryonia laciniosa is Ghantdli, wh
signifies a row or string of bells (Ghanté-4li), such as
worn by dancing girls, and which have vertical slits res
bling the vertical marks on the fruit of these plants.
informs us that this herb is considered to be gently ape
and stomachic, the infusion being given in doses of half
cupful twice daily. It is used for the same purposes now, ail
it enters into mixtures frequently given to children. Rhe
mentions its use as a diuretic,
Lane)
Description.—Plant hispid and scabrous; tendrils §
ple ; leaves cordate, lobed or angled ; flowers short-pedune
male numerous, fascicled ; female, 1 to 4, small, campanulate
yellow; berry globular, size of a pea, scarlet when ripé
marked with white vertical lines, smooth or sprinkled y
a few bristly hairs. Plant and fruit bitter. The fruits ri
in October to December.
ZANONIA INDICA, Linn.
Fig.— Wight Ill., t. 103; Lam. Iil., t. 816; Pade
Mal. viii., tt. 47, 48 8, 49,
Hab.—Assam, E. Bengal, W. Peninsula, Ceylon. =
Vernacular.—Chirpota (Hind., Mar.), Penar-valli (Mal.
CUCURBITACEZ. 95
History, Uses, &c.—In the Nighantas this plant bears
_ the Sanskrit names of Chirpota, Dirghapatra, Kuntali and
_ Tiktaka; it is described as cold, dry, and aperient, and bene-
_ ficial in asthma and cough. Rheede (viii., 47, 48, 49,) calls it
Penar-valli, which appears to be a corruption of the Sanskrit
Pinda-valli ; he says that the Dutch call it Naet-klim and the
Portuguese Fruita’ bandoliera. The latter name is given to
the fruit from its resemblance to the leather cases called bando-
leers, each containing a charge of powder, of which every
musketeer wore twelve, suspended by a shoulder belt. In
Malabar a bath made by boiling the leaves in water is used to
remove the nervous irritation caused by boils, and an antispas-
modic liniment is made by pounding the leaves with milk and
butter. In Ceylon the plant is used as a febrifuge.
Description.—Leaves 6 to 8 by 3 to 4 inches, usually
_ acute ; petiole one inch; male flowers very small, pedicels } to
_ Finch ; female flowers, including the ovary, } inch ; ovary early
q Se cicaii one-celled by the separation of the heen fleshy
placentas; seeds much compressed, hardly 1-10 inch thick ; ;
_ capsule large, like a candle extinguisher.
ECBALLIUM ELATERIUM, 4. Richard.
; Fig.—Bentl. and Trim., t. 115. Squirting Cucumber
| (Eng.), Concombre d’dne (F’r.).
_ Hab.—Europe, Northern Asia. The fruit.
Vernacular.—Khiyér-i-khar, Katha-el-himar (Pers., Arab.),
Ka4tri-indraéyan (Ind. Bazars). .
History, Uses, &c.—The git occasionally reaches
India in a dry state. It is imported from Persia, and has evi-
dently been gathered while immature, as the contents, pare not
Georgian popular mae Faia “= name of me ana, it
good reputation a as a
96 CUCURBIFACER.
of the Caucasian Medical Society in 1885, Dr. Minkevite
referred to the subject, and stated that the paroxysms may be
arrested by the use of the drug, but the relief is only tempo:
rary, a8 they return in two or three weeks. Drs. Lisitzeff ant
Astvaturoff also stated that in Kakhetian popular medicine
Kitrana is used as a narcotic, and is believed to be speciall:
serviceable in cases of hydrophobia. (Pharm. Journ., Feb. 271
1886, from Med. Record.) Hlaterium does not appear to b
known in Hindu medicine, but the Arabs and Persians are Wé l
acquainted with it. The former call the fruit Katha-el-hima
(asses’ cucumber), and the latter Khiydr-i-khar, which has she
Same meaning, or Khiarzeh (little cucumber). Haji Lei
gives Ispheridagrion (oaipidioy dypiov) as the Greek name.
author of the Makhzan-el-Adwiya describes it, and also 1
method of preparing elaterium. To prepare this he diree
the fruit to be sliced, thrown upon a strainer and pressed,
pulp is then to be twice washed with water, and the depo:
which is thrown down from the water, collected and dried.
is then to be finely powdered and made into lozenges, wi
equal weight of gum arabic or calamine, or half its weight of
tance to elaterium as a purgative of the diseased hun :
which they suppose to be the cause of a great number
diseases. They also use poultices made with the fruit, lea
and root of the plant, and direct the juice of the fruit
snuffed up the nose to purge the brain, and to be dropped 1
the ears in otitis. It is worthy of remark that the Hindus
system, causing salivation, insensibility, tetanus and dyspr
large doses administered by the mouth cause gastro-enteri
and collapse,
Chemical composition.—The active principle, late
C?°H?8OS, is best obtained by exhausting elaterium
chloroform. From this solution a white crystalline deposit
* Compare with Dioscorides wept eXarnpwov and Pliny 20, 3. _
OUCURBITACEA. 97
_ elaterin is immediately separated by addition of ether. I¢
_ should be washed with a little ether and recrystallized from
chloroform.
Elaterin forms hexagonal tables, insoluble in water, slightly
soluble in ether, very soluble in alcohol. It gives a carmine
colour with phenoland H*® SO*. (Fresenius’ Zeit. f. anal. Chem.
17, 500; 24, 156.)
Several other cucurbitaceous plants are more or less in use
medicinally. Among these we may mention Modecca
palmata, Lam. (Rheede Hort. Mal. viii., 20, 23), the juice
of which with cocoanut milk is used as a pectoral in Malabar,
and the roots as an ingredient in strengthening medicines
( Paushtiks).
Trichosanthes nervifolia, Linn. (Rheede Hort. Mal.
_ vtii., 16, 17,) is used in the same part of the country to
drive away evil spirits. According to Ainslie, the root of
_Rhynchocarpa feetida, Schrad., is prescribed internally
in electuary, in cases of piles, and in powder is sometimes
_ ordered as a demulcent in humoral asthma, The root is about
_ the size of a man’s finger, light grey, and has a sweet mucila-
ginous taste. The Tamil name is Appakovay.
_ The seeds of AMpelosicyos scandens, Thou., Bot.
_ Mag. 2681, 2751-2, have been introduced into Bombay from
Zanzibar as a vermifuge; they are flat and almost circular,
_ delicate basket work, and is very tough and strong ; the kernel
_ yields a quantity of bland oil. The entire fruit is from 2 to 3
4 feet in length and 8 to 10 inches thick, marked with deep —
2 longitudinal furrows, the inside is divided into from three to six
_ cells, and often contains as many us 250 seeds,
11,—13
98 DATISCEM.
DATISCEZ.
DATISCA CANNABINA, Linn.
Fig.—ZLam. IIl., t. 823; Sibth. Fl. Grecc., t. 960.
Hab.—Himalaya from Cashmir to Nepal; Sind. Th
herb and roots. ; em
Vernacular.—Akalbar (Hind.), Bayr-bunja, Bhangjala (Pun:
Uses. —Datisca is bitter and purgative, and is occasional
used in fevers and in gastric and scrofulous complaints. 2
Khagan the bruised root is applied to the head as a sedativ
and Madden states that under the name of Bujr Bunga it
used medicinally in Kurnool. (Stewart, Cleghorn.) The plan
may be administered in doses of from 5 to 15 grains. in inte
thittents.: ;
laomal
- Description.—Stem 2—6 tt., stout, branching. Lower
leaves 1 ft., pinnate ; leaflets 7—11, 6 by 1} in., petioled
upper much smaller and less divided ; floral simple, 3 by 141
Pedicels often carrying linear bracts ; anthers oblong, rath
large; filaments very short; styles } inch; capsule 4 by Ie
than $ inch (Fl. Br, Ind.), one-celled, opening at the apex j
seeds numerous, striated, with a cup-like covering at the
, PaaS ceecbns | :
: Chemical composition.—The leaves and roots contain a gli
coside, Datiscin, C?'H22012, Which may be obtained
exhausting them with alcohol, evaporating to a syrup, am
precipitating the resin with water; from the decanted liqal
crystals may be obtained, which should be re-dissolved |
alcohol and the remaining traces of resin removed by repre-
CAOTES, 99
CACTEZ.
, OPUNTIA DILLENH, Hav.
Fig. —Wight Ill. 114. Prickly pear (Eng.). —
7 ~ Hab.—Amcrica. Naturalized in India. The fruit.
Vernacular. —Nagphani, Bidar (Hind., Beng.), Naga-kali
s ( Tam.), Naga-dali (Yel.), Chappdl-send, Vilayati-nevar ung
4 (Mar. ), Kattali-Papas, Mullugalli (Can.).
a: History, Uses, &C:—This plant isa native of Mexicoand
Central America, and was introduced into India by the Portu- -
guese, doubtless with the object of feeding the Cochineal
insect upon it, but it is uncertain whether they ever carried out
their intention. It is called by the Portuguese Palmatoria a’
Te forno, from the resemblance of its flat branches to a palma-
{ oria, or flat piece of wood used in their schools to beat children
upon the hand, The Hindus have given it the Sanskrit names
Midate, “tearing asunder,”’ and Vishva- -saraka, ‘* having, al}
sence.’
In 1793—97, Drs, Anderson and bee attempted aA sea
ce the Cochineal insect, but they appear to have been sup~
plied with the Cochinilla sylvestre, or wild Cochineal, which is
id to be small and deficient in colouring matter ; this insect
still found in India upon O. Dillenti. Dr Fontana, in a com-
Munication to the As, Ann. Regist. in 1799, states that the
Cochineal insect thrived best on the O. Dillenit, but the insects
m Bengal were found to contain only 10 to 16 per cent. of
os eghe matter, and fetched = Rs 5 sage seer, whoneas
tra Buchanan in. 1801 found: ‘eochineal — care a
100 CACTE,
ing all expenses, the farmer sold the cochineal for 1] pence a
pound. Dr. Buchanan calls the plants Nopals, their Mexican
name, but states that it is the cactus “aboriginal of the
country” ; he also reports that the insect is of the bad ki
recently Tiierodiis —
Roxburgh, speaking of Cactus indicus (O. Dillenii), says?
‘Upon this plant the Cochineal insects lately brought fro
America thrive and multiply abundantly.” In 1833-45, t
culture of cochineal was again attempted by M. Sundt an
others upon O. Tuna with the true Cochineal insect, and this
culture appears to have been carried on to a certain extent,
in 1857 silver grain Cochineal from Chittledroog and Ooso
‘grown upon this plant was shown at the Madras Exhibition.
In 1848, Dr. Dempster successfully dyed woollen cloths wi
dye extracted from the insect foand on the common pas
Dr. Dempster laid particular stress on the advantage of
vating the native insect in preference to importing fo
varieties, and his views were corroborated by Dr. McClelland
the Calcutta Botanic Gardens, who wrote on the subject
1848. Inthe same year, Dr. Fleming found numerous ville
near Amritsar engaged in gathering Cochineal insects fromt
hedges of cactus or prickly pear. The Cochineal was aie
sold to the Amritsar dyers at one rupee a seer. It 2
however, that the growth of wild Cochincal is very irreg
the insects completely destroy the cactus plants wherever th
appear, and some time must elapse before the plants can ¢ r
again. The quantity of native Cochineal produced in Ind
not known. Dr. Bidie, reporting on the culture of Cochinesl
India in 1882, remarks :—“ The efforts made about the be
ning of the present century to establish the industry f
owing to the introduction of an inferior variety of the Co
insect. One of the species of cactus on which the insect |
in Brazil having been introduced with it in 1795 by
Neilson, H. M. 7th Regiment, it has been ig
CACTE. 101
e are various other species here on which the insect will
? The report concludes with a description of a Mexican
fopalry or cactus garden, which could be easily imitated in
nany parts of India,
The Indo-Portuguese of the present day, as well as the
atives of India, highly esteem the fruits of O. Dillenii as a
remedy in whooping cough and asthma. From a few experi-
- ments we haye made with a syrup of the fruit, which is ofa
_ splendid purple colour, it appears to increase the secretion of
bile when given in teaspoonful doses 3 to 4 times a day, and
to control ‘the spasmodic cough and expectoration. In one
ase of asthma, due to the irritation of pregnancy, after every
i
turned. Eventually a cure was effected. In several cases
of whooping cough, a similar effect was produced as long as
the syrup was taken daily, and in a case of bronchial catarrh
entirely stopped the cough and expectoration within 24 hours.
Its action is probably due to the soluble malate of manganese
which we have found contained in the fruit. Kobert has
own that the salts of this metal when injected into the
ood or subcutaneously, paralyse voluntary movement and
reflex action, and stop the heart in diastole; the paralysis
of reflex action being due to the destruction of the transverse
_ conduction of the spinal cord, longitudinal conduction remain-
ing intact.
Chemical composition. —'The air-dried fruit heated to 100°C,
lost 26°21 per cent. in weight. The ash amounted to 9°65 per
cent., and was of a very light dirty reddish colour. Chemically
the ash was of interest on account of the extremely —
amount of manganese present. Boiling water extracted 46°99
per cent. of yellowish extractive, which contained 4-00» per
cent- of ash. The solution had an acid reaction, and re
reduced an alkaline cupric solution on boiling. e
was a —— apiat
. : effect i is produced.
102 FICOIDEZ.
The total free acidity of the air-dried fruit calculated as mali
acid amounted to °63 per cent. The saccharine matter cal
’ lated as grape sugar amounted to 29°76 per cent. of the :
dried fruit.
. An alcoholic extract of the fruit contained a fluid fatty ac1
in small amount, also some wax, resinous matter, malic acid
colouring matter, sugar, &c., &c. No alkaloidal principle co
be detected.
FICOIDER.
TRIANTHEMA MONOGYNA, Linz.
‘Fig.—De. Pl. Grass. 109; Wight Ic., t. 228.
Hab.—Throughout India. The root.
Vernacular.—Nasarjanghi, Bishkhapra (Hind.), Vishkhé
(Mar,), Satudo (Guz.), Sharunnay (Tam.}, Ghalijeroo Se: ‘)
Sabuni ( Beng.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant has been given
Sanskrit name of Sveta Punarnava, or white Boerhaavia, frot
the resemblance of its foliage when young: to that of Boerhaat
having cathartic and irritant properties, and is said to be be
times given to women to procure abortion. Ainslie says :
root, which is bitter and nauseous, is given in powder in comb:
these roots are considered useful in wbiiadiliad of the li
asthma and amenorrhcea, The dose as a purgative is about
drachms of the powdered root to be Beta eat the Ss
‘Description.—a diffuse, prostrate, db i
ae plant, which appears at the commencement
; -FICOIDEA. , 103
season ; leaves 4 to 1} in., obovate ; petiole tin.; flowers soli-+
tary; calyx-lobes obtuse, cuspidate ; stamens 10 to 20; cap-
sule 2 in., scarious below, beak exserted, coriaceous, Se
een adnate to the enclosed seed, lower part 3 to 5-seeded.
Seeds black, scarcely shining, with concentric, broken, and
undulating, raised lines. (Fl. "Br, Ind.)
_ Chemical composition. —The plant affords a thick mucilagi-
nous decoction unaffected by iodine solution, and precipitated
by ferric chloride and neutral acetate of lead. It gives a pre-
cipitate with barium hydrate, which contains a glucoside hav-
ing similar properties to saponin; the insoluble decomposition
product when weighed pointed to the presence of a small
amount of this body.
:
:
E
MOLLUGO STRICTA, Linn.
Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal. x., t. 26.
Hab.--Throughout India, The plant.
MOLLUGO See ots —_
Fig. —Rheede Hort. Mal. «., t. 24,
Hab. -—lEhronglbout India, except the N.-Western pitts
Vernacular,—Jima (Hind., Beng.), Toora-elley, Kacchantha-
ra (Tam.), Chayntaréshiakoo (Tel.), Jharasi (Mar.), a
_ jira ee ), Parpataka (Can.).
& pot herb. The Hindi name is derived from the Sanskrit
fim or 9H, to eat. Medicinally they are considered to ted
stomachic, aperient and antiseptic.
_ Rheede, speaking of M, stricta, says: ee ioe ex tots hac
lanta confectum cholerg medetur; preparatur et ex illa
‘minuit.” Ane (ii., ais writes to the :
104 FICOIDEA.
ing M. Spergula, and adds that the plant is administered for q
ache. He considers that it is justly held in estimation by t
native practitioners. In Pudukota the juice of M. Spergu
is applied to itch and other skin diseases, and that of M. hir
(Sirooseroopadi, J’am.,) is administered internally to weak ¢
dren. The latter plant is stated by Watt to be prescribed
the Punjab and Sind for diarrhoea under the names of Poprang
Gandi-buti and Kottruk.
Description,—W. stricta: Glabrous, stems much branched,
leafy, often a foot high in rich wet soil, sometimes only a few
inches where the situation is unfavourable Leaves 3? to 13 i1
whorled or opposite, from lanceolate acute to obovate obtuse,
elliptic or round. Stamens 3 to 5, filaments dilated. ES ‘|
3, Short, linear. Capsule as long as the sepals, globose, man
seeded, the walls thin. Seeds dark chestnut-coloured; emb
curled into three-quarters of a complete circle. (FU. Br. I;
M. Spergula: Glabrous or nearly so, branching, diffuse, le
Leaves } to 1 in., usually whorled, spathulate lanceolate
elliptic; petiole 0 to} in. Pedicels } to } in. Sepals 3 to
in., oblong, margins often membranaceous. Stamens 5 to 1
Stigmas 3, minute. Capsule ellipsoid, a little shorter than tl
sepals. Seeds many, covered with raised tubercular poles f
and appendaged by a minute short subulate bristle, and s
times by a second, yet more minute bristle. (Fl. By. Ind.)
Chemical composition.—The bitter principle of M. stricta
soluble in ether, alcohol and water, and is precipitated from
the aqueous solution ky tannin, but not by neutral lead acetate.
It solution does not respond to alkaloidal tests, and it is |
FICOIDEZ. 105
4 is a gum gelatinizing with ferric chloride. The dried herb
3 deflagrated occasionally during the process of combustion in
the open air; this was found to be due to the presence of
alkaline nitrates. The white ash amounted to 68'1 per cent.
GISEKIA PHARNACEOIDES, Linn,
Fig.— Wight Ic., tt. 1167, 1168.
_ Hab.—tThe Panjab, Sind, South Deccan Peninsula, Cey-
- lon. The plant.
_ _. Vernacular.—Bélu-ka-ség (Hind.), Walu-chi-bh4ji (Mar.),
_ Manal-kirai (Tam.), Isaka-dasarikura (‘'el.), Attirilla-péla
(Cing.), Baluka (Beng.).
4 History, Uses, &c.—This plant is called in Sanskrit
q Balu, Baluka, Valuka and Elavaluka on account of the number
_ of large raphides contained in the leaves, and which give them
_ the appearance of being full of sand (valu). Béluka is consi-
dered by the Hindus to be aromatic, aperient and anthelmin-
tic, and is used as a vegetable like the Mollugos; the Hindi
and Marathi names signify “sandy potherb.” Capt. W.
__H. Lowther (Journ. of Agri.-Hort. Soc. of India, 1857, vol,
_ ix., p. 285,) appears to have been the first to bring the anthel-
_ mintic properties of this plant to the notice of Europeans.
The fresh plant, including the leaves, stalks, and capsules, is
directed to be employed in cases of teenia, in doses of about an
ounce, ground up ina mortar with sufficient water to make a
draught. This is to be repeated three times at an interval of
- four days, the patient each time taking it after fasting for some
hours. ‘ ae
Description.—A diffuse branched herb, Leaves 0
or falsely whorled, fleshy, $ to 11 in., oblong.S or elliptic,
narrowed at at the base ; petiole: 0 to ss in. Sepals
106 FICOIDER.
Chemical composition.—The most interesting principles pre- _
sent in the seeds are astringent principles which we provision-
ally call a and 6 Gisekia tannin. « Gisekia tannin is obtained
by agitating an alcoholic extract of the seeds with ether, it
forms an orange varnish, in which nodules gradually form on
standing, which on microscopic examination are seen to consist
of narrow plates and a few needles of a deep yellow colour.
The ether extract is easily soluble in alkalies with deep orange
coloration, and is reprecipitated by acids in yellow flocks. In —
water the ether extract is nearly wholly soluble with yellow
colour and astringent taste. Ferric and ferrous salts give a
dirty deep brown coloration, without any tinge of blue. Potas-
sium cyanide a deep orange coloration. Both acetates of lead
chromate deep yellow, slowly changing to yellowish bro
Bromine water dirty brownish yellow. It reduces an alke
copper solution on boiling and precipitates gelatine in white
flocks.
8 Gisekia tannin occurs as a deep orange powder, and is
tained by acidulating the aqueous alcoholic extract after agita-
tion with ether, when the tannin is precipitated. In cold water _
it is slightly soluble, but dissolves easily in boiling water
a yellow coloration, the liquid becoming'turbid on cooling,
_ is easily soluble in amylicalcohol — Ferric salts afford a n
black precipitate, without any tinge ofblue. In alkalies it dis-
solves with ® wine red coloration, the tint being brighter with
ammonia than with the fixed alkalies. Potassic cyanide gives @
similar coloration. * Both acetates of lead afford flesh coloured
precipitates. Bromine water a yellowish precipitate, sulphate
of copper whitish. It precipitates gelatine in white flocks, a
reduces slightly an alkaline copper solution on boiling.
- ‘We failed to detect any al
The anthelmintic properties of
to these tannin-like principles.
kaloidal principle in the see
the seeds are very probably
UMBELLIFERZ. 107
Commerce.—The seeds under the name of Balukaare sold by
ggists in Bengal.
UMBELLIFER®.
HYDROCOTYLE ASIATICA, Tinn
Fig.—Hort. Mal. «., 46; Wight Ic., t. 565; Bentl. and
_ Trim., t.117. Indian Pennywort (Hng.), Bevilacque (Mau-
4 rice).
_ . Hab.— India. The plant.
___-~Vernacular.—Brahmamanduki, Khulakhudi, Brahmi ( Hind.),
_ Thalkuri (Beny.), Karivana, Karinga (Mar.), Vallarai (Tam.),
Khar-brahmi, Khi-brahmi (G@uz.), Babassa (Tel), Ondelaga
Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—In Sanskrit works this plant is
alled Brahmi and Mandukaparni Chakradatta directs the _
fresh juice to be given with milk and liquorice, In the
ighantas it bears many synonyms, and is described as cold,
moist, sweet, light and alterative; it is said to improve the
emory and understanding, and to cure leprosy, jaundice,
gonorrhea and fever. The plant was known to Rheede by its
alayalim name of Codogam or Kutakan, and also to Rum-
hius. Ainslie informs us that an infusion of the toasted leaves
n conjunction with fenugreek is given to children suffermg
om bowel complaints and fever in doses of half a teacupful,
also that the leaves on the Coromandel Coast are applied to 3
parts that have suffered from blows and bruises, having, it is
supposed, the power of keeping off inflammation. In Jaya, —
according to Horsfield, they are considered diuretic, and on the
Malabar Coast the plant is one of the remedies for le
As a exerely | in this disease it was first brought prox
notice by Boileau, in 1859. Dr. A. Hunter, who
Madras Leper Hospital, came to the conel it
claim to Considerar as. oe eed in lepro
‘most useful in rt
108 - UMBELLIFERA.
general health. In the Pharmacopeia of India it has been —
made official, and is described as an alterative, tonic and local
stimulant, more especially useful in syphilitic skin diseases, in
which it may be used both as an internal and local remedy.
Directions for making a powder and poultice are given. More
recent reports from Europe (1885) confirm this statement, and —
there has been some enquiry for the drug in Bombay which
has led to its cultivation on a small scale. In the neighbour
hood of Bombay the plant is rare in a wild state, bub m
often be seen in gardens ; it is a popular remedy for the slig
dysenteric derangements of the bowels to which children 04
subject ; 3 to 4 leaves are given with cumin and sugar, and
the pounded leaves are applied to the navel. In the Conc
one or two leaves are given every morning to cure stutterin,
and the juice is applied to skin eruptions supposed to
from heat of blood.* Dr. Clement Daruty de Grandpré (
veaux Remédes, 8th April, 1888,) states that this plant is
abundant in Mauritius that it serves as forage for cattle, w
milk it improves ; it is also greedily eaten by pigs and o
domestic animals. He says it should be very carefully dri
and bottled to preserve the volatile oil which is the acti
The dose is 10 grs. of the
der three times a day ; in short, this drug is in small dc
powerful stimulant, especially of the cutaneous system, with
results above described in the case of lepers. In large
a en ae Urner meme ga eR re a Z
* Generally as a ép with Cadamba bark, Ghi, and Black Camin
UMBELLIFERZ. 109
3 acts as a stupefying narcotic, producing headache, giddiness,
4 a with some people a tendency to coma.
3 Description.—The plant grows freely all the year round
if watered, sending out long runners, which produce leaves,
roots and fruit at the jomts. The peduncles and petioles are
fascicled ; the latter are frequently three to fou inches long ;
the peduncles are very short, and bear a 3 or 4-flowered
simple umbel with very short rays; the leaves are reniform,
' crenate, 3 to 2 inches in diameter, 7-nerved, glabrons, or when
q young somewhat hairy on the under side; the fruit is laterally
_ compressed, orbicular, acute on the back; the mericarps reti-
_ culated, sometimes a little hairy, with 3 to 5 curved ribs; they
have no vitte. The fresh herb has an aromatic somewhat
_ ivy-like odour when crushed and a nauseous bitter taste, but
_ these qualities are to a great extent lost in drying.
Chemical composition.—Hydrocotyle has been analysed by
_ Lépine of Pondicherry (Journ. de Pharm. et de Chim. [3]
_ xxviii., p. 46), who found in it a peculiar body which he named
- Vellarin, and described as being obtainable from the dry plant
the extent of 0°8 to 1-0 per cent. He describes it as an oily
non-volatile liquid, with the odour and taste of the fresh herb,
luble in spirit, ether, caustic ammonia, and partially in hy-
rochloric acid, and volatilizing at 120°. The authors of the
rganic compounds ; moreover, they failed to obtain “ee
like it from the dry herb. os
_ We find that the fresh leaves contain about 78 per cent. of
water.
Distilled with water some traces of a stearopten-like wily:
‘Were condensed and the distillate was neutral. The ether
extract contained a white crystalline substance possessing th
odour of the drug, with resin and fat amounting to 8°9 per c
the dried leayes. Alcohol dissolved 24° 5 per cent. of
d sugar, the tannin gives a bulky green
erric chloride and neutral apotate of di
110 UMBELLIFERZA.
line solutions, and isreprecipitated by acids. 11°5 per cent. of
gum, sugar, and salts was extracted by water, and 12°5 .
cent. of albuminous matter by diluted caustic soda. The po
dered leaves yielded 12:4 per cent. of ash, nearly half of whi
consists of alkaline sulphates. Lépine’s vellarin was most pr
bably a mixed substance composed of the odorous fatty bot
with some resin. “
Commerce.—The dried herb is kept by the duggists. Valu
Rs. 7 to 8 per Surat maund of 37} lbs. It is generally much
mixed with grass and weeds.
CONIUM MACULATUM, Linn. ©
Fig.—Bentl. and Trim., t.118. Hemlock (Eng.), Ci
(Fr.).
Hab.—Enurope, Northern Asia, The fruit and root.
Vernacular.—Kirdaména, Kurduména,* Khorasani
(Ind. Bazars).
History, Uses, &c.—We have met with no mentio
Hemlock i in Hindu works on Materia Medica.
celebrated Athenian state poison, by which Socrates died, |
the Cicuta of the Romans.+ Moreover, xcéveov is the m
Greek name for.Hemlock. Ibn Sina identifies the w
(hemlock) of the Arabs and Persians with the covey of }
corides. Ibn Baitér and Haji Zein-el-attér (A.D. 1368) :
identify Showkr4n with the xéveov of the Greeks and Cieuta
the Romans; the former tells us that it is called Ha’
Spain, and the latter writer says that it is known as Du
the district of Yezd, and that the best is obtained from the
*Kurduména according to the Burbin, where it e decribed ae oil
way, mountain caraway, Syrian caraway and Turkish caraway. The
identify it with Conium —_ ai
‘t See Theophrastes H. 8; vi, 2) ix., 8. Dioscorides iv, 77
ll. Pliny 25, 95. Phi, ins 29 E; Xenophon H tise 56.
erates
UMBELLIFER 2. 111
ie and its termination by convulsions and failure of the
respiration. The Indian bazar names, which signify “ Syrian
or wild caraway” and ‘“Khorasién Ajowan” are apparently
euphemistic. ;
The ancients were well acquainted with the properties of
_ hemlock, and it is said that the priests of Eleusis, who were
under a vow of chastity, used to rub their bodies with its juice.
_ The Arabian and Persian physicians repeat almost word for
recapitulate, as they were those held by modern European phy-
sicians up to a comparatively recent date. The preparation
of the plant recommmended for medicinal use by the Arabians
is an extract made by expressing the juice of the unripe fruit
_and drying it; this preparation is doubtless far more efficient
an the extract and tincture of our Pharmacopeeias. Harley
(The Old Vegetable Neurotics, 1869,) has shown that the green
unripe fruits are the most active part of the plant, and that
a in cold-blooded animals. There is dilatation of the pupil
nd ptosis from paralysis of the endings of the third nerve.
ocally applied, it appears to paralyse the ends of the sensory
erves. Methyl-coniine acts on the spinal cord, causing para-
sis of reflex action. Dimethyl-coniine and conhydrine have
action similar to that of coniine, but less poreee ide
runton.)
In ee hemlock is now chiefly used as a ‘neurot
ressed and preserved juice of the. ‘wnripe
red to the old preparations, y |
ve principles, Tt has boon tried
112 UMBELLIFERZA
poisoning, but without success. In the Hast it is prescribed as
& neurotic in painful affections of the skin and subjacent
tissues, and as an antaphrodisiac. Mir Muhammad Mumin
has a curious preparation in the Tuhfat, which he has named
““Umrw’s raisins, ® and which he recommends as a preservative i
of the seminal fluid. It is made by stewing together 5 dirhams
each of hemlock root and hyoscyamus seeds with 150 large —
raisins and 150 miskals of water until dry ; the raisins ave then. :
removed and preserved. The dose is from one to three daily.
Description.—Kirdamana resembles English hemlock
fruit, but is a little larger and of a darker grey colour; it
appears to have been collected when mature or nearly so. Ifa
section of the fruit.is examined under the microscope it will.
seen that there are no vittee, and that the cells of the end
carp contain a brown substance, which consists of coniine
cubic cells. When crushed in a mortar with a few drops
liquor potassce, kirdamana seeds have a mousey odour.
a
Chemical composition—The most important constituent |
hemlock fruit is the volatile alkaloid coniine (C®H'"N), aco
less, inflammable, oily fluid, specific gravity -846 at 12° ¢
Coniine has a strong alkaline reaction, a penetrating suffocatin
odour, and boils when pure at 168° to 169° C.. It is soluble:
all proportions in alcohol, ether, chloroform, benzol, benzil
and fixed oils, is less freely soluble in carbon bisulphide, :
requires 100 parts of cold water for solution
it forms dense white fumes with volatile acids,
most metallic salts, some of the precipitates,
soluble in an excess. It neutralizes acids,
are freely soluble in water and alcohol, are
and occasionally uncrystallizable, and are
platinic chloride. Its hydrochlorate and
Like ammo’
it precipitate
like silver, be
forming salts wh
usually deliquescent
not precipitated bj
hydrobromate
UMBELLIFERA. 113
. ciate’ in ether, are phetiiaaied : in @ white crystalline form ;
both are very soluble in water and alcohol, are not deliquescent
_ and may be dried at 190° C. without decomposition.
4 Coniine is accompanied by Conhydrine (C8H!? NO) and often
by Methyl-coniine (C°H'7’N), the former of which is left in the
retort on the careful distillation of crude coniine. Hemlock
fruit contains also a fixed oil, a minute portion of non-poison-
ous volatile oil having the odour of cumin, and probably
malic acid in combination with the alkaloids. The fully grown
green fruit yields about 0°8 per cent. of coniine, conhydrine is
always present in a very small proportion. According to
Wernecke the fruit yields 6°69 per cent. of ash.
a ah a
Coniine has been made synthetically by Ladenburg and its
nature and derivation clearly shown. It is the dextro-rotatory
anormal propyl-piperidine. In obtaining it, pyridine is first
converted into a allyl-pyridine, which reduced by sodium in
alcoholic solution yields an optically inactive a normal propyl-
_ piperidine. The tartrate of this base is made and crystallized,
_ when, following the analogy of the splitting of racemic acid
into dextro-rotatory and levo-rotatory tartaric acid, we get a
- dextro and a levo coniine, of which the first is the true alkaloid
of hemlock.
Toxtcology.—No cases of hemlock poisoning appear to have
been recorded in India. For white mice the lethal dose is
_ -0758 grm. per kilo body weight; whilst 075 grm. does not
cause death. (Ladenburg.)
Commerce.—The Persian seed is sold for Re. 3 per !b.
CUMINUM CYMINUM, finn.
Fig.—Bentl. and Trim., t. 134. Cumin (Eng., Fr.).
Hab.—Africa. Cultivated in India. The fruit.
Vernacular.—Jirva, Safed-jira (Hind., Beng.), Shi
(am ), Jilakara, Jiraka, Jirana (Tel.), Jirakam (Mal.
Can.), Jivé (Mar. )§ Gated nip (Guz.). ;
“Ths ~ BN ee
re 414 UMBELLIFER.
weeear yy, S66, &C Tho use of cumin aaa spice and —
medicine is of the highest antiquity, and appears to have spread
from the cradle of civilization in Egypt to Arabia, Persia, Indi
and China. Cumin is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, it is
the «ipwov of the Greeks, and Theophrastus (H. P. 1X.) t
us that it was the custom to utter curses when sowing it (pro:
bably to avert the evil eye). Dioscorides (iii., 61,) calls
kipuvov ypepov, and notices its medicinal properties ; in the sam
chapter he mentions another kind of cumin, “ the king’s cumin
of Hippocrates,” which the Arabians identify with ajowan,
and in the next chapter two kinds of wild cumin. Populat
allusions to cumin are common in the writings of the Greeks
and Romans, cumin and salt was a symbol of friendship (Plut
Symp. 5,10, 1). Pliny tells us that students eat it to make
themselves look pale and interesting, Greek writers mention a
kipwo-doxoy or cumin-box which was placed on the table li
a salt-cellar. Fliickiger and Hanbury trace its use during t
Middle Ages, when it appears to have been much valued
i<>)
for the same purpose in Italy, and on account of its suppos
retentive powers is given to domestic animals to keep them
from straying, and by girls to their sweethearts for the s
reason.
Jira and Jirana, the Sanskrit names for cumin, as wellas the
Persian Zhireh or Zireh, and all the Indian vernacular names
appear to be derived from the root J ri, and to allude to the
digestive properties of the seeds ; other Sanskrit names are
Ajaji “ that overcomes goats, ”
| UMBELLIFERA. 115
these four kinds were, but it seems probable that the Kirm4ni
or black cumin is correctly identified by the Indian Maho-
metans with the seeds known in India as Siyah-Jira, a species
of caraway peculiar to Central Asia, The Nabti or Egyptian
_kind is probably true cumin.
Cumin is much used as a condiment in ee and is an
essential ingredient in all the mixed spices and curry powders of
the natives. Medicinally they regard it as stomachic, carmina-
tive and astringent, and prescribe it im chronic diarrhoea and
dyspepsia. A medicinal oil is expressed from the seeds.
Cumin is applied in the form of a plaster.to allay pain and irri-
_ tation. It is thought to be very cooling, and on this account it
isan ingredient in most antaphrodisiac prescriptions, and is
_ administered in gonorrhoea.
Description.—The fruit consists of two mericarps which
remain united together when dry, and form an elongated ovoid
_ body about ¢ inch long and 75 broad in the ida. aur-
- mounted by the styles ; each mericarp has five primary ridges
nd four secondary, the vitte are six in number, two of them
being situated on the commissural side ; the seed is pentan-
gular with rounded angles. ©
Chemical composition.—Cumim fruits yielded to Bley (1824)
7-7 per cent. of fat oil, 13°5 per cent. of resin, 8 of mucilage
and gum, 15°5 of protein compounds, and a large amount of
malates. Their peculiar, strong, aromatic smell and taste de-
end on the essential oil, of which they afford about 4 percent.
t contains about 56 per cent. of Cuminol (or Cuminaldehyde),
HO, a liqnid of sp. gr. 0-972, boiling point 237° C.
boiling cuminol with potash in aloskolia solution, cuminalcoho
C'°H"*0, as well as the potassium salt. of cuminic
019203, are formed.
Poko as
116 UMBELLIFERA.
Cymene C'°H'* may also be artificially obtained from a 4
large number of essential oils having the composition C!°H!®, —
CrH'O, C'°H'60, or C1°H'8Q. It differs very remarkably —
from the oil of the formula C!°H?6, inasmuch as cymene yiel
crystallizable cymensulphonic acid, when it is warmed wi
concentrated sulphuric acid.
There is also present in oil of cumin a small amount of
terpene, C!°H'S, boiling at 155°8 C.
Warnecke obtained 8°09 per cent. of ash from cumin frui
Commerce. —Cumin is grown in Northern India and is also
imported from Persia and sometimes from Asia Minor. The
exports, which range from 10 to 12 thousand ewts., are chiefl
to Hastern ports, many of them Indian, Hurope only takin;
from 500 to 600 ewts. The average value in India may
stated at from Rs. 6 to 8 per Surat maund of 37% lbs.
CARUM COPTICUM, Benth.
Fig.— Wight Ic., t. 566; Jacq. Hort. Vind, tt. 52, OC
Bentl. and Tsim., t. 120. Bishop’s weed, Lovage (Hug.
Ammi de l’Inde (F’.).
Hab.—Africa, cultivated in India. The fruit. —
Vernacular.—Ajwain, Ajwén (Hind ), Joan, Ajowdn (Ben
Ova, Ajma (Mar.), Ajamo (Guz.), Omam (Tam.), Om
—-Vémamu (Tel.), Omu (Can.). :
History, Uses, &c.—A small African seed called aps
described by Dioscorides (ii
.
early Sanskrit writers under the name of Yavéni or Yavé
“ of foreign origin,” and appears to have been one of se
Ui agen ee
UMBELLIFERAE 117
and khah ‘relish.’ Ibn Sina notices it under the name of Nan-
_ khah, but does not identify it with any of the kinds of cumin
_ which he mentions. Pliny (20, 58,) says that ammi and king’s
- eumin are considered to be identical. Haji Zein-el-Attér
(A. D. 1368) identifies nankhah with the ammi of Dioscorides
and Paulus Aigineta, and quotes the opinions of those physi-
cians concerning its medicinal properties. He also informs us
that the drug has a reputation for its antiseptic properties, and
is used to promote the healing of foul sores, and to remove the
offensive odour of the discharges from them.
The author of the Tuhfat-el-muminin, and other Mahome-
tan physicians, who have written in India, identify Ajowan
with the ammi or basilikon kuminon of Dioscorides, and also
with the zhinian and nankhah of Persia; they give it the Arabic
name of Kamin-el-multki, “ king’s cumin.”
The authors of the Pharmacographia speaking of Fructus
_ Ajowan, remark: “ Owing to their having been confounded
_ with some other very small umbelliferous fruits it is difficult
~ to trace them precisely in many of the older writers on Materia _
Medica. It is however probable that they are the Ammi of
- Anguillaria (1561), and the Ammi perpusillum of Lobel (1571),
in whose time the seeds were obtained from Egypt. They are
certainly the Ajave seeds of Percival (1773), who obtained
_ them from India.” The plant is the Ptychotis Ajowan of later
a European writers on Indian Materia Medica.
In native practice, ajowan is much used as a carminative,
either alone or in combination with rock salt, asafootida, myro-
balans, &c. It is also thought to check discharges of a
chronic kind, and is therefore used in making lotions, collyria,
118 _UMBELLIPERA
Description.—The fruits are of the size and shape
those of parsley, of a greyish-brown colour, with a tubercul
surface. Each mericarp has five prominent ridges, the inte
vening channels being dark brown, with a single vitta in eae
The commissural side bears two vittw. The odour resembh
that of thyme.
Chemical composition—The fruits according to Stenh
(1855) yield 5 to 6 per cent. of an agreeably aromatic, vol
oil, sp. gr. 0-896. At the same time there collects on the st
face of the distilled water, a crystalline substance. This stea
opten, under the name of Ajowan-ke-phul, was first ma
known by Stocks, and was examined by Stenhouse and
Haines, who showed its identity with thymol, as contained
Thymus vulgaris. (Pharmacographia.) Thymol isthe phen
of cymene, and its composition is shown by the formula C®E
C*H’, CH’, OH. Widman (1882) has succeeded in pre
it synthetically from cuminol by converting this into
cuminol, acting upon this with phosphorus pentachloride,
nitro~cymylene chloride, C'®H'!(NO#)CI%, is formed,
treating this with nascent hydrogen, first at a low tempe
afterwards with the aid of heat, to obtain cymidin, OC!
NH?. 2°87
information regarding the composition of various coffee
tes, the reader is referred to Konig’s work already
and to Battershall’s Food Adulteration.
he roasting of coffee, which is best accomplished at a
erature of about 250° C., renders the seeds pulverizable,
at the same time gives hans a more agreeable taste and
les them to yield more of their constituents to water. The
hus acquires a chestnat-brown colour and loses about
r cent. of its weight... The generation of gaseous com
res the cells, and a peculiar and agreeable
ybably.. the decomposition «
294 RUBIACEA.
tannin, But Payen’s (as well as Rochleder’s) investigations
failed to point out the principle to which the changes are due. |
Very probably they depend upon the decomposition of several
it is slowly volatilized at the temperature stated; hence the
roasting of coffee ought to be effected in closed vessels. Be
heimer (1880) found nearly one-half of the products of roasti
to consist of palmitic acid, the remainder being acetic a
carbonic acid, probably acetone, hydroquinone, pyrrol, met
lamine, 18 to ‘21 per cent. caffeine, and ‘04 or ‘05 cof
C°H'°O?, to which the aroma of coffee is due; it is an oil
ing at 195° C. (383° F.), and is probably a methyl ether |
saligenin. (Stillé and Maisch.)
The extract from roasted coffee, mean of eight analyses,
the following composition : 100 parts of coffee yielded to +
25°50 per cent. of extractive, containing ‘5 per cent. nitrog
5°18 per cent. oil, 13°14 per cent, non-nitrogenous matter ¢
4°06 per cent. ash. (K@nig.)
Mocha coffee yields as much as 7°84 per cent. of ash—cc
sisting chiefly of carbonates and phosphates of potassi
sodium, magnesium, and calcium, the earthy salts amounting
one-seventh or one-sixth of the weight.
The percentage of caffeine contained in raw coffee has
Kind of Coffee. Moisture, Caffeine, -
p: 100. p-100
NOPE 6 seas seis sorceccou ctu tae 8-0 ." 1:20
Guatemala au O6 1°29
Travancore ste 10°C 1°29
Liberia (1) 8-0 1°39
ss (2) rs 8-0 1:39
Rio een eenee bt diate h ) 9°] 1:20
RUBIACEH. 995
Kind of Coffee. : Moisture, Caffeine,
‘ ~ p. 100 pee00. ss
mentos, Brazil” ......-sscsess 90° | 1:29
Manilla pee ig: 1°20
Ceylon 6°2 1-24
erak 78 1-22
Costa-Rica pore 1:24
Jamaica (pale) .....005..000 RE : | 1-21
RE 0 rr eet, 9°0 1:28»
Mysore lieuassGuveusheees 8:0 1:28
he process for the extraction of the caffeine used by Paul
Cownley was the following :—The coffee in fine powder
ixed with moist lime and exhausted by alcohol in a Waitt’s
or. After removal of the alcohol the dry residue was
with a small quartity of water, acidulated by sulphuric
to convert into sulphate the trace of lime present. After
on the liquid was shaken with chloroform, and on the
aporation of the chloroform the caffeine was obtained in 4 _
ine state. é
merce.—The coffceecaltaraltt region is Bonikent Fadia} ;
(et
blight (which is caused by a is, Hemi vast ta br
ing over the leaves and destroying their functions) it
rted ae quantities to other countries, as the ne 2
show :—
Quantities in Cwts. Value i in Rupees.
1,54,36,427 .
1879-20 359,313 1,62,67,465
1880-8] 869,357 . 1,59,96,688 _
1881-82... oy cisss..4055.+ 946,364 1,44,74,;650. -
1882-83 353,324 1,39,22,040
locha coffee is imported into Bombay, where it fetches
arly double the price of Indian coffee.
iplospora a anal Dalz. Haken in Kew. Journ.
Ce _ RUBIACED.
as a substitute for coffee either by the natives or Europe
planters. The berries are from 4 to 3 of an inch in diameter
the sweetish pulp, they are round and flattened in shape,
glossy on the surface, light-brown in colour and horny in con-
sistence. The seeds turn dark brown when roasted, throwing
off the parchment-like testa, and when powdered possess. !
aroma resembling that of coffee. The roasted and powdered E:
seeds were submitted to Brig.-Gen. A. Kenney-Herbert,
great authority on Indian cookery, and he reported as
follows—‘‘ The percolated liquor had a remarkably pleasant
taste, havirig a marked flavour of coffee. Indeed, the only
difference I could detect was this :—The liquor was not so dark
in tint as coffee, being more golden brown than dark bro
and the beverage brewed seemed not quite so strong as wol
have been produced by a similar quantity of coffee powde
There can be no doubt of the distinct coffee-like properties
this powder, and the absence of any twang or conflicting fla
to mar its pleasant taste. a
The seeds contain an alkaloid, which can be separated
same manner as caffeine, an astringent acid, an aromatic
some fat, one or more sugars, and four per cent. of
matter. The dried extract obtained by boiling water
per cent., or something less than that obtained from cultivat
coffee berries, : ;
MORINDA CITRIFOLIA, finn |
Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal, i., t. 52; Wight Tll., t. 126,
MORINDA TINCTORI
Fig.—Bedd. Fl. Sylv., t. 290. |
Hab.
and fruit. ee
Vernacular—A’l, Atchi- (Hind.), A’, Baratondi
Nagakuda (Mar.), Niina-maram (Tam.), Ach, Achhu ( Bt
Munja, Pavattari (Tel. ), Maddi (Can.). ; 22
A, Roxb.
—Throughout India, wild or cultivated. The leaves
RUBIACE@. 227
istory, Uses, &c.—The roots of these plants, in Sans-
chhuka, have long been in useas a red dye in India, and
wes and fruit are used medicinally. A paste of the leaves
bined with aromatics is given in diarrhcea and dysentery
d is also used as a tonic and febrifuge. The juice is used as:
‘deobstruent and emmenagogue, and when unripe is eaten as
egetable in curries. Morinda is extensively cultivated in
lalwa ; itissown broadcast or in drills, and the ground ploughed
md harrowed. In from 15 to 20 days the sced comes up, the
leld is then weeded, and the ground stirred. This operation
s old, when the fruit is gathered, placed in heaps, covered
straw and allowed to rot; the seed is then washed out.
at or other grain is cultivated between the trees. The root
ocrted to Guzerat and Hindustan, See As. Research, iv,
» where an account of the method of dyeing with the root
be found. The plant is also cultivated in Southern India,
ng, smooth shining leaves, 10 to 12 inches long, and 4 to
inches broad, veins pale, and prominent on the under sur-
ce ; flowers white, with a long infundibuliform corolla ; fruit
biong, 3inches or more in length, and composed of the
ucculent enlarged calyces, enclosing many cartilaginous
ed pyrenes ; it is vf a pale yellowish green colour, and is
w
are black and not unlike quince seeds. M. ti
and fruit very sim
tree, having leaves, flowers
>»
ed with numerous circular scars; when quite ripe it has
extremely offensive odour like that of putrid cheese. The = __
298 RUBIACEA.
M. citrifolia, but the fruit is smaller, and the leaves are —
pubescent and in one variety quite tomentose. Some botanists
consider it to be the wild form of M. citrifolia. Morinda tO
has a reddish-brown nearly smooth bark, which has a nauseous
slightly bitter flavour; the woody portion is hard and of an
orange-yellow or reddish-yellow colour. The odour of the
freshly dug root is acrid and disagreeable.
Chemical composition.—Anderson has obtained from the root-
bark of M. citrifolia by exhausting it with alcohol a crystallin
principle, Morindin, C?8H5°Q'5, to the presence of whicht
dyeing properties of the plant are due ; after repeated crystalli-
zations from dilute alcohol morindin forms slender ye
needles of a satiny lustre, soluble in boiling water, which
- cooling deposits it in gelatinous flakes. Alkalies form
morindin orange-red solutions. Heated in a clo
morindin melts, boils, and emits orange vapours, whic!
- condensation form long orange-yellow needles of Mo
(C1 511095), Rochleder (Jahresb. f. 1851, p. 548,) con
morindin to be identical with the raberithric acid which he I
extracted from madder, and morindon to be identical wi
alizarin, but morindin differs from ruberithric acid in
insoluble in ether and in its behaviour with alkalies
ruberithric acid it isa glucoside. (Wurtz, Dict. de Chim., t
p- 454 5 Edin. Phil. Trans., «vi., p. 484.) Two papers ‘
the Chemical Society for 1887 and 1888 by Prof. T. E. Thorp
_ Commerce.—One sumai (bundle) of 450 seers or 270 Ibs.
worth Rs. 15. ‘The main root is 12 annas per maund, the s
roots are more valuable and sell at Re. 1 to Re, 1-8 per mau
PAEDERIA FQETIDA, Linn.
Fig.— — Griff. Te. Pl. As., t. 479; f.3; Girt. f. Fruct.
t. 195.
Hab.—Central and Eastern Himalaya, Bengal, W. Peni
sula. The plant
e Vernacular, —Gandhali (Hind. a Gandhabhéduli ae
— Hiranyel (Mar.), Gandhana . ), Paedebiri (Pahériya
RUBIACEAE. 999
tory, Uses, &c.—An article of the Hindu Materia
lea in repute asaremedy for rheumatism. The Sanskrit
sare Prasdrani, Apehi-vata, “expelling flatulence,” and
-bhadiéliya. It is the P. fetida of Willdenow (Spec. I.,
| the Somaraji of the Asiatic Researches (IV., 261), the
lvulus feetidus of Rumphius (Amb. V. 436, t. 160), and
Apocynum ftidum of Burmannus (Ind., p. 71). The plant
found i i most parts of India and all through the Malayan
rchipelago, extending from the Mauritius. northward to
uina and Japan; in Assam it is called ‘ Bedoli Sutta,’ and in
‘ Jung-gala’; it has been lately brought to notice as a
e-yielding plant ; Roxburgh says that the Hindus use the
jas an emetic. Rumphius describes it as emollient and
ninative, and useful in colic, spasms, rheumatism and.
Corre and Lejanne say that in Cochin-China it is used
emetic under the name of Toui dit. As a specific in
umatism, used both internally and externally, it is best
nin Hindu medicine. Bh4va Misra prescribes an elec-
(Prasérani leha), which is made by boiling down a strong
n of the plant with treacle to the consistence of a thick
, and then adding ginger, pepper and Plumbago root.
1akradatta the method of preparing a liniment (Kubja
rani taila) will be found. (Duét’s Hindu Materia Medica,
ern Concan.
Description. —Stem ligneous, twining, young parts
, smooth ; leaves opposite, long petioled, oblong-cordate,
smooth, entire; stipules broad-cordate ; panicles axillary
terminal ; cccce numerous, of a deep pink colour ; bracts
e; berry ary, compressed, smooth, with five lines on each
ive odour of bisulphide of carbon when bruised. —
mical conposition.—By distillation with water
s btained, which ba the ake offens
9.) In the Bombay Presidency the plant is found in the _
one-celled, two-seeded ; seed compressed, smooth, with a |
230 RUBIACER.
fresh drug. We also obtained evidenee of the presence of at
least two alkaloids; one was soluble in ether and was deposit
second alkaloidal principle was only slightly soluble in amy
alcohol, chloroform or benzene; we failed to obtain it ina
crystalline form. No special colour reactions were obtained
with either principle. We propose provisionally for the
principles the names @ and 8 Pederine.
SPERMACOCE HISPIDA, Linn.
Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal. ix. t. 76; Burm. Thes. Zeylan.
20, f. 3. Shaggy Button weed (Hng.).
Hab.—Throughout India. The roots.
Vernacular.—Madana-ghettu (Tel.), Nutti-churi (Ta
Ghanti-chi-baji, Dhoti, Gondi (Mar.), Thardavel (Mole
ana-buntakadu (Beng.).
History, Uses, &c.—In Southern India the Sans
the plant. The seeds are thought to be aphrodisiac,
plant is prescribed to cure hemorrhoids. Kirkpatrick
_ the seeds are cooling and demulcent, and are given in dy
tery in doses of one pagoda. Rheede says of it: 7
expressus cum butyro decoctus lienteria prodest.” Ait si1¢
States that it is used as an alterative and purifier of the blo
like sarsaparilla, and is prescribed in decoction, the dose
_which is four ounces or more daily. In the Concan itis €
along with other herbs as a vegetable. According to Béla
it is used as a tonic and stimulant in Martinique.
Description. —A procumbent, scabrous, or hirsute
root fibrous, annual or perennial ; leaves obovate spath
oblong or elliptic, obtuse or acute, coriaceous, 3—1} by $
in. ; flowers 4 to 6 in a whorl, blue or white ; capsules”
tess ainibtacued; ; Seeds oblong, granulate, opaque. In
forms of ~~ plant the leaves have Sarkiligiied oi
RUBIACEZ. : 931
RUBIA TINCTORIUM, Linn.
1D.—Cashmere, Sind, Afghanistan, Europe. The roots.
r (Hng.), Garance (L'r.),
RUBIA Pecaipcis, Linn.
‘Hab.—Thronghout the hilly districts of India. The roots
Vernacular.—Manjith, Majith (Hind., Guz.), Manjitti,
nh evelli (Z'am.), Manjishta, Tamra-valli (Zel.), Manjushta
-), Manjit (Beng.), Manjeshta (Mar.).
listory, Uses, &c.—Madder is used in Hindu medi-
asa colouring agent: medicated oils are boiled with mad-
give them ie It is alsoa useful external astrin-
adatta recommends madder rubbed with honey as an
lication to the brown spots of pityriasis versicolor. The
it name is Manjishtha. Under the names of Fuvvah
the produce of R. tinctorium. *
ing not, however, make any distinction between the
but simply mentiona wild anda cultivated variety.
Diisicenctens consider the drug to be deobstruent, and
cribe it in paralytic affections, jaundice, obstructions in
urinary passages and amenorrhcea.t They mention the
as useful in hepatic obstruction, and a paste made from
roots with honey, as a good application to freckles
other discolorations of the skin. The whole plant is
uted to be alexipharmic ; it is also hung up in houses to
ie author of the Makhzan gives Rubia as the European, Dazarlis as
and ao is ets ee a. rey oe
and is applied to inflamed parts, ulcers, fractures, &c,
tinds, Arabic and Persian writers treat of madder, pro-
=
939 ss RUBIAOER.
avert the evil eye, and tied to the necks of animals. with the
same object.*
Ainslie observes that the hakims are in the habit of p
scribing an infusion of madder root.as a grateful and deo
struent drink in cases of scanty lochial discharge after lying-i
(Materia Indica II., p. 182.) In another notice of the artiel
(Op. ctt. I., p. 202), he remarks that it would appear to be
chiefly produced in Cachar, and the root is in great demand in
the adjacent countries, for dyeing their coarse cloths and stuffs
red; the Nepalese are in the habit of bartering it for rock salt
and borax. Kinnier and Tavernier notice the abundance
madder in Persia and Makran. Dr. G. Playfair, ina n
appended to his translation of the Talif-i-sharifi (p. 150)
states that if taken to the extent of about 3 drachms sev:
times daily, it powerfully affects the nervous system, ind
temporary delirium, &c., with evident determination to
uterine system. ER. cordifolia is common throughout
hilly districts of India, but the Bombay market ibs
supplies chiefly from neta through Sind, where R. ti
is cultivated.
_Description.—Madder root consists of a short s 1c
from which numerous cylindrical roots about the size of a
diverge; these are covered by a thin brownish suber
peels off in flakes, disclosing a red-brown bark marke
fenot cieal furrows. The taste is sweetish at firehy
wards acrid and bitter. |
Chemical composition. GFE to Bucholz, the |
stituents of madder are as follows: :—Resinous red colour
matter 1:2, extractive ditto 39-0, reddish brown substane
soluble in alcohol 1-9, pungent extractive 0°6,
9-0, woody fibre 29-5, matter soluble in potash 4°6,
while R. cordifolia yields purpurin and a ‘yellow color
* — with Dioscorides i iii., 151, mept cody se Fob
VALERIANEH, = — 933
e called by Stenhouse munjistin: it is to this fact that
ority of the latter plant asa dye-stnff is due. Accord-
Higgins, the roots of R. cordifolia yield from 50 to 55
of garancin, which has only half the dyeing power of
Blade from R. tinctorium. (Calvert, Dyeing and Calico
he medical action of madder, if any, is probably Pa to
mall quantity of acrid and resinous matter contained in
for an account of the colouring materials, which are of
importance to the dyer, Ure’s Dictionary of Arts and
factures and Watts’ Dictionary of Chemistry may be
erce.—Madder from Sind fetches a higher price than
wn in India ; it is shipped from K4rachi to the extent
1,500 tons annually, and is worth about Rs. 17 per
nearly double the price of Persian madder. The
of madder (chiefly Persian) into ee do not
-owts. annually.
VALERIAN BA
a Alpine Hisialava. ” The rhizome.
ar.—Chhar, Balchhar, Jatamasi (Hind.), fccatrecume
Mar:). ;. Jatamashi (Yam.), Jatamamshi (T72I.), Jata-
| “AM Bhutkés (Pahariya). Siege
y, Uses, &c.—This plant, in Sanskrit Jata-
Bhutakesi (“‘demon’s hair ”), Pisité, Tapasvini-
om a very remote period been in use. among
It t is mentioned
escr
234 VALERIANEZ.
aromatic adjunct in the preparation of medicinal oils and —
ghritas (butters). In the Nighantas it is described as cold —
and a remedy for leprosy, morbid heat and erysipelas. It is
the Nardin of Dioscorides, which that writer tells us was also
called Gangitis, because the Ganges flowed from the foot of ©
the mountains where the plant grew.
Arabic and Persian physicians describe Jatamdnsi under the —
name of Sumbul-i-Hindi, “Indian Spike,”’ to distinguish it
from their Sumbul-i-Rumi or [kliti (Valeriana celtica), the root
of which is much used in Turkey and Egypt as a perfume. —
The author of the Makhzan-el-Adwiya compares Jatamansi
root to the tail of a sable. He describes it as deobstruent and —
stimulant, diuretic and emmenagogue, and recommends it in
various disorders of the digestive and respiratory organs, and
as a nervine tonic in hysteria. He also notices the popu
opinion that it promotes the growth and blackness of the hair
The dose is about 45 grains as an expectorant.
Ainslie states that the Vytians. in Lower India prepare .
jatamansi, that it is a perfect representative for vole
(Bengal Disp., p. 404.) ee
When taken habitually in moderate doses, valerian improves:
the appetite and digestion without confining the bowels, Two
drachms at a single dose may occasion a sense of heat and
weight in the abdomen, eructations ,and even vomiting, coli
and diarrhcea; also some excitement of the pulse, general
warmth, and either perspiration or diuresis. In somewhat
smaller doses its operation is chiefly restricted to the nervous
"* Phe hair-wash in common use among Indian women, and called
Angalepan, Angodvartan, Sughandi-puri or Utnen, is composed of Gava
(seed of Prams Mahalid), Képarkachri (Kempferia Galanga), Vala (An-
muricatus), Pach (Pogostemon Patchouli), Jatamansi (Nardost
chys Jalaniie, Upalét (Saussurea Lappa), Phos tone (Cyperus p
tenuis), Dauna (Artemisia Sieversiana), and Murwa eh several p
added.
cies). ‘ Other articles are sometimes
VALERIANE #:. 235
; it renders the mind tranquil, disposesto good humourand
Y, produces sometimes a lively formication in the hands
eet, anda sensation about the head and spine which
been compared to the aura epileptica. Sometimes, on the
ary, there is a sense of embarrassment in the head, with
heaviness and pain. In states of morbid nervous excitement °
7 without fever, when through exhaustion the pulse has become
all and frequent, valerian lessens its frequency and increases
ts force and volume.
iven to rabbits in doses of from 1 to 3 drachms, valerianic
eencers the heart’s action more ayo but feebler; the
Tf death occurs speedily, the gastric mucous
brane i is pale, but if delayed it may be ae sere the
ul
even to paralyze it, since two Cgm (4 gr.), injected under
skin of frog, have been found capable of preventing tetanic __
after a like injection of 5 Mgm. (75 gr.) of strychnine,
“eee to these animals a oe it impair
n aa, produces a white spot, followed by irritation and
s,and upon the tongue it may cause the epithelium to
Maediciid valerian is not acure for hysteria, but it is a most
ble palliative when employed to avert or mitigate hysterical
sms shires by some accidental cause. Especially is
i ceahices of a disordered fancy, whereby —
tive | goeptions : -and various disordaned C oo
_ some reputation as a bois daa for ohildren
we. VALERIANEAL
of the lungs, heart, stomach, &c., arise. In mild cases of mental
derangement, especially when caused by nervous shock or
strain; in nervous atony simulating paralysis ; in cases also of
irregular distribution of the blood, accompanied, it may be,
with indications of cerebral congestion, or, on the other ham
of cerebral anzmia, of which the chief symptoms are verti
a sense of rush of blood to the head, or fainting, confusion:
sight and hearing, &c., which more than at any other tin
are apt to occur about the menopause,—valerian is the: mo
promptly efficient of all the palliatives that have beeu
In all these cases valerian exhibits the same potency.
asafostida, musk, and castor, and more decidedly.
nervous headache, especially when it is associated with ammor ai
as in the ammoniated tincture of valerian or the popalar val
anate of ammonium. These preparations may be used
tageously, along with a carminative tincture, in
flatulence accompanied with palpitation of the heart
Same medicines are equally efficient in ees
colic.
4
Valerian is one of the innumerable articles thet fr m t
to time have been vaunted as remedies for epileps
allowing for the common error of confounding epilepsy _
epileptiform reflex convulsions, and even with hysteria, :
can be no doubt that it has sometimes cured the di:
females and young children, and especially when it ort
in fright or some analogous impression. Eyen in these.
it must be administered in large doses and be long con in
while other and especially hygienic measures are emplo; y
give permanent strength to the neryous system. :
Valerian is useful in the treatment of - the eiilder
delirium tremens, especially when they follow surgi
tions or injuries, and in the ataxic henomena ¥
to the typhoid state of fevers and Pept
VALERIANEA. a,
gatives, such as jalap, and by enema asa remedy for
t
woody column by four medullary bands, between which
ituated large canals which contain the fibro-vascular
. The central woody column is of a red-brown colour,
‘and jointed, having a certain amount of resemblance
ertebre in the tail of an animal.
ical composition.—Kemp (1884) obtained three fluid
of the oil from 56 lbs. of jatamansi, and found it to.
a molecular rotation of —19°5 in 100 mm., the specific
at 82°F. was 0°9748, One hundred pocade of the
; Submitted to distillation with water by Messrs. Kempand
1890), yielded fifteen ounces ofa pale yellow oil of valerian-
odour, and a faintly acid distillate. A fine violet or bluish
is produced, as with oil of valerian, by mixing a drop.
f the oil with about 20 drops of carbon bisulphide and
of ong 0 nitric acid. ae sulphuric acid the oil gives
| solorati eb ae
e
#
238 VALERIANE.
The most important constituent of valerian rootis its volatile
oil. Free valerianic acid does not exist in the fresh root, ‘but _
is generated from the volatile oil.on exposure. The latest in-
vestigation of the oil is by Bruylants (1878), who ascertained
some new facts. The hydrocarbon, C!°H'®, was named borneene
by Gerhardt (1841) and valerene by Pierlot (1859). The
valerol of the latter differed from Gerhardt’s valerol, C&H!°O,
which he believed to become oxidized in contact with air to
valerianic acid, carbonic acid being given off at the same time. —
Bruylants explains the generation of valerianic acid in old oil
of valerian from the decomposition of C'!°H!7C5H90%, which |
is the valerianic ether of borneol ; besides this one, it contai
the corresponding ethers of formic and acetic acids, the alcoho.
borneol, C!°H!80, and its ether, C!°H'70%. Gerhardt assumed
the production of borneol from the hydration of borneene.
For a comparison of the chemical constitution of the root 0
an Indian officinal valerian with that of the European dr
the reader is referred to the next article. .
VALERIANA WALLICHII, v0.
Fig.—Asiat. Research. ii., p. 405.
Hab.— Temperate Himalaya. The rootstock.
Vernacular.—Tagar (Hind., Beng., Mar.), Tagar-ganthod
(Guz.), Nandibattal (Can.), Mushk-i wéli, Bala (Punjab)
Pampe (Bhutan). re
History, Uses, &o.—A fragrant drug called Tagara 1
frequently mentioned by Sanskrit writers, other names for it
are Nandy4varta, Nandini, Varhini, Nahushékhya, and Pindi-
tagara. It is described in the Nighantas as sweet, emollient,
pungent, hot and light; aremedy for suppresion of urine,
' poisons, epilepsy, swoons and headaches. Besides it dici
nal uses it is an ingredient in perfumed powders, in the sam
manner as jatamansi. The drug appears to have attracted
VALERIANES, 239
of the Mahometans physicians of India, as we find it
d by them as an Indian kind of Asérun (Asarabacca).
hor of the Makhzan-el- Adwiya describes several kinds
un, and says that the kind known as Tagar in India is
rice spirit given to people attacked by small-pox to lessen
eruption of pustules. Stewart notices the export of this
g to the plains of India for medicinal use. Sir William
ies (As. Research. I1., 405,) obtained the plant and —
be the source of the jatamansi root of commerce.
It appears to be the Sumbul-jibali of the: Arabs and the
hai-wala of the Persians. Recent experience has shown
b this drug like jatamansi is an excellent substitute for the
t of our Pharmacopceias.
Description.—The rhizomes are crooked, about two
long and from 3 4 to} an inch in diameter, of a dull
n colour, marked with transverse ridges, and_ thickly
ed with circular prominent tubercules, to a few of which.
k rootlets still remain attached. The crown is marked by
mber of bracts ; the lower end is blunt. The rhizome is
hard and Eoaidl and the fractured surface greenish brown.
3 dour i is like Valerian, but much more powerful.
croscopic structure —Examined under the microscope the
bark is seen to be composed of ten or twelve layers of ©
ressed cells; within this is a starchy parenchyma, and
t to it a cambium layer; within the cambium layer is a
ken ring of vascular bundles, and lastly, a starchy paren-
yma, thickly studded with conglomerate. masses of large
s, having greenish-yellow contents of a resinous appear-
ro supposed a the time to ‘ns the rOry 0
940 VALERIANES.
The following table shows the 8 somewhat bitter extract was obtained, which, besides
taining resins, afforded evidence of the presence of an alka-
which gave reactions with the usual alkaloidal reagents;
which afforded uo special colour reactions. We have pro-
ionally called this principle Vernonine.
imerce.—The plant is common in waste lect through-
ndia. The country people emis the fruit and bring it
sale in the cold weather.
¥alue.—Rs. 34 per Surat beth of 374 lbs.
‘ Vernonia cinerea, Less., Eheede Hort. Mal. z., t. 64,
= Southern, and Western India. In the Hindi and
hi vernaculars it bears the Sanskrit name; in Guzerathi
Sddeori, a modification of the same name; in Bengali
seem; and in Tamil Sira- shengalanir. Sadat the latter
© Ainslie (Mat. Ind. IT., 363) notices it as the Gherntti-
mma of the Telingis, used in medicine by the Hindus, in
ction, to promote perspiration in febrile affections. In
i tanine it is described as cold, sweet, strengthening,
ngent, correcting all the humors. For the. numerous
honyms, and for 2 description of this very variable plant, we
refer the reader. to the Flora of British India. It has
very sensible properties, and the medicinal virtues ascribed
by the Hindus appear to us to be imaginary.
‘lephantopus scaber, Linn., Wight Ic., t, 1086;
eede Hort. Mal. x., t. 7, common in ey places eeniek-
India, is the Go-jihva, “ox tongue,” of Sanskrit writers,
x ibed in the Nighantas as cold, light, astring t,
al, alterative and gebritnges expelling ger Pp
thral discharges. Rheede
244, COMPOSITAE. =
decoction of the root and leaves, with. cumin and butter i
milk, is given on the Malabar Coast in dysuria, and in diar= be
rhoea and dysentery, Ainslie calls it Prickly-leaved Elephant’s
Foot, and remarks that Sloane and Browne, in speaking of this
plant, say, it is accounted a good vulnerary, and grows in the —
woods of Jamaica very plentifully; the leaves are frequently —
ants of the French West India Islands. The plant has a
fibrous root; the leaves are chiefly radical and spread flat upon —
the ground; they are oblong, wrinkled, crenulate and very .
hairy ; the flower stalk is branched, about a foot high, bearing —
a few small leaves and heads of flowers with pale purple
florets. The plant is mucilaginous and astringent. The ver-
nacular names are Gobhi (Hind.), Gojialata (Beny.), Ci
(Mar.), Ana-shovadi (Tam.), Hakkariké (Can.). ;
Lamprachenium microcephalum, Benth., je
plant of Western India called Aja-dandi and Brahma-dandi —
in Sanskrit, and Brahmadandi in Marathi and Canarese. It i”
_ has flowers which smell like chamomile, and a branched, s¢a-_ :
brous pubescent stem; leaves petioled, elliptic-acuminate, —
gradually attenuated iatio the petiole, pubescent above, hoary
and tomentose beneath ; heads of flowers small, solitary at .
the. apex of the elie ce 3 scales of the involucre squariose, |
hoary and tomentose beneath, exterior ones lanceolate acumi-
nate, bristle-pointed, ciliated ; seeds smooth, shining, without
ribs. The plant is used medicinally as an aromatic ity but
is of little importance as a medicine.
Ageratum conyzoides, Linn., has a strong, aromatic,
and rather disagreeable smell; it has a reputation among the
Hindus as an external application in agues, and is also worn ~
asa charm against ague when dug up on Sunday with the —
proper ceremonies. The juice is said to be a good remedy ie
prolapsus ani. It is freely applied and the gut replace
Corre and Lejanne state that the plant i is used as a sudorific 1 =
Réunion under the name of Herbe & boue. A. con pis
' sometimes confounded by the natives with Vernonia cinerea,
peaaee = uuht
op Se Fk ae
COMPOSIT A. 945
sériin Western India. The plant is a common annual weed
throughout India, appearing after the rains and flowering
_ through the cold season; it is from 1 to 2-ft. in height, his-
_ Pidly hairy, leaves petioled, ovate crenate, heads small, in
dense terminal corymbs, bracts striate, acute, ray-florets many,
pale blue or white, achenes black, pappus scales 5-awned, often
_ Serrate below. (Fl. Br. Ind., iii., 243.)
4 EUPATORIUM AYAPANA, Vent.
; 3 Fig.— Vent. Hort. Malm. t. 8.
Hab.—America, Cultivated in India. The herb.
é Vernacular.—Ayapéna (Hind., Mar., Beng.), Ayap&ni(Tam.,
Tel.), Allapa (Guz.).
: ; History, Uses, &c.—Ventenat found this plant grow-
Cayenne; another species, perfoltatum, is considered as
a febrifuge in America. The Ayapana has been cultivated in
India for a considerable time. Ainslie says of it:—“ This small
shrub, which was originally brought to India from the Isle of
France, is as yet but little known to the native practitioners,
though, from its pleasant, sub-aromatic but peculiar smell,
_ they believe it to possess medicinal qualities. At the Mauri-
tius it is in great repute, and there considered as alterative and
antiscorbutic; as an internal remedy it has certainly hitherto
much disappointed the expectations of European physicians,
An infusion of the leaves has an agreeable and somewhat spicy
taste, and is a good diet drink ; when fresh and braised, they
_ re one of the best applications I know for cleaning the face of
@ foul ulcer.” - (Mat. Ind. II., p. 35.) Mr. Dyer informed
_ Ainslie that the plant was cultivated in the Island of Bourbon a
for the purpose of being dried and sent to. France, where it
_ Was used for making a kind of tea used es a substitute
La
oer
246 COMPOSITA.
of China. According to Guibourt it is now almost forgotten.
(Hist. Nat 6™° Ed. Ill., 68.) In the Pharmacopeia of India, —
there is the following notice of Ayapana:—‘‘A South American —
plant, naturalized in various parts of India, Java, Ceylon, Xe (
and generally known by its Brazilian name, Aya-pana, The
whole plant is aromatic, with a slightly bitter sub-astringent :
taste. The exaggerated ideas of its virtues formerly enter-
tained are now exploded; but there is reason to believe that ibis
a good stimulant, tonic, anddiaphoretic. According tothe state-
ments of Bouton (Med. Plants of Mauritius, p- 96), it appears
to hold a high place amongst the medicinal plants of the Mau-
ritius, being there in daily use in the form of infusion, in dys-
pepsia and other affections of the bowels and lungs, In
the cholera epidemics in that island in 1854-56, it was exten-
sively used for restoring the warmth of the surface, the languid
circulation, &c. As an antidote to snake-bitos it has been used,
both internally and externally, with alleged success. (Madras
Quart. Med. Jour., IV., 7.) It is not uncommon in gardens,
and though not generally known, is held in considerable
ee ts Pee
a
o
a
e
Pa Mey pee ,"
. esteem by those who areacquainted with it. Ayapana may be - “4
compared with chamomile in its effects; it is stimulant and
tonic in small doses, and laxative when taken in quantity ; the
hot infusion is emetic and diaphoretic, and may be given with —
vantage in the cold stage of ague and in the state of depres
sion which precedes acute inflammatory affections. The infa-
sion may be made with 1 oz. of the herb to a pint of sige
and be given in 2 oz. doses every three hours.
Description.—A small shrubby plant, 5 to 6 feet high;
branches straight, reddish, with a few simple scattered hairs;
young shoots have a somewhat mealy appearance, due to the
presence of small particles of a white balsamic exudation; leaves
opposite, in pairs, their bases uniting round the stem, about 4
inches long and # inch broad, fleshy, smooth, lanceolate, attenu-
ated at the base; midrib thick and reddish; flowers like those
of the groundsel, purple. The odour of the plant is aromatic,
somewhat like ivy, but more agreeable ; taste bitter and aromatic, — .
uliar. ees : ee
COMPOSITH, ~ DAT
Chemical composition.—On distillation of the fresh plant *
ith water, a colourless oil was obtained, lighter than water,
d possessing in a marked degree the odour of the plant:
also obtained a neutral principle, soluble in ether and
cohol, and crystallizing in long needles. It easily sublimed
a temperature of 159°—16U° and condensed in beautiful
illiant scales and rhombic prisms. In water it was practically
insoluble ; it gave no reaction when dissolved in alcohol with
erric salts. In concentrated sulphuric acid it dissolved at
once, with only a very faint yellow coloration. In concen-
Eupatorium cannabinum, Linn., Eng. Bot. V. 6, t.
is a native of the temperate ‘Himalaya and Europe; it is
e@ Herba sancte Kunigundis of Tragus (Hist. 491, f.,) the
Hemp Agrimony of the English, Water-hauf of the Germans,
and Origan aquatique of the French. Though very common in
he Himalayas, it does not appear to be used medicinally by the.
dindus. The root and leaves have diuretic, and in Iarge doses
emetic properties. Boerhaave calls the herb Rusticorum
panacea, and states that the turf-diggers in Holland use it with
eat benefit in jaundice, scurvy, foul ulcers, and those swell-
1 oz. of the dried leaves ina pint of water may be used daily ;
if taken hot it is a good diaphoretic. According to Righini,
he leaves and flowers contain a | white. bitter alkaloid soluble
in jee E. perfoliatum, Linn., oa other species are
used nea under the name of Boneset and Herbe a fidvre.
is the Golden Red of the Bees
248 COMPOSIT 2.
and Goldruthe of the Germans. The generic name is a deriva- _
tive of solidare, to unite, because of the vulnerary qualities of
the plant, which were first brought to notice by Arnoldus de
Villa Nova, who also highly extolled it as a remedy for stone in g
the bladder. Gerarde had a high opinion of it as an application
to bleeding wounds and ulcers, and says: ‘“‘I have known the
dry herbe, which came from beyond the sea, sold in Bucklers-
bury for halfe a crowne an ounce. But since it was found in
Hampstead wood, even as it were at our townes end, no man
will give halfe a crowne for an hundredweight of it; which
plainely setteth forth our inconstancie and sudden mutabilitie,
esteeming no longer of anything how pretious soeuer it be, than
whilest it is strange and rare.” He further says, that “ Sara-
cens Consound is not inferiour to any of the wound herbes what-
soeuer, being inwardly ministred or outwardly applied in oint-
ments or oyles.’’
The flowering herb has an aromatic odour and a bitterish
and astringent taste ; it contains a volatile oil.
In America S. odora, Ait., is much used as a domestic
remedy to produce diaphoresis, to allay colic, promote menstrua-
tion, and to cover the taste of nauseous medicines. An infusion
may be prescribed, or a few drops of the essential oil.
Grangea maderaspatana, Poir. Wight. Ic., t., 1097;
is a common field weed throughout India, growing flat on the
ground in the cold weather after the monsoon crops have been — a
harvésted. It has sinuately pinnatifid leaves, and solitary, sub-
globose, leaf-opposed heads of yellow flowers. The odour re-
sembles that of worm-wood. Ainslie (Mat. Ind. 7., 481,) calls
it Madras Wormwood, and says that the Tamil doctors consider
it to be a valuable stomachic medicine, and also suppose it to- .
have deobstruent and antispasmodic properties ; they pre-
scribe it in infusion and electuary in cases of obstructed menses
-and hysteria, and sometimes use it in preparing antiseptic and
anodyne fomentations. When given internally, Grangea is
usually combined with ginger, pepper, and sugar; as an anti-
_ septic application to ulcers, the powdered leaves are used.
COMPOSITAE. 249
The vernacular names pees to this plant are properly those.
Artemisia.
Pa
ERIGERON CANADENSIS, Linn.
F ig.—Reich. Ic, Fl. Germ. avi, t. 917 ; Bentl. and Trim. t.
9. Canada Fleabane (Eng.), Vergerette de Canada (F'r.).
~Hab.— Western Himalaya, Punjab, Rohilkund, Europe,
North America.
Vernacular. jad
History, Uses, &c.—This genus derives its name from
he Greek npryépav (éapi-yéouy, £ aged’ or ‘hoary in spring’), a
m used by Theophrastus fora plant which he describes
. P. viii.) as xxopr@dys or like Succory. Dioscorides (iv. 92)
ribes the same plant as having leaves like évfwpov (Hruca
wa) but smaller, yellow flowers, abd awhite pappus. Pliny
25, 106) calls it Senecio. It is uncertain what this plant
but it is generally supposed to — been @ species of
zB. canadensis is common in all warm countries, but is 3 Sup-
ed to be of American origin, and to have spread over the
ainder of the globe since its importation from that. con-
sone Parkinson, in 1640, seems to be the first author who :
es It first batugse known to French botanists in 1653, and
Ww years afterwards it had become a weed about Paris ; it is
_ with bales of skins. Shortly after this, it made its appearance
in England, and is now common giosok London. How and by
what means it reached N orthern India i is not known ; 3 it may
350 COMPOSIT AL.
Several species of Erigeron are used officially as diuretics in
the United States of America, and the oil of EB, canadensisis
official inthe U.S. Pharmacopeeia.
H. canadensis is a stimulant which owes its virtues to a vola=
tile oil. It is popularly supposed in America to. have a special
action on the uterus, whence its name “ Squaw-weed.” Stillé
states that ‘ almost all of the testimony which has been pub-
lished respecting the remedial virtues of fleabane, agree in
attributing to the Canadian species, astringent and hemostatic
virtues.”” It has been found a useful remedy in the treatment
of diarrhoea, dysentery, &c. The.oil was first brought to notice
by the eclectic physicians, recent trials seem to indicate that
it is a remedy of special value in uterine hemorrhage. - The
oil has been observed by R. Barthelow (Physic. and Surg.s
April, 1887,) to check the waste of albumen, to lessen the irri-
tability of the bladder in cystitis, and to afford considerable
_ relief in bronchial catarrh and similar affections. The dose
given was five drops, three or four times a day.
The medicinal properties of H. canadensis do not appear to
be known to the natives of India, nor have we heard of any
vernacular name for it. :
Description.—Stem 6 inches to 3 feet, simple, erect,
slender, striate, with scattered hairs; branches numerous,
_ ascending ; radical leaves spathulate, or narrowly obovate,
dentate, stem leaves linear-lanceolate, acute; heads very
numerous, about } inch long, involucre bracts acuminate, ligules
pale rosy or purplish, scarcely exceeding the pappus, disk
flowers yellow; achenes ;!; of an inch, narrow, flat, nearly
glabrous, pappus } of an inch. The plant has a mint-like
our, and an astringent somewhat bitter taste.
Chemical composition.—The plant contains a volatile oil
which is a limpid, pale yellow liquid of a peculiar aroma and
persistent odour, somewhat terebinthinate and of an aromatic,
not very pungent taste. According to A. M. Todd (Amer.
Journ. Pharm., June, 1887,) the specific gravity of the natural oil -
isnot above "865, nor below 855; it should not boil vigorously _
*
seas
mes
( Ay
Oe ee,
bite
Yous aa ai
pe et A ef ME WE 5
4 wilde Salie (Dutch).
COMPOSITAL, 251
below 342° F., nor above 347° F, until five per cent. has been
volatilized ; when redistilled it is colourless, and a resinous pro-
duct of a deep reddish brown colour is left in the retort. The
pure oil in the natural state should not polarize nearer the
zero point than —26, nor further than —60; the rectified
oil, freed from resin, may polarize somewhat nearer the zero
point than the limit given, and the first fractions should be
dextrogyre. The oil dissolves iodine without explosion, is
gradually coloured reddish by potash, and is slowly acted
upon in the cold by fuming nitric acid. It dissolves freely in
ether and absolute alcohol, but is only moderately soluble in 80
per cent. spirit. The oil consists mainly of a terpene, €'°H'S,
Specific gravity -8464, boiling at 176° C., and yielding a crystal-
line dihydrochloride which fuses at 47°—48° C. (Beilstein and
Wiegand, Ber, der Deutch. Chem. Ges. xv., 2854.) .
Erigeron asteroides, Roxb., Maredi (Hind., Guz.),
_ Sonsali (Mar.),is used in India asa stimulating diuretic in
febrile affections. It is an annual, flowering during the cold
season, and a native of dry cultivated lands. .
Stem erect, from 6 to 12 inches high, ramous near the
ground, round, hairy; branches ascending, longer than the
stem ; leaves alternate, the inferior ones short petioled, oval
or obovate, grossly toothed, the superior ones sessile, oblong,
sub-lyrate, all are covered with soft down and are somewhat -
glutinous; flowers few, terminal, peduncled, large, flat;
hermaphrodite florets of the disc yellow, the female ones ligu-
ate, those of the border blue, generally entire or only
emarginate.’ (2oxb.)
‘-BLUMEA BALSAMIFERA, Do.
Fig.—Rumph. Amb. BS t. 24, f. 1. Oostindische ofte a
Hab.—Tropical Himalaya, Burma, Eastern
The camphor. oe re!
252 —. COMPOSIT 42.
BLUMEA DENSIFLORA, DC.
Fig.— Seem. Fl. Vit. 141, t. 27.
Hab,—tTropical Himalaya, Malay and Fiji Islands. The 7
camphor.
Vernacular—Ngai (Chin.), Kai-dai-bi (Coch.-Chin.),
Sombong, Bangachappa (Malay), Pung-ma-theing (Burm.),
Kukronda (Hind.), Kuksungh (Beng.). The Hindi and Bengali
names are also applied to other strong smelling Blumeas.
History, Uses, &c.—The camphoraceous Blumeas are
called by Sanskrit writers Kukundara and Kukkura-dru,
“ dog-bush’’ because their pungent odour is attractive to those
animals; the vernacular names are derived from the Sanskrit.
Tn addition to the two plants placed at the head of this article,
B. aromatica, DC., and B. lacera, DC., are considered by the
Hindus to be deobstruent and resolvent, and particularly useful :
in the disease of the nose called Ahwah, said to be peculiar to —
Bengal, which is accompanied by strong fever, heaviness in the
head, pains in the body, especially in the neck, shoulders and
loins ; the powdered leaves are given internally in two drachm —
doses mixed with butter, and also used as a snuff. The juice
of the leaves is placed in the eye to cure chronic purulent dis-
charges ; it is also used as an anthelmintic, and as an astringent
in dysentery, chronic discharge from the uterus, &c. A pre-
paration (mérana) is made by oxidizing steel filings in the
juice of these plants, which is highly esteemed as a remedy for —
renal dropsy. Dr. Anderson of Bijnor has found the fresh —
juice of B. lacera useful as an anthelmintic, especially for thread —
worms, and Dr Bolly Chand Sen of Calcutta speaks of it a8
invaluable in Tinea tarsi. Mir Muhammad Husain in the
Makhzan describes Kukronda as a plant two cubits in height,
much branched, having long crenated leaves not unlike endive
leaves, but larger and softly downy, of a dark green colour,
pungent odour, and astringent taste ; flowers small, yellow;
fruit like the anemony (downy) ; seeds small, black, pubescent. —
(B. densiflora?) . : a
Ps, > L- x. eT ee eee ie me te el ee s
TO gh Et ay tg ee Soe. lrg oe ek eee wg Oe, cee = oe a ee
__ of worm wood and camphor. :
COMPOSIT &. 953
The Conyza odorata of Rumphius is considered by Roxburgh
- to be B. balsamifera; the Baccharis salma of Loureiro is
_ probably the same plant, and also the Planta Bantamica of
Clusius (iv. 23), which was discovered by Colius in Batavia
_ prior to the year 1619. Clusius states that it is used as a con-
_ diment and as a remedy for colic, and in paralysis as a
_ Stimulant fomentation or bath; given in decoction with the
_ leaves of Vitex Negundo, Careya arborea and Citrus acida it
produces copious perspiration. It is also used as a vermifuge
_ and as an astringent in menorrhagia. Dr. Mason (Burmah,
_ tts Peopleand Natural Productions, Lond., 1852,) mentions the
_ manufacture of a camphor by the Tavoyers from B. densiflora,
_ one of the most abundant weeds throughout the Tenasserim
Provinces. Subsequently a Mr O’Riley of Amherst manufac-
tured and purified more than 100 pounds of this camphor
which was sent to Calcutta for trial, and pronounced to have
% the same medicinal properties as ordinary camphor. In 1874,
_ Hanbury (NV. Repert. f. Pharm. xxiii., 321,) pointed out that —
this was the Ngai camphor mentioned by Rondot (Htude .
Pratique du Commerce d’Hxportation de la Chine, Paris, 1848,)
Which was worth 250 dollars the picul (133$ Ibs.) in China.
Mr. Hanbury also obtained from Mr. F. H. Ewer of Canton a
sample of Ngai camphor, and of the plant from which it was
Manufactured in China (B. balsamifera); he also ascertained
that the camphor was used in medicine by the Chinese and
largely for the purpose of perfuming inks at the ink factories
of Wei-chan and other places.
' Description.—B. balsamifera is a large shrubby plant
with an erect ligneous trunk, and branches covered with ash-
coloured bark.’ Leaves alternate, short-petioled, lanceolate,
irregularly serrate, and generally more or less pinnatifid at the
base, downy, particularly underneath, where they are seri-
cious and beautifully reticulated with numerous veins, from 6 to
12 inches long ; petioles short, often with 1 to 4 small leaflets
corymbs terminal, numerous, bearing many sub-cyli
bright yellow flowers. (Roxburgh.) The plant smells
s
254 COMPOSITE.
B. densiflora very closely resembles B. balsamifera, and i
united with it by some botanists. 8B. lacera has an ere
branching stem, the principle leaves of which are petioled an
lyred, the superior ones simply oval and much smaller, a
are sharp toothed, downy, and various in size.
terminal, and from the exterior axils, peduncled. Flowers a
dull yellow. The plant has a strong odour of wormwood and
camphor.
Chemical ee —B. balsamifera and densiflora contain
yielded C 77°66, H 11-68, O 10°66 and Laurel camphor € 78 2,
H 10°44, O 11°36. Ngai camphor has the same physical pr
perties as Borneo camphor, but the two substances differ
optical properties, an alcoholic solution of the former be
levogyre in about the same degree that one of the latter
dextrogyre. By boiling nitric acid, Borneo camphor is &
formed into common (deatrogyre) camphor, whereas Ngai ca
in China is about 250 dollars a picul, whereas te
costs about 2,000 dollars for the first quality and 1,000 dol
for the second.
Blumea eriantha, DO., a native of Western India, is
called Nimurdi in Marathi, and is used by the country peopl
drive away fleas. It is very common in the Concan, and is
remarkable for the clusters of globose, woolly buds crow
together at the crown of the root, aud for the pe Es ey
caraways which it possesses. The habit of the plantis v
in cultivated ground it is erect, but in pasture land pros
or decumbent. The io are Sige ay
OOMPOSITZ. —
_ of the plant is administered as a carminative, and, the herb
sed along with the leaves of Vitee Negundo and Careya arbo-
_ rea for fomentations. A warm infusionis given asa sudorific in
catarrhal affections, cold it is considered to be diuretic and
_ emmenagogue. Underthe names of Bhaé mburdi {Mar.), Kalara
and Chénchari-mari, “ flea-killer” (Guz.) several kinds of
_ Blumea are used indiscriminately by the natives of Western
India. The plants generally supplied by the herbalists being
— Blumea lacera, Laggeta aurita and Blumea eriantha.
_ In Sonthern India, under the names of Jangli or Divarimuli
_ (Dec.), Narak-karandai, Kétiu-malléngi (Zam.), Kéru- pogaku,
_ Adavi-mullangi (Tel.), Laggera aurita, Schultz-Bip (Blumea
_ aurita, DC.) is according to Dr. Moodin Sheriff, chiefly used.
When young the foliage resembles that of a radish, the flowers
are white or pinkish. Some Mahometan physicians use this
_ plant asa substitute for Kaméfitus, the xapamirvs of the Greeks,
which was Ajuga Chamepitys, Schreber, a labiate plant.
Chemical composition.—The entire plant of B. ertantha im
_ flower, without roots, was air-dried and reduced to fine powder.
On heating to 100° C., 8°76 per cent. was lost, due to mois-
ture and volatile oil. The ash amounted to 8°81 per cent., it
was of a hght brown colour, and contained marked traces of
_ manganese and iron.
On distillation with water a colourless oil was obtained,
lighter than water, and which possessed in a marked degree
_ the odour of the drug. The oil had asp. gr. of ‘9144 at 80°
_ F., and was strongly levogyre. The plant yielded to petroleum
Other 3°02 per cent. of extract, to ether 1°55 a cent., and to
alcohol 3°40 per cent.
The various extracts contained chlorophyll, a dark acid
_ resin, a trace of tannin, malic acid, volatile oil, and a wax, and
- in addition, from the ether extract a crystalline principle was
- obtained. This principle after repeated crystallization from
alcohol was of a light lemon yellow colour, in tufts of needles,
or by slow crystallization in very large rhombic prisms.
_ Was without odour, gritty b between the teeth, and with
| a eea aaa
Bey a eT aeeatan! fap eee Oh tuaee tren Saat
256 COMPOSIT A.
decided taste. In water, cold or boiling, it was practically in- ~
soluble, it was slightly soluble in cold ether and alcohol, but =
was not easily soluble even in boiling alcohol. The ethereal —
solution left the principle, on spontaneous evaporation, as a
dull adherent deposit on the sides of the vessel. The crys-
talline principle had a melting point of 156° C. (uncorrected) ;
it did not contain nitrogen. With reagents it gave the follow-
ing reactions :—
Concentrated sulphuric acid dissolved it, the solution being
of a bright yellow-colour; on the addition of water the acid.
became milky from separation of white flocks. Concentrated
nitric acid gave an orange-red coloration; hydrochloric acid
produced no change either in the cold or on heating. Fréhde’s
reagent gave a yellow colour, changing to yellowish-green on
heating. Sulphuric acid and potassium bichromate no special
reaction. An alcoholic solution gave with ferric chloride a
dirty greenish brown coloration ; with ferrous salts, a dirty
reddish coloration, which disappeared on heating, leaving the
solution of a pale yellow tint. The addition of alkalies to an
alcoholic solution produced a bright yellow colour ; in hot or
cold aqueoys alkaline solutions the principle was insoluble.
This principle would appear to be allied to the quercitrin |
group, but does not appear to be identical with any of those
hitherto described; we reserve, however, a definite expression
of opinion for the present.
PLUCHEA LANCEOLATA, Dliv.
Fig.—Deless. Ic. Sel. iv., t. 21, Syn. Berthelotia lanceo-
lata. :
Hab.— Upper Bengal, Onde, Punjab, Sind.
Vernacular.—Ra-sana (Punj.), Koura-sana ( Sind.)
Description.—An annual, with spreading branches, and
opposite, petioled, oval or oblong leaves covered with stomata
on both sides, edges vertical ; florets tubular, with silky pappus.
It forms thickets up to four and five feet high. Theleaves are —
COMPOSITE. | O57
ho be aperient, and used as a substitute for senna. We
not had.an opportunity of examining them,
SPH ERANTHUS INDICUS, Linn.
-Fig.— Wight Ic. t. 1094; Rheede Hort. Mal. «. 1. 43.
Hab.—tropical Himalaya, and southwards to Ceylon.
e herb.
Vernacular —Mundi, Gorakh-mundi (Hind., Mar., Guz),
rmuria (Beng.), Kottak-karandai (Tam. ,, Bidintseapa (Tel.),
fundikasa (Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant, which is very com-
in rice fields, is called in Sanskrit Munditika or Mundi,
hikshu, Pari-vr4ji (mendicant) and Tapo-dhané (rich in reli-
ious penance). It is described in the Nighantas as pungent,
itter, and stomachic; sweet, light and stimulant, a remedy ~
‘ glandular sweiienns in the neck, urethral discharges and
ce. The dose of the powdered herb is about a scruple or ©
ruple and a half twice daily, but more may be given.
theede, who speaks of the plant under the name of Adaca--
en, tells us that the powder of the root is considered
omachic, and that the bark ground and mixed with whey is a
ble remedy for piles. The plant with camin is stomachic ;
honey it is given for cough; and ground with oil, it is
d to cure itch. Burmann calls it Spheranthus purpurea.
‘orskahl speaks of it under the name of polycephalos, and Dr,
orsfield, in his account of Javanese medicinal plants, informs
s that the inhabitants of Java consider it as a useful diuretic.
Ainslie, Mat. Ind. II., p. 167.) By some Indian Mahometan
hysicians this plant has been supposed to be the Kamazariytis*
Arabic writers, but the author of the Makhzan-el-Adwiya
ays that this is a mistake, and describes Mundi in a separate
e. He speaks of it asa powerful tonic, deobstruent and
apdsdpus. Teucrium Chameedrys, Linn. Petit Lane (Fr) ¢ Ground
mander, considered to be tonic, diureti and sudorific, on «
“the celebrated Portland Powder. Conf. Dios. iii.
se.
258 COMPOSIT A.
rubbing it up with clarified butter,-flour and sugar; a portion
of this taken daily is said to be a good tonic, and to prevent —
the hair turning white or falling off. Several other somewhat
similar preparations of different parts of the plant are men- —
tioned by him, and are described as preservatives of the animal —
powers. An oil prepared from the root, by steeping it in water,
and then boiling in oil of Sesamum until all the wateris expelled,
taken fasting every morning for 41 days in doses of 2 dirhems,
~ is said to be a powerful aphrodisiac pS ade? cast sh CyB)
990) wl ¢>%). Experiments with the distilled water show that ;
it is not diuretic; in ‘the case of a cachectic native suffering
from frequent. micturition caused by chronic prostatitis ib
afforded much relief. A European suffering from boils derived
decided benefit from taking a wineglassful three times a-day. ©
_ Description.—Plant generally about 8 inches high,
‘winged ; leaves thick, sessile, decurrent, obovate, bristle-ser-
rate, covered with down, consisting of long white hairs ; flower™
heads solitary, mostly terminal, sub-globular, the size of a
_ small marble, purple when fresh, but lose their colour when — :
dried ; roots fibrous. The drug generally consists of the whole _
plant, but the capitula are sometimes sold separately. The
taste is somewhat bitter, the odour of the capitula terebin-
_ thinate. , | is
- Chemical composition.—150 Ibs. of the fresh herb distilled
with water in the usual manner yielded a very deep sherry-
coloured, viseid essential oil, very soluble in water, and
clinging to the side of the vessel, so that only half an ounce =
could be collected. The oil does not appoar to have any
Seen eT Orne ge ee
Pert.
COMPOSIT A. 959
rotatory: power, but it is difficult to examine on account of
4 its opacity. ; .
_ The most important principle detected in the leaves, stems
and flowers of the plant was a bitter alkaloid soluble in éther,
_ affording reactions with the ordinary alkaloidal reagents, but
_ giving no special colour reactions. We have provisionally
_ called this alkaloid Spheranthme. ie
’ Commerce.—The dried herb, and also the dried flowe
heads, are sold in the bazars.
ce INULA HELENIUM, Linn.
: Fig.— Woodville Med. Bot., t. 26; Bentl. and Psa: 1BbE
_ Elecampane (Eng.), Aunée (F’r.). :
_ Hab.—Central Asia, Central and Southern Europe. The
— root.
History, Uses, &c.—All the Indian Mahometan
writers on Materia Medica mention this drug under the names
of Rasan, Kust-i-sh4mi, or Zanjabil-i-sh4mi, i.e. Syrian Costus
or Syrian ginger. R4san is a Persian name for the plant which
has been adopted by the Arabs. From the Burhén-i-Katia we
learn that the plant is also known in Persia as Pil-gush
(clephant’s ear), and Gharsa, and is useful for eruptions and
all kinds-of pains, especially those arising from chill, bites of
animals, &c. Elecampane is the éAenov of the Greeks, and is
described by Hippocrates as a stimulant of the brain, stomach,
kidneys and uterus; it is the Inula of the Romans and the
Enula campana of medieval writers, and was formerly: much
used in pectoral affections, such as cough and asthma, and in
acid dyspepsia, rheumatism, &c. ; an ointment made with it
was used to cure itch. It is still a domestic remedy in France
and Germany, and to a less extent in England, and the root
holds a place in the. Pharmacopoeias of Germany, France an
the United States of America. The root is preserved as
pectoral candy on the continent of Kurope, and
France in the preparation of absinthe, Of late.
nally irregularly wrinkled and — = lege white
260 © COMPOSITA.
principie, helenin, has been introduced into medical use, —
and is said to possess remarkable antiseptic properties; it is —
recommended as a gargle in ozena and internally in diseases ~
of the respiratory organs for reducing inflammation. It is
said to speedily relieve chronic bronchitis, and has also been
employed in anthrax and acid dyspepsia, Korab claims for —
helenin a power of destroying bacilli ais de Therap. ciii. a7
The dose of this principle is from 4 to 4 of a grain.
It is imposible to determine whether Hlecampane was known a
to the ancient Hindus, but the old Persian name Résan leads —
us to suspect that it was possibly the original Rdsna of the
Hindu Materia Medica, although entirely different roots are —
now in use under that name. It is significant that Gandha-
mula, i.e. “ aromatic root,” is a synonym for the rasna of the —
Nighantas, whilst the roots actually in use are not aromatic;
the properties also attributed to these roots in the same books —
are those of Elecampane and not of the inert roots now in use
in the plains of India,
.
‘ Be,
Inula racemosa, Hook. f., a native of the Western —
Himalayas and Cashmere, is used in veterinary medicine in
those parts, as a-tonic and stomachic ; its aves closely resemble
in properties those of I. Helentum,
Aitchison informs us that I, Royleana, DC., a native of a
?
the same districts, is largely used to adulterate Costus.
Pulicaria crispa, Benth. (Inula quadrifida, Ham.), a
native of the Punjab and Upper Gangetic plain, is called Phat-
mer or Phatmel in Hindi (mz, a rent, and ¥s, union), and —
according to Stewart is used as a vulnerary.
Description.—The root of I. Helenium is about 6 inches ©
long and 1 or 2 inches thick, divided below into branches 6.
to 12 inches long and 4 to 1 inch thick, very fleshy, in com-
merce always sliced either longitudinally or transversely.
The longitudinal slices have the bark overlapping; the : :
transverse slices are concave, somewhat radially striate; exter-
+i
a
a7 OP et Se Lema
IV Si a habs 68 5 hs ola
Pope
s
kee Y gto es
COMPOSITE. 961
when fresh, greyish after drying, of a peculiar aromatic odour
and an aromatic, bitterish, and pungent taste. The root is
hygroscopic and flexible in damp weather, but when dry breaks
with a short fracture. The bark is $ inch or more thick, the
inner portion radiates near the cambium line ; the meditallium
has small fibro-vascular bundles and broad medullary rays, and
all parts of the root are dotted with shining yellowish-brown
resin-cells.
Chemical composition.—Elecampane contains a little volatile
oil, some acrid resin, a bitter principle not known as yet in the
isolated state, waey matter; inulin, etc. On investigating the
body formerly known as helenin and elecampane camphor,
which crystallizes from the concentrated tincture mixed with
water, Kallen (1873) isolated helenin, C°H®O, which is
insipid, almost insoluble in water, crystallizes in needles, fuses
at 110° C., and is by nitric acid converted into oxalic acid and a
resinous body. On distilling the root with steam, Kallen
(1876) obtained inula camphor or alant camphor, C'°H iO.
and inulol or alantol, C'5H®°O*. The first of these forms
colourless necdles of a faint camphoraceous odour and taste,
melts at 66° C., and is sublimable and very slightly soluble in
water. Alantol isa yellowish liquid having the odour of pepper-
mint and an aromatic taste, boiling near 200° C., and yielding
-erystallizable alantic or inulic acid, C'15H220%, Inulin, C'?
H*0Q10 is contained in the subterraneous parts of Composite,
and is obtained by forcibly expressing the grated juicy roots,
when a portion will deposit on standing, and the remainder
may be precipitated by alcohol. Kiliani (1881) recommends
boiling the roots with water containing sodium carbonate; the
liquid is cooled by a freezing mixture, and the precipitate -
repeatedly dissolved in hot water and reprecipitated by cooling.
The autumn roots contain the largest percentage (elecam-
pane 44 per cent.) of inulin, which by the following spring is
to a considerable extent changed into mucilage, sugar, and
levulin, and in some cases to glucosides. Inulin is a fine white
powder, tasteless and inodorous, insoluble in al sligh
soluble in cold water, more so in hot water, and
.
262 COMPOSITZ,
altered, but mostly reprecipitated on cooling; on the slow
evaporation of its aqueous solution it may be obtained in crys-
talline spheres, and by hydration it is converted into gum-like
and horny modifications. It appears to be the anhydride of
levulose, its formula being C°H!°Q5 °H’O, but it does not
reduce Fehling’s solution, Heated with water in sealed tubes,
it yields levulose ; with hot baryta-water lactic acid is formed,
diluted nitric acid oxidizes it to formic, oxalic, racemic, gly-
collic, and probably glyoxylic acids. Inulin differs from starch
by the absence of concentric layers, does not yield a jelly with
water, and it is coloured yellow (not blue) by iodine. (Stillé
and Maisch.) !
XANTHIUM STRUMARIUM, Linn.
Fig.—Eng. Bot. 36, t. 2544; Matth. Valg. 2, 545, fe
Broad-leaved Burweed (Hng.), Lampourde (Fr.).
Hab.—Hotter parts of India and Ceylon. Europe. The
herb.
Vernacular.—Gokhru-kallan (Punj.,Sind.), Ban-okra(Beng.),
Marlumatta (Tam.), Veritel-nep (Tel.), Shankeshvar (Mar.),
Shankhahuli (Hind.), Kadvalamara (Can.),
History, Uses, &c.—The févbor of Dioscorides (IV.
133,) appears to be this plant; he tells us how it should be used
to dye the hair, and also notices its use in dispelling tumours.
The generic name has been given it on account of its contain-
ing a yellow-colouring matter, and the specific name is an
allusion to its use in scrofula.. It is the Xanthium seu Lappa
minor of Ray, Bauhin and Matthiolus. In some parts of
Germany, where it is called Spitzklette, it has a popular repu-
tation as a remedy for ague, and in Russia it is considered to
be a prophylactic in hydrophobia. In the Punjab and
Sind it is called Gokhru kallén, or * great Gokhra,’ and is
given in small-pox on the doctrine of signatures (Stewart) ;
its hairs and prickles are employed in medicine in China.
(Smith.) {t appears to be the Hasak of the Eastern Arabian — -
physicians, and the Hamaz-cl-amir of the Western, it is the
COMPOSITA. 263
Khar-i-khasak of Persia, and Haji Zein informs us that it is
Ned Khar-i-sthék at Shiraz, and Harada at Ispahan; the
name is an allusion to its yellow colour, Harad is the
ld Persian for turmeric. Hasak is described by Mahometan
iters on Materia Medica as useful for dispelling tumours
and curing ophthalmia, also in renal and urinary complaints
a diuretic, and in colic; it is said to be aphrodisiac,
The Hindus consider the whole plant to be diaphoretic and
Sedative, and very efficacious in long-standing cases of mala-
Seckerit writers. Loureiro states that the seeds are attenuant
and eapicont of inflammatory swellings. In America and
dorific, sialogogue and slightly diuretic. The dose given
been 10 grains of the ary leaves. ~
Description. —Stem erect, scabrous, clouded with ioe
loured spots; leaves alternate, petioled, cordate or kidney-
aped, notched, waved, 3-nerved, scabrous, about 4 inches
iameter, petioles round, scabrous, as long*as the leaves : :
ers terminal and from the superior axils, male aggregate
ve the female, short peduncled ; female, subsessile, solitary ;
erm superior, oblong, armed. with uncinate bristles, 2-celled,
ch cell containing one ovule en veloped i in an interior tunic.
enemical, composition.—Zander (1881) obtained. from 100
ts of the fruit 5-2 ash, 38°6 fat, 36-6 albuminoids, 13
inthostrumarin and organic acids, besides sugar, resin, &c.
Xs mthosteamarin seems to bea glucoside, is yellow, amor-
phous, soluble in water, alcohol, ether, benzol and chloroform,
\d yields precipitates with group reagents for alkaloids, and
7 sierric chloride, lead acetate, and salts of other metals,
964. COMPOSITA.
acetate of lead. M. V. Cheatham (1884) obtained only 14:5
per cent. of fixed oil, and a principle which’ was precipitated
y
SIEGESBECKIA ORIENTALIS, je
Fig.—Wight. Ic., t..1103; Schk. Han. 8, t. 256. Herbe=
guérit-vite (Fr.).
Hab.—Throughout India. Cosmopolitan in warm climate
: Vernacular. —He-kien, Kau-kau (Chix.), Katampam, Kat-
ampu (Z'um.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant is named after Dr.
George Siegesbeck,a German physician, fomerly director of
the gardens at Petersburgh. It appears to have been long -
known in China as a remedy for ague, rheumatism, and renal
colic; but as far as we know, its medicinal properties are not
known to. the natives of India. The properties of the plant
have been studied by Vinson and Louvet, who state that in the
island of Réunion it has a considerable local reputation as a
sialagogue, vulnerary, tonic, aperient and depurative; it isan
ingredient in Périchon’s Sirop depuratif végétal, which is used
as a remedy in venereal and scrofulous affections. The juice
_of the fresh herb is used as a dressing for wounds, over which,
as it dries, it leaves a varnish-like coating. A decoction of
the leaves and young shoots is used as a lotion for ulcers and
parasitic skin diseases. Other preparations of the plant are 4
wine and a watery extract, Auffrey of the Mauritius separated
a bitter principle from the drag which he named darutyne, in
honour of Dr. ©. Daruty, the author of a work upon the
medicinal plants of that Island.* J. Hutchinson (Brit Med.
ie ae
Py papain. | Ae ptt ga Journ. Pharm., 1881, 271, and 1884, 134.) —
Seen.
Journ., June 25, 1887,) has recommended a tincture of Sie- ;
genbiock ix as a local application in certain skin diseases; he
remarks that most of the medicaments now in use inconveni-
ence the patient on account of their greasy nature, and, ce
* Plantes médicinales de Vile Maurice et des pays intertropicaux.
Maurice : . Christy, New Commercial Plants, No. 9, pp. 49-52,
COMPOSIT#. 265
igrensy, they do not afford relief to the dryness and
nsion of the skin. The affected parts are rubbed night and,
pain is soon relieved, and the eruptions disappear.
4 Description.— A much branched, erect herb, I to 3 feet
igh, with opposite, broadly triangular or ovate, coarsely tooth-
then treated with alcohol, part of the alcohol distilled off, and
the residue mixed with five or six times its volume of water, |
slightly acidulated. The precipitated substance after filtration
is treated with alcohol, and mixed with two or three times its
volume of water, when the darutyne crystallizes out, the yield
being 0°15 per cent. The crystals are soluble in alcohol and
i. but insoluble in cold water, dilute acids, alkalies and
chloroform and are neutral to test paper. M. Auffray finds
that it does not give the reactions for glucosides, alkaloids,
acids, or resin. Concentrated sulphuric acid dissolves the
erystals with a brownish colour, and strong hydrochloric acid
out colour in the cold, but when allowed to boil
i —— tint, Be a
‘principally used as a tonic and deobstruent in’
266 COMPOSITH.
We found the crystals obtained from a decoction of the plant
to give off the odour of salicylol when heated with sulphuric’
acid and potassium dichromate, and we obtained some crystals :
in the ether extract of the plant, which also acted as a derivative: i
of salicylic acid. |
Enhydra fluctans, Lour., Hilamochika or Hilamochi, —
(Sans.), Hingcha (Beng.), Harkuch (Hind.), a glabrous or
sessile, linear-oblong, acute or obtuse, entire or subcrenate
leaves, from one to three inches in length, and with axillary or —
terminal, sessile flower heads ; is used as a bitter vegetable in
of the skin and nervous system. The juice of the leaves i pas
doses of about one tola (180 grains). is also prescribed.
This plant is unknown in Western and Southern India.
ECLIPTA ALBA, Hassk.
Fig.—Lam. Ill., t. 687; Rheede, Hort. Mal: z., 41.
Hab.—Throughout India. The herb.
Vernacular.—Bhangra ( Hind.) , Bhengra(Guz.), Méka(dMar.),
Kesuria (Beng.), Garaga, Kadige-garaga (Can. ), Karesha-lén-
ganni, Kaikeshi, Kaivishi-ilai (Tam.), Gunta-galijeru, Gala-
gara-chettu, Gunta-kalagara (Tel.), Cajenneam (Mal). .5..°
History, Uses, &c.—This is a very common weed.
the rainy season, and may be found in irrigated fields and
gardens at all times of the year, it is used by the Hindus at
the Shraddh ceremony, being placed under and-on the Pinda.
It is called in Sanskrit Kesaraja, Bhringaréja and Markava, _
names which include Wedelia calendulacea, which is regarded _
by the natives of India as a variety of Eclipta alba. In the
Nighantas it is described as ieee pungent, aed aes
removing phlegm and win
: @iseases of the skin, ae and doa ee Sirsa: sy
: . splenic enlargements, and in various. chronic Bee
COMPOSI TA. 267
@ latter class of cases it is applied externally and given inter-
y. The juice of the plant is ased in tatooing to communi-
a blue colour to the punctures, and it is stated in native
ks that when taken internally and applied externally it will
e the hair black. Mahometan writers follow the Hindus in
bir description of the medicinal properties of this herb,
nd give Kadim-el-bint as the Arabic name. — Rheede states
juice with melted butter is given in rheumatism. Pills
me by pounding the plant with oil are supposed to relieve
bilst the leaves powdered and iced with salt, pepper sad
Mejuice, stimulate the appetite. He describes Wedelia calen-
dulacea (x., 42,) as having similar properties. According to
tt, the last-named plant is the Kesaraja mostly used i in Bengal,
pais also mentions it under the name of Peela Bhangr a, and
describes it in the following terms :—
.
“Tt has an herbaceous stem, a foot high, and nearly erect 5
es quite entire, opposite, lanceolate, bluntish, with alow
_-* terminating, solitary, and on a very long peduncle. —
y leaves, seeds, yellow flowers, ina word the whole of this
growing plant, which is pleasant and somewhat aromatic
the taste, is used in medicine; it is considered as deob..
‘uent, and is awe Sartre in decoction, in the quantity of half
supful twice daily.”, :
“s J.J. Wood suggested that Eelipta alba would be found
itnally of greater service than taraxacum in hepatic derange- :
ments. The expressed j juice is recommended as the best form e
for administration i in the Pharmacopeia of India, and in Bom-
the natives use the juice in combination with aromatics, -
‘as ajowan seeds, as a tonic and deobstruent, and give two.
of it with eight drops of honey to new-born children
! ip never The plant is used i in Mad as to
used by scorpion |
268 | - COMPOSITE.
The following prescription is used in the Concan for teta-
nus :—Maka Juice 1 tolé, juice of Lewcas seylanica (Tamba)
}tol4, Ginger juice 2 tolds, juice of Vitew trifolia 1 tol, leaf
juice of Sesbania grandiflora 3 tolfs; to be boiled with four
times the quantity of cocoanat juice and a little rice and treacle
to form a Khir, to be given twice a day.
Description.—Z. alba is a small prostrate or ascending —
plant, stem reddish; leaves linear or oblong-lanceolate, atten- —
uated at the base, with waved edges, 1 to 4 inches long. The
whole plant is rough to the touch from the presence of nume-
rous adpressed white hairs; the structure of these is peculiar,
the base is red and turned upwards, and upon it is attached a
conical, white, glandular hair. The flower heads are in
pairs, axillary or terminal, + to } of an inch in diameter, white
or rarely yellow, one rai a peduncle twice as long as
the other; the receptacle is flat, and furnished with bristle-
like scales between the florets, ray-florets fertile or sterile ;
dise-florets fertile, tubnlar;*achenes of the ray-florets
ge eee aes ee eA
triqnetrons, those of the dise i ala pappus toothed 5
or 2-aristate.
Wedelia calendulacea hasa eases, glabrous ow :
scabrid stem, 6 to 18 inches in length, rooting at the lower nodes ;
leaves 1 to 3 inches: long, variable in breadth, sub-sessile,,
linear-oblong or oblanceolate, acute or obtuse, entire or sub-. —
crenate, hairs on both sides scattered, adpressed, rigid, white.
Heads solitary, yellow, on long slender axillary _peduneles, F
1 to 14 inches in diameter, outer involucre bracts large, oblong-
obtuse, herbaceous, much longer than the disc-florets ; outer ,
florets ligulate,. central tubular ; achenes of the ray triquetrous, |
those of the disc Nibpeinnad: pappus of toothed or —
scales.
Chemical shia ithe —In addition to a Sees amount of :
resin, an alkaloidal principle was detected in E. alba, which
we failed to obtain im a crystalline form. It afforded no
special colour reactions. The sulphate was slightly soluble in
ether. We provisionally call this alkaloid Eeliptine. — :
COMPOSITA. 969
GUIZOTIA ABYSSYNICA, Cass.
Ill., t. 182; Bot. Mag., t. 1017. now ed
fing.). :
Hab.— Africa, cultivated in India. The seed and oil.
Vernacular.—Ramtil, Kélétil (Hind., Beng., Mar., Guz.),
si, Valesalu (Tel.), Uchellu (Zam.), Hutchu-ellu (Can.)
History, Uses, &c,—This plant is the Nuk of the
yssinians, and was first brought to the notice of Europeans
a the British Resident at the Court of the Berar Raja, and
wn broadcast, and ploughed in. It requires neither manure
oY weeding, and is very exhaustive to the soil. It ripens in
eight days. Then, having been for two or three days exposed
to the sun, the’ seed is beaten out with a stick, and separated
n fragments of the plant by a fan. Part of it is parched
| made into sweetmeats with jaggery, but the greater part
sold to the oil-makers for expression. This oil is much
emed for culinary purposes, and is also used as a lamp oil,
but is‘reckoned by the natives inferior to that of Sesamum.
bout the same time it was noticed by Ainslie, who testi--
to its extensive cultivation on the coast. .(Mat. Ind., ii.
.). Heyne notices its cultivation in. Bengal and calls it
erinnua,
y “eG of the tnblerand, of India sp
ree months, when it is cut near the root and «stacked for
(Tracts on India, p. 49.) The: plant ingaitivated:
é
270 COMPOSITA.
group of fixed oils, and states that its applications are to
adulterate rape oil and to act as a substitute for linseed oil, —
We have not found it to be siccative enough for the latter pur- —
pose, and, in fact, from its sweetness and low congealing point, —
we should agains it of greater value than that usually attri-
buted to
Description.—This is an annual, herbaceous, erect
plant; leaves opposite, long, lanceolate, coarsely serrated,
peduncles thin subcorymbose ; flowers a bright —
yellow.
The achenes are of a greyish-black colour, about Yo of an E
inch long, somewhat angular from lateral compression, tapering
towards the base, quite smooth, taste oily and nutty.
Chemical composition.—The seeds have been examined by E
Anderson who found them to contain water 7:02, oil 43°22, ‘
albuminous substances 19°37, sugar, gum, &c., 13°37, cellulose :
"14°88, ash 3°48 per cent. The nitrogen amounted to 3°10 per
cent, (Highland Agr. Soc. Journ., New Ser., No. 69, p. 376.) |
The oil is light yellowish brown having a specific gravity —
of *921 at 20° and -924 at 15°5°. It solidifies at a tempera-
tare below zero. A few drops mixed with strong sulphuric _
acid form greenish brown clots. After the application of <3
‘Massie’s test the oil became light brown; heated with the
acid, and after the action had ceased, the oil became dark
reddish brown. It required 19 per cent. of KHO for sapo-
nification, and the fatty acids resulting from the decomposi-
tion amounted to 949 per cent. of the oil and melted at
about 21° C.. The fatty acids remaining at a temperature
a little above their melting-point, separated into a solid white _
crystalline acid melting at 50° and some liquid oleic acid.
By decomposing the lead soap of the fatty acids insoluble
in ether, a white lustrous body was obtained melting at 54°
: and solidifying at 51°, and soluble in alcohol with a slight acid — ;
S reaction, probably myristic acid. The oil has slight drying
properties. About one and-a-half gram of oil was heated to”
= a of 92° in’ ‘a shallow me for a few hours
i 4: ire
po SS RS SEE Ree ae ens
a, Teh ee eae
omens ca hain edere
COMPOSIT A. 271
each day and weighed carefully each morning before being
heated. The greatest increase was observed on the second
day, but the weight augmented daily in diminishing amounts
until the fifteenth day, when it was found to have gained altoge-
ther 7:2 per cent. The oil was still unctuous and transparent and
- flowed from the vessel when inverted. The oil was heated to
over 250° on three occasions, but this did not appear to affect
its limpid character.
Glossocardia linearifolia, Cass., Wight Ic.,t. 1110,
Syn.—G. Bosvallea, a plant of Central India and the Deccan,
is known in Marathi by the name of Phatar-suva, which means
Rock anethum. In the Poona and Sholapore districts it is
called Pitsa-paépada, a name also given to Fumaria as well as
to several Acanthaceous plants. It is not sold in the Bombay
shops, but is the Pitta-papada of the Poona druggists, and
according to Dalzell and Gibson is much used im female com-
plaints, the nature of which they do not specify. «G. lineart-
folia is « small annual, with many stems, diffuse ; leaves alter-
nate, much divided, linear at the base; heads of flowers
solitary, yellow, on short naked peduncles. It has a bitter —
te, and an odour of fennel, and is used as an emmenagogue.
ACHILLEA MILLEFOLIUM, Linn. ‘A
Fig.— Woodville, t. 15; Reich. Tc. Fl. Germ., avi. t. 1026;
Bentl. and Trim, 153. Yarrow, Nose-bleed (Eng.), Herbe aux
Charpentiers, Millefeuille (Fr. 2
Hab.—Western Himalaya. Cultivated in gardens.
Vernacular.—Biranjasif (Ind. Bazars).
History, Uses, &c,—Differentspecies of Achillea have
been used medicinally from a very early date, Dioscorides
(iv., 34) mentions dyAdcov as a plant which was used as an
astringent and emmenagogue. According to Pliny the generi
name was given to these plants becanse Achillea was: fone
‘to use them as a vulnerary, he says :-—“ In
272 : COMPOSITA.
Achilleos vocatur. Hac sanasse Telephum dicitur. Alii primum -
eeruginem invenisse, utilissimam emplastris, ideoque depingitur
ex cuspide decutiens eam gladio in vulnus Telephi. Alii utroque
usum medicamento volunt. Aliqui et hane panacen heracleon,
alii sideriten. Hane apud nos millefolium vocant, cubit-
ali scapo, ramosam, minutioribusque quam foeniculi foliis
vestitam abimo. Alii fatentur quidem illam vulneribus utilem,
sed veram achilleon esse scapo cceruleo pedali, sine ramis.”
(25,19). A species of Achillea is the Kaiswm of the Arabians, Ibn.
Sina says of it :— paiva I yo aly I, By) Ce zivla 5)J (according
to Galen its flowers are more conspicuous than those of worm-
wood). The same plant is the Biranjdsib or Biranjdsif of the
Persians, which has been identified by Stocks with A. santolina,
Liun.; the description of biranj4sif in the Tuhfat-el-muminin
is unmistakably that of an Achillea; another Persian name for
the plant is Bu-t-maderdn; it is in common use as @ tonic in
Persia and Sind. In Egypt a species of Achillea is used medi-
cinally under the name of Barbara (1p). In Europe and
in the Kast the plants belonging to this genus have long been
considered to have stimulant, — tonic, emmenagogue and
antiheemorrhoidal properties, A. Moschata (Génepi blanc) is
an Alpine plant witha musky odour, having sudorific and healing
properties. At Engadine, in Switzerland, a volatile oil is
extracted from it called Esprit d’Iva. For administration 402.
of A. millefolium may be infused ina pint of water and
reduced to 6 oz., of this 1 oz. may be given every hour. This
plant has of late years been reintroduced into medical use in
America ; it is spoken of as a general stimulant and tonic, with
peculiar relations to the pelvic organs. Like other stimulant .
tonics, it has been found capable of curing certain cases of
intermittent fever, and is apt to promote the appetite and |
digestion in atonic gastric disorders. Its special local action is
illustrated by the virtues ascribed to it in piles and amenorrhea,
Ee ne Soe eS ae
COMPOSITE. 973
oody, during defecation. A similar condition of atony in
reproductive organs of the female is attended sometimes
h menorrhagia, and sometimes with imperfect and painful
struation. A tonic and stimulant regimen is essential to
s successful treatment, and as a portion thereof, milfoil may
ymetimes be employed with advantage. By this mode of
n, doubtless, milfoil has proved beneficial in leucorrhcea
| flatulent colic; and it may assist in curing relaxed and
erwise inert conditions of the throat, when its infusion is
asa gargle, or in cases of sore nipples, when it is applied
lotion. The volatile oil may be given in doses of 20 drops.
hillein, i in doses of from 8 to 20 grains, is reported to have
sioned a sense of epigastric oppression and some irregu-
tity of pulse, but to haye increased. the sneha (Stillé
i Maisch.
: Description. ey perennial herb with a slender creeping
this abit: ‘ones much snitch, vosiile arid :obtolige all
deeply bi- or tri-pinnatisect with closely placed, overlap-.
ng segtnents, which are again cut into linear, very acute
, more or less hairy, mucronate, and having small oil-
3 on the lower side. The flowers grow in level-topped
rymbs; heads numerous, with the involucre oblong; scales
eS keeled; receptacle flat, chaffy ; ray-florets pistillate,
r 5, short ligulate, white. or rose-coloured ; disk-florets —
veral, perfect, tabular, with the margin whitish and the tube
ish; pecnenes flattened, oblong; ones pappus. - It has Cae
274 COMPOSITZ.
.
achilletn was obtained by Zanon (1846) as a reddish-brown ;
extract-like mass, and was regarded by Von Planta (187C) as —
being identical with the alkaloid achilleine of A. moschata. |
Zanon’s achilleic acid is aconitic acid (Hlasiwetz, 1857). Yar=
4
row also contains a small quantity of resin, tannin, and guin,
and various salts, consisting of malates, nitrates, phosphates,
and chlorides ef potassium and calciam; on incineration, frem 4
13 to 1? per cent. of ash is obtained.
Von Planta-Reichenau (1870) obtained from A. moschata : a
bluish-green volatile oil, ivaol, of a refreshing odour and bitterish
mint-like taste ; ivain, C24H 4203, soft, yellow, insoluble in —
water, soluble in alcohol and bitter ; achilleine, C20H 38N%0", is
readily soluble in water, with difficulty in absolute alcohol,
insoluble in ether,
sugar, ammonia, an odorous body, and achilletine, C!'H!7NO*,
which is dark-brown
moschatine, C21] 27N O’, is insoluble in cold water, and has an
aromatic bitter taste. (Stillé and. Maisch.) :
MATRICARIA CHAMOMILLA, Linn.
Fig.— Lamk. Ill. t. 678; Bentl. and Trim. t. 155. Ger-
man Chamomile (Eng.), Camomille d' Allemagne (Fr.).
Hab.—- Northern India, Persia, Europe. ee
Vernacular.— Bébune-ke-phil (Hind.) , Shimai-chémantippu
(Tam.), Sima-chamanti-pushpamu (Tel.), Shima-jeventi-push-
pam (Mal.), Shime-shy{mantige ( Can.), Bébuna-na-phila
(Guz.), Babuna-cha-phiila (Mar.), :
‘History, Uses, &c.—The avbeuis of Dioscorides is refer-
red by Sibthorp to Anthemis chia, Linn., but it is probable that
several species were used under this name, including Matricaria
Chamomilla. Theophrastes describes the flowers of anthemon
as To dev kuxde avbos Nevxor, ro Bey Herw xpvoos (HP, vii., 18), his
plant was therefore a single-flowered one. . Formerly the cha-
momile flowers met with in the bazars we ;
Northern India and Persia, and were the flowers of Af. Cha-
ey es 2
» Insoluble in water, and not bitter;
and when boiled with dilute acids yields —
.
ee
TOT SOF anon Cre eee PO Tae =
q
My
AY Ee ee
tet swe
5 A i
By Rate RS a Sk eee ee le ro bP Se ee Ae ence Smee Sef a ee ee ee a eee ee er ee st oy
i = os Pe ‘ wae
pasties
oe) ee
ah
eae
a afew
ee TT
' COMPOSIT Ai. : 278
3 momilla, but now the double flowers of Anthemis nobilis
_ imported from Europe, are found in-most of the large towns.
The drug does not appear to be mentioned by the old Sanskrit
writers, and was probably first used in India by the Maho-
- metan invaders. The notices of Babunah in Persian works on
Materia Medica must be understood as applying to M.
Chamomilla; we gather from: them that this plant is named
after the-village of Babunah in Iraék-arabi, where it is particu-
darly abundant. The Arabs call it Tuffah-el-ard and Shajrat-
el-kafiar (camphor plant). It is considered to be stimulant,
attenuant, and discutient. There is a popular opinion among
the Persians that the odour of the flowers induces sleep and
drives away noxious insects; they also say that bathing the
genitals with chamomile tea bas a powerful aphrodisiac effect.
Description.—The flower-heads are 4 to} of an inch
broad, and have a flattish involucre, with two or three rows of
_ small oblong-linear, obtuse scales having the margin mem-
_ branous. The receptacle is at firstconvex, but becomes strongly
conical and hollow, and is free from chaff. ‘The ray-florets are
_ about fifteen in number, soon reflexed, white, ligulate-oblong,
with two notches at the apex and enclosing the bifid style,
_ but no stamens. The numerous yellow disk-florets are tubular,
_ five-toothed, somewhat glandular, hermaphrodite, and have the
anthers united into a.tube through which the bifid style pro-
jects. The achenes are small, curved, finely five-ribbed on the —
inner surface, brownish, tvithout pappus, but with a slightly
_ elevated margin at the apex. German chamomile-flowers have
& peculiar aromatic odour and a bitterish aromatic taste. They
are easily distinguished from allied composite plants by.their
smooth, conical, and hollow disks, which shrink very consider-
ably on drying, F
Chemical composition.--German chamomile-flowers contain
about } per cent. of volatile oil, some bitter extractive; malates,
tannates, and a little tannin, besides the Labs." ‘
vegetables Patton ne’ 8 capthemee acids é
bathonal
SUreeneto Ue . A
276 COMPOSIT A.
the officinal flowers by exhausting them with hot water acidu- 4
lated with acetic acid, concentrating, precipitating with alcohol,
evaporating the filtrate, and treating with chloroform. It is
described as colourless silky needles having an agreeable odour —
of chamomile, a strongly bitter taste, and dissolving in water,
alcohol, ether and chloroform. ‘he precipitate obtained with -
alcohol is stated to contain a tasteless crystalline principle,
anthemidin, which is insoluble in alcohol, ether, and chloroform, 2
but soluble in acetic acid.
~The volatile oil is a dark blue, in thin layers transparent
thickish liquid, which gradually turns green and brown when a
exposed to light and air, and more rapidly if obtained from
dried flowers; it has a strong odour of the flowers and a warm
aromatic taste; dissolves in about 8 parts of 80 per cent
alcohol, has the specific gravity 0°93, and seems to consist of a
terpene,C!°H'®, associated with C!°H'8O. The volatile oil
becomes dark-brown, or green with strong or diluted nitric
acid, and deep red-brown with sulphuric acid. The blue colour
is due to the presence of a volatile principle which was named —
azulene by Piesse and ceerulein by Gladstone (1863), and which
according to both investigators, is present in all other volatile
oils having a blue or green colour—in the latter associated with
a yellow priniciple. (Stillé and Maiseh.) |
_. Chrysanthemum coronarium, Zinn., Lam., Ill. ¢. se
678, f. 6,-a native of the Mediterranean region, is conseienela eS.
cultivated in Indian gardens, and is a favourite flower with
both Hindus and Mahometans. It blossoms in the cold season,
and there are two distinct varieties, one with large flowers, ant 4
another with small. The flowers are of various colours, and
when dried impress a peculiar pricking sensation on thetongue
like pyrethram. Dalzell and Gibson ( Bombay Flora it., 48,) -
state that they are a’ tolerablé substitute for ‘akeaoniatb
mK to Dr. Walker (Bombay Med. and Phys. Trans., 1840,
71,) the people of the Deccan administer the plant in con-
jonttioe with black: pepper as a remedy for gonorrheea. ‘The
- wernacular names: wat Gul-dat
fe
Wied ans Ae edeeae ae 3
Br te Ses ae Oe eae ee er ie A ee ath ee
COMPOSITE, oye
4 Setippu (Tam. ), Chemanti (Tel.), Jevanti-puva oe ), Shyavan-
: Beabare (Can.), Shevanti-cha-phula (Mar.). |
-Centipeda orbicularis, Lour., Wight Ic. 1610, a native
of the plains of India and Ceylon, is used as a mechanical
_ Sternutatory by the natives; it is administered to relieve
the sneezewort of the English. In Sanskrit it is called |
Chikkana or Chhikika, which is equivalent to sneezewort, and
the vernacular names have a similar meaning. According to
Roxburgh this plant appears during the latter part of the cold
Season, on cultivated land, The whole plant does not cover a
Space more than about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. The root
is simple, the stems several, branchy, pressing on the earth;
all are somewhat woolly; leaves numerous, sessile, wedge-
shaped, deeply dentate, villous; flowers axillary or in the
divisions of the branches, solitary, sessile, sub-globular,
hermaphrodite, florets from 10 to 12 in the centre with the
border 4-toothed, coloured and expanding; the female ones °
very numerous in the circumference, most minute, with the
border seemingly 3-toothed, — the toothlets incurved,
_- Receptacle naked.
ANACYCLUS PYRETHRUM, DC.
Fig.— Woodville, t. 20; Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ. t. 999;
f fieut. and Trim, t. 151. Spanish Pellitory (Hng.), Salivaire
- d@’Espagne (Fri ye2 = 3:
Hab.—North Africa. The root.
: Vernacular.—Akarkara, Akalkara ( ind, Bea Mayr. ); Akki- Celsus mentions its use for opening the mouths of
Sana. (Lib. v., cap. iv.) The Arabian physicians in the
ys of Avicenna preacrified pellitory in rigors. In India it
_ is often given to parrots to make them talk,
Description.—The root as found in the shops is saiglh
} to 4 inches long by # to 4 of an inch thick, cylindrical or
tapering, sometimes terminated at the top by the bristly
remains of leaves, and having only a few hair-like rootlets. It
has a brown, rough, shrivelled surface, is compact and brittle,
the fractured surface being radiate and destitute of pith. The
bark, at most 1-25th of an inch thick, adheres closely to the
ood, a narrow zone of cambium intervening The woody
lumn is traversed by large medullary rays in which, as inthe
irks, numerous dark resin-ducts are scattered. The root hag 5
a ae aromatic smell, and a Lisikiviomes ee — -
——
ISH COMPOSTITA.
ing a singular tingling sensation, anda remarkable flow of -
saliva. The drug is very liable to the attacks of insects.
Microscopic structwre.x—The cortical part of this root is re-
markable on account of its suberous layer, which is partly
made up of sclerenchyme (thick-walled cells). Balsam-ducts.
(oil cells) occur as well in the middle cortical layer as in the
medullary rays. Most of the parenchymatous cells are loaded
with inulin; pellitory, in fact, is one of those roots most
abounding in that substance.
Chemical composition.—Pellitory was first analysed by Pari-:
sel, who gave the name Pyrethrin to a soft resin soluble in
alcoholand ether. Koene subsequently found in the roota resin,
brown acrid oil, yellow oil, inulin, gum, salts and a trace of
tannin. The two oils and resin together were said to con-
stitute the pyrethrin of Parisel, and the active principle has
consequently been regarded as a mixed substance. C.J. 8.
Thompson (Pharm. Journ. [8], xvii. 567,) finds the active
principle to be an acrid resinous substance, residing mostly
_ in the cortical portion, and occurring to the extent of 5 per
cent, in good samples of root. Avery minute quantity placed
on the tongue causes a strong burning sensation, which
shortly -inereases, and remains for a oousifiarable time,
inducing a copious flow of saliva. A strong solution painted on
the skin causes a sharp prickling sensation, and reddens
the part where it has been applied. If the part is kept
covered a blister will be produced. Besides being soluble
in ‘alcohol and ether, it dissolves in oils and acetic acid. It is
‘composed of an acrid, brown resinous substance soluble in
alcohol, but insoluble in water and strong alkaline solutions; and
a dark yellow oil which is soluble in alkalies. The acridity of
the oil is probably due to a small quantity of resin mixed with it.
‘R. Buchheim has recently claimed to have found the active
principle to be a crystalline alkaloid, Pyrethrine, which he
obtained by evaporating to dryness an alcoholic extract and
exhausting the residue with ether. Pyrethrine melts at the
heat of the body, and is resol
cholic potash into
by ale pipe-
ridine and pyrethric acid, (Arch. f Ex aperim. Path. 5., p. 458.) -— a
eee eee ae
- COMPOSITA. -981-
Commerce. —The root is collected chiefly in Algeria, and is
(Pharmacographia.) Pellitory root is valued in Bombay at
about Rs. 24 per maund of 373 lbs. The quantity imported
hardly varies from year to year.
if
-TANACETUM UMBELLIFERUM, Boiss.
Syn.—Pyrethrum umbelliferum, Boiss. Fl. Or. ie, ie 302.
Hab.—Eastern Persia. The root.
Vernacular.—Mitha-akarkara, Bozidén (Indian Baiorck.
History, Uses, &c.—This plant was found by Aitchison
the Badghis oat Harirud valley. The roots are collected
and sold in Indiaas “ Mitha-akarkara,” “ Sweet Pellitory,” and
are used by the Mahometan physicians as Bozidén. The latter
name, as we have already mentioned (Vol. ii., p. 137), is of
Persian origin, andis applied like Shakékul to several stimula-
_ ting and nutritious roots mostly used by women for i improving
ir embonpoint. The hakims consider it to be aphrodisiae,
c, deobstruent, useful in rheumatism and gout, and in>
largement of the liver and spleen. They also state that. it ;
has abortifacient and anthelmintic properties. —
Description.—Root 6 to 10 inches long, closely reiaa
pos that epee! in elses ape somewh
igh,
erg
282 COMPOSITZ.
The drug has the faint aromatic odour of pellitory, but is
almost free from pungency.
Chemical composition.—A proximate analysis of the powdered
root separated, ether extract 1:0, alcoholic extract 8°6, water
extract 25°1, crude fibre 56°9, and ash 6°8 parts in one hun-
dred. The ether extract, having a distinct odour of chaul-
moogra oil, was evaporated to dryness and digested in rectified
spirit for several months; this separated a whitish insoluble
granular fatty substance, and a light reddish brown liquid.
The insoluble portion examined under a microscope was seen
to consist of radiating crystalline tufts of wax, tasteless, and
neutral in reaction, dissolving to some extent in boiling alcohol
and solidifying in the cold; soluble in petroleum ether; it
softened a little above 70°; at the temperature of boiling water
it melted to a brown liquid, and with a sufficient heat, it burnt
away on platinum foil witha smoky flame. The soluble ‘por-
tion of the ether extract was evaporated, and the fatty residue
was acid in reaction, and produced a numbing sensation on
the tongue and at the same time caused a flow of saliva.
Petroleum ether removed a fatty acid from this residue and
left a soft brown resin. This resin had the characters of
pyrethrin. Besides its action on the tongue, it was soluble in
ether, proof spirit, chloroform and bisulphide of carbon and
insoluble in caustic and carbonated alkalies. Nitric acid decom-
posed it with evolution of gas. Sulphuric acid dissolyed it
with a red-brown colour and the mixture developed an odour
of butyric acid.
The alcoholic extract of the root contained. an organic acid,
some saccharine matter reducing Fehling’s test, but no alkaloid.
‘The acid was deepened in.colour with ferric chloride, gave an
orange precipitate with plumbic acetate, but produced no
deposit in solution of gelatine,
The water extract contained 15 per cent, of a carbohydrate
forming a pulverulent precipitate with three volumes of alcohol.
Sweet Pellitory thus contains very little pyrethrin compared
_ with the amount found in the Pellitory of Spain, and less inulin.
*
COMPOSITZ. 283
is more woody, and its name probably refers not so much to
the amount of sugar it contains as to the small quantity of
acrid and pungent principle.
SPILANTHES ACMELLA, Linn.
_ Fig.— Wight Ic., #. 1109. Para Cress (Eng.), Cresson de
Para (f’r.).
Hab.—Throughout India. The flower heads.
Vernacular.—Pipulka (Mar.), Vana mugali(Can.). It bears
2 same names as Pyrethri Radix in the vernaculars.
noticed in the Flora of British India,—S. proper, 8. calva, 8.
oleracea, and 8. paniculata. Of these S. oleracea, Jacq. Hort.
Vind ti,, t. 135, is a cultivated form common in Indian gardens,
and S. paniculata is also, in the opinion of Sir J. D. Hooker, a
in S. oleracea for larger and more highly-coloured flower heads :
the latter plant is the true Cresson de Para, and is supposed to
have been introduced into India from Brazil by the Portuguese.
: part, ‘and are chewed by the natives to relieve toothache, which
Dr. W. Farquhar has used and recommended a tincture of the
flower heads for toothache in place of tincture of pyrethrum.
He says it is a specific for inflammation of the periosteum of
the jaws. A bit of lint dipped in the tincture and laid on the
gums repeated 3 or 4 times a day has a speedy oes in
3 as a pot-herb, and the same fact was observed by Dr. Mason
in Burma. §S. Acmella proper has been sent to us from the
they"do by producing redness of the gums and salivation. °
‘History, Uses, &c.—Four forms of this plant are -
Vestern wages under the Marathi name of Ponie ee
284 COMPOSITA’. —
Description.—Small annual plants with round, smooth, —
succulent, branching stems ; leaves opposite, petioled, subcordi-
form, subdentate. ‘The flower heads are solitary at the end of |
pedicels longer than the leaves, of a conical form, and in
S. oleracea as large as an acorn; they are entirely composed of
yellow or brownish yellow hermaphrodite tubular flowers. The
achenes are compressed with ciliated margins, and are sur-
mounted, except in 8S. calva, by two naked awns, ‘The whole
plant is pangent to the taste, but the flower heads are especially
so, having a hot burning taste which causes profuse salivation.
Chemical composttion.—Gerrard has analysed this plant with —
the result that the active principle is an oleo-resin with power-
fully sialagogue properties. (Pharm. Journ. March 8, 1884,
p. 717.) R. Buchheim has found in the herb the crystalline
alkaloid obtained by him in Pellitory root (sce article Anacylus
Pyrethrum). We have made a full examination of the flower
heads of Spilanthes calva, which are used as a substitute for
pellitory in some parts of India, and we find them to contain the
following constituents: a resin, fixed oil, yellow colouring matter,
astringent organic acid, glucose, extractive with the odour and
taste of malt and-7°6 per cent of mineral matter. The resin
had the reactions possessed by pyrethrin in being soluble in
ether, alcohol and proof spirit, insoluble in alkalies and destroyed
by oxidizing agents. In these respects it resembles the
pungent principle of plants found in the Zinziberacee. We
_were unable to obtain it in a crystalline condition. The flower
heads distilled with water afforded a distillate free from pun-
gency, and the contents of the retort after boiling were likewise
inert. The active principle is unstable in constitution ae
decomposed by heat.
ARTEMISIA VULGARIS, Tinn. var. indica-
Fig.— Wight Ic., t- 1112; Rheede Hort. Mal. «., t. 45.
Wormwood (Eng.), Armoise, Herbe de Saint-Jean (Fr. ).
Hab.— ha the mountainons districts of India.
The herb. . ras
dys, 2
COMPOSITE. 285
Vernacular.—Nigdoun, Mastara (Hind.), Nagdoni (Beng.),
arband, wulg. Surpan (Mar.), Machipatri (Tel.), Machipattiri
'am.), Tiru-nitripachcha (Mal.), Uruvalu, Urigattige (Can.),
agadavano (Guz.). ’
ig 8,
g the poison of spiders and snakes. In the Deccan and
estern India the Sanskrit name is said to be Indhana,
ough the local version of the Réja-nighanta gives Nagda-
as the Marathi equivalent of Nagadamani, a name gene-
applied in that language to Crinum astaticum. Accord-
to Moodin Sheriff, the Sanskrit name in Southern India is
nthiparni. These names are not synonymous, and as the
it is common inall parts of the country, this discrepancy
d soom to indicate that its mention by the older Sanskrit
ters is very doubtful. The modern Hindus consider worm-
d to be a valuable stomachic, deobstruent and antispas-
¢, and prescribe it in infusion and electuary in cases of
acted menses and hysteria. A. vulgaris is generally con-
ived from the lunar goddess Artemis, who is supposed to
been tho- discoverer of its virtues, but Pliny says :—
qui Artemisiam ab -Artemide Ilithya cognominatam
, quoniam privatim medeatur foominarum ma gs
Floridus in his treatise, De viribus herbarum, calls
rood herbarum matrem, and attributes to it emmenagogue,
ic and alexipharmie properties ; ho also says that it
g parturition and prevents abortion. Apuleius De virtu-
i d will
served from fatigue, hidden demons and the evil eye,
artemisias,” says he again, “ Diana dicitur invenisse et
earum et medicinam Chironi centauro tradidisse, q
‘s kerbis medicinam instituit.” There is a popula
Bologna that wormwood will indicate
286 COMPOSITE. ©
mination of a disease ; a bunch of the leaves is surreptitiously 4
placed under the sick person’s pillow, if, after this he sleeps, he
will soon get well; if not, he will die, (De Gubernatis.)
A. vulgaris is probably one of the kinds of Afsantin
(a¥ivdiov) described by Mahometan physicians, but owing tothe —
want of a sufficient description of these drugs, it is impossible —
to identify it. Dr. Wight (JIl.. %, 92,) notices its use in 4
nervous and spasmodic affections, and Dr. J. L. Stewart speaks _
of an infusion as a good mild stomachic tonic. ;
Artemisia Sieversiana, Willd.; is one of the kinds of —
- Afsantin sold in Indian bazars. It is imported from Persia, and
has for many years been cultivated at Bandora, in the neigh- —
bourhood of Bombay, for the sakeofthefresh herb, whichisalways
obtainable in the market, and is much valued by the natives.
The cultivation appears to have been in the hands of a few
Christian families for several generations; they also cultivate
Sweet Marjoram. The two plants are called Azarona and
Mazarona by the native Christians, and were no doubt intro- :
duced into the country by the Portuguese. Medicinally it is
esteemed as a tonic, deobstruent, febrifuge, and anthelmintic,
and it is applied externally as a discutient and antiseptic.
hakims prescribe it in hypochondriasis, jaundice, dropsy, gout,
scurvy, d&c. ; also as an emmonagogue, and in hysterical affec-
tions.
Description.—A vulgaris is erect, suffruticose ; leaves
ashy and tomentose beneath, lower pinnatifid, upper trifid,
uppermost undivided or with lanceolate lobes ; lobes of the lower
leaves toothed or cut; heads of flowers racemose-panicled,
ovate; panicle leafy, spreading, partial racemes pendulous
before flowering, young involucre a little tomentose, at length
glabrous; exterior scales foliaceons, acute, interior membrana-
ceous, obtuge ; corol naked. (Rozb, Fl. Ind. dit., 419.)
A. Siteversiana is annual or biennial, hoary-pubescent, stem
erect, angled and ribbed, simple or paniculately branched above;
leaves mostly petioled, broadly ovate, 2-pinnatisect, segments
obtuse and obscurely lobed, hoary on both surfaces, heads } to
*
COMPOSITZA. 287
nearly 4 inch in. diameter, broadly hemispheric, pedicelled,
secund, nodding, distant, in lax, long racemes terminating the
branches, outer involucre bracts green hoary, inner broadly
- scarious, receptacular hairs long, straight. (Fl. Br. Ind.)
Chemical composition. —The Wormwoods contain absinthate
of potash, a bitter substance, and a green volatile oil having
a camphoraceous odour. Absinthin (C'*H*0%), the bitter
principle is prepared, according to Luck, by exhausting the
leaves with alcohol, evaporating to the consistence of a syrup,
and agitating with ether. This ethereal solution is evaporated
to dryness, and the residue treated with water containing a
little ammonia, which dissolves the resin, and leaves the absin-
thin nearly pure. To complete the purification it is digested
with weak hydrochloric acid, washed with water, dissolved in
alcohol, and treated with acetate of lead, as long as a precipitate
is formed. After the removal of this precipitate by filtration,
the excess of lead is precipitated by sulphuretted hydrogen,
and the solution is evaporated. The absinthin then remains
as‘a hard confusedly crystalline mass, possessing an extremely
bitter taste. It is but slightly soluble in water, very soluble
in alcohol, and less so in ether. It possesses distinctly acid
characters, and is dissolved by potash andammonia, The
Sal Absinthicum of the old Pharmacopeias was nothing more
than carbonate of potash obtained by incineration of the plant.
Absinthol, C!°H'60, isomeric with ordinary camphor, is the
essential constituent of Wormwood oil, in which it is associated
with a terpene, boiling below 160°, and a deep blue oil which ~
boils between 270° and 300°, and agrees in its properties with
the blue chamomile oil examined by Kachler. Absinthol boils
at 195° (Beilstein and Kupffer) ; at 200—205° (Alder Wright);
217° (Gladstone). It differs essentially from camphor in its
chemical reactions, not being converted into camphoric acid
by oxidation with nitric acid, or into camphocarboxylic acid
by the action of sodium and carbonic anhydride, and yielding
- when fused with potash, a large quantity of resin, but no acid.
Heated with phosphorus pentasulphide, it yields a considerable
quantity of cymene, C!°H'*, identical with ordinary cymene— 2
288 COMPOSITZ:.
from camphor or from cumin oil in density and the -properties
of the sulphonic acid’ derived from it. (Alder Wright.)
Cymene is also formed, though in smaller quantity, by treating —
absinthol with zinc chloride.
Commerce,—Afsantin is imported from Persia; the entire
plant is found in the bales, and owing to its toughness, 18 —
seldom much broken.
Value.—Rs, 5 to Rs. 7 per Surat maund of 37% lbs.
Atremisia vulgaris is not an article of commerce.
ARTEMISIA MARITIMA, Linn.
Fig —Bentl. and Trim., t. 157. Wormsced (Eng.), Semen-
cine, Barbotine (Fr.).
Hab.—Northern Asia. The flower heads.
Vernacular.—Kirméni-ajamo (@uz.), Kirmani-ova (Mar-),
_ Shih (Arad.), Kirmélé (Hinid.). :
History, Uses, &c.—The Sanskrit name of tbis plant
is said by some to be Gadadhara, but it appears in the Nighantas
under the name of Jayaniya ‘‘ Grecian,” with the Hindi synonym _
Kirmél4, evidently a corruption of Kirmén, the name of the
“province in Persia from which it is imported into India; it 1s
described as a vermicide. A. maritima is the c«pidov and
apirdiov Gaddagciov of Dioscorides, and was used by the Greeks and
Romans to expel intestinal worms. It was probably first known
in Egypt, as Pliny states that those initiated in the mysteries of
__ Isis used to carry a branch of it in their hands, Arabian and
Persian physicians describe wormseed under the name of Shih,
givignas synonyms, Sarifiin and Afsantin-el-bahr; it is pre-
scribed in doses of 2 to 3 dirhems as an anthelmintic, and also
as a deobstruent and stomachic tonic. In the form of a poultice
they use it to relieve the pain caused by the bites of scorpions
and other venomous reptiles. The Persian name is Darmanah.
The wormseed of the Indian market -has been examined by ©
Hanbury, who considers that. it does not materially ‘differ from
the Russian drug, but is slightly shaggy and mixed with
COMPOSITE. | 989.
mentose ‘stalks. He. states that a specimen of Artemisia,
No. 3201, Herb. Griffith, Afghanistan, in the Kew Herbarium,
s capitules precisely agreeing with the Bombay drug. ;
- Santonin is now well known to the natives of India, and is
largely imported from Germany. It is generally considered
to act asa poison upon ascarides, but according to Dr. von’
Schroeder (Arch. f. emp.-Path., xix., 290) ‘this is not the case.’
He States that the santonin does not kill these worms, but ‘its
presence being distasteful to them, causes them to leave their
_ resting place and wander into the large intestine, from which
| 4 they can then be removed by a purgative. This should deter-
_ mine the time for giving a purgative, and Dr, von Schroeder
_ thinks it should either be given with the santonin, or else some
honrs after. We have obtained very good results by giving
half the dose at bed-time, and the remaining half next morning
_ with a dose of castor-oil.
, :
, Description.—The drug consists almost exclusively of
_ unopened flower heads or capitules, which are so minute that
_ it requires about 90 to make up the weight of one grain. In
_ inferior samples, there is an ‘admixture of stalks, and portions
_ of a small pinnate leaf. The flower heads are of an elliptic or
- oblong form, about 1-10th of aninch long, greenish yellow
~ when new, brown if long kept; they grow singly, less frequently
in pairs, on short stalks, and are formed of about 18 oblong,
_ obtuse, concave scales, closely imbricated.. This involucre is
- much narrowed at the base in consequence of the lowermost
_seales being considerably shorter than the rest. The capitule
is sometimes associated witha fow of the upper leaves of the
stem, which are short, narrow; and simple. Notwithstanding:
its compactness, the capitule is somewhat ridged and angular
from the involucral scales having a strong central nerve or
keel. - The middle portion-of each seale is covered with minute
yellow, sessile glands, which are wanting on the tra Sp en: eo
scarious edge. The latter is marked with extremely fine stris,
and is quite glabrous: in the young state and in the Bom
variety.of the drag, the keel bears a few, woolly
1I.—37 = sie
Cala SSS Ee te ea bs Ee Tee Pen, Pee es SC eee, Pe
ok re a
290 COMPOSIT.
hairs. The florets number from 3 to 5; they have in the bud —
an ovoid corolla, glandular in its lower portion, a little longer
than the ovary, which is destitute of pappus. Mahometan
writers name several varieties of wormseed, but do not des-
cribe them with any minuteness, It would seem then that we
must be prepared to meet with slight differences in packages
of the commercial article, but in any case the drug should
have a powerful and agreeable odour resembling cajuput oil
and camphor, and a bitter aromatic taste.
Chemical composition.—Wormseed yields from1 to 2 per
cent. of essential oil, having its characteristic smell and taste.
The oil is slightly levogyrate, and chiefly consists of the liquid.
C'°H'®0, accompanied by a small amount of hydrocarbon.
The former has the odour of the drug, yet rather more agree-
able; sp. gr. 0°913 at 20°C. It boils without decomposition at_
173° to 174°, but in presence of P?O% or P25 abundantly
yields cymol. The latter had already been observed by Volckel _
(1854). under the name of cynene or cinene, yet he assigned —
to it the formula ©*H°; Hirzel (1854) ‘ealled it cingebene..
The water which distils over carries with it volatile acids of the |
fatty series, also angelic acid. se aed
The substance to which the remarkable action of wormseed
on the human body is duo, is Santonin, C'5H'8O03. It was
discovered in 1830 by Kahler, an apothecary of Diisseldorf,
.
who-gave a very brief notico of it in the Archiv. der Pharmacie -
(xxxiv., 318). Immediately afterwards, Augustus Alms, 4
raggist’s assistant at Penzlin, in the Grand Duchy of Meck-
Jenburg-Schwerin, knowing nothing of Kahler’s discovery;
obtained the satie substance, and named it Santonin. Alms
recommended it to the medical professon, pointing out that it is
the anthelmiutic principle of wormsced. Santonin constitutes
from 14 to 2 per cent. of the drug,
extracted by milk of lime, for though not an acid, and but
: but appears to diminish in —
quantity very considerably as the flowers open. It iseasily ~
sparingly soluble in water even ata boiling heat, it is capable —
of combining with bases. With lime it
Sart ee
: of we
COMPOSITE. 991
cium, which is readily soluble in water.. On addition of
ydrochloric acid, santoninic acid, C'5H*°O*, separates, but
bs with OH’, Sautonin being thus immediately reproduced.
170°, which are inodorous, but have a bitter taste, espe-
cially when dissolved in chloroform or alcohol. They are co-
s, but not to the other colours of the spectrum, they assume
yellow hue, and split into irregular fragments. This change,
hich takes place even under water, alcohol or either, is not
accompanied by any chemical alteration. This behaviour of
nin, when exposed to light, resembles that of erythro-
arin, ©27H%408. ‘he latter has beon obtained by means
of ether, from the alcoholic extract of Erythrea Centaurium,
and of some other plants of the Gentianacew. Mehu has shown
t the colourless crystals of that substance, when exposed to.
ight, assume a brilliant red colour, without undergoing any
mical alteration. The colourless solutions of this body in,
‘tonin, Sestini and Cannizzaro (1876) have shown that.its
ute alcoholic solution, on long exposure to sun
bed, resin, sugar, waxy fat, salts of caleium and potassium,
ad malic acid; when carefully selected and dried, it yielded
3 6°5 per cent. of ash, rich in silica. (Pharmacographia, 2nd
Hell, Sturcke and Ritter, and Messrs. Wallach and
bi The latter puthors confirm the statements of previous
‘Santonin forms crystals of the orthorhombic system melting
less, but when exposed to daylight, or to the blue or violet
roform or alcohol yield the original substance. Yetas to
affords
compound ether of photo-santonic acid, es gio ONE O# :
H "
299 COMPOSITE.
agreeable camphor-like odour boiling at 176° to 177° C., and
having a specific gravity of 0°92297 at 16° C. It is optically
inactive, though the rectified oil from which it is obtained “has
been found to have a rotation to the left of 2°9, due to other
constituents boiling at higher temperatures. Oxidised by boil-
ing with nitric acid, cyneol yielded besides the lower fatty
acids essentially oxalic acid, but no acid of the aromatic series;
while the hydrocarbons (C'°H!® and C!°H'*) accompanying
it in the oil yielded upon oxidation always more or less toluylic
or terephthalic acid. Cyneol by treatment with gaseous
hydrochloric acid is converted into a hydrocarbon ain to
which the name ‘Cynen’ has been given.
Commerce.—Wormseed is: brought to India from Afghan-
istan and Persia in considerable quantities: Value, Rs. 2$ to
Rs. 3 per Surat maund of 874 lbs. Santonin is now largely
imported into India ; much of that sold in the bazar is adul-
terated to the extent of three-fourths of its weight with various
substances, amongst which gum and boracic acid have been
noticed. Aneasy test is to expose it to sunlight, which turns
the santonin yellow.
DORONICUM PARDALIANCHES, Linn.
Fig .—Jacq. Austr., t. 350. Leopard’s bane (Eng.), Doronic
( Fr.).
Hab.—Europe, Syria. The rhizome.
_ Vernacular,—Dariinaj-i-akrabi (Pers. .» Ind. bazars).
- History, Uses, &c.—pD. pardatianches, socal to
itbihern, § is called oneithe in modern Greek, He identifies it
with the axovirov of Dioscorides (iv, 75), which that writer
describes as having a root like the tail of a scorpion and white
like alabaster. .Theophrastus (vi. 3. ix. 14) calls it. 47Avqgovor
and exopmios and Pliny (25; 75) Thelyphonon and. Scorpio.
The author of the Makhzan-el- Adwiya states that Darénaj is 4
scorpioid knotted root with a: greyish: exterior and white
interior, thet it is hard, faintly bitter and aromatic. Hede
- COMPOSIT-Z. 293
ibes the plant as‘having fleshy yellowish leaves of the shape
f those of the almond, which lie flat upon the ground. The
er stem he says is hollow; it rises from the midst of the
s to a height of two spans, and bears from 5 to 7 scattered
, thinner and longer than the. lower. leaves: The flower
18 ie‘ yellow and hollow. -The plant grows in Andalusia and the
mountainous parts of Syria, especially about Mount Yabriurat,
ere ib goes by the name of Akrabi, . ‘l'here are iwacvuciaiias
the drug, Persian and Turkish; the latter is most esteemed.
th.regard to its medicinal properties, he says that it is a
vent of phlegm, adust bile, and flatulencies, cardiacal and
c, useful in nervous depression, melancholy, and impaired.
igestion, also in pain of the womb, and flatulent dyspepsia.
- Besides this it is prescribed for persons who have been bitten
by scorpions and other venomous reptiles, and is hung’ up in
es to keep away the plague; pregnant women wear it
und the waist suspended by a silken thread which must be
by the wearer; it is supposed to act as acharm, protect-
the foetus and. procuring a painless delivery. Hung up |
over the bed it prevents night terrors and ensures pleasant
e ms. ‘There. would appear.to be a demand for it in India, as
by all. Mahometan eves ‘
as pace rae “4 : ph ete
flat, fointed, of a white solace, 3 to - inches henge: 4 to ?
inch broad, and about 2-10thofan inch thick. Upper surface
aly, under surface marked by scars of numerous rootlets, a
y of which sometimes remain attached ; substance brittle and
ry, yellowish white, central portion somewhat spongy, _
less. Taste at first insipid, but after a few minutes a
tion of warmth and prickiug is felt upon the tongue.
pic structure.—Sections show that the bulk of hese
294 COMPOSIT.
iodine with purplish centres, such as starch and dextrin would
exhibit. After immersion in glycerine and alcohol, the section
showed no spheroidal crystals of inulin, but ceased to give the
purplish-black colour. The vascular bundles are of a bright —
yellow colour, and consist of spiral vessels; they form one irre-
gular ring round the rhizome about midway between the cir-
cumference and centre.
Chemical composition.—A decoction of the powdered chisel
gave a blue or violet black colour with iodine, but was not_
affected by iron salts. Water extracted 15°6 per cent. of . “4
soluble substances, consisting of 6°2 per cent. of glucose, esti-
mated by standard potassio-cupric tartrate, and a quantity of |
mucilage. The mare was then boiled for two hours with |
hydrochloric acid (1 per cent.), an operation which rendered |
soluble over 60 per cent. of the drug, while 25 parts of this
was glucose. Some fresh powder yielded to rectified spirit
6°75 of extract, which, with the exception of a little fatty mat-
ter, was soluble in water, This solution was sweet to the taste,
abundantly reduced Fehling’s solution, and was negative —
- towards alkaloidal tests. Evaporated to dryness it was amor-
phous, and when heated, gave off the odour of burnt sugar,
The ash was 3-3 per cent. The analysis of the drug shows it to
be nutritive rather than medicinally active.
TUSSILAGO FARFARA, Linn.
Fig:—Eng. Bot. vi. t. 429; Woodville t. 13, Colt’s-foot
(Eng.), Pas Vane, Taconnet, Herbe de Saint Quirin (Fr.).
Hab.—Western Himalaya ; Persia; Europe. The herb.
Vernacular.—Fanjiun (Arab., Ind. Bazars) ; Watpan (Hind.).
History, Uses, &c. —This plant is the Syxov of the
Greeks and the Tussilago and Forfaras of the Romans. From
the earliest times it has been este couchs and other
pectoral affections. Hippocrates recommends the root with
honey: in ulcerations of the lungs, Dioscorides, Pliny, and Galen |
relate that the smoke of the leaves, received into the mouth
‘COMPOSITE. 995
through a funnel or reed, is efficacious in conghs and dyspepsia.
‘The Greek and Linnean names are derived respectively from gyé
and tussis which both signify “cough.” Most of the Arabian
and Persian medical writers describe the herb under the name of
Fanjiun, or Afanjiun, an Arab corruption of émoyéov, a word
which, as far as we know, was never applied by the Greeks to
any plant. All these writers closely follow Dioscorides in their
accounts of its appearance and properties. The Hindus consider
that the leaves have the power of expelling vata or wind, which
is supposed to be the cause of various disorders, especially
theumatism ; whence the name V4tapina or Watpan (wind-
teaf); they also use the cotton-like down of the leaf as a styptic.
In Matope, colt’s-foot is still officinal in France and Germany,
and has a reputation in pectoral affections as a domestic remedy
in England. It is smoked like tobacco and also administered
internally in the form of a decoction or infusion. The flowers
Are one of the quatre fleurs of French pharmacy.
Description. —Root mucilaginous, bitterish, creeping.
horizontally, with many fibres. Flowers coming before the leaves
ence: the old name Filius ante patrem), drooping in the bud,
ght yellow, about an inch broad; their rays spreading, —
pious; very narrow; each flower on a simple, round, woolly,
sal stalk, scaly with: numerous reddish, Smoot, priruss
¢ts, crowded under the flower, like an Lea
erect, on furrowed, channelled foot stalks, haate shaped slightly
lobed, copiously and sharply toothed ; very smooth, and of a
htly glaucous green above, white ‘int densely cottony, with
ominent veins beneath ; when young they are revolute, and
ickly enveloped in cottony down. (Smith.)
Chemical composition.—An analysis of the leaves of this
t has been made by C. S. Bondurant. A petroleum spirit
tract contained caoutchouc, resin and wax. Ether removed —
oe. colourless glucoside, and a reddish brown resin, —
alcohol separated 2°42 per cent. of tannic matter, and
ya lio alone acid ; ay, ite extract was feng: foogert-
996 COMPOSITA.
gum, and. 6°23 per cent.’ of dextrin and allied carbohydrates,
and the alcoholic filtrate from these yielded ‘saponin. Albu-
minous matter, oxalate ‘of calcium, lignin and cellulose were
determined, and the total’ ash was 17:1 percent. (Phar. Jour.
(3] xvii. 77,) : ;
SAUSSUREA LAPPA, Clarke.
Fig.—Dene. in Jacq. Voy. Bot., t. 104. Arabian Costus.
Hab.—Cashmere. The root, ‘ 1S
Vernacular.—Kut (Hind.), Pachak (Beng-), Upalét (Guz.);
Kushta (Mar.), Koshta (Can.), Goshtam (Tam.), Goshtamu (Tel-).
History, Uses, &c.—Sanskrit writers on Materia Medica
mention a fabulous root under the name of Pushkaramula,
Lotus root,’ and. ascribe to it properties similar to those —
of Costus. Among many other synonyms it bears the name
Kashmira, “coming from Cashmere.” We think there can be
little doubt that.this root, which is not now obtainable, and is
described in the Nighantas as hot, bitter and pungent, and
useful in cough, asthma, fever, dyspepsia and skin diseases, —
must have been Orris root. Kushta or Costus is now used _
instead of it, and orris root, although much used in
India by the Mahometans, has not been identified by the
modern Hindus with Pushkaramula,- Kéoros* igs mentioned —
_ by Theophrastus (H. P., ix. 7), Dioscorides (i. 15), and is among
the offerings made, B.C. 248, by Seleucus II., King of Syria) 5
and his brother, Antiochus Hierax, to the temple of Apollo at
Miletus. Cosius, like many other Indian drugs and spices, was
formerly carried to Europe by the Arabs, and, being supposed
to be a production of Arabia, was known to the ancients a8
Arabian Costus. Dioscorides says:—“ The best is that which
is fresh, light coloured, compact and of firm texture, dry, not
ies, 2
worm-eaten, devoid of an acrid smell, and which tastes hot and :
biting.” Hoe also mentions an inferior kind, light like Ferula,
* The Greek name is derived from the Sauskrit gg through the Arabic
en
: es
COMPOSITE. 997
Fiiéch he calls Indian Costus. The Syrian Costus of the same
_writer is Elecampane root. The Arabs appear to have had, like
the Hindus, a fabulous kind of Costus, which they speak of as
_ the carrot of the sea ( ya ! 32) or Costus of the sea ( ye I awd),
_ which is mentioned in a tradition as one of the best of a
- This myth probably led the Greeks to describe Arabian as
distinct from Indian Costus. Arabian writers describe Costus
_ asa wood brought from India, a well known drug, of sweet
: odour, with which women and infants are fumigated: it is
diuretic, beneficial to the liver in a high degree, and for the
colic, and for worms, and the quartan fever, as a beverage; and
_ for rheum, and defluxions, and pestilence, when the patient is
a F fumigated therewith; and for the leprous-like- disorder called
Gr, and the discoloration of the face termed uals when applied
asa liniment ; and it confines the bowels, expels wind: strength-
ens the stomach and heart, occasions pleasurable sensation, is
an ingredient i in many sorts of perfume, and is the best of
ie hime in odour when one fumigates therewith (Zl. Leyth,
. = Byn” ; ; Kémus; Taj-el-Arus). Persian physicians copy all that
the Greeks and Arabs have written, although they evidently
know there is only one kind of Costus, and that brought from
Cashmere. For an account of the history of this drug in
medieval Europe, Cooke (Phar. Jour., July 21st, 1877,) and
Flickiger (Phar. Jour., Aug. 18th, 1877,) may be ¢onsulted.
Amongst European writers upon the Materia Medica of India,
_ Ainslie, although he describes Kust as the root of Costus ara-
Dicus, expresses his doubts in the following words: “ Judging
from the root, the plant would appear to differ from that
- described in the 11th Vol. of the Asiatic Researches, p. 349.’’
‘The credit of first suggesting the botanical source of the drug
“is due to Guibourt ; his conjectures were afterwards confirmed
by Falconer, who, when on a visit to Cashmere, discovered that
an Aplotaxis growing there produced the commercial Kust.
Te pat iteelt had been Brevionsly, Seecia bed Pat se 3
a
298 COMPOSIT#.
Guibourt’s History of Dengs (Vol IIL, 1869, p. 32, et seq.).
Dr. Falconer maintained that the Aplotaxis was the Costus of
the ancients; after giving his reasons for holding this opinion,
he remarks :—
“It is collected in large quantities and exported to the
Punjab, whence the larger portion goes down to Bombay, where
it is shipped for the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and China; a
portion of it finds its way across the Sutlej and Jumna into
Hindustan Proper, whence it is taken to Calcutta, and bought
up there with avidity, under the designation of Patchak, for
the China market,” .
Royle, who wrote before Falconer’s discovery of the source
of Kust, appears to have met with two kinds of Costus, Kust-
i-talkh and Kust-i-shirin; from his observations on the latter
article is would seem te have been the Kust of commerce.
(Illustrations, p. 360:) Dr. Royle’s original specimen of
Kust-i-talkh has also been examined and found to be the root
of Aplotaxis. At the present day we meet with only one kind
of Costus in commerce. Cooke suggests that Kust-i-shirfn is
probably the young and Kust-i-talkh the old root, but no dis-
tinction of the kind is known in Bombay, and Haji Zein-el-Attar,
the author of the [khtidrét (A.D. 1368) states that Kust-i-talkh —
is a@ Persian name for Indian Costus. Kust-i-shiria is the
Kust-el-halu of the Arabs and our Orris root.
With regard to the uses of Costus, Dr. Irving states that
formerly, when opium was not produced in Rajwarra, this root
was extensively smoked as a stimulant. He adds that it is said
to be narcotic when thus used, and that formerly great quanti-
ties went to China for smoking purposes, At the present time
it is chiefly used as a perfume, and to ‘protect bales of cloth
from insects. In the Punjab it is applied-in powder to ulcers,
for worms in wounds, &c., and for toothache ; it is also given”
in rheumatism. A summary of the uses of this drug is given by
Baden Powell in his Punjab Productsin the following terms :—
“‘ 1st—Dried and powdered as the principal ingredient in an
astringent stimulant omtment, applied to severe ulcerations.
me
.
COMPOSIT A. 299
2nd—Dried and powdered as a hair wash.
_ 8rd—As a stimulant in cholera; an infusion is made of
. ‘Cardamoms 1 dr.; fresh ‘Kut’ 3 drs.; Water 4 ozs. One .
ounce every half hour. It is doubtless a powerful aromatic
stimulant, and would be serviceable in any spasmodic disease.
_ 4th —It is universally employed by the shawl merchants as.
_ a protector of Cashmere fabrics from the attacks of moth and
other vermin.
_ 5th—The dried root is an agreeable pean seeoee and yields
excellent pastilles, which burn fairly.
3 6th—It is exported in enormous quantities to China, where
it is used as an incense. In every Hong it is found; no man-
: darin will give an audience until the ‘ patchak’ incense smokes |
3 before him; in every Joss-house it smoulders before the
_ Tri-budh deity ; in every floating junk in the Chinese rivers,
the only house of countless hordes, Budh’s image is found,
_ and the smoke of the Patchak religiously wends its way heaven-
ward. As to its uses in China, Dr. Porter Smith says that
_ it is used in making incense in the South, or to preserve clothes
from the attacks of moths and other insects. It is said to have
_ the power of turning grey hair black. Carminative, stimulant,
_ antiseptic, prophylactic, astringent, sedative, and insecticidal
properties are referred to this remedy. The Chinese apply it
: with musk, which it resembles in odour and properties, to
| aching teeth.”
é
be,
ae
Description.—Costus oceurs in crooked twisted pieces
about 3 inches long, and from 4 to 14 inch in diameter, almost
always split. Externally it is brown, marked by longitudinal
ridges, and has a rough and somewhat reticulated surface,
Its substance is compact and brittle, the. fractured surface
having a resinous appearance and dirty. white colour. The
central portion is generally absent, and appears to have been
removed by decay before the root was collected. The taste is —
_ bitter, pungent and camphoraceous ; the odour sco at
of fresh violets or orris root. ae
aie
dle Rey RE
ee COMPOSITA.
Microscopic structure.—Flickiger in his pamphlet, “ Die
Frankfurter Liste,” Halle, 1873, p. 25, has shown that the root ;.
abounds in inulin, and shows, especially in the bark of the
branches of the root, large balsam ducts. In both these
respects Costus root agrees well with Elecampane and other
aromatic roots of the Composite. sinnidéeres .ac 0-1 to 05
A certain amount of pactia aoe, is also e,stnar eect to be
SS eS spies aig ks SP Ter ahs 2 Sgt rit |i Ses (sn 55 eae Gaara B
COMPOSI?T Z. 311
The yellow colouring matter of Carthamus is acid. It hasa
bitter taste and great colouring power. It combines readily
with oxygen, and is converted into a brown substance. It
unites with oxide of lead, forming the compound (Pb*0)*C*
H'05,
Commerce.—Kusumba is cultivated in most parts of India; it
was formerly exported to the value of 6 to 7 lakhs of rupees
yearly, but the present value of the exports is under one lakh. -
The seed is of considerable importance as an oil seed in India.
Value, Rs. 16 per candy of 8 pharrahs (about 5 cwts).
; CICHORIUM INTYBUS, Linn.
4 ~Fig.—2ng. Bot. 539. Wild Succory, Chicory (Hng.), Barbe _
de Capucin, Chicorée (Fr.).
Hab.— Persia, Europe. Cultivated in India. The seeds,
Vernacular.—Kasni (Pers., Ind, Bazars).
History, Uses, &c. —This plant has ‘been in use as a
potherb from a very early period ; it was known to the ancient _
Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Theophrastus (H. P. vii., 7, 8,
9,10, 11,) calls-it «-xopy and «xepor. Dioscorides mentions two
_kinds,—the wild, «-xepwor, and the cultivated, v«pss * he describes
_ both as astringent, cooling and stomachic, and states that the
plant is also applied externally on account of its cooling
: properties in inflammatory affections. The Romans called the
plant Intubus or Intubum, and the plural of the latter word has
furnished the Arabs with their name Hinduba. Pliny calls the
wild plant Cichorium, Chreston (useful), Pancration (all power-
ful), and Ambubaia ; after enumerating its medicinal virtues, he
Says: “ In addition to these qualities the Magi state that persons
who rub themselves with the juice of the entire plant, with
mixed oil, are sure to find more favour with others, and to obtain —
with greater facility anything they may desire.” Endive seeds
_ Were sold in Rome under the names of Erraticum and Ambubaia
or Ambubeia, and were supposed to be a panacea and to have
‘the property of fixing the affections. The Syrian danc
whom Cneius ecageuc pibiiekee
312 COMPOSIT A.
also called Ambubaia (endive seed), on account of their attrac. -
tive allurements, just as sucli persons are often addressed in ~
India as Elachi-dina (cardamom seeds) for the same reason.
Ambubaia is a Syrian term, but the component parts of it-
Ambui (¢¢9!) odour, and Baia ('4:) full, occur in old Persian.
It signifies full of odours, é.e., alluarements. The wild endive is
the Tarkashkun of the Persians and of Ibn Sina. Aitchison
found it common every where in Khorasan, and also cultivated in
gardens as a pot-herb under the name of Kasni. We have sown
the seed sold in the Indian bazars, and have obtained a semi-
cultivated form of the plant with upright leaves. The same
form is cultivated by Mahometans at Hyderabad in the Deccan.
The Germans call the wild Hndive Wegewarte, “road guar- ~
dian ;’ Wegeleuchte “road light ;’ Sonnenwende or Sonnen-
wirbel, “‘ solstice 7’ Sonnenkraut, ‘sun herb ;’’ and Verfluchte
jungfer, “unhappy young girl.” hepoeding to the legend
( Klytia, Berlin, 1875,) the plant is supposed to have been once
beautiful princess who, having been deserted by (or lost) her
husband (or lover), was at her own request changed into this
plant. A full account of the forms which this myth’takes in
Austrian Silicia, Bavaria and the Tyrol, quoted from Mannhardt,
will be found in De Gubernatis (Myth. des Plant., ii, 87),
where he compares these legends with those concerning the
Basil and Indian Tulasi. Se is much valued by the Indian
_ hakims as a resolvent and cooling medicine, and is prescribed
in bilious complaints much as Taraxacum is in Europe. The
‘seeds are one of the four lesser cold seeds, and, as such, are
still much used in the East. 3
- Chicory root dried, roasted and raduéed to powder, is very
extensively used in Europe as a substitute for coffee and for
a that article. » -Stillé and Maisch state that from
),000 to 4,000,000 Ibs. are annually imported into the
United States from Europe. The acoawaee vee asa is
probably ~~ a than 20, Ses ieee a ;
Nn Seis WR ee
are about Eis ino eeialt —
‘those of the lettuce, — a Pale, mottled. - colour. -
~COMPOSIT AL. 313
‘The root is fleshy and tapering, somewhat branched, longi-
9 44 aq. insoluble in ether, freely soluble
a water and alcohol, and dissolving with a yellow colour
2h : Dry.
Water al 10" 12°16
Nitrogenous matter ..,... 1°01 6-09
Fat .. “49 2:05
Sugar 344 15°87
Nitogen § Gs extractive. 17°62 46°71
Cellulos 2 fe 11°00
Ash “78 6°12
: LACTUCA SCARIOLA, Linn. var. sativa,
Fig. —Reichb, Ic. Fl. Germ., #. 1421. Garden Lettuce
g-), Laitue cultivée (Fr.).
} “= —Caltivated = Persia na India.
314 COMPOSITZ.
In the wild state they produce to a certain extent narcotic ant
sedative effects, but these appear to be almost entirely removed
by cultivation ; still, even in the cultivated varieties, a milky anc
‘bitter juice exists in the flower stem. Lettuces épisug* appeai
to have been used for salads at a very early period. Accord-
ing to Herodotus, they were served at the tables of the
Persian kings more than 400 years before the Christian era
The opium ef Galen is supposed to have been Lettuce opium,
The Greeks and Romans considered the lettuce unlucky, and
used it only at funerals asa food. - ;
Apuleius (De Vir. Herb.) speaks of it as a valuable medic
inal herb— ul
“ Herbee lactuca sylvatica suceum cum vino optimo vetere et —
melle acapno quod sine fume collectum est, mixtum in ampul-
mentions several kinds of lettuce, and also lettuce opium;
but he acknowledges the superiority of the lettuces raised from
English seed in India over those of Persia, and enlarges upon the
cooling and purifying action of the herb upon the blood. The
lettuce seed of the bazars is white: itis imported from Persia,
and is sold for Re. } per Ib.
The Arabic name is: Bazr-el-khas and: the Persian Tukm~i
kéhié. Both plant and ‘seed are too well known to require
description. aa , : :
Chemical composition.— Lactucarium is a brown viscid
_ the are wounded, Jt has a peculiar
opium odour and acts as a narcotic. :
contains, according to Ludwig, from 44*4 to 58-5 per cent, of
lactucone ; a soft resin; ab ;
body; lactucin, the chief active principle of the substance;
~ *ailso. Spidacing, Theoph. H.P:1.,16, 10,4, Lenk Phe d
Sp. aypia, Vin, 6 is tinea nied Age erahe
ucaateatct a ei.
Ae
GOMPOSITA. 315
bout 7 per cent. of albumin ; at least 2 per cent. of mannite ;
mall quantity of a neutral, not bitter, unfermentable sub-
nce, crystallising in rhomboid pyramids}; and from 3 to 6
cent. of ash, contaming potash, soda, manganic oxide, ferric
oxide, and a small quantity of lime. Lactucin is yellowish,
fusible, bitter, soluble in 80 parts of cold water, moderately
soluble in alcohol and in acetic acid, less soluble in ether which
deposits it on evaporation in nacreous scales or rhombic tables..
rmula according to Walz, C*°H*%0'*. The leaves of the
ltivated lettuce were found by Church to contain water 95°98
per cent.; albuminous matter 0°71 ; starch, sugar and gum 1°68;
cellulose and lignose 0°52 _Aaenuhe il and fat 0°22; ash 0°89.
The ash was very rich in witentes,
© Konig gives the ler ae asthe mean composition of fs
arden lettuce: —
Water.. sss ong ee 9ABB | i.
Nitrogenous 1 WAH R cv cae race os see MS oe
- Pat wil 2 eo es
NoganiGepenom extractive ......... 2°19
nm ‘allulose ae 7S
nd ABSh ver. iawn . 103
TARAXACUM OFFICINALE, Wg. :
Fig. —Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ. wiz. tt. 1404 —1406 ; Woodville,
3 Bentl. and Trim. t. 159. Dandelion (Eng.), Pissenlit (Fr.
Hab. —-Throughout the Himalaya and the Nilgiris. Cul-
vated in N.-W. Provinces.’ The root.
: Vernacular. —Dudhal, Baran, Kénphél (Hind.). ;
story, Uses, &c.—The derivation of the. sadintak
Tar araxacum is: uncertain, but it seems not improbable
+ of the Persian
316 COMPOSIT Ai.
Sina, which he describes as useful in dropsy and obstructions
of the liver. The same plant is noticed by other Arabian and
Persian writers, all of whom describe it as the wild endive, and
some of whom add that it has bluish flowers.
The Greeks and Romans speak of several varieties of endive,
but there is nothing in their descriptions to lead us to suppose
that they were acquainted with our Taraxacum. Fuchsius
(1542) figured T. officinale (Ic. 391, f.), and named it
Hedypnois, a name given by Pliny (20, 31) to one of his kinds
of wild endive. Tragus (1552) figured it under the name of
Hieracium majus. Matthiolus (1583) called it Dens leonts, and
Linneus (1762) Leontodon Taraxacum, on the supposition,
apparently, that it was the Tarkhashkin of Ibn Sina. At the
close of the last century dandelion began to be much used as a
remedy for chronic obstructions of the liver and bowels, and
as a diuretic in calculous affections. From experiments made
by Ruthorford and Vignal, it appears that taraxacum is but a
feeble hepatic stimulant, but it has powerful diuretic proper-
ties. Taraxacum is very popular in India in cases of hepatic
congestion due to, or associated with, atonic dyspepsia and
constipation ; indeed, it has become quite a domestic remedy
in this country. It is cultivated as an annual crop at Saharanpur ~
for the use of the Government sanitary establishments. The
_ Madras Medical Stores are supplied with the root from the
Nilgiris.
Description.— The perennial root is from 6 to 12 or 16
inches long, nearly cylindrical, } to 1 inch thick, crowned with
several short thickish heads above and furnished with few
branches below. Fresh, it is light yellowish-brown and fleshy ;
when dry, dark brown or blackish-brown, much wrinkled
longitudinally; internally, it is white with a yellowish centre.
It is inodorous and has a bitter taste. It is hygroscopic, and
in damp weather rather flexible, but when dry breaks with a -
short fracture, showing the pale yellow porous woodsurrounded
by a dark brown cambium-line and a thick white bark, with
concentric circles of milk-vessels of a brownish colour, and :
-
_ COMPOSITA. Sly
separated by layers of thin-walled and axially elongated
parenchyma. The meditullium has no medullary rays, and
consists mainly of ducts varying in diameter and more or less
interspersed with thin-walled, elongated cells.
After frost and early in the spring the root is sweet; scent
the spring aud summer the milk-juice becomes thicker and the
bitter taste increases ; the root is, therefore, directed to be
collected late in the autumn. The spring root yields a
biiterish-sweet extract. Bentley regards the root collected
about July as most efficient. (Stillé and Maisch.) The annual
root as cultivated in India is very much smaller.
Chemical composition.—The bitter principle, Tarawacin, was
obtained by Polex (1839) in a crystalline state by treating the
milk-juice with boiling water and evaporating. Kromayer
(1864) found it necessary to leave the aqueous solution in con-
tact with animal charcoal, from which afterwards alcohol dissolv-
ed the-bitter principle, requiring treatment with lead acetate
_ and sulphuretted hydrogen to free it from colouring matter and
other principles. Kromayer obtained taraxacin as° an amor-
phous bitter mass. The milk-juice contains also resin and
taraxacerin, C®°H'O, which is insoluble in water, crystallizes
from hot alcohol, and when in an alcoholic solution has an acrid
taste. The dry root yields from 5 to 7 per cent. of ash.
Dandelion root collected in autumn is rich in inulin. Dra-
| gendorff (1870) obtained from the root collected in October
24 per cent. of inulin and a little sugar, but when collected in
March only 1-74 per cent. of inulin was found, and about 18
per cent. each of uncrystallizable sugar and levulin, the latter
being intermediate between inulin and sugar in having the
composition of inulin, Lut being of a sweet taste, soluble in
cold water, and without influence on polarized light. Frick-
- hinger (1840), Widemann, and others had obtained notable
quantities of mannit from the concentrated juice of dandelion,
but T. and H. Smith (1849) proved that this principle does
not pre-exist, and that, on the sone: itis a pene eg a
from fermentation.
318 . COMPOSITA:.
The presence of fermentable sugar has been observed by
most investigators, and Dragendorff’s observations confirm the
results previously obtained by Frickhinger, Widemann, and
Overbrook, that the sugar predominates in the spring root, and
mulin in the root collected in autumn. It seems to follow
therefrom that the extract and other preparations made from
the expressed juice or by treating the autumn root with cold
water should be more efficacious and less loaded with inert
matters (sugar, &c.) than those obtained from the spring
root. Old extract of taraxacum sometimes contains granular
erystals of calcium lactate (Ludwig, 1861); the lactic acid is
probably produced from inosit, which, according to Marmé
(1864), exists in the leaves and stalks of dandelion, but is not
found in the root. (Stillé and Maisch.) The fresh plant,
which is used in Europe asa salad, has been analysed by
Hi. Storer and S. Lewis, who found it to consist of Water
85°54, Nitrogenous substances 2°81, Fat 0-69, Non-nitrogen-
ous extractive 745, Cellulose 1:52, Ash 1:90. In the dried
plant they found Nitrogen 3:11, Carbohydrates 51°52 per
cent. (Kinig, Nahrungs Mittel.) bec
Substitutes for Taraxacum.
Launza pinnatifida, Cass., Wight Ill., t. 133, anative
of the sandy coasts of India, is much used at Goa as a substitute
for Taraxacum under the name of Almirao. The plant has a fili-
form, procumbent stem bearing roots and leaves here and
there ; leaves crowded, sinuate-pinnatifid, lobes obtuse or sub-
acute ; peduncles rather shorter than the leaf, having at the
top scaly bracts which are scarious on the margin. The
roots are fleshy, about the size of a crowquill, and 6 to 8
inches long ; when fresh they are yellowish-white. - A section
shows a yellow central fibro-vaseular column, containing very.
large fenestrated vessels arranged in a radiating manner Be-
yond the radii the parenchyma is loaded with large colourless:
bodies of irregular size and shape, which gradually diminish in
_ number towards the cortex, where the parenchyma is not
GOMPOSITA. 319
eccupied by them The cellular structure is delicate and the
cells large. These bodies appear to be cells distended by some
Solid nearly transparent matter (inulin ?) as they correspond in
_ form and position with neighbouring empty cells. In Bombay
under the name of Pathri it is given to buffaloes to promote
_ the secretion of milk. Murray refers the Ban-kéhi of Sind to
this plant, but his description agrees better with that of
| Launea nudicaulis, Less. He says the juice of the Ban-kahd,
é called Khee-khowa, is used as a soporific for children in doses
_ of half a massa, and is extervally applied in rheumatic affec-
tions combined with the oil of Pongamia glabra or ‘the j juice of
: the leaves of Vitex leucowylon.
_ Lactuca Heyneana, DC., Wight Ic., t. 1146, is also
used as a substitute for Taraxacum, and is calicd by the Por-
_ tuguese Tarazaco.
‘Emilia sonchifolia, DC., Rheede Hort. Mal. «. t. 68,
appears to be used all over India much in the same manner as
Taraxacum. Rumphius figures it, and says that the Portu-
guese call it Erva de Figado, .e., hepatis herba. Itis the Muel-
schevi of Rheede, who says—“ Decoctum antifebrile est ebasth~
maticum, succus ventris sedat fluctus cum saccharo assump-
tus. Contrita cum butyro apostemata maturat et aperit.”
_£. sonchifolia is the Sadamandi of Western India, the
hudimudi of Bengal, the Kadoo-para of Ceylon, where it is
used as a sudorific, and we have received it from Cawnpore
oder the name of Hiran-khuri.. It is avery common weed
iltivation, and may be found in every Indian garden. _
' Sonchus oleraceus, Linz., ‘Wight Te. t.1141, the Milk
ristle of the English and Laiteron-of the French, is used in
ction as’a laxative and emollient drink in chronic affec-
of the digestive organs. Dr. F. Landry (Med. Bullet.—
has pointed out that the inspissated juice, given inter- :
in doses of 12 t to 25 sanlieres: is an active nydromngee a
320 COMPOSITE.
requires watching, as like senna it causes griping and like aloes
tenesmus. Dr. Landry suggests its combination with manna,
anise and carbonate of magnesia; or with stimulants and
aromatics, (Pharm. Journ., Sept 1888.) This weed is common
in many parts of India in fields and cultivated places.
Some plants of minor importance used medicinally and
belonging to this Order are :—
Echinops echinatus, DC., the Utéti of Sanskrit
writers and the Utkatara of the bazars, It is a thistle-like .
plant 1 to 2 feet high, with pinnatifid spinous leaves, the
under surface of which is cottony. The flower heads are
about 1 inch in diameter and armed with many stout spines.
The root is tapering and of a whitish brown colour. The
drug is considered to be tonic and diuretic. It is bitter and
appears to usto have much the same properties as the Carduus
benedictus of Europe.
Dicoma tomentosa, Oass., Wight Ic., t.1140. Vern.—
Navananji-cha-pala (Belgaum). hn erect much-branched
annual, 10 to 18 inches high, clothed with white cottony wool ;
leaves sessile linear or. linear-obovate, obtuse or acute, quite
entire, cottony, 1 to 3 inches long; heads sub-axillary, in-
volucre bracts, 4 to 3 in., subulate, 2 ain: straight, glab-
rous, shining ; achenes broad and short, $ in. long, turbinate,
Getisely silky ; pappus shining, elastic, bensh-Riles The herb
y bitter, and is used in the neighbourhood of Belgaum
eS ON a ee ree ES ee ea. ere
as a Febrifuge, especially in the febrile attacks to which women ~ :
are subject after childbirth. Dr. Peters, of the Bombay
Medical Service, first brought to notice the use of this plant
medicinally by the natives.
Notonia grandiflora, DC., Deless. Ic. Sel. iv., t. 61;
Wight Ic. t. 484. Syn.—Cacalia Kleinia; Herb. Madras. The
Wander-rott of the Mahrattas, was named by DeCandolle
after Mr. Benjamin Noton of Bombay, who first met with it
on the Nilgiriss it is also found upon high rocky precipices-
in the Deccan. In 1860, Dr. A. Gibson brought forward | this:
plant asa preventive of oe The mode of admin= _
4
*
COMPOSIT A, 391
stration is as follows: about four ounces of the freshly gathered
stems, infused in a pint of cold water for a night, yield in»
the morning, when pressed, a quantity of viscid greenish juice,
which being mixed with the water, is taken at a draught. In
the evening a further quantity of the juice, made up into
boluses with flour, is taken. These medicines are directed
to be repeated for three successive days. The Hditor of the
Pharmacopwia of India says that from: official documents
_ placed at his disposal, it appears that the remedy has been
____ tried in numerous cases ; but as at the time of the infliction of
the wound, caustic was ee locally in the majority of cases,
__ itis difficult to determine how far the Notonia apts if at
_ all, as a prophylactic. (Phar. of India, p. 126.)
An extract of the herb was tried by the late Dr. Haines and
_ One of us on dogs, and afterwards at the Haropean Hospital in
= Bombay (1864). In one drachm doses it had a feebly aperient
: action ; no other effect was observed. The dried plant was for
__ & time issued to medical officers in Government employ, but no
farther information as to its properties would appear to have
_ been obtained. N. grandiflora is a shrub, fleshy, smooth;
_ Stem thick, round, marked with the scars of fallen leaves ;
> leaves oblong or ovate, entire ; flowers terminal, corymbose,
few, pale yellow. The dry stems, which are white, soft and
frapile, yield an abundant greenish extract.
_ Tagetes erecta, Linn. Bot. Mag. t. 150. French Mari-
_ gold (Eng.), Ciillet d’Inde, Rose d’ Inde (Fr.), Makhmal,
Gul-jaferi (Hind.), Rojia cha phil (Mar.), is quite naturalized in
India. One tola of the-j juice of the petals heated with an equal -
_ Quantity of melted butter is given daily for three days asa
Temedy for bleeding piles; they are considered to have a puri-
- fying action upon the blood. The flowers of this plant are much.
used for garlands to hang over doorways on festive
Ooceasions. Rojia (rose), the name current on the Western Coast,
as probably introduced with the plant by the Portuguese, with _
whom it appears to represent the Rosa de ouro or golden rose,
the Pope usually blesses at mass on a Sunday
Bis 6 te FP Pe ee eee PS re 2 ee erie neney eee ee
ne ¥e Piguet a . u
322 CAMP ANULACEZ.
Anaphalis neelgerriana, DC., Prodr. vi. 272, and’
other species are used on the Nilgiris for cut wounds. The
leaves are covered with woolly down, and are called by the :
natives Kaat-plaster or country plaster. The fresh leaves are
bruised and applied to the wound under a rag.
The flowers of Carduus nutans, Jinn. Reich. Ic. Fi.
Germ. t. 146, Vern.—Kanchari, are employed as a febrifuge in
Sind and in the Panjab.
Calendula officinalis, Zinn. The pot Marigold (Fng.),
Souci des jardins (f’r.), Bot. Mag. t. 3204,a native of the
Mediterranean Coasts, formerly esteemed as a domestic remedy,
is found as a weed of cultivation in Northern India,
CAMPANULACEA
‘LOBELIA NICOTIANAFOLIA, Heyne.
Fig.——Wight Ill., t. 185. Wild Tobacco (Eng).
Hab.—Bombay to Travancore, Ceylon. The plant.
Vernacular.—Dhavala (Mar.), Kattu popillay (Tam.), Adavi-
pogaku (Tel.), Kadahogesappu (Can.). — .
History, Uses, &c.—This Lobelia was first described
by Heyne, who found it near Bangalore. We have met with
no mention of the plant in native medical works, but the Marathi
name appears to be of Sanskrit origin and to signify “ white,”
probably in allusion to the colour of the flowers. Graham
(Bombay Plants) states that the dried stalks, which are hollow
in the centre, are sold in the bazar at Mahableshwar, and used
as Koluri horns for collecting herds of cattle and scaring
wolves. In the Concan a kind of rustic pipe called qfar (panva)
is made from them. In the Pharmacopeia of India an infusion
of the leaves is said to be used as an antispasmodic. The dry
throat and nostrils. It is called w
MY
herb when handled is extremely acrid, the dust irritating the
he oe : : 6 see
Saw. } zg +1 Ts iy iil 1 rs
Soa ee
% * we
7 i ‘eo i
Ms
- i
; ‘ cf i ne eee Sees
a8 a oe ag j PR AP oe Ia ee es Te a yt ee he aD SS
PS 2a he ea Aa Se eke aye eee Be)
ira
eee:
oo it to be preferred before numerous “ expectorants.” It.
CAMPANULACED. 323
and is regarded by the natives as poisonous wherever the
plant grows. Physiological experiments conducted by Herr
von Rosen at Dorpat have shown that this plant has pro.
perties exactly similar to those of Lobelia inflata. The physio. —
logical action of poisonous doses of lobelia upon the carnivora
and upon man is to cause death by paralysing the respiratory
centre. Small doses first raise and then depress the blood pres-
Sure; large doses paralyse the vasomotor centre and the peri-
pheral ends of the vagi. (Attwood.) The effects produced by
lobelia on man have been carefully studied by Barallier of
Toulon, who found that after taking an infusion of 1] grain of
_ the leaves in 400 grains of water, he felt a burning and rawness
in the fauces, headache, and a sensation of constriction beneath
_ the sternum; his pulse became weak, slow and intermittent,
and there was diuresis. Larger doses produced general mus-
cular weakness, vomiting, difficult breathing, cardiac depres-
Sion, reduction of temperature and dilatation of the pupils.
The action of lobelia is therefore similar to that of tobacco and
: its alkaloid nicotine. (Barallier, Des effets physiol., Sc., de la
= Lobelia inflata, Bull. de Therap., \xvi.)
The chief medicinal value of lobelia is in the treatment of
Ghia: whether the disease be purely spasmodic or associated
with pulmonary emphysema, chronic bronchitis, heart disease,
&c. It eliminates from the attack the bronchial spasm, which
in the first-named affection constitutes the whole disease, and in
_ the others is“a complication only. A fluid drachm of the tinc-
_ ture should be given every hour, or, if the symptoms are
urgent, every half hour, until relief is obtained, or the
characteristic effects of the medicine are produced. _ Its efficacy
_ In other diseases, as in whooping cough, will depend mainly
upon the predominance of the nervous element im them,
Whenever dyspnoea is due to inflammatory changes m_ the
bronchia, or to the presence in these tubes of secreted matters,
rather than to spasm, lobelia displays special virtues that
of no more advantage in Sara laryngitis. than various
—— ee is decidedly n fica-
324 CAMPANULACE:.
cious in spasmodic laryngitis than most other remedies of the
same class. In almost all cases in which distress in breathing ©
arises from a want of proper balance between the lungs and
the heart, this medicine affords relief; as, for mstance, when
the lungs are congested by mitral obstruction and there is a
tendency to @dema of those organs; and, again, when the
lungs are themselves diseased so as to interfere with the cardiac
circulation, as occasionally happens even in tuberculous’
consumption, (Stillé and Maisch.)
Description. —The leaves resemble those of the tobacco ;
they are finely serrated and covered with simple hairs. The
lower part of the stem is woody, an inch and a half or more in
diameter, and almost solid ; the upper portion is a hollow tube
ending in a crowded head of flower spikes; the latter are
about a foot in length, and when the plant is in fruit, are
thickly set with globular capsules about the size of a pea, to
which a portion of the dry flower is often adherent; the cap-
sules are two-celled, each cell containing a fleshy placenta.
The seeds are numerous and very small (1-50th of an inch in
length), oval, flattened, of a light brown colour, and marked
with delicate lines. Several small] tubercles surround the site
of the placental attachment.
The whole plant when dry i is studded with small spots of
resinous exudation, and is hot and acrid to the taste. The
leaves and aerial parts of the fresh plant —. a white latex
when broken,
Chemical composition. —Herr von Rosen’s examination of the
plant, supplied by one of us, showed it to contain two alkaloids;
this led toa re-examination of Lobelia inflata, with the result
that two similar alkaloids were found to be present in the
latter plant. The discovery of von Rosen has been confirmed
by J. U, and C, G. Lloyd (Pharm. Rundschau, 1887), but they
describe the alkaloids somewhat differently ; one, for which
they appropriate the name Lobeline, was obtained as a colour-
less and odourless amorphous substance, non-hygroscopic, and
apparently not affected by air; slightly soluble in Saket and
ERICACEA, B25
readily soluble in alcohol, chloroform, ‘ether, benzol ee carbon
bisulphide. Its salts are most powerful emetics, producing
emesis without disagreeable after symptoms.
The other alkaloid Inflatine was obtained in lstes olen
ess, odourless and tastcless crystals, insoluble in water -or
glycerine, but soluble in carbon bisulphide, benzol, chloroform,
ether and alcohol.
Therapeutically inflatine has no apparent importance. In
spite of the statements of previous workers, no volatile or
my Bot. M ag. 1984, es S Wislcton: (ng. s
| —Hills of eae Burma and Ceylon. The éevanitial
ular. b beitioniis (Jav.). |
tory, Uses, &c.—This ramous shrub with ‘thick
s leaves, white flowers and blue berries, inhabits the
Gaultheria procumbens (Canadian Winter Green). -
ughton, the late Government Quinologist at the Nil- &
report to the Madras Government on the subject of —
—*The oil from this source contains less of oF
hydrocarbon which forms a natural and consider-
with the Canadian oil, and therefore is some- _
nercial
¥
tained in the oil naturally led to its employment in rheun
326 ERICACEA,
“It occurred to me in 1869 that methyl-salicylic acid would,
however, under suitable treatment, furnish carbolic acid .
according to a decomposition described by Gerhardt. After a
few experiments I was successful in preparing considerable
quantities of pure carbolic acid. The method of manufacture
is aS follows: —The oil is heated with a dilute solution of
caustic alkali, by which means it is saponified and dissolved,
methylic alcohol of great purity being liberated. The solution
of the oil is then decomposed by any mineral acid, when
beautiful crystals of salicylic acid are formed. These are
gathered, squeezed, and dried. They are then mixed with
common quicklime or sand, and distilled in an iron retort;
carbolic acid of great purity, and crystallizing with the greatest
readiness, passes into the receiver. This acid is equal to the
purest kind obtained from coal tar, and employed in medicine-
It, of course, possesses all the qualities which have rendered this
substance almost indispensable in modern medical and surgical
practice. (Pharm. Journ., Oct. 1871.)
The shrub has no vernacular name on the Nilgiris, and does
not appear to be used by the natives except the berries which
are eaten by the Badagas. The Gandapuro of Java (Ainslie, —
Mat. Ind. ii. 106) is referred to an Andromeda, and it is inter-
esting to notice that on the authority of Dr. Horsfield, the —
volatile oil was used by the natives in rheumatic affections.
Dr. de Vrij obtained a considerable quantity of oil from the
leaves of two Javanese species, G. leucocarpa and G. punctata,
and this was found by Kohler to be identical with Canadian
Wintergreen oil.
_ Wintergreen oil is used as a flavouring agent on account of
its agreeable odour. It is a convenient antiseptic, a drop or
two of the oil will preserve a bottle-full of gum or of ink from —
mic injections and other rmaceutical preparations. In
large doses it produces the same effect as other aromatic
essential oils. The large proportion of methyl salicylate con- =
"mould for several months, and it is a useful adjunct to hypoder-
ERICACEA. 327
_ism. It was apparently first used for this purpose by Mr.
Casamayor of Brooklyn, N. Y. (Hphemeris, i. 80), and next
by Dr. Kinnicutt of New York (Med. Record, xxii. 505).
Twelve cases of acute articular rheumatism treated by the
latter gavé an average duration of the pyrexia of 3} days ; of
the joint pains, 44 days; of the stay in hospital, 243 days.
The oil was given at first in doses of 10 minims every two
hours until eight doses had been taken, and afterwards the
doses were increased as well as their frequency. ‘The reporter
believes that his cases presented less than the usual proportion
of heart-complications ; but if so, the oil must differ in its effects
from its active element, salicylicacid. Dr, Austin Flint (Phila-
Med. Times, xiii., 846,) and Dr. Gettheil (Med. Record, xxiv.,
258,) have reported analogous results. Dr. Waring (Brit. Med.
Journ., June 6th, 1885) suggests the Indian oil for use as a
stimulant, carminative and antiseptic. ;
Dr. Charteris, after experimenting on the comparative action
_of natural and artificial salicylic acid, concludes that the rest-
lessness, confusion, delirium and retarded convalescence at-
tendant on the nse of the acid and its sodium salt in acute
rheumatism is due to the impurities of the acid prepared from
coal-tar, and that natural salicylic acid and its salts are much
safer remedies (Brit. Med. Journ., Nov. 1889).
Description.—Oil of gaultheria is usually of a reddish
colour, but may be obtained colourless by rectification. Ac-
cording to I. E. Leonard (1884), the colour is usually due to
the presence of a little iron, and is readily removed by citric
acid. Ithas a strong and agreeable aromatic odour and a
sweetish, warm, aromatic taste, and begins to boil at a little
above 200° C. Its specific gravity is 17180 at 15°C. Occa-
sionally, oil of gaultheria is lighter (1° 70), in consequence of
containing a light hydrocarbon, but the extent of this variation
has not been fully determined. The oil is neutral or faintly
acid to test-paper ; has a slight dextrogyre rotation, and dis-
via readily in alcohol and but to a small degree in water;
the solutions acquire a dark-purple celour.on the addition of
ferric chloride. The a is not t coloured on the
&
325 PLUMBAGINE AL.
strong nitric acid, but soon congeals into colourless crystals of
a nitro-compound. A solid crystalline mass is also obtained
on agitating the oil with concentrated solution of potassa or
soda. (Stillé and Maisch.) The Nilgiri oil has a sp. gr. of
1:087 at 15-5, and has no action on polarized light.
Chemical composition.—Procter (1842) recognized the pre-
sence in this oil of salicylicacid. Cahours subsequently (1843)
proved it to consist to the amount of about 90 per cent. of
methylsalicylic acid (methyl! salicylate or mono-methylsalicylic
ether), CH°C7H°O%. 100 grains of the oil contains 81 grains
of salicylic acid. Pure methyl salicylate is a colourless oil, has
the specifie gravity of 1:18, boils at 222° C. (Cahours), and
forms crystalline compounds with the alkalies. The remain-
ing constituent of oil of wintergreen—of which Pettigrew
(1884) obtained only 0-3 per cent.—is gaultherilene, a colour-
less thin hydrocarbon of the formula C'°H'®, boiling at 160°.
C., and having a strong peculiar odour, described as pepper-
like by Cahours. Trimble and Schroeter determined the
hydrocarbon to be a sesquiterpene of the formula C**H?*, and
obtained crystals similar to benzoic acid from the oil.
Commerce.—The leaves yield more oil in the fine weather,
from January to April, than at other times of the year; but
owing to the sluggishness with which it comes over in the
still, it could not be sold for much less than Rs. 6 per pound.
The preparation of carbolic acid from the oil to compete with
that from coal tar is out of the question at the present time
bat it aaiaht, with advantage, be used in making salicylic acid
reducing the price of the natural acid which is Mee in
London at 2s. 6d. per ounce.
- PLUMBAGINIA.
PLUMBAGO ZEYLANICA, Linn.
Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal. x., t, 85 eae shag t. 179.
| Hab.—Throaghoat Ine The Foote
PLUMBAGINEAD. 329
4 PLUMBAGO ROSEA, Linn.
Fig—Rheede Hort. Mal. «., t, 9; Bot. Mag. tt. 230,5363.
Hab.—Sikkim, Khasia wild? Cultivated in India.
Vernacular, —Chitrak, Chita (Hind.), Chitra (Guz.), Chitraka
(Mar.), Chita (Beng.), Chitri (Can.), Chittira ( Tam.), Chitra,
_ Agnimata (Tel.), Kotu-veli (Mal), P. rosea bears the same
_ lames with the addition of the adjective red.
History, Uses, &c.—These plants, in Sanskrit
Chitraka, are described as digestive, light, astringent, hot and
appetizing ; a remedy for dyspepsia, piles, leprosy, anasarca,
worms, cough, phlegm, windand biliousness. In the Nighantas,
3 among other synonyms, they bear the names Déruna, Dahana,
_ and Agni, in allusion to their burning and acrid properties.
_ P. zeylanica is much used as a stimulant adjunct to other pre-
_ parations, in the form of a combination called T’rimada, consist-
_ ing of Plumbago root, B&berang (fruit of Bmbelia Ribes), and
a Nigarmoth (tubers of Cyperus pertenuis). It enters into the
a composition of numerous medicines for dyspepsia. The follow-
ing is an illustration: Take of Plumbago root, Rock salt,
_ Chebulic myrobalans and long pepper, equal parts ; powder
and mix. Dose about 40 grains. (Chakradatta.) A favourite
- Mnedicine for flatulence is an old prescription of Susruta’s
_ called Shaddharanayoga. It is a powder composed of equal
parts of the following substances: Plumbago root, seeds of
; Holarrhena antidysenterica, roots of Cissampelos Pereira, of
Picrorrhiza Kurroa and Aconitum heterophyllum, Chebulic ~
a “myrobalans, Dose about 1 drachm. The root of P. zeylanica
is said to exercise a beneficial effect on piles, in which disease it
is given in various combinations. One mode of administering
_ it is as follows:—An earthen jar or pot is lined in its interior
with a paste of the root, and curdled milk (dadhi) or Kanyika
(rice vinegar) is prepared in this pot. Plumbago root reduced
Pee Ie Er) ee 2 ie RS ok See, tone te SiR ad el ad AP eH
7 ree espa ee Rees He Nias erat
een he a oa eel Oe nee eee ee Te PA ee Ae ee eo ey ee ee
ite F
g them. It enters also inte the sperticn of several prepa
Ti—42
to & paste is applied to abscesses with the object of open-— a
330 PLUMBAGINEZ.
tions used as caustics. Religious mendicants attending fairs
use the root for the purpose of raising sores upon their bodies
in order to obtain pity and alms. In the Concan the following
formula is used:—Chitrak root, Emblic myrobalans, small
black myrobalans (Bal-hartaki), Long pepper, Pepper root,
Rhubarb and Rock salt. Powder and give 6 mashas (90
grains) with hot water every night at bed-time in flatulence
with rheumatic pains.
In paralysis, the bark, with Crateeva bark, Indian elm bark
(Vavala), Wild Moringa bark, and the bark of Vitew trifolia,
is boiled in one part of white, and two of black mustard oil
and applied. Mahometan writers treat of the drug under the
name of Shitaraj, a corruption of the Indian name Chitrak; they
describe it as caustic and vesicant, an expellant of phlegmatic
humors ; useful in rheumatism and spleen, digestive ; it also
causes iabicieticiie. For external administration it is made into a
paste with milk, vinegar or salt and water. Such a paste may
be applied externally in leprosy and other skin diseases of an
obstinate character, and be allowed to remain until a blister
has formed. In rheumatism it should be removed after 15 to
20 minutes. When administered internally the dose is one
dirhem. Mir Muhammad Husain speaks of several kinds of ©
Shitaraj, and says one of them is the Libédiytn or Lifadiyan
of the Greeks. Bhazes describes two kinds, Indian and
Behera
- The Shitaraj of Mahometan writers must, therefore, be con-
wie: to refer to the genus Plumbago, and not to any particu-
lar species. P. zeylanica is mentioned by several European
writers upon Indian drugs, but has not attracted the same
amount of attention as P. rosea, which is said to be more
‘active. However, this may be, the former is the Chitrak of :
the native physicians, aud very possibly may have been used
* Plumbago europea is considered to be the ‘Sertetces .of Dioscorides by
Sprengel. ABadsov or fel terre is the nam plant mentioned by
Pliny (25, 31), whieh sam eet we Brae ai mates a aust
>with Plumbago,
eo
PLUMBAGINED. 33]
_ by some under the supposition that it was the root of P. rosea.
_ Inthe Pharmacopeia of India, Dr. Oswald is said to have em-
ployed P. zeylanica in the treatment of intermittents with good”
effect. Itacts as a powerful sudorific. In many parts of India
the root is one of the most important drugs of the itinerant
herbalist ; it is also sold by all druggists. Ainslie, speaking of
P. rosea, remarks.—“The bruised root of this plant is, in its
natural state, acrid and stimulating, but when tempered witha
little bland oil, it is used as an external application in rheumatic
_ and paralytic affections ; it is also prescribed internally in small
doses for the same complaints, in combination with some other
imple powder.”? (Mat. Ind., II., p. 379.) ne
O’Shaughnessy, who instituted a series of trials with the roob
asa vesicant, has expressed a very favourable opinion of if
sa cheap substitute for cantharides. Dr. Waring thinks less
favourably of it; he found that it caused more pain than an
ordinary blister, and that the resulting vesication was less
niform, and not always easily healed. From what we have :
seen of its use, we are inclined to support Dr. Waring” 's opi
Given internally in ees — Smieoe root acts: as
Wk, and after absorption, as a stimulant of the excreto
glandular organs. Its action is well worthy of accurate scien |
fic investigation.
Description. —The roots of P. zeylanica are from 4 + to
small warty projections ; ‘eberdally itis brown and striated L;
fracture is short ; the taste acrid and biting. Wood har
1, close-grained. A section of the fresh bark when mag-
shows. nuteerous bundles of ries yellow stone
; . ner part of the:
382° PLUMBAGINEZ. a
is seen in’the cell walls both of the parenchyme andthe woody __
tissue, but not in a crystalline form. (J'liickiger and Gerock.)
The root of P. rosea has a similar structure, but is much
smaller.
Chemical composition.—The activity of the drug depends
upon the presence of plumbagin. This acrid principle was
first separated by Dulong from the root of P. europea by.
repeatedly boiling the ethereal extract with water, whence it
was deposited on cooling, and purified by crystallization from.
alcohol or ether-alcohol. Plumbagin crystallizes in delicate.
needles or prisms, often grouped in tufts; has a styptic sac-
charine taste, with acrid biting after taste ; melts very easily,
and partly volatilises unaltered when heated. Itis neutral,
nearly insoluble in cold, more soluble in boiling water, very
soluble in alcohol and ether. It dissolves with yellow colour
in strong sulphuric and fuming nitric acid, and is precipi-
tated by water in yellow flocks. Alkalies change the colour
of the solution toa fine cherry-red; acids restore the yellow
colour. Fliickiger (1887) examined the root of P. zeylanica
supplied by one of us, and found that plumbagin could be
obtained by submitting it to steam, when the latter is carried
off by the water, from which it can be separated by shaking
with ether. On evaporating the ether fine crystalline tufts of
plumbagin of a bright orange colour are obtained; they have a
peculiar odour and an intensely acrid, but not bitter taste.
heating them but very moderately, they are volatilized;
they readily dissolve in alkaline solutions and impart to them
aed colour, but at the same time the plumbagin is altered,
_ probably by oxidation. The yield is very small, from about
pe Oe Ibs. of root only 81 grains of raw plumbagin could
be obtained. Professor Flickiger found the proportion of
plumbagin in P. europea to be about the same as in P
_ zeylanica. An acid was also separated from. the root by dis-
tillation. M. Greshoff, who has been i investigating the che- |
mistry of the medicinal plants of Java (Meded. uit S’lands”
Plant. VIL, p. 55, Batavia, 1890,) is of opinion that
- roots aes sR —— Svaiaeaen pent
@
rae
PLUMBAGINEA. 333
_ Wefers Bettink (Haaamans Tijdsch., Jan., 1888,) were really
those of Plumbago rosea. Prof. Bettink extracted with chloro-
form a yellow crystalline principle, apparently the plumbagin
of Dulong, which on crystallization from hot water and several
times from alcohol was obtained in needles melting at 72°C.,
and showing the composition C!©H!50°. It was with difficulty
soluble ir water, but easily soluble in chloroform, benzol, car-
bon bisulphide and glacial acetic acid. On careful heating it sub-
limed, the yield was about 0°2 per cent. The principle somewhat
resembled Juglone and possessed anthelmintic properties.
A further examination P. europea made in 1889 by Prof.
Fliickiger aud Mr, T. E. Gerock, showed that plambagin is not
| contained in the aérial parts of the plant, with the exception of
: a small quantity in that part of the stem which is near the root.
They found the root, when freshly cut, to be nearly devoid of ~
; colour, but on exposure it immediately assumed a yellow hue,
. from which they conclude that the plumbagin is probably the
product of a rapid oxidation of some primary substance contained
;
|
in the plant. In the dried root the plumbagin is seen in the
_ cell walls both of the parenchyme and of the woody tissue, but
not in a crystalline form. We have submitted to steam two
__ ewts. of bazar plumbago root, and on shaking the distillate with
__ ether obtained half a fluid ounce of a deep yellow oily fiuid
having a peculiar penetrating odour. On cooling it artificially,
__ a few colourless crystals formed, which redissolved when the oil |
__-was gently warmed. ‘The oil floated on water, and the mixture
__—-was unaffected by dilute acids and alkalies and salts of iron, lead, ©
mercury and silver; it dissolved readily in ether and bi-sulphide
of carbon, and to a small extent in rectified spirit. It struck eo
reddish colour, without dissolving in sulphuric acid. A-ditep,
of the oil in a watch glass was solidified by passing the vapour
of ammonia over it. Heating on a water bath for two days
was not sufficient to dissipate the whole of the oil. Heated to
for some time it turned reddish brown, anda yellowish fatty
given off and occupied the higher part of the
drops of the oil smeared upon the upper part of th:
ed Rea ae eas ab el
a oe 7
334 PLUMBAGINEZ.
The distillate, from which the oil had been removed, was
strongly acid; it was nentralized with baryta, The~ barium =
salt thus obtained treated with dilute sulphuric acid, yielded
after agitation with ether a yellow oily principle similar to that
which had been separated from the distillate by ether. There
appears to have been no plumbagin in this root; it had the
usual appearance of the drug as met with in commerce, and
when received was quite fresh and moist, and had to be dried
before it could be powdered. Further operations upon large
quantities of the fresh and dried root will be necessary before
the nature of this substance can be determined, for at present
the physical properties of the principle, the so-called plum-
bagin, are not sufficiently well known to enable one to posi-
tively assert whether it is odourless or not, while its chemical
gonstitution has not been studied.
_Poxicology.— Chevers (Med. Jurisp., p. 252,) refers to two
: fatal cases of poisoning from the internal administration of the
root ; one of these was homicidal.
In Madras Plumbago was little used before 1882. In 1882
and 1883, it formed 12 per cent. of the cases in which poison
was detected in Class A (Human Cases, Viscera examined) ; in
1888, two cases in 51 were detected; and in 1889, two in 101.
Tn Class B ( Suspected Attempts to Poison) ;in 1883, one in eight;
in 1524, one in eight; in 1885, one in seven ; and in 1887, one
7 f the poisons detected was plumbago. The drug had
sl administered by sorcerers to persous accused of
an shortifacient, or as a love potion eye Wonien:
Eee to pass urine. ‘The affected persons were
e sore mouths, feeble irregular pulses and cold skins.
Dr. Lyon finds plumbago root chiefly used for the A
: of causing abortion. With this object itissometimes
usually emplo
males as a local irritant — s
_ The following table shows the particulars of Plumbago poisoning in India :—
Presidency.
i
Year.
Plumbagin.
: Bengal
Do.
1882
1884,
to b
Substances suspected
c) contain
Plumbagin.
bones ie
wee
toile
Remarks,
eeehee
‘In two stomachs examined in rapt nendip with abortion
been given eenuity asan abortive. Asa rule, howeve te
the root is applied either to the neck of the uterus or
introduced into the vagina. Chevers recy records t
instances in W at men were poisoned by the fan”
* Plumbago rosea in babar with two cases
of alleged seitntnay abortion, one of the cases occurring
at Dacca and the other at Ghattal. This plant is exten-
an e produc eg Irritation and vesication
which seenitty in Ssortiah en the yrs» is pregnant.
: oar
rug
n, who were alleged to have died
from the effects of ebcstiea?
‘WANIDVIN NT
GEé
Substances suspected
tain
=
Presidency. Year. | —Visce Remarks.
Plamagin. Plumbago
| Plumbagin.| root or
Lalchitra,
>
Bengal weer entrees 1885 teneee eeetee 1
Do. eoeeeesenes 1886 * seetee serene I
Do aeeeeeeee . 1887 oueree etree a
Do eentee eee 1888 aeeter eeetes 2
Do eee eee wea eee 1889 Ct nh eee eee Se) . 1
Madras peices cause 1881 deesee eetsee af
WO, Srrroeer| 1882 sree 4 ‘As this poison has very seldom been detected in this
Presidency, all of the cases of poisoning by Plumbago
are briefly notice
“Tn the first case a woman was suspected to have been
drugged, in order to facilitate robbing her, by something
A 1
woman seems to have suffered severely, but Pobtanaels
had the benefit, of skilful ress from the Medical
er, Satur, from whom a careful and intellige nt
record of the pene of the | case was received,”
In the second case an insane man was re ported
have died suffermg from vomiting and purging shortly
after iy a red powder given him by a native doctor
9EE
WANIDV AN NTd
’
eastin
‘small quanti mbage! was found to be present
‘I a suspee maf pee received for examin on But
‘the proportion o a eave ag to comparatively
‘stituents was not s oO great as to
of the powder hating been a bond fide ‘0
races of poison could be detected in two lots of sand
believed to contain vomit ted matters, or on the soiled
eloth worn by the deceased, or in the stomach.”
“In the third ne te temp was raasied to vo died shortly
after takin medicine, gages were briefly
described ny purging and vomiting
a Plumbago was detected in the viscera and i in a suspected
cine. The case seems very similar to the preced-
i fourth and fifth cases, which were
va
_ these cases, poison was detected in the yomited ma ter
and obi cap long coy Whatever the true se th of
the ec may have been, there seems no doubt that the
tients were very early killed.”
The report in 1883 reviews the wurk of 1882 and a
this it was changed from the
s
=
>
Loar]
that examini e human viscera or uations
Bh gap Piatens teste was detec or in 18
_instances and one in Class B.
‘WV ANTOVEaNATA
Zee
Substance suspected
, to be or to contain
Bie poison.
Presidency, Year. ReMArks.
_Plambogin Plumbago
; Plumbagin.| root or
Lalchitra.
- Madras—conéd. ...| 1884 babese spaces dedaee “Dees aire rosea or zeylanica) was found in
a @ case was believed to have been used as an
abortifae ge
Bo. eseese| 1886 sais I wake A lov potion peti. to a woman was found to contain this
De, eset 1887 2 decise tikcee Gus. given as a purgative nara
- - Te ii! 1880 2 Woneds bined One given as an abortifac
oe Bombay Tacksst 1875 AY 1 ST ee ‘Tn another case of the e kind some pills were found
to contain a vegetable be peace: resembling in characters
er ener the active principle of Pluméago rosea or
Lalehit
BP Gatecueccistt 1881 soeees 3 tvsuee “1, A case from Bijapur, in which some pieces of root
alleged to have been used for the purpose of procuring
bortion were identified as pieces of the f th
Plumbago zeylanica; 2, a case from Sangamner, in
whi me pieces of stick stated to have been used
for the purpose of procuring abortion, were oe to be
armed at the end with cotton covered witha paste in
which, ical examination, Plumbagin, the cha-
racteristic principle of Plumbago shone + phe at
was dete ; e fr
cte
Plumbagin was detected ina red paste, id ies in seittass
*
- A
gee
WANIDVEAN NTI
‘ - ataini =e a piece of cloth found in the Hk of a woman
accu mp of an attempt to procure abort
anise “Tn a case fr o atara o de ath after abort rtion, Plum
Bey cies 1885 : eeenee oa ]
ec
the vagina of the deceased. Ps Neg $ case arsenic was also
“pe detected in minute i. y in the liver.’
— seseeeveneee| 1888 veeees 3 waived ‘*A case from Pandharpur ‘sily re le in pave.
ae a some drugs found on aie cha hon wien
sorcerer were forwarded for examination. etn
; accused of sdninntoting a narcotic drug to nae a in
order, it was said, that while og Log infuence Con
might givea clue to the offender in
saber of the > os ate ae to contain Plum
aE b da |
Fee eee ree No ease recorded. 1% 2 a a cere
ae No ease recorded.*
The fol following ease of the use of Plumbago is recorded in Dr. Brown’s book on “ Punjab Poisons ” Case.—Transactions
; of the Medical and Physical Society, Bombay, paper read by Dr. J, Mill :—
‘On December 16th, 1861, a man poured over the face of a sleeping native, with whom he had quarrelled, a liquid, said
. nlp been prepared from the roots of Plumbago rosea and Semecar rpus Anacardium, but this also contained
WANIDVERITd
eee - PRIMULACEA. | j
Commerce.—The root is sold at Rs. 4 to 5 per maund of —
373 lbs. The Bombay market is supplied from Kattiawar and —
Guzerat, where the shrub grows to a much larger size than it k
does in the Concan.
PRIMULACEZ.
DIONYSIA DIAPENSIZEFOLIA, Boiss. —
Fig.—Clusius Eaot. 4. p. 199.
--Hab.—Persia. The plant.
Vernacular.—Hamama (Arab., Ind. Bazars).
History, Uses, &c.—The recent discovery by Mr. B.
_ M. Holmes of the botanical source of Hamima (Pharm. Journ,
1887,) enables us better to understand the description by Di 5.
corides of the amomon of the Greeks. His chapter rep! dzopov
has always puzzled the commentators; it has an hiatus
in the middle; there are several apabetat readings in
text, and a paragraph which appears to have got into it
mistake. In the edition of 1529 we read $¥d\a Se Byvona (,
épota and in the same edition, where bryony is treated of, t
word is printed Spvovia in the usual manner. This crea
suspicion that the true text may have had_ moss, and not
bryony ; we can then read the description of the first kin
—s as follows—“Amomon is a small shrubby _
- (ajevior ) like a banch of intertwining woody stems; it |
small flower. ‘like the wallflower (Acvxéw») ; the leaves are like
those of moss; the best i is the Armenian, of a golden ting
with reddish | ‘yellow stems, sufficiently fragrant. This 1
agree very well with the characters of the genus Dionysia
Dioscorides thea proceeds to describe the kind found i in M
but it omits the next poses Se
where. ‘the —— } occurs “and
PRIMULACH &, 341
Throughout the remainder of the chapter the Greek and the
Arabian versions agree, with the exception that the latter omits
all mention of Amomis, : aged eis
The conclusion of the chapter in Dioscorides is noteworthy:
he says—“ In the selection of these articles it is important to
avoid broken pieces, and to choose such specimens as have
entire branches springing from a single root ;” this is appli-
cable to hamama, but not to cardamoms. 2
Theophrastus (9, 7, 1) merely mentions cardamomon an
amomon as coming from Media. Celsus (lib. V.) mentions
amomum and cardamomum as ingredients in a “ Malagma ad-
jecur dolens.”? Pliny (18, 1,) speaks ofamomum as an Assy-
rian shrub with a white flower, from which a costly perfume
was made. In short there is no medical description of the drug
“except by Dioscorides. i
- The non-medical classical writers mention amomum, bu
they allude to it in a vague way, or as a precious perfume, —/
In Virgil’s third Zclogue, Dameetas says :— ;
“Qui te, Pollio, amat, veniat, quo te quoque gaudet :
Mella fluant illi, ferat et rubus asper amomum.” aoe
_ Among the Arabians Ibn Sina (Avicenna) “only notices one
kind of Ham4mé, “ Shajrat k4nkood min khashab mushabbak”
(a plant with latticed woody branches, the first kind of Dios-
corides); but he remarks that it affords a sticky exudation.
Sheik Dawood of Antioch, who wrote A. D. 1656, says: “6 Ha.
mémé, is in Greek amomiya, and its flowers are called leukéin,
it is not bruwaniya, which isa name for fashara. The plant
consists of sticks latticed together in a bunch ofa reddish-
golden colour, acrid, hot, perfumed; it springsfromasingle root,
hard, perfumed; it grows in Armenia and Tarsus, and a kind
of it in Syria is greenish and small, or yellowish and fragile,
“both spurious; and it grows in the month of Nisan (April) ; at
has reddish flowers, like those of the Wallflower.or Sédaj.””
The Persian writers give similar descriptions, but ‘that of — af
_ He sa;
‘4 hey : va
a3
‘Haji Zein el Attar (A. D.-1368) is_more original.
o_o
a
i
342 PRIMULACEA.
dry in the second and some say in the third degree. It is of
two kinds, one is well-known, and is called in Shiraz mahilu,
and there is another kind like Persiawashdn (maiden-hair),
and like it, of a reddish yellow colour ; the leaves are green
and small, and the flowers yellow and small, and the plant is
about a span high, or in my experience less. It grows on
stones. The best is of a golden colour from Armenia, and has a
sweet smell.” 5
Mr. E. M. Holmes has found in the Herbarium of the
British Museum a specimen of Dionysia diapensiefolia, Boiss,
bearing an inscription in the handwriting of Kotschy, which
states that the plant grows on stones, as stated by Haji Zein.
He has also ascertained that the Persian drug is aromatic ;
possibly Armenia may furnish a more perfumed plant belong-
ing to the same genus. We see nothing in the description of
Dioscorides to connect Amomon with Cardamomon. On the
other hand, his description of Cardamomon is very short, and —
such as he would naturally give of an article so well known
as this must have been from its every-day employment by
Asiatics as a masticatory and spice. In addition to this, he
notices a use of cardamoms peculiar to India, namely, as a
lithontriptic in nephritis and dysuria. Thedescription of Diosco-
rides is as follows :—‘‘ Cardamomon is brought from Commagene
(the northern province of Syria, now Camosh), Armenia,
and the Bosphorus, but it is produced also in India and Arabia.
Choose that which is tough, well-filled, closed ; if not in this
state, it is too old and has lost its aroma. The taste is pungent
and somewhat bitter.
We think there can be no doubt that the Greeks were well
acquainted with ‘Cardamons through their intercourse with
Eastern nations long before the time of Dioscorides, although
they had no exact information as to their source. As sug-
gested by Mr. Holmes, the Amomis of Dioscorides was probably
a plant having the same characters as his true amomum.
The Pontic and Coptic kinds were probably entirely different
plants used as substitutes. We must also bear in mind that
eee Oe eee et en
y os ; ‘
tse This aes ihe.
PRIMULACEZ. 343
plants having no very remarkable properties were used by the
ancients, and are still used in the East, as ingredients in per-
fumes, &c., from some superstitious fancy in connection with
them,
The Hamama now in use in the Hast was known in Europe
as Amomum in the 14th and 15th centuries, and is figured
by Clusius (Haot. Lib. I., p. 199). He calls it Amomum
spurium. The same drug was found in use in Egypt by
Prosper Alpinus, 1580-83. Dr. Leonhart Rauwolff, who
travelled in the East (1573-76) for the purpose of studying the
drugs of Dioscorides, says of Amomum: “Lastly amongst the
rest I did also enquire after the amomum and thought, because
they were near unto the confines of Armenia (i, e., the bazars
of Aleppo), that therefore they might easily have it by the
caravans which come daily from those parts, yet I was
forced to run a great while after it, till at length I got a little
stock thereof in one shop. They ésli it by the name of Ha-
mama, But of the other so-called by Dioscorides, which is like
unto it, and therefore may easily be taken for the right one,
they had a great deal. These two small shrubs, although they —
are very like to one another, yet for all that they may be distin-
guished by their stalks and different colours, wherefore Diosco-
_ rides bids us (if we will not be imposed upon) to pick out the
bigger and smoother, with its noble seed, and to leave the
small, This stalk which I found about the length of a finger,
is almost of the colour of the bark of the cinnamon tree, and
_ also in its acrimony and good odour (although it was old) still
very strong. At the top had been several woody stalks close to
one another, whereon I believe had been the flowers and seeds.
But the twigs of the other sort, which are crooked and bended,
are of a brown colour, which at the top divide themselves
into other Iéss ones like a tree, whereon grow several stalks,
with little heads like unt» the Masaron, or Marum 6 alee
Crete, wherein is no great strength nor odour.” (Ray’s
Oolbertion of Curious Travels and Voyages, 1693, quoted
ties 0. Aa anes in: a letter to. ‘the ane. Journ., Jan. 28th,
Ns thch: asl tar oe oliea tena aid rel presi fa Coe
344 PRIMULACE.
. Hamama is applied as a poultice to boils and scorpion stings,
&c. Taken internally it is considered sedative and is thought
to promote the action of the liver and spleen and to remove
obstructions in those organs. It is also prescribed in gout and
in uterine obstructions, both vee esa and externally. The
dose is 2 dirhems.
Dessisacin. —The’ following is Boissier’s deseiipiick of
the plant (Diag. Ser. 17, p. 65) :—Densissime et late caspitosa,
ramis ob folia vetusta dense imbricata columnaribus ; foltis
minute hirto-glandulosis, planis, ‘sub-flabellatim rotieuliee:
venosis, ovatis et oblongo-spathulatis, basi attenuatis obtusis-
simis, integris vel obtuse utrinque 1—2 crenatis ; pedunculis
subnullis, rosule foliis occultatis vel paulo longioribus, breviter
exsertis ; 1 rarius 2—8, floris, floribus involucro 3—5 bracteato
suffultis ; bracteis lineari-spathulatis, obtusis, integris, calycem
gequantibus; calyces ad }-partiti, laciniis lineari-spathulatis
obtusis, corollae lutew glanduloso-hirte, tubo calyce quadruplo
Jongiore, limbi ampli laciniis ovatis retusis. Coepites lati,
3—4 pollices elati, folia 1}—2lineas longa, calyx 29 lineas,
cians 10—12 longa.
Pedunculis exsertis et involucro affinis D. ccespitose, sed in
hac pedunculus longus, bractez majoras incise, calycis lacinize
acute, corolle limbus minor,
The seeds of Hamama are elliptic or subtriangular, concave
on the outer side and bluntly keeled on the other; brown in
colour, and rngulose with netted markings. The Sveter
length yyth of an inch.
Chemical composition. —The plant contains a light brown
resin, which becomes covered with a glaucous film on exposure
to the air; it is soluble in sulphuric acid and in aqueous
alkaline solutions with an orange colour, The taste is at first
pungent and warming, afterwards acrid, with a sialogague
action. A crystalline body is “separated from the alcoholic
extract, soluble in water, ; and responding to alkaloidal tests,
~ but otherwise acting as a neutral substance, sacs | rsa fatty
res eat
acids are also removed by alcohol from the 2 he he seeds ds
PRIMULAOE.E. 345
examined separately yielded to ether 24 per cent. of brown fat,
melting at 29°C. ‘This fat on saponification yields some
“fragrant volatile fatty acid; a mixture of insoluble fatty acids
melting at 41°, soluble in spirit and crystalline; and a neutral,
rown, fluorescent resin :
_~ Ne substance like eects was found in the infusion of the
whole herb. The seeds contained ammonia from the decom-
‘position of the albuminoids. ‘lhe herb afforded 16°9 per cent.,
a ithe seeds 11°] per cent. of mineral matter.
ANAGALLIS ARVENSIS, Jann.
_ » Pig.— Eng. Bot. viti. t. 529; ; eevi, t. 1823. Scarlet Pimper-
nel (Eng.), Mouron rouge (Fr).
p sta0.— Many parts of India, Karope, Western Asia. The
ae.
Vernacular,— Jonk-miri, Jainghani (Hind.).
; History, Uses, &c,— Dioscorides describes two kinds
avayadkis, the male with red flowers, and the female with blue
flowers. According to him the herb‘has lenitive properties,
and is used to subdue inflammation, to assist in the extraction
of thorns from the flesh, and in the cure of sores. The juice
administered through the nostrils is said to remove pituitous
matters from the head and relieve toothache ; mixed with honey
‘it removes films from the eyes and improves the sight. Given
with wine, it was thought to be an antidote for the poison of
the Viper ; it was also prescribed to relieve pain in the kidneys
. od liver, and to promote the dispersion of dropsical swellings.
_ The female plant was supposed to care prolapsus ani and the —
@ plant to incite that disease. Pliny (25, 92) speaks of the
> the e Arabian and Persian physicians
346 PRIMULACE#.
choly, and Quercitanus made it a speciality in his treatment of
mania. Ravenstein and Gwelin record cases in which persons
bitten by rabid animals were cured by the nse of this herb; it
was administered internally and also applied to the bitten part.
Most of these physicians considered it to be an efficacious
remedy in gout, dropsy, and pulmonary complaints. Orfila
places Anagallis among the narcotico-acrids, and gives the
following account of its effects upon animals :—‘‘ At eight
in the morning three drachms of the extract of pimpernel,.
prepared by evaporating ina water-bath the juice of the fresh
plant, were introduced inte the stomach of a robust dog. At
six in the evening he was dejected, and at eleven sensibility
appeared diminished. The next morning, at six, he was lying
down, apparently dead, and might be displaced like a mass of
inert matter. He expired half an hour after.. The mucous —
membrane of the stomach was slightly inflamed ; the interior of
the rectum was ofa bright red colour ; the ventricles of the
heart were distended by black coagulated blood; the lungs -
presented several livid spots, and their texture was preterna-
turally dense. ‘Two drachms of the same extract, applied to
the cellular tissue of a dog’s thigh, caused death in twelve
‘hours with the same symptoms as the preceding. M. Gronier
gave to horses some tolerably strong doses of the decoction
of this plant, and he observed almost constantly a trembling of
the muscles of the posterior extremities as well as those of the
_ throat, and a copious flow of urine. After death the mucous
membrane of the stomach was found inflamed.”
In India, Anagallis is used as a fish-poison, and also to kill
leeches, which sometimes get lodged in the nostrils of those
who frequent the jungles in the rainy season. Both the blue
and the red flowered varieties dre found i in Western India ; the
blue being the common one eastward.
~ Description.—Root ‘oe, ‘stem badiched - ‘feohn“the
_ lower part, often dotted with purple, more or less procumbent,
Square. Leaves sessile, ovate, many-ribbed,” dotted with
purple at the —_— -Pedancles angu
PRIMULACE A, ) 347
twisted and recurved after flowering. Corolla bright scarlet,
with a violet coloured mouth; its edges finely crenate, or
minutely fringed with glands. Fruit pale and transparent, the.
size of a pea. Seeds roughish. The plant has.a somewhat.
bitter and acrid taste.
Chemical composition. —D: Malapert (1857) has shown that
the poisonous properties of the plant are due to the presence of
a. substance-similar to, if not identical with, Saponin. J. A.
Heintzelman obtained’a small quantity of volatile oil from the
dry herb, and found it of a strong peculiar odour anda pun-
gent and acid taste, A few drops produced. headache and
nausea lasting for several hours.
CYCLAMEN PERSICUM, Miller.
Fig.—Bot. Mag. t. 44. Sow-bread (Hng.), Arthanite,
Pain de pourceau (J’r.)
Hab.—Persia. Levant.. The tubers.
Vernacular —Bakhér-i-Miryam (Ind. Bazars)..
History, Uses, &c.—Under the name of. Kuahapivos, a
species. of Cyclamen is mentioned. by Greek medical writers,
which Fée considers to. have been O. hederefolium, Ait., and
Littré C. grecum, Lam.: it was also called ixGvdenpov, * fish-
taker,” from its being used to kill fish, and according to Theo-
phrastus was used as.a love charm. It is described as having
emetic, purgative and hydrogogue properties, and was consi-
dered to be useful as. an emmenagogue, as an antidote to the
poison of snakes, and when locally applied, as a resolvent of
tumours. The juice was blown into. the nose to purge the
brain; mixed with wine it is said to have intoxicating proper-
ties. The plant was supposed to cause pregnant women to
abort if they walked over it, and the dried root was worn by
men as.an amulet to protect them against spells. Pliny (25, |
67) calls it Cyclaminos, and states that it is known in Italy s
‘Tuber terre ; he repeats much of what Dioscorides says about
its medicinal properties. ‘The Arabian physicians
jee ee ME ee Sed oR Bal
348 PRIMULACER.
names of Artanitha and Bakhtir Miryam reproduce what Dios-
corides has written concerning Cyclamen. Persian writers
describe the Persian plant under the names of Azarbu and
Chubak-ushnan, and state that it is a kind of Artanitha. The
Indian Mahometan writers follow the Arabs and .Persians.
The different species of Cyclamen were formerly used in
Europe on account of their emetic, purgative, and diuretic
properties, and an ointment prepared from the root was ap-
plied to the abdomen of adults to produce vomiting or purging,
and over the bladder to induce diuresis; it was also applied to
the navel of children suffering from intestinal worms, and to
scrofulous tumours. Baulliard states that it is still used in the
north of France as a purgative and often produces emesis, cold
sweats, giddiness and convulsive movements. Pigs are said to
eat the root with impunity, but fish are easily poisoned by it,
and frogs sicken and die after a few days. Schroff, who
has experimented with cyclamin, comes to the following
conclusions :—], Cyclamin does not act upon the sound skin ;
2,1 the mouth it produces a very unpleasant sensation and
taste, and excites salivation; 3, in the stomach it causes
burning, oppression, nausea, and vomiting, and in this organ,
as in ‘an intestine, it occasions Sisfischsieeeo 4, in the con-
nective tissue it excites inflammation, which may be followed
by gangrene : 5, it does not affect the brain, spinal marrow, or
nerves ; 6, it salivates men when not taken by the mouth, but
by the veins; 7, its action is analogous to that of saponin.
(suite and Moiieh. )
: ‘Description -—These plants have a roundish, tuberous,
or fleshy root stock, from the upper side of which spring the
- Jeaves and flowers, sometimes directly from the top, sometimes
from a short neck-like stem. The leaves are roundish or
ovate with a deep basal sinus, sometimes angular at the margins
and often marbled with greyish white. The flowers have the
segments of the corolla turned back. The capsule is five-
valved, and after flowering the scape in most of the species
coils up spirally with the seed vessel in the contre, Berson
itself at the same time towards the ground.
7
MYRSINEZ. 349
that the root ‘suo circinato bulbo muliebrem uterum affabre
demonstrat effigiatum.”
Chemical composttion.—The activity of the plant depends
upon a principle similar to, if not identical with, saponin. Sala-
din (1830) named it cyclamin. It has a bitter acrid taste,
_ forms a soapy mixture with water, and when boiled with acids
is converted into glucose and a resinous substance which has
been named cyclamiretin. Fish poisoned by it die asphyxiated
through imperfect respiration. (Gmelin. 15, 343; 16, 200.)
MYRSINEZ.
EMBELIA RIBES, Burm.
Fig.—Burm. Fl. Ind., t. 23; Lam. IIl., t. 138.
? “Hab.—Throughout India. The berries.
_ Vernacular.—Viranga, Vayvirang, Babirang (Hind. ); Biranga
' (Beng.), Vavadinga (Mar.), Véyvirang (@Guz.), Vay eee
(Tam., Tel.), Vayubilaga (Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—The Sanskrit name is Videstga: it
has many synonyms, such as Vrisha-nasana, “ destroyer of the
enemy ” (worm); Suchitra-vija and Chitra-tandula, “ having
variegated seeds.” Susruta describes the fruit as anthelmin-
tie, alterative and tonic, and recommends its use along
With liquorice root for the purpose of strengthening the body
and ‘preventing the effects of age. In the Nighantas it is
described as bitter, pungent, hot, astringent, appetizing and
light; useful for the removal of abdominal pains, worms, wind
and skin diseases. The berries enter into the composition
of several applications for ringworm and other skin diseases.
Under the names of Birang-i-Kabuli and Biranj-i- wens
tices of the drug will be found in Mahometan works. The
it to be attenuant and a purgative of ser i
humoors; : ge a valuable pus helminkiy ;
ss
350 MYRSINEA.
mintic. Mfr Muhammad Husain notices that it turns the
urine red. He fixes the dose at three dirhems of the powder,
and directs it to be given with fresh milk. Rheede figures a
plant which appears to be Hmbelia robusta, and states that the.
seeds kill worms. Ainslie has the following short notice of
it:—‘‘ Babreng is the Hindooie name of a vermifuge seed,
common, I have been given to understand, in the higher pro-
vinees. of Bengal, the Sanskrit name of which. is. Chitratan-
doola. What the plant is I know not.’” Roxburgh. gives. a
full botanical description of the plant, and. remarks. that the
berries. are used to adulterate pepper. Royle notices. their
aperient properties. Vayvirang is iu high repute. as an an-
thelmintic among the country people, especially in cases of
tapeworm, a disorder common among the Native Christians of
the Coast. The dose is a teaspoonful of the-powder twice a
day for a child, anda dessertspoonful for an adult; it can
hardly be called purgative; the taste is rather. pleasant,
slightly astringent, and faintly aromatic, The worm is
expelled dead. A purgative should be given to prepare the
patient for the drug. It is a common practice to put a few
berries of this plant in the milk that is given to young
children ; they are supposed to prevent flatulence:
Recently Dr. Harris (Lancet, July 23rd, 1887) has directed
attention to the value of this drug as a remedy for tapeworm.
He states that he has administered it for several years with
good results to natives of India and Europeans ; he gives one to
four drachms with milk and curds early in the morning.
Description.—The_ fruit is globular, of a dull red, and
grows in large bunches; it is rather smaller than a pepper-
corn. The dried fruit has the five partite calyx and stalk
often attached ; 3 the outer shell is striated from. the base to the
apex, where eens; is a small beak ; its colour is reddish brown,
marked with dark tage 3 inside the outer shell is the seed,
enveloped ina deli 8, on removing which a cup-
like hollow mreiien ~ the stalk. The
MYRSINEA. 351
appears to be covered with spots of white mildew : this appear-
ance however, with the aid of a lens, is seen to be due toa
delicate crystalline efflorescence. If kept for any time the
outer shell of the fruit becomes much darker. From the rapi-
_ dity with which this change takes place, we would suppose the
quality of the drug to be not affected by it.
Chemical composition.—Warden (Pharm. Journ., Jan. 1888)
‘separated from the fruit a substance in the form of brilliant
golden spangles having the properties of an acid, which, with
caustic soda, potash and ammonia, gave wine-red solutions.
He obtained crystalline compounds of this acid with soda,
- potash and ammonia, and provisionally named it Hmbelic
acid. In a further communication to the same Journal
(Oct. 20th, 1888), he says:—‘‘ The embelic acid used for
ultimate analysis was repeatedly crystallized from absolute
alcohol, and the soft crystalline mass thus obtained strongly
pressed between layers of cloth to remove mother-liquor.
The resulting cake was freed from alcohol ‘by exposure to
, reduced to powder, and finally dried at 100°C. in the
_ water oven for some hours.
- On combustion with cupric oxide in a current of oxy ee in
an open tube, the following results were obtained :—
- A—'2696 gram gave *6920 gram CO* and 2308 gram HO.
7 B—-2534 ‘. 68065°% << oH Se a eee
cs these Geures the following percentage composition is
seauced :—
Carbon. Hydrogen. Oxygen.
A .. 70°000 , 9°495 20°405
B | vee eee 70-019 9284 (20-747
Mean 70-009 36420627
. ‘These percentages lead to the cae C°H'*0%, as is seen by
2€ following comparison :—
Theory. Found.
9 equiv of carbon nnn 108. 70129 70-009
i Ms _ hye drog ene: pee eeeeeneee 14 . 9°364
“Oxygen... . Sepeceese ver.
352 MY RSINEZ.
In order to determine the molecular formula, compounds of
silver and lead with embelicacid were examined. In preparing ~
the metallic salts of embelic acid, as the acid is insoluble
in water, alcoholic solutions neutralized with ammonia—any
excess of ammonia being driven off by prolonged boiling—
were mixed with hot alcoholic solutions of silver and lead.
The resulting precipitates were allowed to subside, washed ~
with water by decantation, thrown on a filter and washed
with alcohol, then with ether, thirdly with water, and finally
again with alcohol and ether. The precipitates were very
difficult to wash, owing to caking, and during the operation a
certain amount of decomposition appeared to occur, Thus, in
preparing the lead and silver salts, after mixing the solution
of embelic acid with an excess of the metullic solution, the
supernatant liquid, when the precipitate had subsided, was
colourless ; but on washing the precipitate with alcohol and
ether, the filtrate was coloured yellow, and after prolonged
washing with water, the filtrates aftorded evidence of the pre-
sence of silyer or lead, and then when alcohol and ether were
used for the final rinsings the filtrates were again coloured
yellow.
Ignition of the silver salt, after having been dried at 100° C5
indicated that it contained 40°653 per cent. of the metal, which
gives 264-9 as the molecular weight of the salt, and 158 as the
molecular weight of the acid, the acid being represented by
the formula HC9H'%0%. The silver salt would have the for-
mola AgO°H'*0*, which requires the following theoretical
percentage ake
ar ig cid 41-432
Hydrogen ... te 4987
Silver re 417302
Oxygen 12°279
The composition of the salt as determined by analysis
asia ae following perconinays © =
| we 41544
pest Mi sss Seeseuded ona venansnenjye vie . 5557:
a Se se Sih Be on Re cee eeliramer aaa te Sie AQN-R5KR
Onyee :
MYRSINEA. eee 353
. per cent. of lead, respectively, which gives a mean percentage of
_ 87-795 as the lead content of the salt. Taking the lead salt to
be represented by the formula (C®°H¥O?)?Pb”, its theoretical
_.
: ‘Two analyses of the lead salt afforded 37-781 and 37-810
:
:
: percentage composition would be—
Carbon 43°1 54,
Hydrogen vow BOTH
Lead ‘ 40°282
Oxygen 12°490
ahits the actual percentage as determined by analysis gave
the following figures :—
Carbone wae. in 43°545
Hyd eopency 5°824
Lead + 37°795
Oxygen : 12°836
_Acomparison of the theoretical and found percentages for
the silver and lead salts indicates differences which can only
be accounted for by assuming that the salts were partially
~ decomposed during preparation.
. - Embelic acid was found to have a melting point of 1389°5° C.
oe 140° C. (uncorrected), when it forms a deep ruby liquid.
At about 155° C. it commences to decompose ; indications of
& portion having sublimed were noted.
The following colour reactions were obtained by adding
the respective re-agents to dilute alcoholic solutions of the
acid :—
Ferric chloride, a dirty brownish-red colour.
Ferrous sulphate, brownish colour.
Chloride of zinc, violet colour.
354 SA POTACER.
Salts of embelic acid with soda, potash and ammonia were pre-
pared. The ammonia salt was the one most readily obtained
crystalline. When an alcoholic solution of embelic acid was
mixed with strong ammonia in excess, and the deep red
resulting liquid allowed to evaporate spontaneously, the salt
crystallized in large needle-shaped crystals of a foxy red hue.
The ammonium salt. was found to be effective as an anthel-
mintic for tenia in doses of 3 grains for children and 6 grains
or more for adults. It would appear to act in cases in which
the ordinary teniacides fail. The best method of administra-
tion is to give the salt with a little honey or simple syrup, the
drug being preceded and followed by castor oil. The ammo-
nium salt of embelic acid possesses one very important advan-
tage over the liquid extract of male fern—it is tasteless—and
may thus prove a useful addition to our materia medica.
Lascelles Scott has found in the fruit a minute quantity of
volatile oil with a spicy flavour, a fixed oil, colouring matters, a
resinoid body, an alkaloid of a yellowish white colour, which
he has named Christembine, and a tannin. The dried fruitas ~
sold in the Calcutta bazars is generally mixed with pepper
corns, and the volatile oil mentioned by Scott may be due to
this admixture.
Commerce.—The fruit of E. robusta is collected and sold
under the same name as that of £. Ribes. Moodeen Sheriff
has observed two varieties of the drug offered for sale in
Madras. The drug has lately been exported to Germany to
some extent. Value, Rs. 24 per mauud of 374 Ibs.
SAPOTACEA:
BASSIA LATIFOLIA, Rosb.
Fig.—Rozb. Cor. Pl., t.19; Bedd. Pl. Sylv., t. 41. :
' Hab,—Central India, W. Bengal to Western Ghéte,
Kumaon, Terai. _ ei - ait sige” Doe Siac ne eect vm
SAPOTACE. 355
BASSIA LONGIFOLIA, Linn.
Fig.— Wight Ill., t. 147; Bedd. Fl. Sylw., t- 42.
Hab.
seeds.
____-Vernacular.—Moha (Hind., Mar.), Maua (Beng.), Mahudo
(Guz), Ilupai (Tam.), Ippa-chettu (Tel.), Ippa-gida (Cun.)..
B. latifolia is sometimes distinguished by the addition of the
a Feettive “‘ wild ” or ‘* forest. ”
Malabar Coast, Ceylon. ‘he flowers and oil of the
BASSIA BUTYRACEA, Rozb.
. Fig. —Rowb. in Asiatic Researches, viii. p. 499—502. Indian
putter tree (Lng.).
td eS YA Ew ter te eB Tye
Hab.—Sub-tropical Himalaya. The oil of the seeds.
_ Vernacular.—Philwéra, Chiéra, Cheuli, Cheuri (Hind.),
‘Yelpot (Lepcha.).
History, Uses, &c.—These trees are called in Sanskrit
-Madhuka, Madhudruma, “ honey tree,” Madhupushpa, “ honéy
flower,” Madhusakha, Madhusravas, Gudapushpa “ sugar
flower,” and Kolaphala, or “ the fruit of the Kols,” a wild tribe
inhabiting the hills and forests of Central India, who subsist,
ya great extent, upon the fleshy flowers which they collect
and dry. The milky juice of the bark, Madhuka-sara, is de-
Seribed asa remedy for phlegm and rheumatism, astringent
, a promoter of suppuration ; the flowers as sweet, strength-
ening and cooling; the fruit as cold, sweet and strengthening ;
it is thought to be antibilious and anti-rheumatic, and useful in
eprosy and skin diseases. The spirituous liquor prepared from
| ywers is called Madhu-mddhavi or Madhvdsava, and is
Susruta as heating, astringent, tonic and appetiz-
owers, seeds and oil obtained from them, are
; used as food all over India, and in many districts
portant addition to the dietary of the agri
or naples eninge — this snbj
356 SAPOTACEH.
would refer our readers to “ The Dictionary of Economic Pro-
ducts of India,” by Watt (Vol. I., p. 405—416). Ibn Batuta,
who visited India A.D. 1332, mentions g¢9, (Mahwa), and
remarks that the flowers, when dried in the sun, taste like figs.
The Persians have named these trees Darakht-i-gul-chakan on
account of their deciduous flowers. In Guzerat the Mahome-
tans manufacture a coarse soap from the oil of the seeds with
soda and lime; this soap varies in price according to the
amount of oil it contains. Medicinally, Bassia oil is used as an
emollient application to the skin, and the cake as a detergent
for washing the hair, and also as an emetic. The oil of B.
butyracea, known as Philwa butter, may be used in the prepara-
tion of Ung. Hydrarg. Nitratis in the same manner as
Kokam butter (See Garcinia indica). The bark of the Bassias
is used in decoction as an astringent. From the flowers a
coarse kind of molasses may be prepared. Bassia spirit when
rectified loses its offensive odour, and may be used for pharma-
ceutical purposes. The ordinary native distilled spirit is very
rich in fuse] oil: one of us found as much as ‘4 per cent. in'a
sample of Mahwa spirit. In the Bengal districts in which the
spirit is made, the fermentation is conducted in earthen vessels
containing 10 to 20 gallons of fluid, 10 to 20 seers of the
flowers being a charge. The jar is then filled up with spirit
wash and water, and the process of fermentation occupies from
3 to 7 days, depending on the temperature. The stills are of
the rudest description. Molasses and other materials are
sometimes added to the contents of the vats. The amount of
-_Spirit-obtained varies with the quality of the flowers: Warden’s
experiments would indicate that on an average one maund
will yield about 212 gallons of London proof spirit when
treated in the manner usual among native distillers. In some
districts a composition called bakha or muliis added to the
contents of the fermenting vats ; it is stated to be composed of
herbs and roots, which are dried, ground, and made up into balls
with four. About half a seer (1 Ib.) is added to one maund
(80 lbs.) of raw material. In certain cases dhatura, nux yomica
seeds and other poisonons substances are added to these balls.
SAPOTACEAE. 357
The use of bakha has been prohibited in Government distil.
~ leries in Calcutta and its suburbs, For further information
on Mahwa spirit, we would refer the reader to the report of
the Commission of 1883-84 on the excise of country spirit in
Bengal. A kind of gutta-percha has been prepared from the
milky juice of B. latifolia, which has the consistence of
ordinary gutta, but is more adhesive and hardens much more
rapidly. Used alone it cannot replace the gutta of commerce,
but mixed with an equal proportion of that article, it may be
used to make the moulds required in galvanoplastic operations ;
the mixture is as easily manipulated in hot water as ordinary
gutta. (Heckel and Schlagdenhauffen.) |
Description.—Bassia bark is thick and red coloured,
with a rough brown surface and astringent taste. The trees
__ produce cream-coloured flowers in March and April, and in
August a reddish-yellow fruit from 1 to 2 inches long, which
contains from 1 to 4 seeds; these are light brown, about 1}
inch Jong and 3 of an inch broad, irregularly ovoid in shape,
with a large scar on one side and a ridge on the other, termi-
nating in two slight prominences ; the shell is thin and brittle,
and the seed consists of two large oily cotyledons, easily sepa-
rated, white when fresh, but soon turning brown when kept..
They yield a greenish-yellow oil, which becomes a solid white
mass in the cold weather ; that of B. butyracea remains solid at
ee C., whereas the oils of B. latifolia and B. longifolia melt at
(268° 3° 0.
The dried flowers at a little distance have the appearance of
_ raisins, on closer inspection they are seen to be fleshy, sticky,
‘compressed, hollow bodies, about 74 of an inch long, and
nearly as broad, with an aperture at both ends, the upper
being much the larger and serrated. Upon being soaked in
“water they assume an almost globular form, and the numerous
ers are seen attached by very short filaments to the inside of
the corolla. The taste is acid and sweet. The fleshy substance
of the corrolla, which is about ~y of an inch in thickness and
ent: eopsiste of a parenchyma which may be cdingded :
358 SAPOTACEA..
into two portions: an outer or cortical, consisting of smaller
cells, and an inner consisting of large cells ; it is traversed by
numerous bundles of spiral vessels ; some of the cells contain
crystalline masses of sugar; all of them granular matter ; there
is no starch. |
* The seeds are from 1 to 2 inches long, and enclosed in a
chestnut coloured thin shell; they have a peculiar odour and
bitter aromatic taste. The latex of these trees is a milky
liquid, sticky to the touch, when kept it developes a rancid
sour odour; it contains, besides the gutta-percha, some starch
and about 88 per cent. of water. :
Chemical composition.—Bassia flowers have been examined
by Church (1886), who found them to have the, following com-
position :—
Cane sugar 3°2
Inverted sugar 52°6
Other matters sol. in water .......... Py he
Cellulose der Saar
Albuminous substances 2°2
Ash 4°8
Water at 100° C iy heshesic fs cesnieg UBD
Undetermined matter 1256
. MM. A. Riche and A. Rémont (Journ. de Pharm, et de
Ohim., 1880,) found in the flowers of B. longifolia 60 per cent-
of fermentable sugars and 8°50 per cent. of crystallizable
_ In a paper read before the Society of Chemical Industry,
1887, Mr. H.S. Elsworthy gave the composition of trade
samples of the flowers of B. latifolia :-— a
: Total
ee Invert sugar. Dextro-gl : é
1. Hyderabad 17-1 40-0 ; Sapam ra
2. Jubbulpore 46 414 -. 46-0
3. Guzerat = 96 Taps 2: a 54°9
4. eet
* Mikeepors! > OPE Oeee . : Seeiec tae,
am,
SAPOTACEE, 359
~ The seeds of B. longifolia have been examined by: E.
Valenta (Dingl. Polyt. Journ. ccli., 461). One hundred parts
dried at 100° C. gave—
Fat (light petroleum extract) : 51°14
Matters soluble in absolute alcohol ............... 78°3
* Tannin covesteces O12
Bitter principle sol. in water 0-60
Starch 0°07
Vegetable mucilage 3. siisis ics iavesesd leiavs dveds 1-65
Albuminous substances solable.i in water........, 3°60
Extractive substances soluble in water ......... 15°59
Insoluble proteids 4°40
Total ash o7t
Fibre and loss ... 10°29
100-06
Ash in the soluble portion 0:95 per cent.
FOG) Probeids 55.55. as00s.0s 8:00 5
— the extraction of the fat, light petroleum boiling at
—45° was used. The fat hasa yellow colour and greasy con-
sistency ; but on exposure to the air and light the colour dis-
appears and the fat soon becomes rancid. It hasa specific
gravity of 0°9175 at 15°, melts at 25°3, solidifies at 17°°-5—
18°5. It contains sotsidariale quantities of free fatty acids,
but only asmall amount of glycerol. One gram of the fat
requires 192°3 mgrms. of KHO for the complete saponification
of the fatty acids. It is partly soluble in alcohol, and perfectly
soluble in ether, carbon bisulphide, benzene, &c. The fatty
-scids obtained by saponifying the fat with potash-ley, and de-
‘composing the resulting soap by means of a ten per cent. solu-
o tion of hydrochloric acid, have a white colour, and pleasant
r and taste. They melt at 39°°5, solidify at 38°, and
dissolve readily in alcohol. According to Schadler the butter
consists of 80 per cent. of stearin and 20 per cent. of olein; ve
hor, — found that it contained — and olein..
360 SAPOTACEA.
The ash of the seeds is yellowish- white, and dissolves almost
completely in water. It gives by analysis—
Silicic acid and portion insoluble in
nitric acid wtice ee
Phosphoric acid 15°47
Sulphuric acid 6°81
Carbonic anhydride .. 7°46
Ferric oxide and alumina ...:........ 2:01
Lime ines
Potash with — Gl. SOUR .... eeicdiscs 56°68
Moisture and loss 0:26
—(Year-Book of Pharmacy, 1886, p. 174.)
According to MM. E. Heckel and F. Schlagdenhauffen
(Journ.de Pharm. et de Chim., 1889,) the latex of B. latifolia
has the following composition : —
Water : 87°40
Acid formic (trace) and acid acetic ..........+. 0°50
Insol. in water 1-666 { Se ee cna i aa
Sol. in water 0°172 { Sead See oe
Sol. in alcohol resin a ; 2°043
Sol. in acetone .....+... SS 2 See ae 2:824
Gutta-percha 7 1:803
Ash ; %, 3°792
100-000
The gutta-percha is flesh-coloured, tolerably hard at ordi-
nary temperatures, but softens when worked with the hand and
becomes sticky ; dried at 105° C. it loses about 60 per cent, of
water; strongly pressed and dried on a water-bath, it becomes
light brown, gradually hardens, and becomes covered with a
white efflorescence, which dissolves at once in chloroform and
bisulphide of carbon, and less easily in cold alcohol. Boiling
alcohol and acetone dissolve 3 of its weight; the solution filter-
ed whilst hot sepoaty a grumous mass, without any trace of
a SAPOTACE. 361
crystals. The alcoholand acetone solutions when concentrated
afford a syrupy, colourless, transparent fluid, which, when com-
pletely dry, presents the appearance of gum, and is easily pow-
ered. Concentrated sulphuric acid colours this substance
_ yellow and afterwards brown; the addition of chloroform does
not change the colour. On tha addition of a trace of ferric
chloride to this mixture and allowing it to stand, a rose-
coloured upper layer forms, which gradually becomes blue.
‘This reaction much resembles that of cholesterine, but is not
_ due tothe presence of that substance. Heated with fuming
it. Warmed‘ a test tube it decomposes slowly and does not
yield = crystalline product on cooling. Its formula is
€®H'20. The portion insoluble in alcohol and acetone has the
consistence of ordinary gutta-percha, but is more adhesive, and
hardens mach more readily than that substance. _ On combus-
Mou ae leaves a white ash consisting of sulphate of lime with a
of chloride and phosphate of sodium. cet and
Bekins iffen.)
_. We find the bark of B. longifolia to contain 8 per cent. of
utchoue, extracted by benzol; 17 per cent. of tannin,
by water; and some oxidiend tannin removed sub-
ciety by spirit or alkali. The bark contains starch and
mboid crystals of calcium oxalate, and leaves 9°42 per cent.
ash when burnt.
The — principle contained in the seeds is probably
a —No definite information concerning the internal
in the flowers is obtainable, but its value has been esti-
d at not less than 35 lakhs of rupees. For several years
quantities were exported from Bombay to France. In
rench Government, as ‘it was fond. to
oui se interests, ee ee
70,870. hi 1885 their import into Pendicg Wel
362 SAPOTACEZ,
The oil and seeds are exported to some extent for candle
making. The value of the oil in Europe has been estimated at
about £35 per ton.
MIMUSOPS ELENGI, Linn.
- Fig,—Wight Ic., ¢. 1586; Bedd. F.Sylv., t. 40.
Hab.—Deccan Peninsula. Cultivated elsewhere. The
bark, flowers, fruit, and oil of the seeds.
Vernacular.—Maulsiri (Hind.), Ovali (Mar.), Bakul (Beng.),
Bolsiri (Guz.), Mogadam (Tam.), Pogada-ménu (Tel.),
Halmadhu (Can,), Taindu (Central Prov.).
History, Uses, &c.—This highly ornamental tree, with
dark green, oblong, alternate leaves and small white fragrant
flowers, which turn to a tawny yellow colour before they fall,
is very common in gardens in India. It is the Vakula, Kesara
and Sinha-kesara, “‘lion’s mane” of Sanskrit writers. Chakra-
datta mentions the astringent properties of the unripe fruit,
and recommends it to be chewed for the purpose of fixing
loose teeth. He also mentions a decoction of the astringent
bark as a useful gargle:in diseases of the gums and teeth. In
the Concan a similar use is made of the unripe fruit, and the
fruit and flowers along with other astringonts are used to pre=
pare a lotion for sores and wounds. Mir Muhammad Husain
notices the practice of planting this tree on account of its
SAPOTACEZ. 363
their perfume, which they retain when dry; pillows are some-
times stuffed with them, and they afford a distilled water. The
juice of the bark and unripe fruit is used by silk dyers to fix
colours. Rumphius states that the pounded leaves are applied
to cure headache, that a decoction of the root is given in angina,
_ whilst a plaster made from them is applied externally, The
_ Tipe fruit pounded and mixed with water is given to promote
delivery in childbirth. (Hort. Amb, III., 17.) Horsfield (Asiat.
Journ. VII, p. 262) describes the bark as an astringent tonic,
and Dr. Bholananth Bose states that a decoction of it forms a
good gargle in salivation. (Pharm. of India, p. 181.)
Description.—The substance of the bark is red, it is
covered externally by a very thick grey suber on the older
branches, which separates in irregular scales, leaving isolated
a attached portions which consist of five or more distinct suber-
_ ous layers ; the inner surface is red and presents a coarsely
_ Striated surface; fracture short, disclosing white specks and
‘Stains in the substance of the bark caused by the drying up
of the milky juice which it contained when fresh, The taste
< is bitter, astringent and mucilaginous.
_ The flowers are white and fragrant; calyx inferior, sight
leaved, in a double series ; leaflets lanceolate, the four exterior
ones leathery, larger and porniationt corolla one-petalled, tube
very short, fleshy, border composed of a double series of seg-
ments; the exterior one consists of sixteen, spreading ; the
. interior one of eight, generally contorted, and converging, all
are lanceolate, a little torn at their extremities ; nectary eight-
__ Teaved, conical, ragged, hairy near the base, inserted alter-
_ nately with the filaments into the mouth of the tube, converging
filaments eight, short, hairy; anthers linear, sharp-pointed
below, two parted, converging. The berry is oval, smooth, when
_ Tipe yellow, and edible, one or more celled, according to the
_ number of seeds that ripen ; seed solitary, oblong, compressed,
attached | to the bottom of the cell, covered with a smooth,
, thick =p Ge lined with a veined membrane ; peris-
afo —— a
:
Ft
;
364 SAPOTACE.
lobes uniting round the radicle; above the radicle they are
often entirely divided by the large cotyledons, which extend to,
or rather through its margins; embryo erect; cotyledons large,
oval; plumule minute; radicle inferior, linear oblong. (Row-
burgh.)
Chemical composition.—A decoction of the bark afforded
20°3 per cent. of extract containing 6°8 percent. of tannin,
Some caoutchouc, wax, colouring matter (probably oxidized tan-
nin), starch, and 9:4 per cent. of ash were also obtained from
the bark.
Mimusops hexandra, Rozb., Cor. Pl. é., t. 15; Wight
Ic., t. 1587; a native of the Deccan Peninsula and Ceylon,
- cultivated in Northern India, has much the same properties
as M. Elengi. The vernacular names are Kshiri (Hind.),
_ Khirkhejur (Beng.), Rajana, Kerni (Mar.), Rayan (Guz.), Palla :
am.).
The Sanskrit name is R4jidani. The dried fruit. is known
as Kakadia in Guzerat, and the fresh fruit is sold in the
streets in Bombay under the name of Ahmaddbadi-mewa.
It is a handsome tree, with rigid branches and broad wedge-
shaped leaves, and is often found planted in groves near
~ Mahometan towns and buildings. The wood is tough, and is
much used for making sugar mill beams, well-frames, &c. The
ripe fruit is eaten both fresh and dried, and the bark which
ae resembles that of M. Hlengi is used medicinally on account
ts astringent properties. In the Concan the white’ milky
ves which exudes when the tree is wounded, is made
into a paste with the leaves of Cassia Fistula and seeds of
Calophyllum inophyllum, and applied as a maturant to boils.
The seeds yield an oil which, according to Dr. Mootooswamy,
is used as a demulcent, emollient, tonic and alterative in
South India,
Chemical composition —The tee in Gas bark was iden-
tical with that found in the bark of M, Elengi. The bark
examined was younger and afforded ware pantol ening
\
Ke
SAPOTACEZ. 365
___ giving'a greenish precipitate with ferric salts, and 80 per cent.
of oxide on the ignition of its lead compound. It contained
also a resin, wax, caoutchouc, colouring matter, starch, and 7°5
per cent. of mineral residue.
The fixed oil from the seeds is of a light yellow colour,
_ tasteless and odourless, and solidifies at a temperature a little
above 15°C, At 17° it has a specific gravity of ‘9186. The
saponification equivalent is 266°3, as the oil requires 21°] per
cent. of caustic potash to form a complete combination with it.
The oil yields 94°5 per cent. of insoluble fatty acids melting at
—8P, and containing some stearic acid.
Be The fruit juice evaporated by heat leaves a blackish extract
or paste having a pleasant flavour andsweetness. The extract
contains 70 per cent. of sugar, which answers to levulose or
fruit sugar. It also contains a yellow resin soluble in ether,
alcohol, and benzol, and some caoutchouc. Pectin, colouring
matter and a small quantity of tannin occur in the soluble
portion of the juice.
ACHRAS SAPOTA, Linn.
Fig.— Bot. Mag., tt. 8111—3112; Gart. Fruct. 2, t. 104.
- Sapodilla plum, Bully tree (Zng.), Sapotillier (F'r.).
Hab.—West Indies, Cultivated in India, Tho bark, fruit
- Vernacular.—Chiku (Mar.).
ee sorys Uses, &c.—This tree has become completely
ag : Gers of India it appears to be less common. In the
ndies and South America the bark is used as a tonic
has been recorded by Leprieur. In India the’
esteemed by the natives, who consider that, if
: melted _butter all night and eaten in the i
366 EBENACEM.
prevents bilious and febrile attacks. We have not seen the
bark or seeds used, nor do the natives appear to have noticed
their medicinal properties. The tree yields a kind of gutta-
percha similar to that of other sapotaceous plants.
Description.—The bark is red with a grey suberous
outer coat; it has a bitter and strongly astringent taste. The
fruit is ovoid externally rusty brown and rough, internally
yellowish white, soft and pulpy ; when quite ripe it has a
medlar-like flavour. The seeds are black, shining, ovoid and
elongated.
Chemical. composition.—Bernou (L’Union peer ee
1882,) separated from the bark two resins, one of which is
soluble in ether, 11:8 per cent. of tannin, and the alkaloid
sapotine, which is soluble in alcohol, ether, and chloroform,
and is precipitated from its salts by ammonia.
EBENACE.
DIOSPYROS EMBRYOPTERIS, Pers.
Fig.—Bot. Reg., t. 499; Bedd. Fl. Sylv., t. 69; Roxb, Cor.
Pl. ¢., t. 70; Rheede Hort. Mal. iti,, t. 41. Indian Persimmon
(Eng.), Plaqueminier Glutinifére (F’r.).
Hab -—Throughout India. The fruit,
Vernacular.—Taindu (Hind.), G&b (Beng.), Tumbilik-kay
(Tam.), Tumiki, Tinduki (Tel.), Panich-chi (Mal.), Timburni,
Temar (Mar. 7 Temra (Guz.).
History, Uses, &c.—D, Embryopteris is the Tinduka
of Sanskrit writers; its bark is described in the Nighantas as
a good application to boils and tumours, and the juice of the
fresh bark as useful in bilious fever. The fruit when unripe
is said to be cold, light, and astringent, and when ripe bene-
ficial in blood diseases, gonorrhoea, aud leprosy. A kind of.
RBENACEA. 367
Tinduka called Visha-tinduka, “ poisonous tinduka,” is said to
have similar properties; as well asa plant called Kanki or
Kinkini. Mir Muhammad Husain, speaking of Ebony, men-
tions Gab as a kind of Indian ebony, but is silent as to its
medicinal uses. Rheede (Hort. Mal iii., p. 46), speaking of
D. Embryopteris, says—“ Arboris cortex in pulverem redactus
ac cum oryze infuso, et expresso e matura nuce Indica lacteo
succo mixtus, atque febricitantibus exhibitus estum potenter
extinquit; ex seminibus oleum exprimitur.”’ The circum-
stance that the unripe fruit abounds in an astringent viscid
juice, which is used by the natives of India for daubing the
bottoms of boats, was communicated by Sir William Jones
to Roxburgh in 1791. | The introduction of the fruit into Euro-
‘pean medical practice in India is due to O’Shaughnessy. In
1868 it was made official in the Pharmacopeia of India. The
fruit is eaten by the poorer classes. The seeds are preserved
by the country people and given as an astringent in diarrhea.
The testa is the astringent part, the albumen being almost
ne tasteless. Although the ripe fruit is very sweet, insects will
fuine touch it.
- Description. —Fruit dati @lomeae: 1 to 2 inches in dia-
meter, sometimes larger; glandular or rusty, yellow when ripe,
and covered with a rast-coloured farina consisting of clubbed
hairs. Seeds 8in the perfect fruit, often less by abortion,
arranged vertically round the central core, reniform, immersed
in ee pulp. Fruiting calyx much accrescent, lobes }
Inch, ovate, auriculate, base cordate, nearly glabrous.
*
- Diospyros fruit is very astringent until quite ripe, when it —
becomes mawkish and sweet. This is noticed in the Pharma-
cographia, but not in the Indian Pharmacopeia, where unripe
aut should have been ordered,
| lL composition.—The tannic acid of these fruits has
ng reactions. A blue-black colour with ferric
violet-black colour and precipitate with ferrous sul-
ate; pinkish precipitate with gelatine ; curdy precipitate
; ome | in se iodide ; j orange sediment with k bron line
368 EBENACEZ.
water; brown precipitate with cupric acetate ; yellowish brown
precipitate with potassium dichromate ; aqueous alkalies afforded
precipitates which changed in colour and became soluble by
oxidation ; grey precipitate with limewater, turning red by
exposure to the air ; it reduced the copper when boiled with
_ Fehbling’s solution. The lead compound of the tannic acid
contained 48°78 per cent. of oxide, whether prepared from the
aqueous or alcoholic extract of the fruit. Boiled for two
hours with dilute hydrochloric acid, the astringent principle
was decomposed with the formation of two colouring matters
and a body answering to glucose. The inspissated juice was
not redissolved entirely even in boiling water, about thirty per
cent. of pure soluble tannin was obtained from it, the
remainder was an insoluble gum swelling up like tragacanth.
The amount of astringent acid obtainable from the fruits
examined by us was 12°8 per cent., and we consider it to be
closely related to gallotannic acid.
Several species of Diospyros have fruit with the astringent
propertics of D. Embryopteris when unripe. The root of D.
Tupru is used by the Marath4s to make the Akshata mark
(the seetarial circles on the forehead), under the name of
Akshaté ché khor, ‘‘akshata wood.” The leaves are an article
of commerce, being largely used for folding viri, “ native
cigarettes.” The fruits contain 5°7 per cent. of tannic acid.
D. Ebenum affords eeacg i = —— of the Maho-
- metan Materia Medica. Itisd t, attenuant,
and lithontriptic, and was used by the ancients. (Cf. Dios. t.,
114; Pliny 12, 8.)
- The fruits of D, montana contain a very interesting
colouring matter, which seems to be the chief ingredient besides
sugar and malic acid but no tannic acic. The colouring
matter is soluble in spirit and partly so in water, It is
insoluble in ether, and gives an intense purple with alkalies.
Subjected to hydrolosis it breaks up into a body soluble in
ether, also pigmental, and a sugar. The — are used _ oe
hill-men of Travancore for poisoning fish.
STYRACE. 369
D. Kaki, a tree of China and Japan, cultivated in some
parts of India, has an edible fruit which is known as the
Chinese Persimmon. The fruit is green, globular, from two
to three inches in diameter, and when ripe has an agreeable
sweetness and flavour. The dried and powdered fruit con-
tained 54°2 per cent. of sugar reducing Fehling’s solution, an
organic acid, no tannin, and a colouring matter soluble in
ether similar to that of the fruits of D. montana.
The following shows the proximate analyses of the dried
and powdered fruits freed from the seeds of four species of
Diospyros :—
Embryopteris. Tupru. montana. Kaki.
2°1
Ether extract 1°32 : 10:0 1°5
Spirit extract ......cccsee 12°4 a Os 6°8 66°1
Water extract ......sec0s 7°5 4:4 63 11°5
Albuminous matter, Ws, OS ae 16°4 12°5 30
Organic residue 61°9 65°1 58°6 141
Ash 4°9 PT HB 38
1000 = 1000 100-0 =100°0
STY RACE,
STYRAX BENZOIN, Dryander.
Fig.—Bentl. and Trim., t, 169. Gum Benjamin tree (Eng.),
Aliboufier de Benjoin ( Fr.).
Hab.—Sumaitra, Java, Siam. Gum Benzoin.
Vernacular.—Luban, Ud (Ind. Bazars).
: History, Uses, &c.—Benzoin or Gum Benjamin
does not appear to have been known to the ancient Hindus,
nor is there any evidence that the Greeks and Romans, or even.
Il.—47
370 STYRACEZ.
the earlier Arabian physicians, were acquainted with it There
is however no doubt that in the original and legitimate Storax
they were acquainted with a fragrant resin in separate or more |
or less agglutinated tears, somewhat resembling Benzoin, and
produced by the Styraz officinalis of Linneeus. Specimens of -
this amygdaloid storax are still to be found in old Materia Me-
dica collections. (Hanbury’s Science Papers, p. 129.) Benzoin
is first mentioned by the Arabian traveller Ibn Batuta, who
visited Sumatra between A. D. 1325 and 1349, He calls it
Lub4n J4vi or Java Lubén, Java being a general name among
the Arabs and Persians for the Hastern Archipelago. It is not
mentioned by the Persian druggist H4ji Zein, A. D. 1368. In
more recent Arabic and Persian works, Benzoin is called Hasi-
lubén-el-Javi, which may be translated ‘ pebbly or amygdaloid
frankincense from Java,’ and seems to imply the existence of
another kind of pebbly frankincense.. The author of the
Makhzan-el- Adiwya states that Hasi-lubdn-el-Javi is the same
as Darv or Zarv (974). On turning to this article, we find
the following. synonyms given: Fdztkas* (Greek), Zarwa
(Syrian), Fashashish (Turkish), Dur-i-haskhak Arisa, Kalan-
gira, and Kamkdém (Persian). This tree is said to grow in
the Hejaz, Yaman, India and other countries, and to resemble
the oak, the leaves being soft and reddish at the edges, and
the fruit a cone like the fir, but with larger seeds; its bracts
and spines turn red when ripe. The exudation is at first like
a grain of wheat, but gradually increases until it reaches the
size of a melon; from it a dark pitch-like substance may be
separated. ” “A decoction of the leaves is mentioned, and an oil
which is obtained from the seeds. This description might do
for Liquidambar orientale, but cannot apply to Styrax Benzoin.
As regards the drug benzoin, Mir Muhammad Husain must
have been well acquainted with it, as it was in common use in
India before his time. He probably regarded it asa kind of
amygdaloid storax. Ainslie mentions its use in Southern India
by Tamool physicians as a remedy in phthisis.and asthma.
' * Probably a corruption of (eyes, a name > applied to - Storax tree —
by the modern Greeks.
*
STYRACE, 371
The Mahometans use it for the same purpose, and direct the
fumes to be inhaled. As an incense it is much used by all
classes, the imports into Bombay alone averaging 6,000 cwts.
per annum. For the early history of this drug in Europe, the
Pharmacographia may be consulted. In that work will also
be found a summary of what is known regarding the method
of collecting it in Sumatra and Siam.
Description.—The following excellent description, to-
gether with a summary of its chemical composition, is
extracted from the Pharmacographia :—
“Stam Beyzorn.—The most esteemed sort is that which
Consists entirely of flattened tears or drops, an inch or two
long, of an opaque, milk-like white resin, loosely agglutinated
into a mass. More frequently the mass is quite compact, con-
sisting of a certain proportion of white tears of the size ofan
almond downwards, imbedded in a deep, rich amber-brown,
translucent resin. Occasionally the translucent resin prepon-
derates, and the white tears are almost wanting. In some
packages the tears of white resin are very small, and the
whole mass has the aspect of a reddish-brown granite. There
is always a certain admixture of wood, bark and other eames:
tal impurities.
“The white tears, when broken, display a stratified structure
with layers of greater or less translucency. By keeping, ‘the
white milky resin becomes brown and transparent on the sur-
face, but from some experiments made by one of us (F.) it
does not appear that opacity is due to water, but rather toa
peculiar molecular (semi-crystalline ?) state ofthe resin. Siam
benzoin is very brittle, the opaque tears showing a slightly
waxy, the transparent a glassy, fracture. It easily softens in the
mouth, and may be kneaded with the teeth like mastich. It
has a delicate balsamic, vanilla-like fragrance, but very little
taste. When heated it evolves a more powerful fragrance
together with the irritating fumes of benzoic acid ; its fusing
point is 75° C. _ The presence of benzoic acid may be ‘shown. HM :
372 STYRACE.
the microscopical examination of splinters of the resin under
oil of turpentine.
‘¢ Siam berizoin is imported in cubic blocks, which take their
form from the wooden cases in which they are packed while
the resin is still soft.”
“Sumatra Bznzoin.—Prior to the renewal of direct com-
mercial intercourse with Siam in 1853, this was the sort of
benzoin most commonly found in commerce.
“Tt is imported in cubic blocks exactly like the preceding,
from which it differs in its general greyer tint. The mass,
however, when the drag is of good quality, contains numerous
opaque tears, set in a translucent, greyish-brown resin, mixed
with bits of wood and bark. When less good, the white tears
are wanting, and the proportion of impurities is greater. We
have even seen samples consisting almost wholly of bark. In
odour, Sumatra benzoin is both weaker and less agreeable than
the Siam drug, and generally falls short of it in purity and hand-
some appearance, and hence commands a much lower price.
The greyish brown portion melts at 95°, the tears at 85° C.”
Chemical composition.—Benzoin consists mainly of amorphous
resins perfectly soluble in alcohol and in potash, having slightly
acid properties, and differing in their behaviour to solvents.
If two parts of the drug are boiled with one part of caustic lime
and twenty parts of water, benzoic acid is removed. From the
residue the excess of lime is dissolved by hydrochloric acid,
and the remaining resins washed and dried. About one-third |
of them will be found readily soluble in ether, the prevailing
portion dissolves in alcohol, and a small amount remains
undissolved. Subjected to dry distillation, benzoin affords as
chief product Benzoic acid, C7H®O*, together with empy-
reumatic products, Benzoic acid exists ready formed in the
drug to the extent of from 14 to 18 per cent., its extraction is
easily accomplished by the aid of an alkali, most advantage-
ously by milk of lime, which: does not combine with the
amorphous resins. Most pharmacopceias require not the in-
odorous acid obtained by a wet process, but that afforded by
‘sublimation, which contains a small amount of fragrant iid
/
STYRACEA. 373
reumatic products. The resin when repeatedly subjected to
sublimation affords as much as 14 per cent. of benzoic acid.
Kolbe and Lautemann in 1869 discovered in Siam and Pen-
nang benzoin together with benzoic acid, an acid of different
constitution, which in 186] they recognised as Cinnamic Acid,
C°H°O?. Aschoff (1861) found in a sample of Sumatra ben-
zoin, cinnamic acid only, of which he got 11 per cent. ; and in
amygdaloid Siam and Penang benzoin only benzoic acid. In
some samples of the latter, one of us (F.) has likewise met with
cinnamic acid. (Op cit., 2nd Ed., p. 407.)
Commerce.—The imports of Benzoin into Bombay in the year
1871-72 were 5,975 cwts., and the exports 1,043 cwts.; no
later statistics are available, but there is probably little differ-
ence in the quantity imported. Average value in Bombay,
first quality, Rs. 80 to Rs. 85 per maund of $74 Ibs. An arti-
ficial benzoin is manufactured in the bazar, in which pieces of
silicate of magnesia are embedded in common American resin.
It is largely retailed to the poor, who purchase small quantities
for Eéeligious uses, .
SYMPLOCOS RACEMOSA, Road.
‘Hab.—North-East India, Burma. The bark.
Vernacular—Lodh, Tilak (Hind.), Lodh (Beng.), Lodhra
(Mar.), Lodhar (Guz.), Jalariyaméd (Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—This tree, in Sanskrit Lodhra or
Rodhra, Srimata, “propitious,” and Tilaka, “ because itis used
in making the Tilaka mark on the forehead,” is described in
the Nighantas as hot, alterative, and useful in phlegmatic
_ diseases and leprosy. In the Bhavaprakdsa it is said to be
Seeent, stomachic, refrigerent, astringent, expectorant and
tic, and to be useful in eye diseases, liver, fevers, dy-
ihedy and dropsy. A decoction of the bark is used as a ~
__ gargle when the gums are spongy and bleeding. (Susruta.) It
: _— into the composition of various pastes which are re epplied
B74 -STYRACEZ.
to inflamed parts; it is supposed. to promote the maturation
and resolution of stagnant humours. In fevers, dysentery and
liver complaints, compound decoctions and infusions are used,
and in dysentery a compound powder containing liquorice
root, Myrica sapida bark, and pomegranate rind in equal pro-
portions to the Lodhra bark. (Sarangadhara, Chakradatta.)
Roxburgh remarks that the bark is in request among the
dyers of red in Calcutta, and seems to be used asa mordant
only. He gives the following receipt :—“ For three yards of
cloth take Lodh bark, Chebulic myrobalans of each 2 ozs., rub
them down with water, then add more water, steep the ace
and dry it. Next take 2 ozs. of alum, dissolve it in water and
boil the cloth in the solution for an hour, then wash and dry
it. Lastly, take the bark of Morinda tinctorta and flowers of
Woodfordia floribunda of each 2 ozs., Madder root 1 lb., mix
them with lukewarm water and let it boil, then put in the cloth :
and keep it in the boiling liquid for forty minutes.” In this
receipt the Lodh appears to be used as a dye to modify
the colour afterwards produced by the Morinda and Madder.
The middle layers of Lodh bark contain much red colouring
matter.
In Europe it was formerly looked upon as a cinchona bark,
and has been known at various times as ‘‘ Heorce de lautour,”
“© China nova,” “ China Calafornica,” “China Brasilensis,”
and “ China Paraquatan.” It is now known as “ Lotur bark.”
Drs. Charles and Kanny Loll Dey recommend the bark in 20
gr. doses mixed with sugar as a remedial agent in menorrhagia
due to relaxation of the uterine tissue; it should be given two
to three times a day for three or four days. Dr. K. L. Dey
considers that the drug has a specific action upon relaxed
mucous membranes. (Phar. Journ, Sept. 24, 1881.)
Description.—The bark is very soft and friable, of a -
light fawn colour ; the external surface corky and much fissured
transversely ; the internal of a lighter colour and fibrous
texture. On making a transverse section a middle layer of a
red colour is seen between the corky and fibrous porkonee.
STYRACEA. 375
Microscopic examination shows that the coloured layer is
chiefly composed of oblong cells containing red colouring
matter ; the inner layer of the bark consists almost entirely of
woody fibre. The taste is faintly balsamic and astringent.
Chemical composition.—Dr. - Hesse reports (Ber. d. deutsch
ch. Geselsch, X., 1,) that he has obtained from this bark three
alkaloids, chick he has named “‘ Loturine,” “ Colloturine,” and
"de Potursdine,’ ? and between which he thinks probably there is
the same relation as exists between cusconine, aricine, and cus-
conidine. Loturine is present in largest quantity (0°24 per
cent.) ; itis crystalline, and forms crystalline salts. Colloturine
is also crystalline but loturidine is amorphous, All three alka-
Joids in dilute acid solutions show an intense blue-violet fluores-
cence. Winckler obtained from this bark an alkaloidal substance
which he named *‘ Caltfornine,” but Hesse believes this to have
been a mixture of the acetates of the three alkaloids. Pelletier,
Caventou and Winckler have separated Kinovin (Quinovin) from
the bark of China nova. Kinovin forms an amorphous, nearly
transparent resin, triturable to a light, white powder, inodorous,
or faintly balsamic when warmed. ‘Tasteless at first, but after
wards very persistently and disagreeably bitter and acrid ;
neutral ; electric when rubbed. (Winckler, Hlasiwetz.) re
alcoholic solution it exerts a dextro-rotatory action on polarised
light ; (a) j= 52-4 (De Vrij). Kinovin may be obtained in
the anhydrous state by keeping it in a vacuum fora month,
but ee be dehydrated at once, even ata temperature of
190°: kinovin dried at 100° to 140° contains from 1 to 2
liboins of water, which is given off at 160° to 180°. (Blasiwetz.)
According to Hlasiwetz, kinovin corresponds with the formula
CS °H48Q 16, 3 according to Petersen the formulais C!5H'20*;
according to Schnederman C38H°°O!°, (Gmelin, Handtook
xvili., p. 26.) The bark contains no tannin according to
ummel. The ash amounts to 7°4 per cent. containing 18 per
cent. of carbonate of soda,
~ Commerce.—The bark is obtainable in. nail the. I ndian market,
Value, Rs. 3 to 84 per Surat maund of sie Ibs.
376 OLEACEAE.
OLEACEA,
NYCTANTHES ARBOR-TRISTIS, Linn.
Fig.—Bot. Reg., t. 399; Bedd. Fl. Syl., t. 240; Gartn.
Fruct.ii., t. 188. Weeping Nyctanthes, Night Jasmine (Hng.),
Nictanthe Arbre-triste (F'r.), Arvore da notte (Port.).
Hab. —Central India. Cultivated throughout India, The
leaves, fruit and bark.
Vernacular.—Harsinghér, Har, Sihéru (Hind.), Sephalika
(Beng.), Partaka, Khurasli (Mar.), Manja-pu (Tam.), Harsing
(Can.), Poghada (Tel.), Paktira (Punj.).
History, Uses, &c.—Royle in his Himalayan Botany
states that this tree is extremely common along the foot of
the mountains which skirt the Dehra Dhoon, and may be seen
for several hundred feet above Rajpore in the ascent to
Mussoorie. Dr. Wallich found it in a wild state near the
banks of the Irrawaddy, on the hills near Prome. In all parts
of India it is one of the commonest cultivated shrubs, its
flowers open at sunset, and fall before morning; they have a
very strong perfume. The Sanskrit names for the tree are
Sephélika; Périjétaka; Rajanihdsa, ‘ night-smiling”’ ; and
Atyth4, “very pensive.’ According to the Indian legend, a
certain Naga (prince) called Périjata had a daughter of whom
the Sun became enamoured, but he soon deserted her for
another sweetheart; whereupon the damsel pined away and
died of grief. Upon the spot where she died sprang up the
tree P4rijataka, whose flowers have such a dread of the Sun
that they fall from the tree in the early morning before he
rises.
Chakradatta mentions the use of the leaves in fever and
rheumatism ; a decoction of the leaves prepared over a gentle
fire is recommended by several writers as a specific for obstinate
sciatica. In the Concan about 5 grains of the bark are eaten
with Betel-nut and leaf to promote the aprgoe of thick ©
phlegm.
OLEACE. 377
_ The author of the Mukhzan gives 4 minute description of
all parts of the tree, and states that the Indians use the white
‘portion of the flowers as a purple dye, which they call Gul-
“k4émah, and the orange part as a yellow dye. The seeds and
“leaves are considered by them to have medicinal properties.
‘Six or seven of the young leaves are rubbed up with water
and a little fresh ginger, and administered in obstinate fevers
of the intermittent type, at the same time a purely vegetable
diet is enforced. ‘The powdered seeds are used to cure scurfy
‘affections of the scalp. Directions for the preparations of-
Gulkamah will be found in the Karabddin-iskabir.*
escription.—Tree, 15 to 20 feet, young shoots 4-sided,
eaves opposite, short-petioled, cordate or oblong, pointed, en-
‘tire, or coarsely serrate, scabrous ; panicles terminal, composed
‘Small six-flowered terminal umbellets, calyx campanulate,
ly 5-notched, downy; corolla tube cylindric, as long as
calyx oe es to 7; involucel of four inyorse cordate,
er white, iapiiit The fruit is a , dry, ‘flat, oblong,
nate capsule, prominently veined, $ inch long by 4 inch
Siti is of a brown colour when ripe, and is divided into
each of which contains a flat foliaceous seed of a light
‘3 the testa of the seed is thin, the kernel! white,
ery oe leaves have similar alapione ;
378 OLEACE,
Solution was again neutralized and agitated with ether, Oper-
ating in this manner, an alkaloidal principle was isolated, which -
we provisionally call Nyctanthine. Nyctanthine gives a marked
precipitate with alkaloidal reagents, but no special colour
_ reactions. In addition toan alkaloid, the presence of a trace
of an oily principle was detected, which had a taste somewhat
similar to that of oil of peppermint. An astringent principle,
giving a greenish coloration with ferric chloride, ‘with resins,
and a sugar readily reducing an alkaline copper solution on
boiling, were also present. |
Jasminum grandiflorum, Linn., Spanish Jasmine or
' Chambeli, is cultivated almost everywhere in India. The Sans-
krit name is Jéti; from the flowers a perfumed oil is prepared
which is a favourite perfume amongst the Hindus. Their phy-
sicians prescribe the leaves as a remedy in skin diseases, ulcers
of the mouth, otorrhea, &c. Chakradatta mentions the use of
the fresh juice of the leaves asan application to soft corns, and
of an oil prepared with it in otorrheea. In the Bhavaprakdsa
the leaves are recommended to be chewed by those who suffer
from ulceration of the mucous membrane of the mouth. =
Mahometan writers consider the plant to have deobstruent,
anthelmintic, diuretic and emmenagogue properties. Mir Mu-
hammad Husain mentions the use of the flowers applied in the
form of plaster to the loins and pubes as an aphrodisiac. He
classes J. grandiflorum along with several other kinds of Jas-
mine under the name of Yasmin.
Chemical composition.—The air-dried eaves were exhausted
with 80 per cent. alcohol, and the alcoholic extract mixed with
water and agitated with benzole. The benzole extract con-
tained much colouring matter and some resin. During agita-
tion with benzole, a soft black resin separated.- This resin was
easily soluble in alkalies and reprecipitated by acids. The
clear aqueous fluid after agitation with benzole was acidulated
with dilute sulphuric acid, which cansed a turbidity. After
filtration, the liquid was agitated with ether, the extract con-
tained — matter, and salicylic acer The nee
ns Nearer gene
OLEACEA. 379
solution was then rendered alkaline and reagitaied with’ ether,
the ethereal extract contained -an alkaloid, for which we
propose the name Jasminine, and which afforded no special
colour reactions.
The Mogra, J. Sambac, is considered to have the the same
properties as J. grandijlorum. In the Pharmacopwia of India
the flowers, upon the authority of Mr. J. Wood, are said to have
considerable power as_a lactifuge ; he speaks of them as effec-
tual in arresting the secretion of milk in the puerperal state,
in cases of threatened abscess. For this purpose about two or
three handfuls of the flowers are bruised and applied to the
breasts and renewed once or twice aday. The secretion is
sometimes arrested in twenty-four hours, though generally a
longer time is required. Mr. Wood speaks of this practice as
being well known in Madras.
The wild single variety, called Vikhmogra or Vishmogra,
( Rheede vi., 56,) is used as an emmenagogue.
The juice of the leaves of J. arborescens, Rozb., is used
with pepper, garlic and other stimulants as an emetic in ob-
struction of the bronchial tubes by viscid phlegm. Seven
leaves will furnish sufficient juice for a dose. For young
children the juice of half a leaf and of four leaves of Agasta
(Sesbania grandiflora) may be mixed with two grains of black
pepper and two grains of dried borax and given in honey.
The bark and leaves of the following plants, belonging to thia
Order, are used by the hill villagers in the Madura District, in
the preparation of Sago-toddy.
They are believed to assist and regulate the process of
fermentation, but do not directly impart any intoxicating
properties to the liquor.
Olea glandulifera, Wall. Wight. Ic., t. 1238; Bedd.
Fil. Sylv. t. 238. Kadaly (Tam.).
The bark, which is externally greyish with whitish specks,
internally brown and about } of an inch in thickness, breaking
with a close granular facture, contains a bitter glucoside and —
quercetin. The water extract amounts to 14%, Spirit: one
12'9, and ash 8:2 per cent. —
380° SALVADORACEZ.
Jasminum flexile, Vahl, Wight Ic. 4. 1253; Burm.
Zeyl. t. 58; f. 1. Mullu- -gundu (Tam.).
A woody climber, stems about one inch in diameter, very
woody and knotted, covered with a light yellowish brown, .
papery bark, exfoliating on the surface, neta a bitter glu-
coside and colouring matter. The water extract gmounts i
96, spirit extract 6:6, and ash 7:9 per cent.
‘Ligustrum Roxburghii, Clarke, Wight Ic. 1242.
Pangala (Tam. )-
‘The bark i is of a russet brown colour, and } of an inch thick ;
fracture elose, showing thick white fibres running through the
brown inner and middle layers, The leaves are ovate or ovate
lanceolate ; dark green, smooth, entire, lighter on the under
surface. Tis chemical composition is similar to that of a
flexile.
: SALVADORACEZ.
SALVADORA PERSICA, Garcin.
Fig. —Roxzb, Gor. Fi. a, © 28; Bedd, Fl. Sylw., t.. 24735. -
Wight Ill. ti., t. 181.
a SALVADORA OLEOIDES, Dene.
Fig.—Jacq. Voy. Bot., t. 144; Brand. For. Fl, t 39;
Wight Ie., t. 1621,
‘Hab. —The drier parté of tndebsc The Toaes, feat, burke =
and oil.--
Firnacula. _Pila, Jhél (Hind. ¥3: Pila ‘Boop. @uz), Kakhan -
_ (Mar.), ee ee a (Lam. 9 eee
(Tel) Fo. ;: ee
‘History, en 8c, —Tho: sai. species of Salvadeien :
grow. upon the sea coast of ‘Arabia, Persia and Western India x
as wwell-as in the aric districts of the interior. They are the —
Pilu of Sanskrit writers, and in "the Nighantas bear the _
‘synonyms er ‘Sahasré, Karambha- “priya, — tc. The
Sani RRS A
SALVADORACE Ai. - 381-
Hindus consider Bc fruit to be hot, digestive, lithontriptic,
fattening and light; and to be benok asl in enlarged spleen,
rheumatism, tumours and lithiasis; it is also thought to have
alchemic or alterative properties. In Marwar and other parts
_ of Northern India the berries of 9. oleoides and S. persica are
largely collected and dried in the sun as an article of diet,
When dry they resemble grape currants both in appearance
and taste. From the seeds an oil is expressed, which is used
as a stimulating application in painful rheumatic affections
and after childbirth. The leaves of these trees heated and
tied up in a cloth with those of Vitex trifolia are a favorite
domestic remedy for rheumatic pains.
The Arabs call the Salvadoras Ar4k and the Persians
‘Darakht-i-miswak, ‘ tooth-brush tree,” short pieces of the root, .
about the size of goosequill, being used to clean the teeth,
On the coast of Persia bordering the Persian Gulf these shrubs
are called Chiich, and are depastured by camels and buffaloes.
They are said to render the milk very rich and thick. This
property of the plant as a fodder is also known in India. The
a author of the Makhzan-el-Adwiya describes the fruit as de-
_ obstruent, carminative and diuretic, and remarks that a poultice
of the leaves, which have similar properties, is used to
_ Yelieve the pain caused by tumours, piles, etc.
- Forskahl (Agypt-Arab., p. 82) has the following notice of
vadora:—“In magno est pretio ; fructus (K abath) maturus
edulis; folia contusa imponuntur tumoribus naram (@)5) dictis_
|. eb abd GhibuN: sed vis antitoxica adeo famosa, ut carmine
quoque celebretur.” ‘Kabath is the Arabic name for 2 ripe 3
a , fruit, when unripe it is called _,2» (barir).
Ainslie gives Ooghat-putiai as the Tamil name of 8. persica,
and RAYE... the bark, which is a little warm and somewhat
_ acrid, is recommended by the Hindu doctors, in decoction, m
of.
: low fever, and as a tonic and stimulant in amenorrhea.
: @ root when fresh acts as a vesicatory.” Gg (Mat. be
Ds ). In the Pharmacopwia of India, we are told
Ir rive emnleed the root-bark sngeeesialy a a =
382 SALVADORACES.
cant, In Dr. Imlach’s Report on Snake-bites in Sind (Bomb,
Med. and. Phys. Trans. New Ser., iii., p. 80,) several cases are
mentioned in the tabular record, in which Pilu seeds were
administered internally, with good effect. They are also said —
to be a favorite purgative.
‘Royle considers S. persica to be the mustard tree of the
Now Testament, and says that the Syrian Arabs call it Khar-
dal, z. e. “ mustard.”
_ Description.—S. persica and S. oleoides are small trees
or shrubs with a crooked trunk, seldom more than one foot in
diameter ; bark scabrous and cracked, whitish ; branches numer-
ous, spreading; their extremities pendulous, like those of the
weeping willow ; leaves opposite, petioled, oval or oblong, vein-
less, shining on both sides, fleshy, from 1 to 2 inches long, and
one inch broad; flowers minute, greenish yellow, in terminal
panicles from the exterior axils; berry in S. persica small,
smooth, red, juicy; in &. olevides it is largerand yellow. The
selitary seeds have a st aromatic smell, and taste like garden
cress. The oil of S. itech: is of the consistence of butter, ofa
bright green colour, and pungent odour. That sold in the
shops is usually adulterated, and is of a greenish yellow colour,
and of greater consistency than the genuine article.
“The root-bark when fresh is of a light brown colour and
nearly smooth, studded pretty thickly with scabrous corky
Mien a either single or arranged in transversely extended ~
The substance and inner surface of the bark is
white and soft; fracture short; odour like cress; taste warm
and pungent.
Microscopic structure. —The epidermis i is formed ofseveral rows
of brick-shaped cells containing brown and green colouring
matter; within this the cells of the parenchyma are brick-shaped
and arranged in rows for some distance inward, afterwards
the arrangement becomes more irregular, and the cells ara °
loaded with starch, a few oil globules, and raphides; towards
the inner part of the bark are a few large yellow stone cells.
The wood is porous ; the ee system composed of large, very
a
SALVADORACE, 883
fine dotted vessels. The medullary rays are remarkable for
the number of large raphides contained in their cells.
Chemical composition.—The air-dried root bark of S. Persica
was reduced to powder and extracted with 80 per cent. alcohol,
the greater part of the alcohol recovered by distillation, and
the last traces removed by spontaneous evaporation. e
resulting extract was mixed with water, acidulated with sulphu-
ric acid and agitated with ether. The ether extract contained
some resin and colouring matter. During agitation with
ether, brown flocks separated, which were subsequently
collected by filtration. These flocks were partly soluble in
alkalies, the alkaline solution giving a precipitate on the
addition of acids: the alcoholic solution was neutral, and gave
no reaction with ferric salts.
The original acid aqueous solution was rendered alkaline
and reagitated with ether, and the ether driven off by a cur-
rent of cold air. During evaporation there was a marked
odour of trimethylamine. The ethereal extract consisted of a
soft yellow resin-like substance, and a small amount of clear
watery fluid. The reaction was strongly alkaline ; a few drops
applied to the skin caused a painless redness in about 10
minutes ; no vesication ensued. A glass plate was moistened
with dilute sulphuric acid and placed over the capsule con-
taining the extract. After some time an odourless, crystalline
deposit was observed, which, on the addition of an alkali,
afforded the odour of trimethylamine. The remainder of the
ethereal extract was heated for some hours in the water bath
to 100° C. The residue was partly soluble in acids, and afford-
ed all the reactions of an alkaloid. This residue was without
any action when applied locally tothe skin. After agitation
. with ether, the still alkaline original liquid was agitated with
chloroform, which separated a further quantity of trimethyl-
amine, and traces of an alkaloid. We propose calling the
oid Salvadorine.
os The ‘air-dried root-bark lost 13-76 per cent. when heated
to” 100° C., i. ash mecmaied to sites se cent., ee
384 SALVADORACEA.
remarkable for the large amount of chlorine present. No
manganese was detected. The juice of the fresh bark and
leaves had an acid reaction.
It appears to us highly probable that the stimulating effects
of the fresh bark, when applied locally, are due to the presence
of trimethylamine, a part of which no doubt exists in it ina
free state, and the remainder as a salt, most likely as the
chloride. The rapid and painless manner in which the dilute
aqueous solution of trimethylamine produces redness of the
skin, might perhaps be utilized, if the extremely offensive —
odour of the drug were not a bar. Trimethylamine is stated
to act in a similar manner to aqueous ammonia locally, but it
appears to us that trimethylamine is more active.
The fleshy portion of the dried fruit of 8. oleoides has a taste
‘similar to that of grape currants, and contains a large amount
of sugar, which reduces an alkaline copper solution on boiling.
The seeds contain a white fat with a melting point of 39 to
40° C (uncorr.). The alcoholic solution was neutral to litmus
paper. We also isolated an alkaloid, soluble in ether and
amylic alcohol, and giving very marked precipitates with
alkaloidal reagents, but no special colour reactions. It also
afforded marked precipitates with chromate and bichromate of
potassium from its solution in H*So*. The taste was some-
what bitter and harsh. We are not in a position to state
whether this principle differs or not from the one we detected
in the root bark. A yellow colouring principle is also present
in the seeds, which gives a deep bright yellow coloration with
alkalies.
| ‘AZIMA TETRACANTHA, Lam.
e | Fig. wight Til. it, te: 152 ; Garin. Fruet. t, 225,
- Hab.—Deccan. Peninsula ‘eal Ceylon. The gees rats
at juice, —
: Vernacular. —Kania-gérkamai ( Hind. ), Trikant a-jati( Beng. -); :
‘Sukkapét (Mar.), — (Tam.), Telle-upi (Tel. ye
SALVA DORACE 2. 385
History, Uses, &c,.—The leaves, root, and milky juice
are bitter, and are used medicinally by the Hindus, Dr. P.S.
Mootooswamy (Ind. Med. Gazette, October, 1889,) states that
the leaves are considered stimulant, and are given to puerperal
women immediately after confinement. They are administered
in the following manner by the villagers:—The leaves with an -
equal quantity of Neem leaves, and a little powdered brick, are
finely ground and given twice a day for the first two days, no
food being allowed. For the next six days the woman gets a
little boiled rice and pepper water once a day, and is allowed to
drink a little warm water after the meal ; she is not allowed to
sleep after her food during the day, and if thirsty must quench
her thirst by eating betel leaves and areca nut. From the
seventh day she gets her ordinary food. It is also the practise
among the rural classes to give 2 to 4 ounces of Neem oil soon
after delivery, with a little roasted asafcetida, and the woman is
made to take daily for a month from the morning of the third
or fourth day a bolus of a stimulating confection, called Naday-
cayam in Tamil, which is supposed to keep off cold from the
system. (This practice is general pace the —— people.
in most parts of India.)
The leaves are also administered with food as a remedy for
rheumatism, and their juice to relieve cough.
The root is considered to have the same properties as the
leaves, and to be also diuretic ; it is given in dropsy along with
other drugs. Dr. Mootooswamy gives the following formula as
much used by native doctors:—Take of the root bark 3x,
Tribulus terrestris fruit, root of Trianthema monogyna and
Cephalandra indica @ 3i, Beleric and chebulic myrobalans
@3ss, Iron dross 3x, Goat’s urine Zviii, Water four sers. Make
a decoction and keep it for several days intheoven. Dose 2 to
3 ounces twice a day in as much water.
: A decoction of the root, leaves and bark with -an equal
oe quantity of Acorus Calamus, ginger, ajowan seeds and salt
is recommended as a remedy for chronic diarrhoea, and 1
iat ounces of the juice obtained from the-root a
386 ' APOCYNACEA.
three ounces of goat’s milk, twice a day as a diuretic in
dropsy.
Description.—Stem scarcely any, but branches in-
numerable, opposite, spreading in all directions, forming a
close impenetrable bush, something like the Furze; young
branches four-sided. Thorns axillary, four-fold, spreading,
very sharp, from 1 to 2 inches long. Leaves opposite, short-
petioled, reflexed, oval, acute. Male flowers axillary, numerous,
female axillary, solitary, sessile, between the two thorns. Berry
globular, of the size of a pea, when ripe white, succulent,
edible. Seeds two. The plant is in flower and fruit the
greater part of the year.
APOCYNACE.
ALSTONIA SCHOLARIS, Br.
Fig.— Wight Ic., t. 422; Bedd. For., Fl., t. 242; Rheede
Hort. Mal. 2., t. 45; Bentl. and Trim. ¢. 178.
Hab.—Drier forests of India. The bark and leaves.
Vernacular.—Chhatién, Datyini (Hind.), Chhatin (Beng.),
Satvin (Mar.), Ezhilaip-p4élai (Tam.), Edakula-pals, Pala-
garuda (Tel.), Janthalla (Can.).
History, Uses, &C.—The tree is called in Sanskrit
saptaparna, Sapta-chhada, Guchha-pushpa, Vrihat-tvak and
Vishala-tvak, “ having large or thick bark.” Hindu physicians
describe it as tonic, alterative, and usefulin fever, skin diseases,
and dyspepsia. Susruta gives the following formula for
usé in catarrhal dyspepsia :—* Take of the bark of Alstonia,
stems of Tinospora cordifolia, bark of Azadirachta indica, and
the bark of Betula Bhojpatra, e — in all two tolas (320
and other diseases of the skin. ee
| has ‘been ce ha om te a feat 8, soa
APOCYNACER. 387
with a layer of sand, being used as school-boards on which
children ‘trace their letters asin the Lancastrian system. The |
natives of Western India have a superstitious fear of it, and
say that it assembles all the trees of the forest once a year to
pay homage. (Graham.)
Rheede in 1678 and Rumphius in 1741 described and figur~
ed the tree and noticed the medicinal use of the bark by the
natives along with salt and pepper in febrile dyspepsia, and as
a local application to ulcers and rheumatic joints. ‘Rumphius’s
experience is, that the bark is useful in catarrhal dyspepsia and
in the febrile state consequent upon that affection, and also for
enlarged spleen. He says: “Ofits value in catarrhal dyspepsia
I can speak from experience; the dose should be 15 grains
taken at bedtime in powder or decoction.” Nimmo in 1839
called attention to the bark as a powerful tonic, and suggested
its use as an antiperiodic, Dr. Gibsou in 1853 contributed a
short, but interesting, account of the drug to the Pharmaceu-
tical Journal (xii., p. 422). Alstonia bark is official in the Phar-
macopeia of India, and is described as an astringent tonic,
anthelmintic, and antiper iodic. In the Concan the juice of the
fresh bark with milk is administered in leprosy, and is also
prescribed for dyspepsia and as an anthelmintic ; and the juice
of the leaves with that of fresh ginger root or zedoary is
administered to women after confinement. One of us has
found the tincture of the bark to act in certain cases as a very
powerful galactagogue: in one case the use of the drug was
purposely discontinued at intervals, and on each occasion the
flow of milk was found to fail.
In 1874 Gruppe, an apothecary of Manilla, obtained. from
the bark a substance which he named ditain. In the report on
the Centennial Exhibition presented to the American Pharma-
ceutical Association (Transactions 1877), the following account
of this substance and of the use of the drug in Manilla is
given :— Echites scholaris (Alstonia scholaris, Brown,) grows
wild abundantly in the central provinces of the island of i
where it has long been known and esteemed by the natives
unde; the name of ‘ oa as a most efficient tanie. and :
388 APOCYNACEA,
fuge. The people having been in the habit of using it from
time immemorial in decoction against malignant, intermittent,
and remittent fevers with the happiest result, the attention of
our leading physiciavs was excited, and the active principle
ditain has now become a staple article, and ranks equal in
therapeutical efficiency with the best imported sulphate of
quinine. Numberless instances of private and hospital practice,
carried out by our best physicians, have demonstrated this
fact. Equal doses of ditain and of standard quinine sulphate
have had the same medicinal effects; besides leaving none of
the disagreeable secondary symptoms, such as deafness, sleep-
lessness, and feverish excitement, which are the usual con-
comitants of large quinine doses, ditain attains its effects
swiftly, surely, and infallibly.
We use ditain generally internally in quantities of half a
drachm daily for children, and double the dose for adults, due
allowance being made, of course, for age, sex, temperament, &e.
We derive very beneficial effects from its use, too, under the
- form of poultices. Powdered dita bark, cornflour, each half a
pound ; hot water sufficient to make a paste. Spread on linen ~
and apply under the armpits, and on the wrists and ankles,
taking care to renew when nearly dry, and provided the
desired effects should not have been obtained. The results
‘arrived at by ditain in our Manilla hospitals and private
practice are simply marvellous. In our military hospital and
penitentiary practice, ditain has perfectly superseded quinine,
and it is now being employed with most satisfactory results in
the Island of Mindanao, where malignant fevers are prevalent.”
~ Description -—The drug consists of irregular fragments
of bark, to $ an inch thick, easily breaking with a short
coarse fracture. The external layer is very uneven and rauch
fissured, dark aye or brow y ge sometimes with black spots,
it readily separ andle e interior substance and
inner surface (liber) j is of a ae buff. A transverse section
‘shows the Tiber to be. eet ekg bide numerous small medul- :
lary rays. The bark has
APOC YNACEA, 3889
communicates gradually to the palate a slightly bitter but not
disagreeable taste.
Microscopic structure.—The cortical tissue is covered with a
thin suberous coat, the middle layer of the bark is built up of a
thin-walled parenchyme, through which enormous, hard, thick-.
walled cells are scattered in great numbers, and are visible to
the naked eye, as they form large irregular groups of a bright
yellow colour. ‘Towards the inner part these stone-cells dis-
appear, the tissue being traversed by undulated medullary rays,
loaded with very small starch grains; many of the other
parenchymatous cells of the liber contain crystals of calcium
oxalate. The longitudinal section of the liber exhibits large
but not very numerous laticiferous vessels, as elongated simple
cells with perforated tranverse walls (sieve-cells) containing
a brownish mass, the concrete milk-juice with which all parts
of the tree abound.
Chemical composition.—In 1875, Jobst and Hesse exhausted
the powdered bark with petroleum ether, and then extracted,
by boiling alcohol, the salt of an alkaloid, which they called
Ditamine. After the evaporation of the alcohol, it is preci-
pitated by carbonate of sodium and dissolved by ether, from
which it is removed by shaking it with acetic acid. Ditamine
as again isolated from the acetate forms an amorphous and
somewhat crystalline, bitterish powder of decidedly alkaline
character ; the bark yields about 0°92 per cent.
From the substances extracted by means of petroleum,
ether, as above stated, Jobst and Hesse further isolated (1)
Echicaontchin, C?5H*°O2, an amorphous yellow mass; (2)
Echicerin, C*°H*8O?%, forming acicular crystals, melting at
157° C.;{3) Echitin, C5°H*?0%, crystallized scales, melting
_ at 170°; (4) Echitein, C#*H7°O*, which forms rhombic prisms,
melting at 195°; (5) Echiretin, C5°H°°O*, an amorphous
substance, melting at 62° C.
Echicaontchin may be written thus: (C5H®) 502, echicerin
(CH®)02, echiretin (C°H®)’O* ; these formule at once ep
cate how nearly the three substances are | io
390 APOCYNACEZ.
probably constituents of the milky juice of the tree. (Pharma-
cographia, 2nd Hd., p. 422.)
Hesse has since separated from Dita bark two other bases,
Echitamine and Lchitenine. He now reports that Ditamine
exists in the bark in the proportion of 0-04 per cent. It is
readily soluble in dilute acids, and differs from the alkaloids
associated with it in being precipitated from its acid solution,
by ammonia, Its formula deduced from the analysis of its
platinochloride, is C'*H!9NO?,
Echitamine is obtained from the liquor from which the
ditamine has been extracted. On neutralizing this liquor, con-
centrating it by evaporation, and then adding hydrochloric
acid and sodium chloride, impure echitamine hydrochloride is
precipitated. The base isolated from this precipitate, and
then purified, crystallizes in thick vitreous prisms, answering
- to the formula C**H?8N*0*+4H*0O. When dried in vacuo
these part with three molecules of water, leaving a strong
base of the formula C*H**N*O*+-H?0,orC#H*°N?0°, which
the author calls echitamine hydrate, or echit-ammonium
hydroxide. Ifin drying the heat be raised to and maintained
at 150° C., another molecule of water is given off; but the
anhydrous echitamine thus left is a much weaker base, and
is reconverted into the original alkaloid by dissolving it in
hydrochloric acid, and decomposing the hydrochloride. In
consequence of the decided loss of basic properties accompany-
Ing the elimination of the last molecule of water, the author
prefers to regard the monohydrated base as the normal form,
The latter is a powerful alkaloid ; it neutralizes acids perfectly,
and yields well-defined crystallizable salts.
Echitenine.—This ‘base is prepared from the mother liquors
of echitamine hydrochloride, by precipitating with mercuric
chloride, decomposing the precipitate with sulphuretted hy-
drogen, and then shaking with chloroform. It exists in the
bark to the extent of only 0°01 per cent. Its composition —
corresponds to the formula C2°H?7NO*, [It igs markedly
bitter, ofa brownish colour, and fuses above 120° 0. With
e
APOCYNACEA. OL
strong sulphuric acid it forms a reddish violet, and with
nitric acid a purple solution, the latter of which changes to
green and ultimately to yellow. Its salts are amorphous.
In the .author’s opinion all these alkaloids belong to one
series :—
Ditamine C'6H NO?
? C18H*5NO°*
KEchitenine C*0H*7NO*
Kchitamine Hydrate (Echit-ammonium
Hydroxide) ... ices 3 eh hed Od
(Liebig’s Annalen, cciit., a) tn Year-Book of Pharmacy
for 1881.)
Commerce.—The bark is nof an article of commerce in
India.
Rhazya stricta, Decaisne. in Jacq. Voy. Bot., t. 111,
_ Vernacular.—Sewar (Sind). .
This plant is widely distributed through Western Asia,
from Yemen in Arabia, to the North-West Provinces of India.
Tis leaves, which are very bitter, are sold in the bazars in
Sind, the natives using them in the preparation of cooling
bitter infusions. AR. stricta is a stiff-growing plant with erect
stems 2 to 3 feet high, and upright thickish smooth leaves
placed rather close together on the stem. Dr. Stocks de-
scribes the infusion asa good and peculiar bitter tonic, and
recommends it for trial.
HOLARRHENA ANTIDYSEN-
ERICA, Wail.
Fig. —Brand. For. Fi., t. 40; Wight Ic., t, 1297; Rheede
Hort. Mal. i., ¢. 47. Conessi or Tellicherry Bark (Eng.),
_ Ecorce de Codagapala (Fr.).
Hab -—Throughout the drier forests of India. The bark.
_ Vernacular Kura, Kaureya (Hind.), Kurchi (Beng.). Kuda,
_ P4éndhara-kuda (Mar.), Kuda, Doula-kuda (Guz.), Kulap Bier
Stross m Amkudu (Tel.), pre hee Ber ie
¥
392 APOCYNACEZ.
The seeds: Karwa-indarjau (Hind.), Tita-indarjau (Beng.),
Kulappalai-virai (Tam.), Amkudu-vittulu (Tel.), Kadu-indar-
jau (Mar.), Kadvo indarjau (Guz.), Kodu-murakan-bija (Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—The Sanskrit names for this use-
fal tree are very numerous, the best known are Kutaja and
Kalinga, amongst others we may mention Girimallika, Vatsaka
“cow tree,”’ Sakra sakhin ‘ Indra’s tree,’”’ and Sakrdsana “ In-
dra’s food.” The tree is fabled to have sprung from the drops
of amrita which fell on the ground from the bodies of Rama’s
monkeys, which were restored to life by Indra. The seeds are
called in Sanskrit Indrayava, Bhadrayava, Vatsakavija, or
Sakravija, ‘ Indra’s seed.” The bark is one of the most impor-
tant articles in the Hindu Materia Medica, and is described in
the Nighantés as bitter, astringent, cold and digestive; a
remedy for piles, dysentery, bile, leprosy and phlegmatic hu-
mours. Susruta says it is expectorant, an antidote to poisons,
cures dysuria, urinary and skin diseases, checks nausea and
vomiting, removes pruritus, improves the condition of bad
ulcers, relieves pains of the stomach, and checks the derange-
ment of the three humours, w1z., phlegm, air and bile. The
seeds are considered to be astringent, febrifuge and anthel-
mintic. Both bark and seeds are usually combined by Hindu
physicians with a number of other medicines which are prin-
cipally astringents, bitters and aromatics. As examples of such
preparations we may mention the Kutajaleha or confection,
and the Pathddya churna. or compound powder of Chakra--
datta. In the Pradarani lauha the drug is combined with
iron, but perhaps the most popular preparation is the Kutajé-
rishta or Kutaja wine of Sarangadhara, which is made in the
following manner :—Take of fresh root bark, 124 seers, raisins,
64 seers, flowers of Bassia latifolia and bark of Gmelina
arborea of each 80 tolas; boil them together in 256 seers of
water, till reduced to 64 seers, and strain. Then add flowers —
of Woodfordia floribunda 2} seers ; treacle 12} seers, and let
the mixture ferment for a month in a cool place (it is usually
buried under the ground). Draw off and bottle: This prepa
__- ration has an agreeable flavour, is not bitter, and is an- excellent
APOCYNACH 4, 893
remedy in chronic dysentery and diarrhoea. Plasters and oils,
containing Conessi bark combined with astringents and aroma-
tics, are also used by the Hindus. They are applied over the
part of the abdomen which is most painful.
Arabic and Persian writers describe the seeds under the
name of Lisan-el-asaffr-el-murr, and Zaban-i-gungishk-i-talk
(bitter sparrow’s tongue); they consider them to be carmina-
tive and astringent, and prescribe them in chronic chest affec-
tions, such as asthma, also in colic and -diuresis ; besides this
they attribute lithontriptic, tonic and aphrodisiac properties to
them, and combined with honey and saffron make them into
pessaries which are supposed to favour conception. We may
Mention incidentally that the use of medicated pessaries for
this purpose is a common practice in India.* They are also
used after delivery. According to the Makhzan, the bark is
the Tiwaj (tvac?) of Persian writers, which the author of the
_ Tuhfat identifies with Talisfar, by some supposed to be the
Indian bark used in dysentery by the Greek physicians under
the name of deep, :
. The Portuguese physicians, Garcia and Christopher a Costa,
describe the drug under the names of Coru, Curo, Cura and
Corte de pala. Rheede, who calls the tree Codaga-pala, states
that the bark is applied as a lép (plaster) in rheumatism, and
that a hot decoction of it is used in toothache, and in the cure
of bowel affections. Ainslie mentions the bark as having been
lately admitted into the British Materia Medica, under the
name of Conessi bark,
Conessi bark, also known as Codaga pala, Corte de pala, and
Tellicherry bark, enjoyed for a time considerable repute in
_.Hurope. It has however fallen into disrepute, principally,
_ according to Sir Walter Elliot, who regards it as one of the
most valuable medicinal products of India, from the compara-
tively inert bark of W. tinctoria having been confounded
with it. Favourable reports of its use as a remedy in dysen- :
_ tery will be found in the Pharmacopeia of India. For ad- -
| * Similar pessaries were used hy the Greeks and Romanus,
11.—50 | ey
894 APOCYNACEZ.
ministration Mr. O. C. Dutt prefers a watery extract of the
root bark, of which the average dose is about three grains in
combination with half a grain or more of opium.
Other European physicians have preferred the powdered
bark, or a decoction made with 2 oz. of the bark to 2 pints of
water, to be boiled down to one pint. The impure alkaloid
(wrightine) is bitter, and has been used with some success as
an antiperiodic, andin the treatment of dysentery occurring
in aged persons ard infants. It is sold by druggists in
Calcutta
For an exhaustive analysis of the botanical confusion which
has arisen in connection with this plant and the various species
of Wrightia, we would refer our readers to an article by M. R.
Blondel (Nouveaue Remédes, Sept. 24, 1887,) in which the bota-
nical history and structure of Holarrhena antidysenterica is
fully discussed and illustrated.
Description. —_Three hie eee =taite are fre-
‘quently called Kura, Koda or Kuda in the Indian vernaculars;
Holarrhena antidysenterica, Wrightia tomentosa, and Wrightia
tinctoria. They may be distinguished most readily by an
examination of the follicles and seeds. H. antidysenterica has
the pair of follicles separate, W. tomentosa has them connate,
separating when quite ripe, and W. tinctoria has follicles con-
nected at the apex only. In Holarrhena the seeds have a
tuft of hairs onthe end most remote from the foot-stalk,
_ whilst in the Wrightias the tuft is on the end next Bor foot-
stalk.
The young bark of Fivtasthen sc; is grey and susaly Stacoth ;
on the older branches it is externally of a brown colour, aka
searred from the exfoliation of portions of the suber; inter-
nally it is of a cinnamon colour, and the cambium layer when
present smooth and nearly white. The root bark resembles
that of the older — ‘bat: is- of @ deeper and more rusty
-brown colour, _
_ ‘The sceds radial Sata, % are very bitter, and are contained
in long. follicles about the thickness of a quill. als are > of A. é
Pe
ae
APOCYNACEZ, 395
yellowish brown colour, about 2 centimetres long and 2 to 8
millimetres thick ; at one end of the seeds is a kind of shallow
neck, to the sides of which was attached the tuft of hairs.
One side of the seed is grooved, and in this groove may be -
seen the raphé. Tho outer envelope of the seed is thin and
papery, and within it is a thin white layer of albumen. The
embryo consists of a conical radicle and two. foliaceous
convoluted eotyledons. ae
Microscopic structure—A section of the’ bark from the
larger branches is remarkable for several layers of rhytidoma,
the inner of which is in contact with the cambium; this struc-
ture gives rise to exfoliations of portions of the outer layer
of the bark. Simple and branched laticiferous vessels are
to be seen, and a few groups of stony cells. The cells of the
parenchyma are filled with starch granules and contain red
colouring matter. Externally there isa thin layer of suber,
In the young bark the rhytidoma is not a Tete conse-
quently there is no exfoliation.
Chemical composition.—The bark and seeds contain a ‘Basie
substance (Wrightine), to prepare which the pulverised seeds:
are treated with carbon bisulphide in a displacement apparatus _
_ to remove a fat oil, then dried and exhausted with hot alcohol ;
the extract freed from alcohol by distillation, is digested with:
a small quantity of dilute hydrochloric acid, and the evapora-
ted filtrate is mixed with ammonia or sodic carbonate, . which:
_ throws down a copious flocculent precipitate, consisting of the
impure base.
Wrightine after washing with cold water forms an: amor-
phous powder, insoluble in ether and in carbonic disulphide,
__ soluble in water and alcohol, and especially in dilute acids,
: “with which it forms uncrystallisable salts having like the base
itself a persistent bitter taste. The acetic acid solution is pre-
cipitated by tannic acid; the hydrochloric-acid solution Bite :
floceulent precipitates with platinic, auric, and mercuric ch!o-
ides, (Stenhouse, Phar. Jour. (2) I ao a0), R. Haines (Ibid.,
VI, 432) states that he obtained the e same base fr e
396 | APOCYNACER,
bark in 1858, and gave a short deseri ption of it in the Transac-
tions of the Medical and Physical Society of Bombay (New
Series, IV., 38). He proposed to call it Conessine, and calcu-
lated, from the analysis of the free base, and of the platinum salt,
the formula C*5H?2NO. The seeds have recently been
again investigated by Herr Warnecke (Berichte, XIX., 60),
who has obtained from them a crystalline alkaloid by exhaust-
ing them with ether containing a little hydrochloric acid,
digesting the extract with water and precipitating with
ammonia, washing the yellow flocculent precipitate with water,
and then after drying it over sulphuric acid dissolving it in —
petroleum spirit and evaporating. The pure alkaloid is de-
scribed as occurring in delicate colourless anhydrous needles,
-
having a bitter taste, becoming yellow at 60° to 70° C., and
melting at 122°C. The alkaloid readily forms salts with acids,
the hydrochlorate being crystalline. It is difficultly soluble in
water, but freely soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, petrolenm
spirit, benzol, amyl alcohol, and carbon bisulphide. An ana-
lysis gave figures corresponding with the formula C!!H'!®N.
Herr Warnecke therefore claims that this base, for which
he prefers the name “‘ Wrightine ”’ is the first discovered solid
non-oxygenated alkaloid occurring in nature ; in this, however, -
he is hardly correct, since the formula C*°H?° N* was attri-
buted in 1861 to a base isolated by Rieth from the bark of
Arariba rubra (Annalen, CXX., 247), which was also obtained
crystalline.
Rather curiously, but simultaneously with the publication of
the above-mentioned communication, another appeared by
Messrs. Polstorff and Schirmer (Beriehte, XIX., 78), which
described the results of the chemical examination of a bark
forwarded from Tropical Africa by German missionaries asa _
_ remedy against dysentery, and referred to Holarrhena africana,
DC. They report that they have isolated from this bark minute
proportions (one-tenth per cent.) of an alkaloid that they con-
sider to be identical with that separated by Professor Haines
from East Indian conessi bark ; and they attribute to it charac- :
ters closely —— ee described by Herr Warnockars as
APOCYNACEZ. 397
pertaining to the alkaloid obtained by him from Wrightia
antilysenterica seeds. Like that alkaloid also, though crystal-
lizable, it contains no oxygen, the formula by which it is
represented being C'?H*°N or differing by CH? from the
formula given by Herr Warnecke for his alkaloid; but Messrs.
Polstorff and Schirmer think their formula C'®H®°N is fairly
comparable with that of Professor Haines for conessine from
Hast India Conessi bark, C25H?2NO (old notation), since the
free base has the peculiarity (also shared by Aribine) of crys=
tallizing with a molecule of water; and they think that his
combustion was probably made with imperfectly dried alkaloid.
a It will be observed that Professor Haines and Messrs.
_ Polstorff and Schirmer operated upon the bark of the respec- .
tive plants, whilst Herr Warnecke used the seeds. So that
at present there is some doubt whether both barks yield an
identical alkaloid, differing in composition from that from
conessi seeds by CH®, or whether it is the alkaloid from
the East Indian and African plants that differ, but are
homologous. Messrs. Polstorff and Schirmer have prepared
and described several salts of their alkaloid. It may be
added that there is a remark in the Appendix to the Indian .
“Pharmacopeia to the effect that probably Holarrhena
oe) antidysenterica, H. Codaga, H. pubescens and
H. malaccensis, are only varieties of one species, and are
endowed with similar, if not identical, medicinal properties,
It appears desirable, therefore, that the investigation should
be extended to the bark and seeds of those plants. (Pharm,
Journ., Feb. 27, 1886.)
Commerce.—The bark and seeds are both articles of local
on lerce. Value, bark, Rs. 14 per maund of 373 lbs. ; seeds,
. 898 APOCYNACEZ.
This shrub is often cultivated in gardens on account of its
fragrant, white, jasmine-like flowers, which are offered in the
Hindu temples. It would appear to have been confounded by
Garcia d’Orta with Holarrhena, as he states (Coll. 27) that
the flowers of Coru smell like Honeysuckle, whereas those of
Holarrhena are odourless, The leaves of this plant, which
turn black when dry, afford a kind of indigo called in Mysore
Pala Indigo, An account of the preparation of this dye
appears in Buchanan’s ‘‘ Journey through Mysore, &c.,”’ 1, 473.
The coagulated milky juice forms a kind of caoutchoue; the
wood is valued by turners, who call] it Dudhi, ‘‘ milk wood.”
. The bark may be distinguished from true Conessi bark by its
darker colour, and by its not exfoliating in patches (absence of
rhytidoma) ; the seeds by their want of bitterness. The bark
is used as a tonic and the seeds as an aphrodisiac; both are
articles of commerce, the former being more frequently met
with in the shops than true Conessi bark. The seeds are sold
at about Rs. 4 per maund of 37% lbs.
NERIUM ODORUM, Soland.
Fig.—Bot. Mag., 1799, 2032; Bot. Reg., t. 74; Rheede
Hort. Mal. iv., t. 1, 2. Oleander (Eng.), Laurier Rose (Fr.).
Hab.—W. Himalaya, Central India, Sind. Cultivated all
over India. The root.
Vernacular.—Kaner (Hind., Guz., Mar.), Karabi, Kaner
(Beng.), Alari (T'am., Mal. ), Caritilies (Tel.), Kanigila (Can.),
History, Uses, &c.—In Sanskrit medical works two
yarieties of Karavira are mentioned, namely, Svetapushpa,
*€ white-flowered”’; and Raktapushpa, “‘red-flowered.” - Other
well known Sanskrit names for the Oleander are Asvamdraka
‘thorse-killer,” and Pratihasa “laughing.” In the Nighantas
both kinds are described as hot and poisonous; they are said to
be of use as an external application to swellings, leprosy and
skin diseases such as itch. The’ flowers of the red and white
Oleander are much used by the Hindus i in religions ceremonies.
of
.
APOCYNACER. 399
De Gubernatis states that the N. Oleander is called in ltaly
Ammazza cavallo or Ammazza Vasino, and remarks that this
accounts for the dread of its presence shown by the ass of
Lucian and Apuleius. (Myth. des Plant. ii., 259.)
For external application the Hindus make a strong decoction
of the root and boil it down with oil and cow’s nrine until the
_ water has been driven off, other drugs are usually added, such
as Plumbago root, Embelia seeds, &c.
The root of Oleander beaten intoa paste with water is recom-
mended by Sarangadhara to be applied to chancres and ulcers
on the penis. According to Chakradatta the fresh
: if
; In Arabic and Persian works the plant will
_ generally be found described under the name of Difli; other
_ names are Sum-el-Himér and Kharzahrah, which both signify
Asses’-bane ; it is identified with the Nerium of the Greeks.*
‘The Mahometan physicians describe it as a most powerful
resolvent and attenuant, only to be used externally ; taken
‘animals are a counter-poison against serpents. The latter
‘statement appears to be copied from Pliny. (Hist. Nat. 24, 2.)
‘Ainslie informs us that the bark of the root and leaves are
considered by the Vytians as powerful repellants, applied
externally. The active principles of N. odorum are powerful
into a large healthy frog caused in 14 minutes diminu-
leander, hardly different from the Indian plant. Conf. D
80. It was also called by the Greeks and Romans Rho
oisons. 0:0016 grams of Neriodorein injected hypoder- —
‘the heart beats from 70 to 12 per minute, followedbya
rise to 60; after the lapse of five minutes longer the :
d to beat. This cessation of the heart’s action was
400 . APOCYNACEM.
closely followed by cessation of the respiration. According, to
Fraser {T'rans. Royal Soc. Hd. xxiv.) oleander like digitalis, &c.,
produces at first irregularity and acceleration of the heart’s
action, then a diminished frequency caused by protraction of
the ventricular systole, and, finally, stoppage of the contractions
by cessation of the dilation of the ventricles, which remain con-
tracted, white and perfectly empty. | 7
Description. —Roots crooked, bark thick, soft, external
surface grey, corky, on young roots the corky layer is very
thin, and the interior yellow colour of the bark is seen through it,
inver surface yellow. The bark when cut or wounded.exudes
a pale yellow latex, which is resinous and very sticky, Odour
somewhat acrid. ‘Taste acrid and bitter.
Microscopie structure.—In the bark of the roots the medul-
dary rays are very numerous; their being loaded with yellow
resinous juice makes them very conspicuous. The laticiferous
vessels are numerous and generally 1 in groups of two, three, or
more. The wood is yery porous, and abounds in large dotted
vessels. Both bark and wood abound in starch.
Chemical composition. —Mr. H. G. Greenish has extracted
from the bark of V. odorum two bitter principles, one soluble
in chloroform and little soluble in water, to which he has given
the name Nertodorin, and another very soluble in water and
‘insoluble 1 in n: Qblonoform, which he has named Neriodorein. Both
of theses
bstances are powerful heart-poisons. Neriodorein
vis. rphous powder of a pale yellow colour, and very
bitter taste, insoluble in petroleum spirit, ether, benzol,
chloroform, salphide of carbon, amylic alcohol, and acetic ether,
-but readily soluble in water and alcohol. It contains no nitro-
-gen; a watery solution is neutral to test paper. Chloroform
«partly separates it from its watery solution in the form of an
-oily liquid. Chloroform and ether precipitate it from an _
_alcoholic solution in a floceulent condition. It is soluble in
_glacial acetic acid, the evaporation of the solvent leaves a
- yellow amorphous - varnish-like mass. Although the aqueous)
pa through the dialyser it has not ee hess Sasol —
APOCYNACE. 401
allised. Concentrated sulphuric acid colours it of a brownish
red with a violet tinge round the edge of the mixture, gra-
-dually the mixture becomes yellow, passing to brown and
green. In the presence of sugar strong sulphuric acid pro-
duces a brownish red colour passing to violet. Heated ina
-closed tube with 2 per cent. of hydrochloric acid for two hours,
-neriodorein is decomposed into a yellow resinous substance ;
it appears to bea glucoside. Neriodorin is a transparent yellow,
varnish-like substance which cannot be pulverized even after
drying over sulphuric acid under the air pump; it is very
soluble in chloroform, scarcely soluble in cold water, but much
more so in hot water; its watery solution is bitter. Itis in-
| soluble in petroleum spirit, benzol and bisulphide of carbon;
ether only dissolves a trace. It is very soluble in alcohol,
contains no nitrogen, and is uncrystallisable. In other respects
it closely resembles Neriodorein. (Phar. Jour., April 23rd,
1881.)
Toxicology.—The leaves of Nerium Oleander weve examined
‘by Leukowsky (N. J. Pharm. 46, 397), who announced the
presence in them of two alkaloids, Oleandrine and Pseudocu-
rarine. Schmiedeberg (1883), who considers oleandrine to bea
glucoside, found in the leaves two other glucosides, Nertine and
oe: he considers neriine to be identical with digitaleine.
. EB. Pieszezek (Archiv. d. Pharm. (3), xxviii., 352, 1890,)
Ghisinea from the bark a glucoside having the composition
62-324 per cent. Carbon, 8°066 per cent. Hydrogen, and
-29°610 per cent. Oxygen, which he found to be very poison-
ous, having an action similar to that of strychnine: 4 cgr.
proved fatal to a rabbit in three-quarters of an hour. He has
named this glucoside Rosaginine from Cortew Rosaginis, the
German name for oleander bark. M. Picszczek also obtained
from the bark the neriine of Schmiedeberg, the composition of
z which he found to be 54°252 per cent. Carbon, 7°570 per cent.
, and 38°178 per cent. Oxygen. If a portion of
neriine is dissolved in strong sulphuric acid, and the vapour of
) 6 colour i is produced. The bark ten ohne fen Sade
is made to pass over the mixture, a splendid riolet- “8
“402 APOCYNACE®:.
‘an essential oil of disagreeable odour, and acrystalline body, the
“aqueous solution of which has a fine blue fluorescence, especially
after the addition of an alkali. This latter substance was only
found in old bark.
~ Toxicology:—Chevers (Med. Juris. for India) vefers to the
toxicology of the drug at length, and states on the authority
‘of Honigberger that the reot of the hill plant is more ‘toxic
‘than that grown in gardens ; he remarks that it is proverbial
among females of the hills, when quarrelling, to bid each other
go and eat the root of the Kaner. Ainslie also refers to its
‘use by Hindu women when tormented by jealousy, and
“Broughton says that it is well known and extensively used in
‘the Bombay Presidency as a poison, the juice from the red
‘variety being considered the strongest and most fatal. — It is
‘also stated to be much used as a poison in the Umballa dis-
‘trict, the reot sometimes being given in coffee. Dr. Cleghorn
(1868) records the history of two male adults who were found
_ dead in the house of a prostitute. The woman confessed that
‘she had given them the powdered root of Kurrubee in milk as
acure for gonorrhea, from which they were suffering, the root
‘being a popular remedy for venereal and skin diseases. Soon
after taking the mixture, the men became sick, vomited, and
complained of pain in the abdomen, writhed about the floor,
and latterly became sleepy. On post-mortem examination the
following points were noted:—
Bra in—In one case engorgement of venous sinuses : casio
_- sanguinea abundant: otherwisé apparently normal. In the
se other case the brain is reported as apparently healthy.
+ Heart,—In one case vessels on exterior surface congested ,
os eight ventricle distended with dark fluid blood; valves, &c.,
healthy. In the other case, two ounces of serum were found
. a PN ke sa both ener were filled with fluid
yikes he
eH
" Tnnge—In one cain no information ciemnians in. the sacse!
sl igealaitele one ase Pe uf ctenindevens postorion
‘aurface of geet curvature well defined spot of coma
|‘ APOCYNACEA. 403.
on posterior surface of cardiac end: a similar patch near,
pyloric orifice: contents grumons, fluid. In the other ease, well.
marked spots of congestion on the anterior and posterior
stellate congestion: contents grumous, fluid,
Liver.—In one case large vessels congested, otherwise otinanla
in the other case, enlarged :. large - veins. filled with blood.
Spleen.—In both cases-enlarged: probably by malarious fever.
_ Intestin es.—In one case mucous-coat of small gut throughout
-a dark colour: large veins distinct. Large patch of
congestion on upper part of mucous surface of duodenum,
‘Surface velvetty : spots of congestion scattered through j jejunum
and ileum : villi well marked in upper part of jejunum: large
spots. of congestion in inguinal flexure. In the other case, the
els were reported as normal, except that in parts the vessels.
rere congested. fe
Kidneys.—Intensely congested in. one ae eee in
he other..
e
Asophagus.—In one case eee with dark-coloured : :
mucus; in the other the upper part of fauces covered Wit th s
Saison: examination of the viscera was made. i 1843,
case of fatal poisoning by the root was sent to the Chemical
iner, Bengal, by Dr. Greig, in which the bark had been,
from the roots of a plant in the doctor’s own garden,
to.a powder, and. then administered mixed with vil, It
red that at least two or three ounces of the bark had
About 14 hour after the poison had been taken,-
potont ‘was apparently senseless and unable to answer
ions: the: pulse was. preternaturally slow and soft but
with an inclination to stop:.a considerable amount of,
404- APOCYNACEZ,
ably; but relapsed into: insensibility some hours afterwards.
The: patient appears to have recovered from all urgent symp-
toms,-but to have died suddenly on the following day after
making some exertion. On post-mortem examination 5 hours
after death, the cavities of the heart were filled with black fluid
blood. The lungs. were natural. The stomach contained a
quantity of dark yellowish fluid, and on its internal surface,
near the cardiac and pyloric orifices posteriorly were found
small patches studded with red points, and one or two slight
abrasions of the mucous membrane. The liver appeared some-
what distended, and the intestines and spleen are reported
natural, . :
Mr. Broughton (Trans. By. Med. § Phys. Soc, for 1857-58,
p. 4,) reports a case in which a slight and delicate male drank
a little more than an ounce of the expressed juice, walked five
yards and fell senseless. When seen in the morning, the face
and eyes were flushed, head hot and perspiring, with sterto-
rous breathing and foaming at the mouth, accompanied by
violent spasmodic contractions of the muscles of the entire
body: more remarkable in the upper than lower extremities,
and on the left than right side. During intervals of spasm,
the patient lay evenly upon his back, when an attack occurred,., .
the superior contractions of the left side threw him over on
his right, in which position he remained during the paroxysm.
Insensibility continued, and the spasms returned at intervals
of an hour, and were induced by attempts to rouse or move the
patient: the bowels were moved involuntarily. Towards even-
ing the spasms decreased, the face became pale, the pulse a
thread, the eyes shrunk and the extremities cold: stimulants
restored the circulation, but insensibility continued, and the
bowels were moved involuntarily. In the evening reaction set
in, the skin became hot, the pulse frequent; there was no
spasms but insensibility was still complete. On the morning
of the following day the patient was restored to speech and
reason, 4 ae Fi ea 4 een ny e *
* The following case was treated in the Medical College
_ Hospital, -Caleutta, and reported in the Ind. Med. Gazette,
\. APOCYNACE®. Pee
September, 1866. A male adult was brought to ‘hospital iv.
an apparently unconscious ‘state, the trunk and limbs being
rigid, and the jaw spasmodically closed, the pulse very. feeble,
and exceedingly slow, about 30. The history was to the
effect that 5 hours previously more than } tola (45 grains)
of the fresh root bark of Sheth Kurrubee (white oleander)
rubbed up with black pepper had been taken. Within half
an hour the patient began to feel giddy and very heavy, and
was obliged to lie down: this was shortly followed by a gene-
ral uneasy sensation and considerable restlessness. Soon.
afterwards fits occurred, in which the trunk and limbs were,
rigid and contracted, the hands clenched and ‘thumbs flexed
inwards on the palms. Profuse perspiration and a sensation
of constriction round the chest also accompanied each
_ paroxysm. In hospital the patient had no regular paroxysm,
but constant museular twitchings were observed all
over the body, and continued for four or five hours after
: admission. The rigidity of the muscles gradually wore off, and
on the morning after admission the patient declared himself
quite easy save for a slight heaviness about the head. The
patient stated that he had never lost consciousness, and that his
mind had been quite clear. Babu K. H. Acharjee (Ind. Med.
Gaz., 1866,) reports the case of a boy, to- whom the powdered
root had been administered for intermittent fever. In three
or four hours he was attacked with tetanus, and was found
free from fever, quite sensible, the jaws spasmodically closed,
d the muscles of the body rigid and-contracted. The pa-
tient recovered. Babu D. Mookerjia draws attention to the
tetanic symptoms which may occur in oleander. poisoning, as
evidence that the action of the poison resembles that of strych-
and he remarks, in the case last mentioned, that all the
symptoms (as in strychnia poisoning) were developed
ad the museles of the jaw were likewise the la
1d: when the symptoms began to subside, they did
. He‘also adds—the marked difference between the Se
oleander and-nux-vomica poisoning consists in |
of the pulse. In one ae rent
at
~
Sb Least Phe te
4
|
|
=
406 APOCY NACE,
unaffected, becoming slightly quickened only during a fit; but
in oleander poisoning its preteanipre! slowness is a marked
feature.
In Madras oleander pounded with Pingel oil is a favourite
poison with suicides. ‘The Madras Chemical Examiner’s Re-
port for 1882-83, mentions three cases ; for 1883, two cases ; for
1885, one case. They were all suicides, the root was detected
by its physical characters in the vomited matters.
_ In the whole of India, during the fifteen years ending 1888,
the reports of the Chemical Examiners record 29 detections of
oleander,—namely, Bengal, 2; N.-W. Provinces, 2; Madras,
11; Bombay, 14. Two of the detections in Bombay were in
connection with cattle poisoning.
THEVETIA NERIIFOLIA, Juss.
Fig.—Bot. Mag. 2309; Lyon, Med. Juris. for weraas
p- 298. Exile or Yellow Oleander (Zng.).
Hab.— West Indies. Cultivated in India. The bark.
Vernacular.—Pila-kanér (Hind., Guz.), Kolkaphul (Beng.),
Pachchaialari, Tiruvachchippu (Tam.), Pachcha-gannéru (7'el.),
Pachcha-arali (Mal.), Pivala-kanér (Mar.).
History, Uses, &c.—‘his plant is commonly cultivated
in India as an ornamental garden shrub.
Descourtila, i in his Flora of the Antilles, speaks of T. neriifolia
as an acrid poison, of the bark as a drastic purgative, of the
fruit as emétic, and of an extract of the plant as a remedy
for intermittent fever. He describes the case of a young
negro who had eaten of the green fruit, and who was affected
with chills, delirium, and other nervous symptoms, nausea, and
a thready pulse; he had irregular spasms, followed by extreme
agitation, with singing, laughing, and weeping, and then by
- a fixed blank look. He seemed tending to coma, but was
aeheree by an emetic. .
’ The antiperiodic properties of the bork have been confirmed
we} Dr. G. Bidie: (Madras Quart.. Med. poms Vv», Pp, ier
Dr. J. Shortt (Ibid., -viii.,; ps 294), Epes
APOCYNACEA. 407
“Their. trials with it in various forms of remittent fever
proved highly satisfactory, and leave: little doubt that it is a
‘remedy of considerable power. It was.employed in the form of
‘tincture (one ounce of the freshly-dried bark macerated for
eight days in 5 ounces of rectified spirit) in doses of from 10
‘to 15 drops thrice daily. In larger doses (30 to 60 drops), it
‘acts as an acrid purgative and emetic, and carried to a greater
extent is evidently powerfully poisonous, The kernels are
‘extremely bitter, and when chewed produce a slight feeling of —
numbness and heat in the tongue; by expression they yielda —
clear, pale amber-coloured, slightly viscid, acrid oil, which is
‘sometimes recommended as a cathartic by the natives, but,
‘according to Dr. Shortt, it produces vivlent vomiting and
‘hypercatharsis. (Pharm. of India, p. 188.) This, however, is
‘contrary to our experience; the oil when pure is as inert as
‘olive oil.
- Dr. A. J. Amadeo of Porto Rico states that two- grains of
‘the extract of the bark, given in the apyrexia of intermittent
fever, prevent the access of the paroxysm, and that the natives
employ the bark in infusion for the cure of ague. ee
April, 1888.)
‘The active principles of the Sait? Thevetin and Thevenviin
have been thoroughly tested in experiments on animals by
as and by T. Husemann (Archiv fiir exp. Pathol. u. Phar., Vv
228). The former has upon frogs the same effects as digi-
Voluntary motion is not
y , although riety is ieapeired:i in the hindlegs. The
, essentially, were produced by theveresin in the
0°05... Experiments upon dogs and rabbits led
siren peer: a abenng: spe bein i :
408 APOCYNACE.
and profuse salivation, with extreme prostration, so that the
animal lies still and will not change his posture except during ~
the efforts at vomiting. The cerebral functions seem to be
‘impaired, at least at the beginning of the attack ; later, when
exhaustion has become complete, the animal remains motion-
less, as if narcotized. The breathing is laboured, but the
‘pupils are unchanged, and muscular tremor is constant,
although spasms are either absent or only oceur just before
death. As above stated,in animals killed by these poisons the
ventricle is contracted, yet in exceptional cases it is found
dilated with dark blood. The vomiting produced by thevetin
is doubtless due in part to its irritant qualities, for when it is
injected hypodermically the punctures are apt to produce
sabscesses. The venous congestion of the stomach, which gives
the interior of the organ a blue colour, is partly due to the
cardiac obstruction and partly to the repeated efforts at,
‘vomiting. According to Prof. Carpio (Phila. Med. Times, ix.
396), the thevetin of Thevetia Yecotls produces symptoms
almost identical with those above described, and kills by
arresting the heart either in diastole or in systole The experi-
ments of Cerna (Ibid., p. 426,) led him tothe following among
other conclusions: Thevetin produces death by asphyxia and
by cardiac paralysis; applied to the skin, i irritates, with a sen-
sation of burning; it produces convulsions of cerebral and
paralysis of spinal origin ; increases intestinal paralysis; lowers
the temperature ; locally applied, it contracts the pupil; and
it imereases salivation. Warden has confirmed the statement
as to the production of convulsions. (Amer. Jour. Phar.,
liv. 301 *),,
Description.—The fresh bark of the young wood, of
Sebi 4 to 1 inch in diameter, is green, smooth, and covered by
a thin grey epidermis, through which thegreen colour is appa-
rent’; it turns black when dry.. The bark from the larger
stems has a brown suberous -ceating; the wood is white oe
soft, with a large central pith. All parts of the plant yield an |
abundance of acrid milky juice, The fruit.is — sigaape
" es l4 to.2. ert diameter, and coptains a - dd
eg
APOCYNAOEA. 409
nut, light brown in colour, and triangular, with a deep groove
along the edge corresponding to the base of the triangle; each
nut contains two pale yellow, slightly winged seeds. The seeds
and the inner layer of the bark give, when boiled with hydro-
chloric acid, a deep blue or bluish-green colour.
Chemical composition.—De Vrij has obtained from the ker=-
nels of the seeds from 35°5 to 41 per cent. by expression and
57 per cent. with benzol ofa limpid almost colourless oil.
The oil had an agreeable mild taste like that of fresh almond
oil; its density: at 25° C. was 0°9148, and at that temperature
it was perfectly liquid and transparent, at 15° C. it became
_ pasty, and at 13° C. entirely solid. Oudemans found it to con-
sist of 63 per cent. triolein and 27 per cent. tripalmitin and
tristearin. After expression of the oil De Vrij obtained from
_the cake about 4 per cent. of a beautiful crystallised white
_ glucoside, to which he gave the name of Thevetin. A solution
f
10 cubic centimetres yielded in the polarimeter a levogyre
nr With concentrated sulphuric acid thevetin
‘lds a clear, dark yellow liquid, which by exposure to the air
ssumes after a few minutes a beautiful purple colour. This
colour disappears after some time under separation of a floceu~
lent matter. Nitric acid yields no reaction with thevetin at
the ordinary temperature. De Vrij has also found thevetin
in the bark of the shrub. (Fora further account of thevetin
_ theveresin, see a paper by Dr. Blas in the Transactions of
, Académie des Sciences de Belgique (3) 2, No. 9—.)
arden has described a principle contained in the seeds which
led pseudo-indican, and which affords a blue coloration
| hydrochloric acid: -he points out that this reaction might
tilized in toxicological investigations. (Pharm. Journ., Nov.
-) In another communication to the same journal, he.
s to the presence of a second toxic principle in the —
which he considers to pomens meats N toxic DOM
' 410 APOCYNACEZ.
ascribes théir toxic properties to the bland oil. Dr. Dumontier
has published an account of the death of a child three years of i
age after eating one seed. An interesting case of poisoning by
one of the seeds is recorded by Dr. J. Balfour (Madras Journ.
of Lit. and Science, iii., N. Ser., p. 140). Recovery ensued.
Dr, Lyon (Med. Juris., p. 299) mentions a case in which eight
to ten seeds proved fatal to an adult female: he remarks that
cases of poisoning in the human’subject are seldom met with
in India, but of late years the seeds have come into somewhat
extensive use in the Bombay Presidency as a cattle poison,
nine cases of this kind having been reported in the Bombay.
Chemical Analyser’s Office during the year 1886. In Bengal
four other cases are on record, but the particulars of one
only are given, in which a woman attempted to commit
suicide. =
CERBERA ODOLLAM, Gértn.
Fig.— Wight. Ic., t. 441; Lyon’s Med. Juris. for India,
p. 300,
- Hab.—Swamps and creeks on the coasts of India and
Ceylon; Sunderbuns. The seeds.
Vernacular.—Odallam (Mal.), Katarali (Tam.), sneee
(Can.), Sukanu (Mar.), Dabér, Dhakur (Beng.). ig
. History, Uses, &c.—This is a handsome tree, very -
plentiful along the backwaters of the western coast. Emetic
‘and purgative properties are assigned to the milky juice, bark
a ‘and leaves, and the action is very similar to that of Thevetia
et neriifolia. The kernel of the seeds is frequently resorted to
_ in-eriminal poisoning in the Madras Presidency, and in the —
native states of Travancore and Cochin. The fruit combined
he _with datura is a part of the remedy given by native physicians —
heb hydrophobia. ‘The bark-affords a fibre. The sceds yield
oe _ 85:5 per cent. of a bland fixed oil, of a pale yellow colour, wh
is. used for burning and for anointing the head; it conta
no poisonous: PROpRaRy: if. obtained “ae pear
of petroleum ether. _ : ;
APOCYNACEM. 411
- Description.—tThe ripe carpel is ovoid, 2 to 4. inches
long, somewhat resembling a green mango, fibrous and woody
within, and contains a. single broad, compressed, white seed,
consisting of two irregularly attached oily cotyledons.
Chemical composition.—Dr. de Vrij has separated from the
Kernels a crystalline poisonous glucoside, probably the same
as thevetin, and an alcoholic extract of the seeds when treated
‘with hydrochloric acid gives a blue or —— -green colour as
exhibited by Thevetia.
"~ Professor Plugge, of Groningen, has made an investigation
of the seeds with the following preliminary results. 25 grams
: of the powder, partially separated from oil. by expression,
“were entirely freed from oil by extraction with benzol, and
4 the remaining powder afterwards extracted with alcohol.
From this aeeaile solution it was impossible to obtain any
stalline body, although the solution contained a very poi-
nous principle. The alcohol was evaporated, and the result-
ing syrup was dissolved in a few c.c.of water. With this
‘Solution subcutaneous injections were made on frogs, and it —
was found that 0°5, 0° 2, 0°1, and even 0°05 e. c. caused’ death :
in from five minutes to one hodns The symptoms arechiefly— __
) stoppage of the respiration, or in smaller doses, irregularity
of the respiration ; (2) violent and repeated vomiting ; ; (3) gene-
al paralysis ; and (4) finally stopping of the heart in contrac-
n (systole). It seems that the poisonous principle of
Jerbera seeds is not only a strong poison of the heart, that,
e digitalin, stops the heart. in systole, but also has a very
marked action on the respiration. The watery solution of
erin (?) was not precipitated by alkaloid-reagents, with
exception of phosphomolybdic acid. e principle can
best separated from the watery solution of the alcoholic
ract, by first shaking it with petroleum saeatiors and then
the
414 APOCYNACE 24.
striated, aril red, fleshy. (FJ. Br. Ind.) All parts of the plant
abound in a milky juice, which has a bitter taste.
Chemical com position.—The fresh roots were extracted with
80 per cent. alcohol. From the alcoholic extract, in addition to
resins and extractives, a large amount of an alkaloidal principle
was isolated, soluble in ether, and giving marked precipitates
with alkalies, chromate of potash, and alkaloidal reagents, but
no special colour reactions were noted. The taste was bitter,
and the principle as deposited by spontaneous evaporation of
an ethereal solution, was in the form of a yellowish brittle
varnish.
RAUWOLFIA SERPENTINA, Benth.
Fig.—Wight Ic. t. 849; Bot. Mag. t. 784; Burm. Fl.
Zeyl., t. 64. Syn.—Ophtoxylon serpentinum. _ .
Hab,.—Throughont India. The root.
Vernacular.— Chota-chand (Hind.), Chandra (Beng.), Harkai
(Mar.), Patala-~gandhi (Tel.), Chuvanna-avilpori (Mal.), Covan-
namilpori (Tam.), Sutranabhi (Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—This shrub is mentioned im
Sanskrit works under the names of Sarpagandh& and
Chandrika. The Hindus use the root asa febrifuge, and as
an antidote to the bites of poisonous reptiles, also in dysentery
and other painful affections of the intestinal canal. By some it
is supposed to cause uterine contraction and promote the expul-
sion of the fostus. Ainslie gives the following account of it :—
Psjovanna amelpodi i is the name given, on the Malabar Coast
(Rheede, Mal. vi. 81, t. 47), to a plant, the bitter root of which
: supposed to have sovereign virtues in cases of snake-bites
and scorpion-stings ; » itis ordered in decoction, to the extent
ofa pint in twenty-four hours, and the powder is, applied,
-externally, to the injured part. The plant is the Radiz mustela
Os Rurmphius. (Amb. vii. ae t. 16.) The Javanese class. it
among | give it the name of lak.
|
APOCYNACEZ. 415
It may \be found noticéd both by Burman in his Thesaur.
_Geylan. &t. 64) and Garcia ab Horto; the latter recommends it
as stoma.chic ; Rumphius speaks of it as an antidote to poisons ;
and Boyaitius, in his Hist. Mat. Med. Ind., tell us that it cures
Search. iv., p. 308,) thinks it possible that this plant may
perhaps be the true ichneumon plant. In the Pharmacopeia of
Tndia its use in labours to increase uterine contractions is
noticed upon the authority of Dr. Palney Andy, but we have no
other evidence of its efficacy in such cases. In Bombay most of
the labourers who come from the Concan keep a small supply
_ of the root, which they value as a remedy in painful affections
¥ the bowels. Inthe Concan the root with Aristolochia indica
(Sépsan) is given in cholera; in colic 1 part of the root with 2
parts of Holarrhena root and 8 parts of Jatropha Curcas root is
given i in milk ; in fever the root with Andrographis paniculata,
ginger and bhick salt is used. The dose of the combined
drugs in each case is from 3 to 4 tolas.
Description.—Root crooked, tapering, from 4 an inch
1 diameter downwards ; bark soft, corky, marked by longi-
inal fissures, light brown ; wood brittle, showing rings and
‘medullary rays visible to the naked eye ; taste very bitter ;
sdour of the fresh root acrid. The suber upon transverse
ion presents when magnified the appearance of a piece of
neycomb, viz., alternate rows of long tubular cells and
pressed cells ; the inner portion of the bark consists of
elicate Scccchyns, loaded with starch, and traversed
istinct medullary rays. The wood is remarkably
: compotion —Tho roots examined by us reduced
lost Aled per cent. when dried 100°. C. .
416 APOCYNACEM,
a trace of manganese, On analysis the following res
obtained :—
Petroleum ether extract, -64 per cent.
ther 46
3? 3
Alcoholie * SOS0. potas
Aqueous 2 11°38
The petroleum ether extract was oily, yellow, and pop
an odour like that of a mixture of cedar and musk, On f
ing arborescent crystals separated; in alcohol the
was partly soluble with acid reaction; the insoluble ‘re
was oily and contained a trace of a wax. The extract affor
ed marked indications of the presence of an alkaloi
principle.
33 32
The ether extract was hard and had the same odour
petroleum ether extract, but in a less marked degree. Tt
ed with water a sightly bitter solution was obtained,
The alcoholic extract was brittle, volomae bes
intensely bitter. A solution in alcohol exhibited a very ©
greenish fluorescence. In cold water the extract was
soluble, with slight fluorescence, and very bitter: |
gave no colour reaction. The alcoholic peta:
with dilute sulphuric acid and the turbid aci
ed with chloroform: after separation of the
liquid was rendered alkaline with ammonia,
first with chloroform ether, and finally with amy
The three extracts exhibited fluorescence when disso
alcohol, but the appearance was most marked in that <
by chloroform acting on the acid solution. The chi
extract — a yellowish granular mass on
which was non- 1e: in taste the extract
it.
APOCYNACEA. | 417°
bitter, but the bitter taste was associated with some astrin-
gency ; ib was wholly soluble in dilute sulphuric acid, and
afforded marked indications of the presence of an alkaloid.
The amylic alcohol extract was of a dark colour, and wholly
soluble in dilute sulphuric acid, and very bitter: it also gave
marked alkaloidal reactions. With sulphuric acid, none of the
extracts afforded crystalline salts,
The aqueous extract had a bitter taste; it reduced an
alkaline copper solution on boiling: with ferrocyanide of
potassium and acetic acid a faint turbidity was produced. The
residue insoluble in water contained a large amount of starch.
At present we do not offer any opinion as to whether the
alkaloidal principles we have referred to in the various extracts
are identical or not: we are also at present unable to state
whether these alkaloids are new or merely principles which
have already been described as occurring in other plants of the
“same natural order. An analysis of the root of Ophioxylon
serpenlinum by W. Bettink has been published in Haaxman’s
Tijdschrift (Jan. 1888), where no alkaloid is reported to have
been found, but a crystalline body related to juglone. We _
feel convinced that the drug examined by Bettink was not
authenticated. Prof. Hykman has recorded the discovery of
an alkaloid in an Indian species of Ophiowylon, and later still
(1890), M. Greshoff has found an alkaloid giving a veratrine
reaction with Frohde’s reagent, thus substantiating our
analysis. It is probable that as the root resembles Plumbago
root, Prof. Bettink’s ophioxylin was only plumbagin..
ALLAMANDA CATHARTICA, Linn.’
Fig.— Bot. Mag., t. 338. Syn.—A. Aubletii, Rohl.
Hab.— ‘wineglassful is administered four
or. five ‘times a day, together with refreshing and mucilagi-
nous drinks, and the uso of tepid baths. The action
of the drug is at first purgative, afterwards diuretic. An
extract of the bark may be used beginning with 3—4 grains
daily to be gradually increased to‘ 14 or 15 grains, or a
wine (1 oz. to 1 litre) may be given in liqueur glassfuls
three times a day; The decoction of the bark is a olan
antiherpetic.
* Ohemical sbinjposDioninThe! inllky.5 juice collected by fe Vrij
and evaporated to dryness at 100°, was found to yield 80:5 per
cent. of residue, consisting chiefly of an organic calcium salt, a
kind of caoutchouc, and resins. To isolate the calcium salt
A. C. OQudemans exhausted the substance with petroleume -
naphtha, and treated the residue with dilute acetic acid, which
dissolved ‘the salt, while parts of ‘the plaut and a humus-like
mass remained behind. On concentrating the solution, cal-
cium salts of different forms separate out, all, esetsah con-
See the same acid, Plumieric, C! °H1°0°,
-'The'free acid is obtained by-converting the waliiaa dale inte
potassium plumierate, eee the latter with sulphuric
acid, and extracting the solution with etlier. It is readily
soluble in alcohol and freely but slowly.in ether. In cold
water it dissolves: but very sparingly, and from’a hot solution: it
separates in microscopic crystals, or on slow evaporation. in -
indistinct erusts.. Itmelts at 139°, and. decomposes at a
temperature a few | degrees higher, giving off first. water and
acetic acid, then an oily distillate having the odour of cinna-
_anie aldehyde, while a small quantity of a crystalline ‘substance sa
sublimes. When the oil is oxidised, a crystalline . ei ae iS
APOCYNACEH. 498
_ formed. On melting plumieric acid with potash, an acid is
formed, giving the characteristic reactions of salicylic acid.
« Plumieric acid is most probably a methoxyl- hydroxycinna -
mic ‘acid (C°H*(OH)?(CH20H)(COOH), and forms four series
‘of salts, according as only the carboxylic hydrogen, or in addi-
‘tion one or more of the three hydroxylic hydrogens, is replaced
7a metal, when plumieric acid is oxidised by a dilute solution of
vic acid, it is redissolved into formic acid (or carbon dioxide)
the acid C9H°04, which isvery sparingly soluble in water ;
silver salt, C°H° Ag°0%; jet from a warm ——
fibrous crystals.
Vhen plumieric acid is uit with water and sodium amal-
hydroplumieric acid, C'°H'20*, which on evaporation of
s ethereal solution, separates'as'a varnish, becoming crystal-
wensine: and freely soluble 4 in eaters ; A Make: Dict. is
. bh
e aed taken was about a square inch; this
r colic. The symptoms were seat he
de
(Bombay. Drugs, Pp 210,). states that the blunt ended
i ches are used to procure abortion. We are not in a posi-
5 A sont whether plumieric. acid is the. active emotes
rpus. Eieioaneaa: Pei Wight fds $i 4804
chotomously divided or ‘S-floweretl-
, the corolla, we abner ee obbase come
Hi
ea
if
4 R. Kirtikar (Trans, Bombad: Med, adil
's action, and somewhat dilated pupils. S.
12,f.1, is an extensive climber. ' Leaves very
»
ron & water bath, it combines slowly with hydrogen to ~
424, APOCY NACE.
purplish, twice as long as the calyx, lobes twice as long as the
tube, falcate, acuminate, mouth and margins spar ingly bearded.
Dise-glands, 5, erect, slender, capitate, much longer than the
hairy ovary. Style very short. Follicles 8 to 6 by 4 inch,
very, slender,, cylindrie, curved, acute, Seeds 4 inch, very
slender, not beaked ; coma scanty, white. (Fl. Br. Ind.) The
--plantis described by Roxburgh(As. Res. 1,261) under its native
name of Syama or Syamalata ; it isa native of the Western
Himalaya, Upper Gangetic Plain, Bengal, the Deccan Peninsula
and the Southern Concan. In the Northern Concan and Guzerat
it appears to be unknown. In Hindustan and Bengal. it
is known as Syamalata, “black- -creeper,’’ and in the Deccan
Peninsula as en the Canarese name is Kari-
umbu, “ black-creeper.”
The roots-are somewhat similar-in appearance to thidiess of
‘Hemidesmus;. but’ have ‘ not the same’ coumarin odour. ~The
bark is of adark brown colour, and adheres closely to the wood,
mepich 3 is aauch, sheen and differs in structure from that of
avinga large central pith. The roots are seldom 25
branched, but ste and there a few fine fibres are. given off;
they.are almost tasteless. For the properties and uses of this
‘plant; the reader is referred to. Hemidesmus.
‘Chemical composition.—The root contains a pacittchode lens
‘substance soluble in benzol, and a soft, brown, tenacious © resin
soluble in ether. Treated with alcohol the powdered root
‘affords about 10 per cent: of dry extract, containing red colour-
ing matter, tannic acid, and a small quantity of coumarin.
The tannic acid strikes a green colour with ferric chloride, and
if to this green mixture a drop of soda solution is added, a
bright. blue zoneis seen to’surround the red coloured Spot
formed by the alkali. This reaction is peculiar’ to’ cincho-
‘tannic acid, , No alkaloidal body could be detected i in this drug.
Vinca pusilla is the Kupa-veela of Rheede (Hort, Mal,
ix. 38);-who states that the sang boiled in oil is rubbed on
the Joins i in lumbago.
ASOLEPIADE. 425
ASCLEPIADE.
-* CRYPTOSTEGIA GRANDIFLORA, B;.
) Big.—Bot. Keg, t. 435, Wight Ic., ¢. 882, and Thssitesite
182, f. 9; Retchb. Ic. Fxot., t. 132.
| ~ Hab.—Africa or Madagascar. It is cultivated and has
run wild in various parts of India,
‘ Vernacular.—Viliyati-vakhandi (Mar.), Palai (Mal, 3
. - History, Uses, &c.—This ornamental climbing shrub.
has been named Vilayati-vdkhandé, “ foreign Vakhandi,” by the
_ Marathas from the resemblance of its foliage to that of
Gymnema sylvestre (V&khandi).
_* Tt has attracted attention on account of a caoutchouc pre-
se fared from its milky juice at the botanic garden, Hyderabad,
Sind; in 1882. (See Watts’ Dict. Beon. Prod. of India ii., p.
625). We notice the plant as a case of poisoning by its leaves
has been reported in the Bombay Chemical Analyser’s Report
for 1877-78. Inthis case the pounded leaves mixed with water
fre said to have been swallowed. Persistent vomiting came
on half-an-hour afterwards, and the patient—a male adult—
died in fifteen hours, apparently from exhaustion. There was
ho purging, and no head symptoms were present.
Description _—An extensive climbing shrub, leaves 3—
4 by 1} to 2 in., coriaceous, glossy above, nerves many, spread-
ing, arched, faint, base acute; petiole } to § in.; cymes short,
reading, peduncles and branches stout, Nears or glabrous ;
acts caducous; corolla pale pinkish purple, tube and throat
. long, limb often 2 in, diam., lobes acute ; follicles 4—5
J hi in., broadest near the base, straight, woody ; seeds
cigar © haope narrowed een coma |
426 ASCLEPIADEA.
Chemical composition.—The leaves contain a caoutchonc-like
body (described by Warren—See Watt’s Dict, Econ. Prod.
Vol. ii., p. 625,) and aftord 14:5 per cent. of ash. The aqueous
solution of an alcoholic extract is coloured green with ferric
chloride, precipitated yellow with plumbic acetate and strong
alkalies, and is unaffected by tannin, alkaloidal reagents and
gelatine. Evaporated portions were crystalline, and dissolved
with evolution of gas in strong sulphuric acid with an orange —
colour, turning brown when heated. The solution when satu-
rated with ether and allowed to stand with an excess ofthe
ether, threw out a number of ‘crystals on the sides of the
vessel. These crystals appeared white in the presence. of the
mother liquor, but when removed by filtration and washed,
they had a slight yellow tinge. They were soluble in alcohol,
but mieiruiatys so in ether and water, and insoluble in benzol and
chloroform. Alkalies and lime and baryta water dissolved them
with a yellow colour, and a soluble compound was -formed
with magnesia. . No colour was given, with ferric salts. unless
the substance was previously neutralized, and then a green
solution was produced. ‘The crystals dissolved with a yellow
colour in sulphuric acid discharged on. dilution with water,
and.in nitric acid with a transient red brown colour. | The
crystals. were acid in reaction and blackened steel when left
in. contact with it; they melted at 168°C. The mother liquor
turned. green ee precipitated with ammonia, and showed
evidence of a large amount of glucose by readily reducing
Fehling’s solution.
~The leaves were powdered and given to aainiale to test their
alleged poisonous properties. 5 to 10 grain doses were given to
several ‘chickens, 2 grams was given to a dog, and 5 grams,
representing 20 leaves, was given toa fowl, with no results
whatever in eithercase. ‘The inspissated aqueous extract from
20 grams of the leaves was administered to a guinea pig with-
out affecting its health. We wust therefore conclude that the
leaves are not poisonous, ‘and could not have been the causé’of
the persistent Cnt. in’ ‘the case ae by the Bom ‘ay
Chemical Analyser,
ASCLEPIADEX: 427
ASCLEPIAS CURASSAVICA, Linn.
: Fig. -— Bot. ‘Reg. oh 8b Bastard Ipecacuanha (Hng.) :
Asclepiade de Curagao (F’r.).
“Hab.—West Indies. Introduced into ‘tadis,
f Vernacular —Karkj (Mar. ); Kakatundi (Hind.).
» History, Uses; &c.—This perennial herb is indiges
nous to South America and the West Indies, where, in common
with several other species of Asclepias, it is known as Milk-
weed, Silkweed or Wild Cotton. All of these plants have
properties: ‘similar to Calotropis. The root of A. curassavica
is employed in the West Indies as an emetic, and the milky
jaice which, when dry, forms a tough adhesive pellicle, is:
used to close wounds and excoriations of the skin. In Mar-
tinique the plant’is called Ipecacuanha blanc, and in Guada-
loupe: Herbe & Madame Boivin, and the root is used in the
same doses as Ipecacuanha. Introduced into India as a
garden plant it has now run wild in many places, but, as gl
as we know, is not used medicinally by the natives.
Dr. Guimaraés (Times and Gazette, 1831, p. 661,) found it
to act directly upon the organic muscular system, and espe~
cially upon the heart and blood vessels, causing great cons
Striction of the latter and distension of the larger arteries.
Secondarily it Segre great dyspnea, peered aon
latrhoea.
Description. Sic, ete short, abruptly Sieidind fobs
numerous thin, pale yellowish-brown, and internally whitish
rootlets. The bark is thin, and when fresh exudes a milky
_ Juice; taste bitter and somewhat acrid. _ A section of the root,
bark placed under the microscope shows from without in-
wards—tst, a suberous layer ; 2nd, several rows of large cells
containing conglomerate raphides, with starch and gravular
matter ; 3rd, a vascular zone, two or three large dotted vessels be
being | sitnated at the cambiam end of each ere 7 Aa.
where it projects into the, bark. alae
428 ASOLEPIADEE.
- The, -plant may be easily’ recognised’ by its oleander-like
leaves, and red and orange flowers in eign bunches. in
follicles are like radish pods.
Chemical composition.—Dr. Gram (Archiv. f. eap. Path. ts
Pharm. xix., 384,) has found the plant to contain an active
principle of a glucosidal character, which. he has named as¢ele-
piadin, and appears to consider a purer form of the ascle-
piadin of Harnack and the asclepin of Feneulle. ‘This
substance was yellowish, amorphous, and when freshly pre-
pared very soluble in. water; but either. in solution or in a
dry state it quickly decomposed, sugar being separated,’ and
the residual compound becoming in proportion insoluble im
water and inert.. From an ethereal solution. crystals gradually
separated out, apparently identical with List’s NN an
7 inactive physiologically.
The physiological action of the siniclversi asclepiadin was
fiana to closely resemble that of emetin, but in view of thé
instability of the compound, Dr. Gram doubts whether it can
be advantageously introduced into medicine.
Asclepione, €4#°H5*0°, was discovered by C. List in the
milk sap of Asclepias syriaca. (Gmelin Handb. 17,868.)
Feneulle separated a resinous substance and a bitter principle
(asclepin) from Asclepias Vincetowicum. (J. Pharm. 11, 305.)
CALOTROPIS GIGANTEA, B. Br.
’ Fig.—Wight Ill, t. 155; Grif. Ic. Pl. Asi, t. 397, 998
Gigantic Swallowwort (Eng.), Arbre a soie (Fr.).
1a -—Throughout India, Malay Islands, S. China, ah
-CALOTROPIS PROCERA, 8. Br...
ea Sawai Ie., t. 1278; Bentl. and Prim. 1.176
b.—
: Mies ME hen pil Pie Ate Persia to. Africa,
_Vernacular,—Ak, Madér (Hind. ), Akenda (Be -
(Mar.), Erukka, Yeream (Tam.), Jilledu-chetin, re :
(Tel.), Akado (Guz.), hae Yakke-gida (Gan.) as
che aie?
ASCLERIADE XE. 499,
: » History, Uses, &c. —Calotropis is mentioned by the
wistbost Hindu writers, the leaves, ar kapattra, arkaparna,
“sun leaf” or “lightning leaf,” so called from their cuneiform
shape, were used in Vedic times in Sun- worship. According
_ to the Shatapatha Bréhmana every part of the human fornt
was supposed to be represented in the different parts of the
plant, nevertheless it would appear to have been dreaded
(Panchatantra i. 57), and was supposed to blind those who
approached it. (Mahabhérata i. 716.) These myths appear to
have arisen from the Hindus attributing to the plant the pro-
_ perties possessed by lightning aad the sun’s rays. (De Guber-
- ts.) As a medicine Calotropis is noticed by Susruta and
_ other medical writers, some of whom mention two varieties,
arka, and alarka, “*a white-flowered kind.” Calotropis bears
many synonyms in Sanskrit, such as Rudra, Aditya, Surya-
patira and Mandira, from the last of which i is derived the
mernsoutar form Madar,
dn Western India, and probably elsewhere, there i is a curious
Dadetisitins that a leaf of the Akra (Arka) fetched from the
tree with certain ceremonies is of use in tedious labour. The
friends of the woman take a packet of betelnut and leaf anda
Piece of money, and proceed to the plant, which they address
in the most respectful manner, placing the betel packet at its
root and asking for the loan of one of its leaves, which they
promise to return shortly, They then take away a leaf and
place it upon the head of the parturient woman, where it re-
mains for a short time, and is afterwards returned to the plant.
This practice appears to be connected with the worship of the
oa i or winds, demigods subject to Rudra, to whom these
Plants are sacred. ~The Maruts are “worshipped | on Saturday
with a garland of the flowers. The twigs are used as samidhas,
and the leaves are used by some in the shati puja to propitiate
the goddess of parturition. Calotropis is also the kul or Arbor
nade of the Bhand§ri caste, whose business iti is to tend
palm gardens and extract the j juice of the trees. Another
‘eesti general’ amongst all castes of Hindus is that a man
rho has. lost three wives must make his fourth —— with
Ree Meee eae?
Pewee eee tt
aN.
at ee eae”
TB ae tae Pettey gags ey eee rs San SATs 3
Piss SRS pom aig ht eee : Dice
4
4.30 ASCLEPIADEA.
the Arka tree, after which he may take a fourth human wife.
The object of this seems to be to transfer the man’s ill-luck to
the plant, The ancient Arab tribes appear to have held super-
stitious notions about Calotropis, probably connected, with
Sun-worship. C. procera was first described by Abu Hanifeh
circa 270 A.H.in his Book of Plants... From the Ké4musand the
T4j-el-aris we learn that Ushar was used by the Arabs in the
Time of Ignorance along with gl (salaa),in the practice called
@s'3 (tasliaa) which was observed in time of drought or barren-
ness of the earth. It.consisted in tying the dried plants to the
tails of wild bulls, setting fire to them, and driving the animals
down from the mountains, seeking to obtain rain by the flame
of fire, which was likened to the gleaming of lightning. The,
Salaa from. Abu Hanifeh’s description appears to have been,
a kind of Cuscuta. - According to the Burhan, »*¢ (ushr) is.a
Persian name for all plants having a milky juice, and especially
for the plant known in Hindustan as Ak. It would therefore
seem that-Ushar is not an Arabic word, as. generally stated, in
the Dictionaries, but of Arian origin, and perhaps connected
with the Sanskrit verb 3q to burn.. The wood is considered to
taake the best charcoal for the preparation of. gunpowder, and
Ushar silk @_»* is used to stuff cushions by the Arabs, and also
to make tinder (makhad), called by the Tartars y4lish, Ibn
Sina notices Ushar, and an exudation obtained from it called
Sakar-el-ushar ; he also mentions a superstitious notion that it is
fatal to sit under the tree. The author of the Minhdj describes
Sakar-el-ushar as a gum which exudes from the inflorescence
‘df fhe plant and gradually hardens. (Ho remarks that people
say that it is a dew which falls upon the plant and concretes
like manna.) Some medical writers confound it with Sakar-
el-tigh4l. Abu Hanifeh and the author of the Ob&b describe
it as an exudation from the flowering parts of the plant. The
pest, authorities describe its properties as similar to those of the
juice of the pleut would therefore seem to be nothing more,
than an exudation of the jaices of the plant which naturally
contain some sugar. | Calotropis is not mentioned by Greekor
Roman writers, but some Mahometaus give Hejakiyus as ite
ASCLEPIADEA. 431
¥ urianiname;'this appears to be a corruption of the word jya6eos,
“most holy,” or ‘ under divine protection,’ and was probably
applied to the plant. by some of the Syrian physicians who
instructed the Arabs in Greek medicine.. The modern Persians
eall C. procera Khark and Darakht-i-zahrnak, or “poison tree.”
- By Hindu physicians the root bark is said to promote the
Secretions and to be useful in skin diseases, enlargements of
the abdominal viscera, intestinal worms, cough, ascites;
anasarca, &c. ‘The milky juice is regarded asa drastie pur-
gative, and caustic, and is generally used as such in combina
tion with the milky juice of Huphorbia neritfolia. The flowers
are considered digestive, stomachic, tonic and useful in cough,
asthma, catarrh and loss of appetite. The leaves mixed with
rock salt are roasted: within closed vessels, so that the fumés
may not escape. The ashes thus produced are given with
whey in ascites and enlargements of the abdominal viscera.
The following inhalation is prescribed for cough: Soak the
powdered root bark of Arka in its own milky juice and dry.
Bougies are then prepared from the powder, and their fumes
inhaled. The root’ bark, reduced to a paste with’sour conjee —
(rice vinegar), is applied to elephantiasis of the legs and
scrotum. The milky juices of C. gigantea and Euphorbia
nertifulia are made into tents with the powdered wood of
erberis asiatica, for introduction into sinuses and fistule in
ano. The milky juice is applied to carious teeth for relief of
pain.” An oily preparation (Arka taila) made by boiling to-
gether 8 parts Sesamum oil, 16 parts Calotropis juice, and one
part turmeric, is said to be useful in eczema and other eruptive
skin diseases. In the Concan the milk with powdered mustard
is applied as a lep to rheumatic swellings, the flowering tops |
pounded and boiled with molasses, are given in doses of about
one drachm every morning as a remedy for asthma. In want
of virility the following prescription is in vogue: Take 125 of
the flowers, dry and powder, then mix with one tolé each of
cloves, ‘nutmegs, mace and pellitory root, and make into pills oe
° massas each, One pill may be taken eet Sissoleae a
The author of the Makhzan-el-adwiya says there ‘are three
varieties of Calotropis—lst, a large kind with white flowers,
large leaves, and much milky juice, it is found near towns and
the habitations of man;. 2nd, a smaller kind with smallerleaves,
the flowers white externally but lilac within; 3rd, a still
smaller plant, with pale yellowish green: flowers. The second
and third kinds grow in sandy deserts. The properties of all
three are. similar, but the first kind is to be preferred, as it
produces the largest quantity of milk, The juice is described
as caustic, a purge for phlegm, depilatory, and the most acrid
of all milky juices. Tanners use it to remove the hair from
skins. Medicinally,it is useful in rmgworm of the scalp, and
to destroy piles; mixed with honey it may be applied to aphthe
of the mouth; a piece of cotton dipped in it may be inserted
into a hollow tooth to relieve the pain. Hakim Mir Abdul
Hamid, in his commentary upon the Tuhfat, strongly
recommends Calotropis in leprosy, hepatic and splenic enlarge-
ments, dropsy and worms. A peculiar method of administra-
tion is to steep different kinds of grain in the milk and then
administer them. The milk itself is a favourite application to
painful joints, swellings, &c., the fresh leaves also, slightly
roasted, are used for the same purpose. Oil in which the leaves
have bese boiled is applied to paralysed parts; a powder of the
dried leaves is dusted upon wounds to destroy excessive
granulation and promote healthy action.
- All parts of the plant are considered to have valuable altera-
gad abe apleme when taken in small doses.
cera was observed in Egypt by Prosper Alpinus
(A. D. 1580—84), and upon his return to Italy was badly
figured, and some account given of its medicinal properties.
(De plantis gypti, Venet. 1592, cap. 25.) A much more
correct figure was published in 1633 by his commentator Ves-
ling. Rheede (Hort. Mal. ii., t. 31) figures a white-flowered
Calotropis (Bel-erien) and a lilac (Hricu), and Rumphius
(Hort. Amb. vii., t. 14, £. 1) figures C. gigantea under the: name”
of Madorous. Roxburgh (II., 30,) gives a. botanical de: a
tion of C. edghnacta under the name of —— ‘edhe nd
ASCLEPIADEA» 433
mentions the -medicinal: uses to which it is applied by the
_ Hatives'‘of India; . Ainslie, ‘in‘his Muteria Medica of Hindus~
tan (1813), mentions two kinds of Calotropis, and in «the;
_ Materia Indica he says, “Both plants in their leaves and stalks’
contain much milky juice, which, when ‘carefully dried, is
_ considered as powerfully ‘alterative and purgative, and: has’
_ been‘ long used as an efficacious remedy in the Koostum (lepras
Arabum)*of the Tamools; the dose about the quarter of a)
pagoda weight in the day, and continued for‘ some weeks.:
The root of the Yercwm has-a bitter: and'somewhat acrid, or*
ther warm: taste; itis occasionally given in- infusion as-a:
stimulant in low fever. Of the: other variety, the Vullerkoo,-
the’ bark’ is warmish, and ‘when powdered and mixed with: a)
cértain portion of margosa:oil, is used as an -external -applica-
tion in rheumatic affections.. In’the higher provinces of ‘Ben-
gal the Arka is supposed to have antispasmodic qualities. Mr. -
Robinson has written a paper on elephantiasis, which may be’
seen in Vol. X. of the Journ. of the Medico-Chirurgical: Society,
sxtolling the madar: root! (Yercum vayr) as ‘most efficacious in
iat disease, as also in “venereal affections: In» elephantiasis +
gave it in ‘conjunction with calomel and antimonial powder, «
pill, consisting of half a grain of calomel, three of anti-:
ial powder, and from six to ten of the bark of the madar:
, every eight hours.‘ Mr. ‘Playfair has also written a paper+
on the same root which may-be seen in Vol. J, of the din...
ei Trans. p. as pviioreila he speaks in’ praise ‘of
alterative, stimulant t virtues of the bark,.
wder, i in-cases’ of syphilis, lepra, hectic ‘iver: &e., i
grs. 8 to10 ‘or 12, three times in the day, gradually, —
sin; ie ‘Messrs. er ore teh others | seem,
yest I. aaa the. ee dried pacts juice . cone
finitely moré efficacious ; and later Rae
6 wae Lassie me. in this, sirteads id Oe cit x
434 ASCLEPIADEA.
The emetic properties of Calotropis were brought to the
notice of the profession in Europe. by Dr. Duncan in 1829
(Edin. Med. and. Surg. Journ., XXXIL., p. 65),.and they are
noticed in the Bengal Dispensatory, where the drug is recom-
mended as a substitute for Ipecacuanha. Since the publication
of that work abundant testimony in its favour has been col-
lected, a summary of which will be found in the Pharmacopeia
of India. Duncan (1829) made a chemical examination of the »
root bark, the activity of which he referred to an’ extractive
matter which he termed Mudarine. A kind of gutta-percha
was obtained from the juice of this plant by Dr. Riddell,
Superintendent Surgeon H. H. the Nizam’s Army, in 1851.
(Journ. Agri-Hort. Soc. of India, Vol. VILI.) In 1853 it was
examined by Prof. Redwood, who found it to possess many
properties in common with the gutta-percha of commerce.
No further trial of this substance appears to have been made
during the last 37 years.
Modern physiological research has shown that the juice
applied to the skin acts as an irritant, the practice of apply-
ing it with salt to bruises and sprains to remove pain is there-
fore rational; also the application of the fresh bark in chronic
rheumatism. Given internally in small doses the drug stimu-
lates the capillaries and acts powerfully upon the skin, it is
therefore likely to be useful in elephantiasis and leprosy.
(Casanora.) The benefit derived from the administration of
the flowers in asthma is probably due to their nauseant action.
Tn large doses Calotropis causes vomiting and purging, acting
as an irritant emeto-cathartic.
Description.—The root barks of 0. gigantea and
C. procera are similar in appearance, and occur in short
quilled pieces $ to $ of an inch thick. The outer surface is
yellowish-grey, soft and corky, fissured longitudinally, and
ean be easily separated from the middle cortical layer, which is
white, friable, and traversed by narrow brown liber rays. ‘The
taste is mucilaginous, bitter and acrid, and the odour peculiar.
_ Microscopic structure.—In both kinda of root bark the suber _
consists of large thin-walled cells, generally polyhedeatey ae |
ASCLEPIADE. ABS
___ parenchyme of the middle cortical layer is loaded with starch
and contains some sclerenchymatous cells. e cells of the
medullary rays also contain starch and crystals of oxalate of
lime. In the middle layer are numerous laticiferous vessels,
the contents of which are of a brown colour.
_ Chemical composition.—The authors of the Pharmacographia
state, that by following the process of Duncan, 200 grammes
of the powdered bark of C. gigantea yielded nothing like his
- mudarine, but 2:4 grammes of an acrid resin soluble in ether
_ andalcohol. The latter solution reddens litmus; the former
on evaporation yields the resin as an almost colourless mass.
When the aqueous liquid is separated from the crude resin,
and much absolute alcohol added, an abundant precipitate of
mucilage is obtained, and the liquid now contains a bitter
_ principle, which after due concentration may be separated by
means of tannic acid. Similar results were obtained by
exhausting the bark of C. procera with dilute alcohol. The
tannic compound of the bitter principle was mixed with
carbonate of lead, dried, and boiled with spirit of wine. This
after evaporation furnished an amorphous, very bitter mass,
not soluble in water, but readily so in absolute alcohol. The
solution is not precipitated by an alcoholic solution of acetate
of lead. By purifying the bitter principle with chloroform or
ether, it is at last obtained colourless. This bitter matter is
Serobably the active principle of Calotropis ; they ascertained by
: ‘Means of = usual tests that no alkaloid occurs in the drug.
ne
which they thought would prove to be the Aseclepione of List,
but subsequently (1885), upon Warden continuing the investi-
gation of the drug in the Chemical Laboratory of the Gesun-
dheits Amt, Berlin, he found the substance supposed to be
lepione to have a composition corresponding with the for-
ia C'7H?80, whereas List’s asclepione is ee. by
formula 0*°H5*0". cae
436 ASCLEPIADEZ.
The white cauliflower masses of crystals. obtained in Berlin
were found to agree closely, as regards their melting point and
behaviour with solvents, with a substance called Alban, obtained
by Payen from gutta-percha (Jahresbericht iber die Fortsch.
der Chimie, 1852, p. 643), they were accordingly named
Madar-alban. A yellow resin associated with madar-alban in
the drug was found to agree, in behaviour with reagents, with
the Fluavil found by Payen in gutta-percha, but as regards
chemical composition the madar-alban and madar-fluavil
differed from the alban and fluavil of gutta-percha, Dr.
“Warden also separated from the drug a yellow bitter resin,
‘which is probably the active principle, and Caoutchouc.
He found the percentage of the various principles (the re-
sults being calculated on the bark containing 8°079 per cent.
of water) to be— ©
Madar-alban 0640
Madar-fluavil ........... 2°471
Black acid resin ° 0°997
Caoutchouc free from M.-alban and M.-fluavil...0°855
Yellow bitter resin (active principle) .:.......... 0-093
The fact that the sap of the Madar plant contains in addi-
tion to Caoutchouc two principles analogous to the alban and
fluavil of gutta-percha is a point of some interest, as madar
gutta-percha has been recommended as a substitute for the
‘commercial article. For full particulars of the chemical exa-
“Inination, see Pharm. Journ, Aug. 22nd, 1885. ae
{ - Towicologye—In India Calotropis juice is used for the ‘pur-
= pose of infanticide by the castes among which that custom
prevails, being, placed in the mouth of newly-born female
infants, It is also, like other emeto-cathartics, sometimes taken
.by women to procure abortion, and a few cases are on record
of its haying been used for suicidal purposes. Like other
irritant vegetable juices it is not uncommonly used locally to
_ produce abortion ; usually a stick is armed with cotton impreg-
nated with the juice and an attempt is made to. introduce it
into the os uteri, and leave it there untj] uterine contr ctions
ASCLEPIADEZ. A437
a are induced, but this operation often fails from awkwardness
on the part of the operator, and it is not unusual to find that
the stick has been forced through the uterine walls. Another
-__ method of procedure is to select a twig of the plant, and after
q removing the leaves and making it as smooth as possible,. to
introduce it into the os uteri, or failing this to allow it to remain
in contact with the parts. Pessaries also, containing the
irritating juice of this and other plants, are placed in con thos
with the uterus to induce uterine action.
_, Commerce.—The flowers are to be found in the’ pe but
not the root bark, or leaves, no doubt from the: circumstance
that the plant is everywhere found wild and can be apie
as required.
TYLOPHORA ASTHMATICA, W. H A.
Fig. — Wight Ic., t, 1277; Bentl. and Trim., t. 177; Bot,
Mag., t. 1929.
Hab.—N. and E. Bengal, Assam to Bariin’ Deccan Penin-
“og Ceylon. The root and leaves.
_ Vernacular —Jangli-pikwén, Antamdal Hind: ys Antomél
_(Beng.), Nach-churuppin, Nay-pdlai, Pey-pélai © (Tam. i‘
. Pitkari, Kharaki-rasna (Mar.), Yorrpaas; Kukka-pila ’ (Tel. ),
Valli-pila (Mal.), Adumuttada (Can.).
History, Uses, &c,—The medicinal properties of fs
plant appear to have been long known to'the natives of those
parts of India in which it occurs, but we can’ find no evidence
‘its ever having been an article of commerce, nor are we
ware of its having been described in any. of the standard
Hinda or Mahometan works on Materia Medica ; though it. may
erhaps be the Antri or Antra-péchaka of Sanaleris writers,
The Hindi name Antomtl is derived from ant, ‘‘ the entrails,”
md mul, “a root”’ The expression dnt girna signifies “ to
‘Roxburgh says of it:—‘ On the coast of Coroman-
1¢ roots of this Plant, laveo efter. bepe penta anhalt
r from dysenteric hong ” literally “to void the intess
438 ASCLEPIADEZ.
for Ipecacuanha. I have often prescribed it myself, and always
found it answer as well as I could expect Ipecacuanha to-do;
I have also often had very favourable reports of its effects
from others. It was avery useful medicine with’ our Euro-
peans who where unfortunately prisoners with Hyder Ali
during the war of 1780-83. Ina pretty large dose it answered
as an emetic; in smaller doses, often repeated, as a cathartic,
and in both ways very effectually. Dr. Russeli was informed
by the Physician General at Madras (Dr. J. Anderson) that he
had many years before known it used, both by the European
and native troops, with great success in the dysentery which
happened at that time to be epidemic in the camp. The store
of Ipecacuanha had it seems been wholly expended, and Dr.
Anderson finding the practice of the native doctors much
more successful than his own, acknowledged with his usual
candour that he was not ashamed to take instructions from
them, which he pursued with good success; and collec ting a
quantity of the plant which they pointed out to him, he sent a
large package of the roots to Madras. It is certainly an
article of the Hindu Materia Medica highly deserving atten-
tion.” (Flora Indica II., 34, 35.) Ainslie states that the
Vytians prize the root for its expectorant and diaphoretic pro-
perties, and often prescribe it in infusion to the quantity of
half a teacupful for the purpose of vomiting children who
suffer much from phlegm. From possessing virtues some-
what similar to those of Ipecacuanha it has been found an
extremely useful medicine in dysenteric complaints, and has, at
times, been administered with the greatest success by the
Rae iriatiaowen of Lower India. (Mat. Ind. ii., 83.)
‘Mow recently we have the testimony of O’Shaughnessy and
Kirkpatrick to the value of the drug as an emetic, and as a
substitute for Ipecacuanha in the treatment of dysentery, and
_ the opinion of these physicians is confirmed by the reports fur-
nished to the Committee who superintended the preparation of
the Pharmacopeia of India, by Drs. Bidie, Oswald, Sheriff
and others. Dr. J. Kirkpatrick (Cat. of Mysore: mies says:
‘‘T have administered this medicine’ in atileast a
ASCLEPIADEA. 439
;
1 eases, and found it most valuable. In dysentery, and as a
__ simple emetic, it is in every way comparable with Ipecacuanha.
The dose is from 20 to 30 grains, with half a grain or a grain.
of Tartar Emetic, if strong emesis is required. If the dysen-
tery distinctly arise from intermittent disease, Quinine is con-
joined. The form of the medicine I use is the powder of the
dry leaf.’ Tylophora is also employed in Mauritius, where it
is known as [peca sauvage or Ipeca du pays. In the Indian
Pharmacopeia the leaves have been made official. In the
Concan 1 to 2 tolds of the, juice are given as an emetic; it is
also dried and made into pills which are administered in dysen-
tery. The pills areas large as the seed of Phaseolus Mungo;
one pill is sufficient to produce one copious stool.
|
|
Description,—The leaves are opposite, entire, from 2 to
_ 5 inches long, ? to 24 inches broad, somewhat variable in out-
line, ovate or sub-rotund, usually cordate at the base, abruptly
acuminate or almost mucronate, rather leathery, glabrous
. above, more or less downy beneath with soft simple hairs.
The pedicel which is channelled is 4 to 2 of an inch in length.
In the dry state the leaves are rather thick and harsh, of a
pale yellowish green; they have a not unpleasant herbaceous
smell, with but very little taste. The root consists of a short,
knotty, descending root stock, about 3 of an inch in thickness,
emitting 2 to 3 aerial stems, and a considerable number of
wiry roots. These roots are often 6 inches or more in length
by 3 2 a line in diameter, and are very brittle. The whole drug
is of a pale yellowish brown ; it has no considerable odour, buta
Sweetish and subsequently acrid taste. In general appearance
itis suggestive of valerian, but is somewhat stouter and larger,
seis
Chemical composition.—A concentrated infusion of the leaves
has a slightly acrid taste. It is abundantly: precipitated by
tannic acid, by neutral acetate of lead or caustic potash, and is
turned greenish-black by perchloride of iron. Broughton of
Ootacamund obtained from a large quantity of leaves a small _
amount of crystals—insufficient for analysis. ares =
d into a small dog they occasioned purging an :
44.0 ASCLEPIADEA.
» A re-examination of the drug by one of us (D. H.) shows
that both the leaves and root contain an alkaloid, Tylophorine,
which is crystalline and forms a crystalline hydrochlorate.
The solution of the alkaloid is precipitated by tannin, iodine
in potassium iodide, potassio-mercuric iodide, perchloride of
mercury, picric acid, volatile and fixed alkalies. The alkaloid
in a free state is very soluble in ether and alcohol, but only
partially in water. With sulphuric acid it dissolves with a
reddish colour changing to,green and indigo. With HNO® it
dissolves with a purplish red colour. Fréhde’s reagent gives a
deep sap-green solution. Sulphuric acid and K*Cr*O’ a dirty
violet. The leaves afford 15 per cent. of mineral matter.
Tylophora fasciculata, Ham. Wight Ic., t. 848, Bhui-
dodi (Mar. ), is abundant in the Southern Concan, and is used
as a poison for rats and other vermin. Lyon (Med. Juris. for
India, p- 453) records the following ease in which it proved
fatal to man:—* A Mahometan family, consisting of six adults
and a servant-boy, at. about fourteen, were attacked'soon after
a meal with symptoms of poisoning, the servant-boy died in
about two. hours. The others were seen the next morning,
when they complained of dryness of the throat, great thirst,
and a feeling of soreness over the whole body. Their pupils
| were dilated, and pulse full and slow. They stated that soon
after taking their mid-day meal on the previous day, they felt
- some tingling sensation in the mouth, followed by dryness of
es the tongue and throat and giddiness, and loss of power over.
: - the extremities. After this they became insensible. Three
“ of them vomited aud recovered consciousness at about 8 P. M.;
the other three remained insensible till midnight. On post-
inortem examination of the body of the boy, the following
ces were noted :—Face bloated, tongue and eyes
slightly protruding, veins of the neck turgid. Lungs engorg-
ed; right side of the heart full, left empty- Slight conges-
r. ‘A'small patch of redness on the mucous
ch. ~ Accabell 1 in this case, it was ——— ye:
_ ASCLEPIADEX. “AT
him to use Bhui-dodi. On this the accused, it was reported,
obtained some Uhwi-dodi roots, and having reduced them
_ to powder, mixed this with some flour, from which subsequently
the food eaten at the meal referred to was prepared. Dr. G,
-G. Bopardikar of Pandharpur, who kindly supplied us with
the plant, states that the leaves are generally used, pounded
and mixed with flour to destroy rats. On enquiry the village
Vaids informed him that the juice of the root is given with
milk as a tonic, and that the leaves are pounded and used as
an application to unhealthy ulcers and wounds to induce
healthy granulation.
TT. fasciculata is an erect or scarcely twining glabrous plant,
with ovate, coriaceous leaves, decreasing in size upwards. The
peduncles are erect, slender and flexuous,bearing at the flexures
2 to 3 few-flowered fascicles of minute flowers. ‘The follicles are
@)>ut 2 inches in length, ovoid-lanceolate and glabrous, with a
very thick pericarp. The seeds are ¢ of an inch in length,
broadly ovoid and quite flat. The may: is thick, long and
woody, from one to two inches in diameter atthe crown.
| It is covered with a light brown corky bark, fissured
longitudinally.
Chemical composttion.—The leaves were very mucilaginous
when treated with water, and even the aleoholic extract when
‘aporated to dryness made a thick solation with a large
quantity of water. The latter solution was precipitated by
alkaloidal reagents, and was most acrid to the taste. Shaken
ith ether a resinous body was removed, and then made
Bele with ammonia, which produced a slight precipitate,
again shaken with ether, a small quantity of an amor~
roots sesdtiotad to fine powder were made into a tinct
rong aes and the alee tincture ee re
449 ASCLEPTADEZ.
tion shaken with ether yielded up some more resinous sub-
stance, which became encrusted with feathery crystals when
the solvent had been dissipated. A larger quantity of alkaloid
was present in the root than in the leaves, but it appeared to
possess similar characters. It was amorphous, but formed a
slightly crystalline hydrochloride. ‘The damp crystals of the
hydrochloride brought into contact with the fumes from a
drop of nitric acid produced a bluish-green coloration. With
sulphuric acid the alkaloid was first coloured reddish-brown,
passing to carmine, and then to purple. It was precipitated
from solution by the usnal reagents.
The alcoholic extract was emetic and purgative. A quan-
tity from 2 grams of the leaves mixed with bread and given to
a chicken produced frequent and watery stools. ‘The aqueous
extract from the leaves, after removal of all that was soluble
by means of alcohol, had no effect upon a guinea-pig.
DAMIA EXTENSA, Br. :
Fig.— Wight Ic.. t. 596 ; Jacq. Ic. Rar., t, 54: Hook. f. in
Bot. Mag., t. 5704.
Hab —Throughout India. The leaves.
Vernacular.—Utran, Ségovani (Hind.), Veli-parutti, Ut-
dani (Tam.), Jittupaku, Dushtupu-chettu, Guruti-chettu
4 (Tel.), Veli-paritti (Mal.), Utarani, Utarandi (Mar.), Kuntiga,
; Sattave, Talavfranaballi (Can.), N&gala-dudheli (Guz.),
re eee (Beng.).
History, Uses, &c.—The Sanskrit name of this plant is
Phat kntakea; in allusion to its echinate follicles. The Hindi
name Utran as well as the Marathi names are evidently deriv-
ed from the Sanskrit Ut-tara, ‘‘ ejecting or vomiting,” and the
Tamil name Dushtupn is also of Sanskrit origin, and signifies
‘shaving tainted flowers.” The flowers and leaves have a
fetid odour; they are used as an emetic and expectorant by o
the natives, especially in the diseases of children. The stems _
yield a fibre, and the leaves are eaten by goats. The plan
ASCLEPIADEM. 443
was first fully described and figured by Jacquin ; it is noticed
by Ainslie under the name of Cynanchum eatensum, who
states that a decoction of the leaves is given to children as
an anthelmintic, in doses not exceeding three table-spoonfuls,
and that the juice is used as a remedy for asthma. Roxburgh
describes the plant under the name of Asclepias echinata,
ut is silent about its medicinal properties. From the
In the Southern Concan and Goa the juice of this
aves is applied to rheumatic swellings. Dr. B. Evers con-
Pitshed and the juice bisiecnsd - sabblag them between
palms of the hands ; the leaves of the dark Tulsi (Ocimum
ctum) are similarly treated, and then a mixture of the juices
ven ; this preparation is a stimulating emetic.” a
| my (Ind. Med. Gaz., Feb., 1890,) notices the use of
heumatism in combination with ginger. He also
in doses of 1'to 2 drachms mixed with cow’s milk.
scription.—The leaves are roundish, cordate, acumi-
pubescent, membranaceous, auricled at the base, glan-
beneath. They vary in size from one to two inches or
diameter; the peduncles are long, slender and hoary.
t has a disagreable mouse-like odour and a faintly
: and somewhat nauseous taste; examined with a lens
the upper and under sides of the dry leaf present a
mossy surface, thickly studded with short white hairs.
owers are dull white and drooping, the follicles have a
beak, and are covered with soft bristles.
a leaves of D. extensa, like those
oda, evolve alkaline fumes when i,
tain an alkaloid. The alkaloid, whi
AA ASCLEPIADEA,:
have provisionally named Demine, is soluble in ether, alcohol
and water, and shows no disposition to crystallize from these
and other solvents, In contact with strong sulpburic acid
it dissolves with a reddish-violet colour, gradually fading ;
with Frohde’s reagent it gives a yellowish brown coloration,
It forms crystalline deliquescent salts very soluble in water,
with a bitter taste. An alkaloid having similar properties was
separated from a sample of the root. ‘The ash from a sample
of the dried and powdered leaves amounted to 15°33 per cent.
DREGEA VOLUBILIS, Benth,
Fig.—Wight Ic., t. 586 ; Rheede Hort. Mal. iz., t. 15, var.
Lacuna; Dene. in Jacq. Voy. Bot. 108, t. 114.
Hab.— Bengal, Assam, Deccan Peninsula, Ceylon. The
root, herb, and fruit.
_. Vernacular.—Nakchikni (Hind.), Titakanga (Beng.), Hiran-
dodi, Ambri (Mar.), Kodi-palai (Tam.), Dudhi-palla (Tel.).
_ History, Uses, &c,—This plant is not mentioned by
Sanskrit writers; it is the Watta Kakacodi of Rheede, who
states that the root is applied to snake-bites and given to
women to cure headache after child-birth ; and the Kodie palay
of Ainslie (Mat. Ind. ii, 154), who remarks that “The root
and tender stalks are supposed by the Vytians to possess
virtues in dropsical cases; they sicken, and excite expectos
ration ; though I eould not obtain much information of a
certain nature respecting them; it is to be presumed that
they operate in a manner somewhat similar to the root of the
Asclepias cwrassavica.” The leaves are much employed by
the Hindus as an application to boils and abscesses to pro-
mote suppuration, and the brown mealy substance with which
the follicles are covered is applied to the galls and sores of
draught cattle. “The plant is noticed in the secondary list’
of the Pharmacopeia. of India. The variety Lucuna is pre-
ferred. for -medicinal‘use by the natives. Irvine (Mat. Mel. ©
Patna), gays. the Plante pest in colds and tines ase. to cu ee
_ iodide and iodine in potassinm iodide, only if ysennenn Soe C
fed. With strong aqueousalkali a precipitate, w 20
ASCLEPIADEM. 445
sneezing, whence the Hindi name Nakcbikni. This property
of the plant is also known in Madras, where the young shoots
are cut and the exuding juice inserted into the nose. The
follicles are frequently eaten by the natives in their curries,
the process of boiling or cooking removes their bitterness and
_ nauseating’ property.
Description.—A stout tall climber, branches often pus-
tular, bark of the woody parts smooth, ash-coloured. Leaves
3 to 6 by 2 to 4 inches, rather coriaceous, base rounded or
cordate ; nerves 4 to 5 pairs; petiole 1 to 3inches. Peduneles
1 to 3 salen: rather slencer; umbels drooping, multifid, sub-
globose ; pedicels 4 inch, slender, corolla 4 inch in diameter,
eupular, lobes triangular. Stigma dome-shaped. Follieles
horizontal, obtuse, about 3 to 4 inches long, and four in ciream=
ference at the base. In the variety Lacuna all parts of the
plant, but especially the follicles, are covered with a brown
mealy substance, which consists of moniliform hairs made up
of cylindrical cells placed end to end, ‘They can be well exa-
mined urder the microscope with OCCT solution - which
colours them yellow.
Chemical composition.—The fresh follicles, freed from sod’
and their comose appendages, were bruised in a mortar and the
juice expressed, The jnice was heated to boiling to coagulate
albuminous matters and filtered, and the liquor, after evapora-
tion to a small bulk, was treated with two volumes of
spirit to remove mucilage and salts. After dissipating
the spirit by.a gentle heat, the acidulous solution had a bitter-
ish taste, was free from tannic matters, and contained an abun-
dance of glucose, It was shaken with ether, and the ethereal
solution left a mass of light-coloured transparent scales,
soluble in water with a peculiar bitterish-sweet taste and neu-
tral or slightly acid reaction. This solution gave an abundant.
white precipitate with tannin, none with neutral plambic ace-
tate; and with alkaloidal reagents, such as sei
446 ASCLEPIADEZ.
was obtained. With sulphuric acid the dried scales dissolved
with a brown colour, passing through cherry-red to purple, and
finally separated as a black powder. With nitric acid no colour
was manifested in the cold. Boiling with diluted acid destroy-
ed the bitterness of the principle, with the formation of an
insoluble brown substance, such as would attend the decom-
position of a glucoside. We consider this glucoside to be the
active principle of the fruits, and propose to name it Dregein.
HEMIDESMUS INDICUS, Br.
Fig.— Wight Ic., t. 594; Rheede Hort. Mal. w., t.343; Bentl.
and Trim., t. 174, Indian Sarsaparilla (Hng.), Salsepareille de
VInde (Fr.).
Hab.—Northern, Western, and Southern India. The
roots. : :
Vernacular.—Anantamul (Hind., Beng.), Uperséra, Dudha
sali (Mar.), Nannéri (Tam.), Sugandhi-péla (Tel.), Sogadé,
Karibanta (Can.), Upalsari (Guz.).
History, Uses, &c.—Dutt. (Hind. Mat. Med., p. 195)
states that in Hindu medicine HA. indicus and Ichnocarpus
frutescens (see Apocynacez) are both called Sériva, and are de-
scribed under the name of Sérivadvaya, or the two Sérivas.
They are often used together, and are considered to have simi-
lar properties. When however Sériva is used in the singular
number, it is the usual practise to interpret it as meaning I.
LS _frutescens. Other Sanskrit names for these plants are Naga-
-jihva, “ snake’s tongue,” and Gopa-kanga, “cowherd’s daugh-
used in Southern India, but in the northern part of the Bombay
Presidency, though a common plant, it is seldom obtainable in
. ' 83 ing offered when inquiries - as
Cone
ASCLEPIADEA. 447
the milky juice is dropped into inflamed eyes; it causes copi-
ous lachrymation, and afterwards a sensation of coolness in the
part. The root is tied up in plantain leaves and roasted in
hot ashes; it is then beaten into a mass with cumin and sugar
_ tion of the urinary passages. As a lep the root is applied to
8 It is used in Madras in mixtures for purifying the
blood as ordinary Sarsaparilla is in other countries, and it is
an adjunct in chutneys and pickles simply as a flavouring
agent.
Recent Mahometan physicians under the name of ushbah
describe several kinds of sarsaparilla, of which they say the
Western or Andalusian is the best. Another kindis described |
by the author of the Makhzan-el-adwiya as having flowers
ike yellow jasmine ; this may possibly be Hemidesmus. The
athors of the Pharmacographia remark that there is an
[ndian root figured as Palo de Culebra by Acosta (Tractado de
las Drogas dle las Indias orientales, 1578, cap. EV.) which
astonishingly like the drug in question. He describes it,
reover, as baving a sweet smell of melilot. The plant he
/is called in Canarese Duda-sdli. The figure is repro-
din Antoine Colin’s translation, but notin that of Clusius.
plant must be the true Hemidesmus, as Dudha-sdli
a name it is known by in the Concan. In Goa at the
at _day Hemidesmus root is to be found in all the
uption of the Maratha name. Ashburner in 1] was,
Se to call the attention of the bere in | Europe
ish Phabitisecineais. In India Oran inensy found its
ic action to be very remarkable ; two ounces infused in
of water and allowed to cool was the quantity usually
! trebled or quadrupled. Tt also acted as a .
remedy in his hospital, the patients themselve
ep seagate and continuance. (Gi
daily, and by such doses the discharge of urine was oe
448 ASCLEPIADER.
nessy, Dispensary, p. 456, Beng. Pharm., p. 279—801), In
1868, Hemidesmus was made official in the Pharmacopwia of
India. Lastly, in 1874, it was described by Fliickiger and
‘Hanbury in the Pharmacographia.
Description.—The drug is found in commerce in India
in the form of little bundles, which consist of the entire roots
of one or more plants, often several feet long, tied up with
a portion of the stem. :
The root is cylindrical, sovinias, from 745 to 7% of an inch
an diameter, seldom branched. The bik is transversely
¢eracked and fissured longitudinally, of a dark brown colour,
sometimes with a slight violet hue when viewed in a strong
light; the wood is yellow and porous. The fresh or freshly-
‘dried root has a fine odour of tonka bean or melilot, and a
sweet but slightly acrid taste.
Microscopic structure-—According to Flickiger and Han-
bury, all the proper cortical tissue shows a uniform paren-
chyme, not distinctly separated into liber, medullary rays and
mesophlezm. On making a longitudinal section, however,
one can observe some elongated laticiferous vessels filled with
thecolourless concrete milky juice. In a transverse section, they
are seen to be irregularly scattered through the bark, chiefly
in its inner layers, yet even here in not very considerable
number. They are frequently 80 mkm. in diameter and not
branched.
The wood is traversed by. small medullary rays, which are
obvious only in the longitudinal section. The parenchymatous
tissue of the root is loaded with large ovoid starch granules.
: Tanuic matters do not occur to any considerable amount
except in the outermost suberous lay er.
Chemical composition.—The aroma and _ taste of the drug is
_ due to the presence:of coumarin (see Vol. I., p. 406), which
can be obtained in part by: boiling the root with esi!
Crystals a :
‘ 7 periaee me <
~ i
ASCLEPIADEA. 449
_ doubt the substance obtained by Garden in 1837, and called
_smilasperie. acid, and subsequently by Scott. in 1843, who
described it as a crystalline stearopten.
_ Commerce.—In. Southern India and ee the root is sa
Be with i in commerce, but is often so old as to be quite worthless.
In Bombay rite Meehan have to be made for its collection,
” + per lb., owing to the difficulty of digging the
roots in stony eget
COSMOSTIGMA RACEMOSUM, Wigit.
Big. Wight Ic., #. 593, 1270; Rheede: Hort. Mal. . viz.
~ Hab.—Sylhet, Chittagong, W. India, Ceylon. The root
‘and leaves. |
Vernacular.—Ghirahuvvu (Can.), Shendvel, Shendori, Mar-
Marvivel (Mar.), Vattu-valli (Mal.), Gharpbil (Goa.).
istory; Uses, &c.—This large woody climber run-
over high trees, has a medicinal reputation on the West- :
nm Coast, hess its leaves are used to cure ulcerous BORER...
hara ( a= ) and the root bark is administered internally a
ka ( 424% ), a disease in which white lumps of undigested
are passed. Rheede is the only European writer who
ces its medicinai properties; he states it is called Torique .
i Portuguese and Pensbout by the Dutch ; after men=
ng the use of the leaves, he remarks: “‘Cortexcum Sandalo
;muliebri lacte in formam noduli adhibitus, prsestantissimum [
remedium est.” The disease he alludes tois thecavoos
Greek physicians, and is described by Paracelsus as
terised by pungent heat internally, great heat of breath,
3 of cold air, dryness of the tongue, lips, and skin, cold-
of the extremities, the urine loaded with bile, watchful-
» quick, small] and weak pulse. In modern medicine
describe it as dyspepsia accompanied by a febrile —
absence of bile in the stools, We have tried the _
plant in.sich cases, given in five grain
Sa fad. have. fonad, it ta, be a most eflic
4.50 ASCLEPIAD EA.
ral colour of the stools after the usual remedies (mineral acids,
podophyllin, euonymin, &c.,) had been abandoned in despair.
The flowers of . this plant are sweet and are eaten by the
natives. A biscuit was made with the powder of two ounces
of the root and given to a dog without any ill effects.
Description.—Leaves large, rather coriaceous, smooth»
ovate-cordate, ‘acuminate, but sometimes rounded with an
obtuse tip, readily distinguished by a group of small, brown,
dusty, prominent glands at the junction of the petiole with the
leaf. Roots from }°to 1 inch in diameter, externally hght
brown and scabrous; fracture starchy and friable, a transverse
section shows them to be composed of a central woody column
and a very thick greyish-white cortex. In the circumference,
and sparingly scattered through the root, light yellow brown
hard cells are seen. The root has no taste, and a faint Ipeca-.
cuanha-like odour, which is more marked in the seeds. The
latter are contained in a large, smooth, green follicle. .
Chemical composition.—An ether extract of the powdered
root contained some free, crystalline fatty acids, soluble in cold
rectified spirit and aqueous alkalies. Petroleum ether dis-
solved the fatty acids from the extract, leaving a small
quantity of an acid resin. An alcoholic extract, in addition to
- @ resin, contained a sugar, and a substance affording the.
reactions of an alkaloid. The resin is decomposed by
boiling with dilute acids, and gives a purplish colour with
strong sulphuric acid. It is glucosidal and is related to jalapin.
An aqueous extract contained gum and a carbohydrate having
the properties of dextrin. The root was devoid of astringency.
The powder mixed with milk of lime gave off ammonia. The
larger roots left 3°16 per cent., the smaller ones 5°86 per
cent. of inorganic matter on incineration.
GYMNEMA SYLVESTRE, Br.
Fig.— Wight Ic., t. 349.
-Hab.—Banda, Deccan Peninsula... The leaves and rook.
Vernacular.—Mera-singi (Hind., Beng.), Kavali,. Vilhandi
(Mar.), Siru-kurinja Temds Sanna gerse (Can.). é
roo a Son a 8
£ ie a Pat ie
ASCLEPIADE.£. 451°
_. History, Uses, &c.—This shrubby climbing plant is”
called Meshasringi, “ram’s horn,” in Sanskrit, but it is. not :
‘mentioned in the Raja Nirghanta. It is considered to be the
Meshasringi of Madanpal’s Nighanta and of the Marathi and_
-Guzerathi Nighantas, which are little more than translations of
that work. It bears the following synonyms—Mesha vishanika,
Meshavalli, Sarpa-darushtrika, Anydda, Kshina-vartta, Vrik-
shikali and Vishanika, and is described as having a pungent:
taste and the properties of an astringent ae bitter stomachic ;
useful in cough, biliousness, boils, sore eyes,
It is also in repute amongst the Hindus asa remedy for
snake bite, the powdered root being applied to the part bitten,
and a decoction administered internally. Its use for this pur-
pose is well known to the natives of the Concan, and as
appears from Ainslie (Mat. Ind. II., 390), also to the natives of
Southern India. The root is also said to have virtues similar to
Tpecacuanha, Roxburgh describes the plant under the name
of Asclepias: geminata, and remarks that the small yellow
flowers, with the globular apex of the white common stigma,
projecting in the centre, look like fine pearls set in gold. He
_ says nothing of its medicinal properties. G. sylvestre is said
_ to be the binnuge of the Cingalese. A curious circumstance
connected with this plant was first noticed by Mr. Edgeworth,
namely, that if chewed it destroys the power of the tongue to
appreciate the taste of sugar and all saccharine substances.
This property of the leaves has been recently (1887) tested
carefully by Mr. D. Hooper, who says:— After chewing one
or two leaves it’ was proved undoubtedly that sugar had no
taste immediately afterwards. Sugar in combination with
other compounds in dietetic articles is plainly destroyed as to
its taste after using these leaves. In ginger bread, for instance,
_ the pungency of the ginger is alone detected, the rest is
tasteless meal ; in a sweet orange the taste of the sugar is so
‘Suppressed cod that of the citric acid consequently developed,
that in eating, it resembles a lime in sourness. Among the
al kinds of foods, drugs abd beverages which affect ‘the —
does not pretend to render them alt. .
Rn ti ae eae Tae
Sao
452 ASCLEPIADEAL
less, 16 does not aftect’pungent saline things, astringents and
acids, It is limited to apparently two diverse’ substances—,
sweets and bitters. It has been noted that sugar taken after
the leaf tastes like sand, so I have found. that sulphate of
quinine taken after a good dose of the leaf tastes like so much
chalk. I am not going to propose its use in the administra-
tion of nauseous drugs, until the medical properties of the
Gymnema have been more ‘studied, otherwise the quantity of
the vehicle taken may prove:to counteract the. effect of the
medicines. The experience of several. friends as well as. my
own is that the effect does not last for twenty-four hours as
stated, but for only one or two hours, after that time the tongue
-resumes its appreciation of all that is sweet or bitter.” Inthe
Concan the dried and powdered leaf is used as an errhine, and
the fresh leaves crushed and mixed. with water, as a cocling
bath for children in the hot weather. .
Description.—4@, sylvestre is a. shrubby climbing | plant.
The leaves are from 4 to 5 inches long, from ovate-lanceolate to
obovate ; upper surface dark green, shining, under surface pale
green, shortly pubescent; venation transverse and. reticulate
witha marginal vein; taste saltish and acrid.. The root is about
the size of the little finger. or less, not unlike Hemidesmus; it
has a tough wood, and when fresh a soft spongy bark, which is
_ reddish brown and fissured longitudinally, but loses much bulk :
3 ae drying, and becomes loose and transversely fissured; the taste
ie pees and pate the whole plant abounds in milky juice.
pie astructure.—The woody portion of the root has
os radiate Seriiabeines and is traversed by large vessels; the
extension of the medullary rays into the bark is diatinal ; the
‘latter is made up of a thin-walled parenchyma, the. galle of
which contain mach starch and tolerably numerous crystalline
‘concretions, There are many - laticiferous vessels, especially
towards the i inner part. The epidermis -consists of several —
layers of flattened cells of a deep reddish brown colour. ~~
Chemical 0M} ition —The powdered leaves. were su mit:
ted t@ the action oof various solvents, and by this means’ it w
= — he av property of Gys
ASOLEPLADEZ, 458
arias 8
wows
dissolved, out by alcohol, and, as it occurred :in, the aqueous
extract of the. residue, it was therefore soluble im water. As
benzine and ether took from the leaves certain principles of the
same appearance and weight, it was conceived that nothing
would be gained by using both solvents; the preliminary
extraction was therefore made with rectified spirit. The ether
extract consisted of chlorophyll and two resins separated by
their solubility in alcohol. The resin insoluble in alcohol form-.
ed the larger portion ; it was soluble in chloroform, bisulphide.
of carbon. and. benzine. It was elastic and tenacious, de-
composed by warming with nitric acid, the product being pre-
cipitated with water ; only partially saponified with caustic
potash. Sulphuric acid dissolved it in the cold, giving a green
solution.. It seemed to consist principally of a neutral resin.
The resin soluble in spirit was readily saponified with soda, and
gave a permanent bluish green colour with sulphuric acid; like
the former resin it was of an acrid nature, and left a tingling
sensation in the throat. - The alcoholic solution of the leaves
was almost entirely soluble in water ; in fact, by treating the
leaves separately by alcohol and water, 36°37 per cent. of
organic matter was extracted, by treating the drug with
water alone 36 per cent. was removed. By direct experiment
it was found that in the former extract 0°74 per cent. was an
acrid resin similar to those found in the ether extract. The
aqueous solution of the substances soluble in alcohol had a
decidedly .acid reaction, it gave no colouration with ferric
chloride, showing absence of tannin. It .was deepened
in colour with alkalies, but gave a bulky precipitate with
sulphuric, nitric, hydrochloric and acetic acid. It reduced
_ Fehling’s solution on boiling, and gave a cloudiness with
Nessler, a precipitate with lead acetate, but none with tannin
or picric acid. The precipitate caused by sulphuric acid was
collected on a filter and washed till it ceased to give a cloudi-
‘ness with barium. chloride. It, yielded a greenish — powder,
insoluble in water, but soluble, in alcohol, ether, benzine and
shloroform.. With potash, soda and ammonia it afforded fine
solutions with orange coloured froth, but they er
si ecg a Porat et
A454 ASCLEPIADE.
precipitated on the addition of the mineral acids: It dissolved:
in concentrated sulphuric and nitric acids with intense red:
colour, but in both mixtures it was destroyed and precipitated
by water. It fused at about 60° C. into a blackish brittle mass.’
Heated in a test tube it gave off fumes of creasote, buat no
crystals were obtained in a subliming apparatus. Gently’
ignited it burnt with a bright flame, leaving no ash. It was
thrown down as a bulky grey mass by acetate of lead, the lead’
salt decomposed by sulphuretted hydrogen in spirit left the
substance in the reddish evaporated filtrate from the lead’
sulphide. The body just described has the characteristics of
an organic acid related in some particulars to glycyrrhizic’
acid, but having some distinctly peculiar reactions and possess-
ing the antisaccharine property ascribed to the leaves, I pro-
pose to call it Gymnemic Acid. Gymnemic acid forms more
than six per cent. of the constituents of Gymnema leaves in
combination with a base which is inorganic. It isa monatomic
acid, having the formula, C** H** 0", and requiring theoreti-
cally 14°63 per cent. of metallic silver and 15-20 per cent. of
PbO for its silver and lead salts. It forms ‘ingoluble salts
with alkaloids, and this accounts for its masking the taste of
quinine. The acid isa glucoside. After boiling for about an
hour with dilute hydrochloric acid, a dark resinous mass,
devoid of the peculiar property of the leaves, remains, and the:
liquor contains a body which readily reduces Fehling’s solution
and crystallizes when evaporated, Another organic acid was
present in the lead acetate precipitate, which was identified
as tartaric acid. The filtrate from the insoluble lead come
pounds was treated with sulphuretted hydrogen gas, and
the clear liquor after evaporation was examined for sugar.
Glucose was detected in some quantity by its immediate and
abundant reduction of Fehling’ s solution; ; the sugar examined in
a polariscope had a left-handed rotation. Chloroform agitated
with an. alkaline solution of the leaf left a crystalline residue
of a brownish colour; it hada bitter taste, and acted as a
sialagogue. With the ordinary alkaloidal reagents. it afforded —
coloured precipitates, but was a neutral principle. fe
ASCLEPIADEZ. ABS
_A solution of one-per cent. hydrochloric acid was employed
to remove the oxalate of calcium; a microscopical examination —
‘of the powdered leaves ‘showed a Sale sprinkling of the conglo-
merate crystals or raphides so well known to exist in Rhubarb.
The dilution of the-acid wenstruum rendered this process very
tedious, so a stronger acid was used, _and the mare washed with
it until ammonia produced no cloudiness. The collected
liquors were allowed to deposit, the sediment was then collected
_ on afilter, dried and weighed, then incinerated and weighed
< again. The calcium carbonate was calculated into oxalate, and.
_ the difference between this and the first weighing was reckoned
_ 4s pararabin, No oxalic acid was foundina free state. The
ash of Gymnema sylwestre is very high, a fact in accordance
with the amount of lime salts it contains, . Gentle ignition of
_ the air-dried leaves left as much as. 11-65 per cent, and about
_ one-half of this was calcium carbonate. One hundred parts
contained ; , ;
ee nae
15:41 soluble in water.
78:71 soluble in acid.
_ 5:88 sand and siliceous residue. _
5 The followiig is a tabulated analysis of the sun-dried and
- powdered leaves ;-—
Ether extract (chlorophy and rediinn) 551
Alcoholie extract (gymnemic acid, ‘tartaric acid,
glucose, nentral bitter attic resin, &c.) ......... 19°50:
EAgaeons extract (gum 1°45 per cent., glucose, cashobes
rate and extractive) .. 16:87.
Alkaline extract, by difference (albuminons =
coloring ma tters) 3°15
{pee 2 eeaiats iil Sectende
: Acid solution
Ash (balance of)
Cellulose
456 ASCLEPIADEZ.
j CEROPEGIA BULBOSA, “Roxb.
Fig. —Roxb. Cor. Pl. i., 11, t.. 7; Wight Te., t. Ee Hook.
Bot. Misc. ii., 99; and Supe t, 2.
Hab. 43 From Western India, the Punijab isa Upper Gan-
getic plain as far east as Allahabad, southwards to Travancore.
Vernacular.—Manchi, Manda (Tel., Tam.), Gdlot (Punj.),
Khapparkadu, Gayala (Mar.).
History, Uses, &c.—Several forms of this variable
plant are described in the Flora of British India with leaves
from nearly orbicular to linear-lanceolate.. Roxburgh remarks
that every part of the plant is ‘eaten by the natives, either raw
or stewed in their curries... Edgeworth and Dr. J. L. Stewart
have recorded its use as a vegetable in the. Punjab and at Mool-
tan, and: in the Materia Medica of Western. India it is stated
that shepherds are fond of the tubers, which they consider
to be tonic and digestive. R. Brown notices the use of
C. juneea as a vegetable, and we have also observed
that C. tuberosa is not distinguished by the natives from (.
ee : On the Nilgiris the tubers of. 0; pusilla are known
“ Chutlan-killangu,” and are much appreciated asan article
at diet...
The ‘tubers when boiled lose their bitterness, bia ptlped
with milk form a sweet mucilaginous mixture not unlike salep,
which, judging from their chemical nes ge should be
ee; nutritious.
. Description.—Root tuberous, a little flattened like a
sinus, with several fibres from its base ; it is abont as. large
asasmallapple. Stemstwining, her budsotid, smooth, succulent;
from 2 to 4 feet long. Leaves opposite, short poticlads
shai with a small point, entire, fleshy ; size various.
Umbels lateral, length of the leaves, peduncled, few-flowered.
‘Flowers pretty large, erect, tube greenish, border pu
oe tO, ni Mleaders se About 3 or r 4 in hin’ ies
d Rowburgh.) pe’
ASCLEPTADE. 457
Chemical. composition:—The tubers yielded on analysis—
oisture 5°2
Fat 3°30
Sugar, gum, &e. 23°40
Alh sm iar 3°48
Starch 42°52
Crude fibre 12°64
Ash 9-43
100°00
- The bitter principle of the tubers is an alkaloid, Ceropegine,
soluble in ether, alcohol and water. The total nitrogen afforded
by burning with seda-lime was 0°55 percent. The ash contains
manganese, and is constituted as follows :—
Soluble in water ae OT
Soluble in acid 149
Insoluble. 23°4
100-0
Caralluma attenuata, Wight Ic.,¢. 1268, Pulam-
bari (Tel.), is used on the Eastern coast for ostensibly
_ regenerating stale toddy. From information received from an
_ Abkari Inspector, it appears that the bruised fresh plant is
__ added to teddy te increase its gravity, and to give it the appear-
- ance and smell of that recently drawn. The toddy may be
_. Several days old, but so complete is the process of renewal that
is eee judges are often deceived. The plant is acrid
_ and bitter, and contains a caoutchouc-like substance, a resin
iia. to fluavil and a bitter principle, and so far resembles
the Calotropis.
_ TheSanskrit names Kshiri, Kshirini, Kshira-kshava, Dugdha,
Dugdhika, Dugdhapdshéna, &c., are loosely applied to a num-
_ ber of milky plants, but more gspecially to the weed Ascle-
piads, such as Oxystelma
Rheedii, Caralluma edulis and fimbriata. These
plants Plants as well as other Asclepiads are also called Yugma-
ottama, and Yienar pinto, in allusion to hen, ‘twin
A458 “LOGANTACER.
pods,” which are favourite vegetables of thé Hindus.’ The cen-
tral portion of the flowers of Holostemma Rheedii, Cos-
mostigma racemosum,.and Periploca aphylla is
sweet and is eaten by..the-natives,. The acidulons and some-
what bitter stems ef Caralluma edulis are eaten as a
vegetable’ in the’ Punjab.- ~The ‘roots ’ of Holostemma
Rheedii, Pentatropis’ spiralis’and microphylla,
and the follicles of Marsdenia’ Roylii are considered to
be cooling, and alterative, and are used in alterative decoctions
and as a remedy in gonorrhea.. Sarcostemma’ brevi-
stigma yields an abundant-bland milky juice ; this plauit and
Periploca aphylla are used as substitutes for the Soma
of the Vedas, which-from recent investigations appears to have
been a species. of. Mphedra, and. the same plant which is still
brought from. Persia..to. India. as. the: Homa of the Parsis.
Stapelia reflexa. is used..by.the. ‘Afghan mountain tribes
‘as a bitter tonic and febrifuge, and Boucerosia Auche-
riana i is, considered to -have similar -properties. . Dr. G.. Bidie
has. shown that Secamone oars mabrathaaoding its
a name, is almost inert.
eee g
LOGANIACEA,
_ STRYCHNOS NUX- vomica, Linn. 8588
- Pig—Bead Fl. Sylv., i. 243 ; Bentl, and Pris. 2 178;
Gartn. Fruct. ii. t. 179; Rumph. i. t. 25 ; Rheede Hort. Mal,
i., t. 34, Poison, nut, False ai Pl hark (Zing ), tad eae
{Fr.).
Hab.—thronghout tropa Tain ‘The stem, bark. and
seeds.
kottai (Tam.),., Mushti-vittuln,. ‘Mushidi;.( Fi. sie Hemi
: Vornvaidane 1 at. (Hid, Benga, Kéjen (Atari), Yettion C
(Can.), Re al Roa me
LOGANIACEAE 459
‘ History, Uses, &c.—No mention of Nux-vomica can
be found in the older Sanskrit medical works. A drug called’
Vishamushti, mentioned by Sarangadhara, has by some been
Supposed to be nux-vomica, but according ‘to the Bhavapra~
kasha, Vishamushti has an edible fruit, and is called Karerua in
Hindi. The latter work gives Kupilu and Kulaka as Sanskrit
hamés for Kuchila, but these names are generally referred to @
kind of ebony. Another Sanskrit’ name given to the drug in
recently compiled works is Kurachilla, an incorrect.form of
Kuruchilla, “a crab,” to which animal the seeds bear some
resemblance in shape. We think there can be little doubt
that nux-vomica was not used medicinally by the ancient
Hindus, but ‘the Hindi name Kuchila or Kuchula occurs in
ancient Persian, and appears to be derived from the Sanskrit 7
(kunch) to make crooked.: We also find an unidentified plant
éalled Kuchela, mentioned by Sanskrit writers, with the syno-
nyms of Avi-karni and Viddha-parmi ; the name Kuncha-phala is
also met with, but it may possibly be only an incorrect render-
ing of Kucha-phala, a term for the pomegranate. We can hardly
Suppose that a plant having such marked» poisonous proper-
ties can have escaped the notice of the earliest settlers in
India, and there can-bé no doubt that the wood has been: in
use from a very early date as one of the kinds of Mushadi in
Southern and Western India. ° We also find that in the Indian
Archipelago, which was colonised at a very early date by the
Hindus, the wood is used as a popular remedy for dysentery;
fevers and dyspepsia, under the name of Bidara-laut by the
Malays. This name appears to be of Sanskrit origin and to
be derived from Vidara, “splitting or rending,’” and lata, “a
tree or shrub,” in allusion to the tetanic S07 produced : vs
over-doses of the drug.
"Inthe Raja Nirghanta two kinds of Katuka are noticed ; one
of these with the vernacular synonym Kedér-katuki is’ doabt-
less Picrorhiza Kurroa, the other Katukavalli with the Canarese
_ &ynonym Tonrematta, which’ does not appear in the vernacular
. Nighantas, must, we think, be referred to the bitter Saber —
as lignum colubrinum. pany Sirychnos. colubrina. Ue ae
460 BOGANTACE,
, it has. been- supposed by some that nux:vomica was’ the
Jouz-el:mathil of. the early Arabian writers, but this drug is
described by Ibn Sina.as studded with thick thorns, and as
producing torpor when.eaten ; it is considered by all the more
recent Mahometan writers to be Datura. The Jouz-el-kai of
the Arabs has: also been supposed to be nux-vomica, but there
would seem to be no foundation for such. a belief, as it is de-
scribed as having. properties. similar to Jous-el-mathil, and is
probably the fruit of a Trichilia. All the Indian Mahometan
physicians describe nux-vomica under the name.of Azaraki;
of this drug Ibn Sina merely says it is a kind of Zabad-el-bahr
(foam of the sea), a name given by the Arabs to the cuttle-
fish bone; he adds that is is not used internally, but apphed
externally in. skin diseases and sciatica. Haji Zein-el-Attér
(A.D, 1368) is the first who clearly identifies Azéréki with the
Indian drug Kuchula ; he gives the-same description of its uses
as Ibn Sina, and says. the antidotes for it are fresh milk and
oil (these are. the popular antidotes for it at the present day
in India, but in Madras dog excrement is also used). In the
Makhzan-pl-adwiya azdéraki is said to be a Syrian word, but
it appears to us more probable that it has been manu-
factured by the Syrian physicians, who instructed the Arabs
in Greek medicine, from the words éa and paxia, and that
it intended to be a Greek rendering of the Arabic Zabad-el-
bahr. The author of tht Makhzan gives Kuchile as the Indian
Indian, name for nux-vomica, but says it is best known in Hin-
_dustan (Northern India) as Nirbhedin (a Sanskrit word which
Signifies splitting asunder,. derived from fafyz ). Nux-vomica is
pot mentioned by Garcia d’Orta who was in Goa, where the tree
is, Very common, about the middle of the 16th century—a toler-
ably clear proof that it was not used medicinally at that time
but his. contemporary Valerius Cordus in Europe. deseribes
jt accurately. The seeds do not appear to have been used
medicinally. until -about: the middle of the 17th century, but
Rheede mentions the root as an established remedy in Malabar,
and .we have much earlier. records of its use on the Western
Coast as.a substitute for the tras Lignum Colubrinum, a-drug
ee
a
f
5
LOGANIACE#; 461
held in high- estimation. as a tonic, antiperiodic and: alexi-
‘pharmic in Southern India under the name of Nagamushidi.
‘On the whole we are of opinion that the Arabs were acquainted
with nux-vomica seeds under the name of azérdéki,. but. that
they imagined them to be of marine origin,—a comparatively:
- modern Arabico-Persian name for them is Fulés-mahi (‘fish
scales’) ; thisis the more likely, as the.tree is especially a native
of the Western and Southern Coast districts of India, and the
seeds like those of several other plants are liable te be carried
to a distance by oceanic currents. : Leeds
Ainslie speaks of nux-vomica as a drug. which is little used ;
he rightly states that the pulp of the fruit. is posonous, and
the authors of the Pharmacographia have since shown that it
contains strychnine; nevertheless it is eaten by the hornbill
and other birds. Ho also tells us: that the Vytians are of
Opinion that if the seeds are not taken in sufficient quantity to
cause death, they will produce mental derangement, Loureiro
states that the seeds roasted to blackness are really useful, and
can be given without danger in fluor albus, In the Concan
small doses of the seeds are given with aromatics in colic, ‘and
the juice of the fresh wood (obtained by applying heatto’ the
Bassia). In European medicine strychnine is usually pre-
ferred to the crude drug in which the proportion of alka-
loid varies considerably. In 1883 Professor Bentley drew
attention to this fact as affecting the strength of the extract,
Stating that he had. suffered serious personal inconvenience
from the variation im strength of extracts prepared from
different kinds of seed. This statement led to the exatina-
tion of five samples of commercial nux-vomica’‘by Messrs.’Dun-=
“stan and Short, who found that the proportion’of alkaloid con-—
tained in them ‘ranged from 2°56 to 3:57 per cent: Subse-
A462. LOGANIACEH#.
quent éxperiments conducted by Dr. Schweissinger showed
that the German official preparations varied considerably in
strength, he therefore proposed that the strength of the tinc-
ture should be fixed at 0°2 per cent. of alkaloid; and that of the |
extract at 15 per cent., which would practically agree with the’
standards adopted in the new British Pharmacopeia. It musé
be borne in mind, however, that the tineture and extract of
pux-vomica contain brucine and other constituents, and that’
therefore its medicinal action may differ from that of strych-
nine ; indeed they are considered by some to be more efficient’
than ‘that alkaloid in atonic dyspepsia.
| H. Beckurts | (Arch. der Pharm., 1890, 330-347) ‘remarks -
that if the physiological action of strychine and brucine is as
given:by Falck 1: 88-5, then little is accomplished by a total
alkaloid’ determination; it would be more to the point to
require: a fixed percentage of strychnine and disregard the
brucine (of which an equal quantity could always be assumed).
An extract with fixed strychnine percentage and a brucine per
centage varying within 1°8 per cent. is undoubtedly more
Zeliable than an extract containing a fixed quantity of total
alkaloid: in which | the strychnine pieces might vary 1°8 per
Sent.
ese apabts obtained the following atkaloutel bitten lasses from.
fine ‘samples of nux-vomica :—Bombay, 2 samples, 2°33 and
2°30 per. cent. ; “Malabar, 1 sample, 2°66 per cent. ; Cochin, 3
damples, 9°51, 2°41 and 2°81 per cent. ; Madras, 2 samples;
3°42 and 1°53 per cent. ; Calcutta, 1 sample, 2°40 per cent: In
es of ten determinations made, assuming strychnine atid
to be present in equal proportion, the yield of ghisee
‘nine ated between 2°17 and 2°38 per cent.
* Physiological action. - aaNORICK: affects animals very un=
‘Stadio d by it, but there is
‘a considerable difference of opinion regarding its physiological
action ‘upon plate and fish. The frog is affected with teta-
‘nic spasmsif 2 jaw Of 2 grain of strychnine in solution is applied to:
ita back, pean dried so as-to impede theelimination ofthe 7
LOGANIACEM. 463
poison through the integhment: ‘It is well known in India that
birds are comparatively insusceptible to the poison, and large
_ doses of nix-vomica may be given to fowls without any injuri-
ous effect.” Ruminating animals ave less easily affected by strych-
nine administered with the food than other quadrupeds; dogs
and rabbits are soon destroyed by it, whilst certain monkeys and
some other animals are said to be comparatively insusceptible to
its action, Injected into the circulation it probably affects all
animals alike. . Stillé.and Maisch remark :—* The phenomena
fin the various cases in which its specific operation is developed
donsists of tremor, twitchings, and startings of the voluntary.
7 tauscles, followed by tetanoid spasms, during which the heart’s
Action i is accelerated, the temperature raised, and the respira=
tion and. consciousness suspended. Between the spasms the cir~
elation generally becomes normal, the consciousness returns,
and cutaneous hyperasthesia is observed, but the spasms may
renewed by any excitation, as a touch, a loud sound, or @
den impression on the eye.. Death may occur through.
hy xia from tonic spasm of the tespiratory muscles, by
yn syncope, or .by exhaustion.’ The heart continues to pulsato
fter the respiratory 1 movements have ceased.. Of these modes’
of death, that during spasm is by far the most — frequent i in’
eases of strychnine-poisoning. No lesion’ is ‘anifornily found
after déath; the heart- may be distended with black blood or
enipty, and, although congestion and serous effusion within the:
ninges of the brain and spinal cord are usual, they are _
uniformly met with, and in the substance of these organs no
-chatacteristic: alterations have been observed. Falck experi-
‘™mented on: rabbits with brucine nitrate injected subcutan-
eonsly in doses from *l gram: to.-02 gram. per kilogram of
body weight. He found that the —- maria sng be
arranged i in three divisions :—: ”
1 1st—Respiration is quickened, and in some cases a strange
injection of the éar was noted : the pupils may be dilated,... reste)
onetpammieg Soong ——* magaraerct sed
— « ers wole o¢ bug eeod ebb bra
Oe ig ieee :
Feta ere I Means SRS het ae
.
464 LOGANTACEA,
According to Falck the minimum lethal dose’for rabbits is
023 gram. per kilo of body-weight. Strychnine kills 3-06
‘times quicker, the intensity of the action of strychnine relative
to brucine being as 1 to 117°4. (Vierteljahrsschr. f. Gerichtl.
Med., Band. xxiii., p. 78, quoted by Blyth on Poisons.)
The experiments of Dr. W. H. Klapp (1878) led him to
‘conclusions which may thus be summarized: 1, Strychnine
produces no primary lesion of the nerye-substance proper.
2. Its convulsions are not cerebral. 38. It does not affect
either the sensory or motor nerves at their periphery. 4.
These nerves are unaffected by it in their course. 5. Its
‘tetanizing effects deperd upon its action on the gray matter of
‘the spinal cord. 6. In small doses it excites the vaso-motor
centre. In large doses it paralyzes that centre. 8. It slows
the pulse by an immediate action upon the excito-motor gan-
glia of the heart. 9. It does not act on the pneumogastrics,
but decreases the number of respiratory movements, at first
from too little blood, and afterwards from too much blood
flowing to the respiratory centres. 10. Artificial respiration
always moderates the spasms, not by a reflex stimulation of
the pneumogastrics, but by maintaining the oxygenation of
the blood until the poison is eliminated. .
It may, then, reasonably be believed—1, that strychnine does
mot act upon the muscles, the nervous extremities, or the
nerve-trunks; 2, that it does act upon the nerve-centres in
the medulla cblongata and medulla spinalis; and, 3, that it
acts upon those centres first by stimulating them when given
in small doses, and by exhausting them, and thereby exagger-
ating their reflex irritability, when poisonous doses are used,
in this respect falling under the general law that the actions
of small and of large doses of an active agent are antagonistic
to one another. (Compare Poole, Med. Record, xix. 201. ) The
latter, of the two effects is probably dependent, in part at
least, upon the power of strychnine to contract the arteries
and the heart and to slow the pulse. It is essentially through
spasm, in so far as it throws the respiratory muscles into tonic -
TOGANTACR®. = =——— sigs
contraction and-.by. rendering. the «chest immovable, that. it”
tends to produce asphyxia, with its: usual symptoms;of dark
venous -congestion of the eyes and interior,of the..mouth.
This explanation renders clear the agency of artificial. ‘Tespira-
tion in saving. the life of. animals in strychnine-poisoning
(Richet, Med. News, etc., Nov. 1880, p. 659), and the effect, of
) 'strychiine has been eliminated.” (Nutional Dispensatory. )
Strychnine is generally supposed to have no action upon:
the brain, but E. Biernaki (Ther. Mntsh. Aug. 1890) from.
experiments made upon rabbits under the influence of chloro. .
form found that the excitability of the cortical portion of the
brain, showed a diminution in from 8 to 10 minutes after the:
inistration of strychnine, this diminution of excitability.
reached its maximum in from 27 to 30 minutes, then remained
onary for a time (according : to the dose given) after which 5
passu, with the diminution of sensibility, in the ‘cortical :
ion of the brain, as excitation of one portion of the oo
ous system is known to produce a » depressing action —, .
her Chae
r diseases i in which there is hyperexcitability of the brain.
regards the treatment. of ‘strychnine poisoning, ‘as
+hshould” be evacuated-and ® brisk purgative adminis-
465 LOGANTACEZL.
advantage in the ‘catarrhal dyspepsia, aceompanied ‘by flatu-
-lence and want of contractile power in the intestines, which is
so common m India. In such cases it appears to be -prefer-
-able to the alkaloid strychnine. As a general tonic in relaxed
-conditions of the muscular system, and in delirium tremens,
strychnine is an invaluable remedy. It.is also used with
advantage as a stimulant of the nervous centres in some forms
of paralysis after the symptoms of irritation have subsided,
and in sexual debility. Applied externally, nux-vomica acts as
an irritant, and if the skin is abraded its active principles may
be absorbed and give rise to symptoms of poisoning.
Prof. C. Pavesi (Bolletina Farmaceutica, 1881,) has demon-
strated the antiseptic properties of the different species of
Strychnos and their alkaloids, and suggests that the effectiveness
of the species of Strychnos witok are used in tropical countries
against fevers and poisonous bites may possibly be owing to
the antiseptic and anti-fermentative power of the alkaloids.
‘Lauder Brunton (Practitioner, Jan, | 1888 ,) recommends
strychnine in sleeplessness due to mental fatigue, caused by
strain or Worry, as pr eforabie to opium, chloral and bromides.
He has given > to ~i- grain of the alkaloid, or 5 to 10
minims of Beckie of nux vomica at bedtime, the dose being
ee if the patient wake within one or.two hours.
G. A. Gibson (Practitioner, Dec. 1889,) strongly recommends
‘the hypodermic injection of strychnine in cases of opium nar-
cosis, or in any case of narcotic poisoning where there occurs
rregularity or interruption of the beet ive that appears
‘ eaten a failure of the RE centre.
. Description.—The fruit indehi “oe of the size
‘i and shape of a dmall oran - nik ofa rich orange-yellow colour;
itis filled with a bitter gelatinous, white. pulp, in which the
. se
sediiay rather
diameter
number, are placed xorioaly in an irregu-—
is di i bi
ae ee
-LOGANIACEZ. i,
swith a broad, thickened margin, so that the central portion of
the seed appears depressed.. The outside edge is rounded or
tapers into a keel-like ridge, Bombay nux-vomica usually has
a bevelled margin, and Madras an obtuse one. Hach seed has
on its edge asmall protuberance, from which is a faintly
projecting line (raphe) passing to a central scar which is the
hilum or umbilicus; a slight depression marks the opposite
side of the seed. The seeds are of a light greyish hue, occa-
‘sionally greenish, and have a satiny or glistening aspect, by
reason of their being thickly covered with adpressed, radiating
hairs, Nux-vomica is extremely compact and horny, and bas
& very bitter taste. (Pharmacographia.) The wood occurs in
the Be ehops in ne of variable length, and from # to 1 inch or
nd is s marked by numerous small light-coloured elliptic corky
warts. A transverse section shows numerous very fine
edullary rays ; touched with nitric acid the section is anes, =
a a dull orange red.
Microscopic seeciaeda aie of nux-vomica are sok ro
markable structure. They are formed as usual of the pre si, :
468 EOGANIACEA.
uine and brucine. Strychnine, C?'H?*N?O%, was first met
with in 1818 by Pelletier and Caventou in ‘St. Ignatius Beans,
and immediately afterwards iti nux-vomica. It crystallises
from an alcoholic solution in large anhydrous prisms: of the
orthorhombic system. It requires for solution about 6,700 parts
of cold or 2,500 of boiling water ; the solution is of decidedly
alkaline reaction, and an aeenwely bitter taste, which may be
distinctly perceived, though it contains no more than gy7oo5
of the alkaloid. The best solvents for strychnine are spirits of
wine or chloroform ; it is but very sparingly soluble in absolute
alcohol, benzol, amylic alcohol or ether. ‘Che alcoholic solution
deviates the ray of polarized light to the left. The discovery
of Brucine was made in 1819 by the same chemists, in nux-
vomica bark, then supposed to be derived from Brucea ferru-
ginea. Its presence in nux-vomica and St. Ignatius Bean was
pointed out by them in 1824. Brucine, dried over sulphuric
acid, has the formula C?5H?°N*O%, but it crystallises from its
alcoholic solution with 4H°O. It readily neutralises acids,
forming crystalline salts. In bitterness and poisonous proper-
ties, as wellas in rotatory power, it closely resembles strych-
nine, differing, however, in the following particulars :—it is
soluble in about 150 parts of boiling water, melts without
alteration a little above 180° C. In common with its salts, it
acquires a dark red colour when moistened with concentrated
nitric acid,
Tn nux-vomica as rel asin St. Ignatius’ beans the alka-
joids, according to their discoverers, are combined with
_ strychnic or igasuric acid; Ludwig (1873), who prepared this
body from the latter drug, describes it as a yellowish brown
amorphous mass, having a strongly acid reaction and a sour
astringent taste; and striking a dark green with ferric salts.
_ Nux-vomica dried at 100° C. yields when burnt with soda
lime 1-822 per cent. of nitrogen, indicating about 11-3 per cent,
of protein substances. _ The seeds contain 4°14 per cent. of fat.
Meyer found it to yield butyric, capronic, caprylic, caprinic
‘and other acids of the series of the common fatty acids, and
an stearic acid,
also one acid richer i i
‘LOGANIACEAI, 469°
pe Nux-vomica also contains mucilage and sugar. The latter,
which’ accurding to Rebbling (1855), exists to the extent of 6
_ per cent., reduces cupric oxide without the aid of heat. When
_ macerated in water, the seeds easily undergo lactic fermenta-
s tion, not however attended with decomposition of the alkaloids.
E The stability of strychnine is remarkable, even after ten years
of contact with putrescent animal substances, (Pharmaco-
: graphia.) :
W. R. Dunstan and F. W. Short discovered (1884) a new
glucoside in the pulp of the fruit of Strychnos Nux-vomica to
the extent of 4 to 5 per cent., and named it Loganin. This
j ic. answers to the Hirata Biges * Fate, 8 as! They have
also shown that loganin is present in small quantity in the
seeds and in prep: wrations made from them. (Pharm. Journ.
Fes) XIV., 1025.)
_ In nine samples of nux-vomica seeds examined by Beckurts,
the percentage of total alkaloids ranged from 1°53 to 3°42
per cent. The same chemist found the percentage of strych-
ine in ten determinations to vary between 2°17 and 2°38 per
cent. (Archiv. der Pharm., 1890, 330-347.) W. R. Dunstan
and F. W. Short ina mui of seeds from Ceylon found as
ch as 5-34 per cent, of totalalkaloids. They found the pulp
the fruit to contain 1:4 per cent. of strychnine and 1 per
cent. of brucine. (Pharm. Journ. [3], XIV and XV.)
“The wood and bark of S. Nux-vomica (Bidara Laut) have
en examined by H. G. Greenish, who found 2°26 per cent.
: hag brucine in the dry wood, and as much as 7°38 per
in the dry bark. No trace of strychnine could be
Bastia: The bark of S. Nuaw-vomica has been found to—
contain varying amounts of brucine according to age: old bark,
1-68 per cent.; medium, 2°4 per cent. ; and young bark, * ] per —
ent. ae Journ [8] IX., 1013.) .
D. Hooper (Pharm. Journ. 1890) found the leaves of
viea to contain 4 of a per cent. of alkaloid 01 3b
e, but no Ripchaiee could be detected.
eis
EB:
vase
io
470) LOGANTACEA.
Toxtcology.—Nux-vomica is seldom used as 2 poison in India,
probably on account of the difficulty experienced in powdering
it. In Bengal, from 1880 to 1887, out of a total number of
1,766 cases of poisoning investigated by the Chemical Analyser
to Government, only 3 were from nux-vomica. In the N.-W.
Provinces and Oudh, during the same period, one case was
observed in a total of 1,529 viscera examined. In the Punjab no
case was recorded in a total of 1,871 viscera examined during the
same period. In Madras, during the seven years from 1882 to
‘1888, three cases of poisoning with nux-vomica were recorded,
all three occurred in 1886, and in all the nux-vomica had been
mixed with orpiment. In Bombay Dr Lyon remarks that poison-
ing by nux-vomica is occasionally met with, the cases being
pebialieally suicidal or accidental; in the ten years ending 1834 °
he records one.case of cattle poisoning by this drug. Among
the causes leading to accidental poisoning may be mentioned
the practise of nux-vomica eating, which many authorities state
to be commonly practised in certain parts of India on account
ofits stimulant and aphrodisiac properties. (See Ohevers’ Med.
Juris. p. 241.) Nux-vomica has been found. by the Chemical
Examiner at Madras to be sometimesadded to arrack to increase
its intoxicating effect. Accidental cases of poisoning with nux-
vomica bark have also been recorded owing to its substitution
for Holarrhena bark by ignorant druggists. In a case which
occurred in Calcutta in 1882, the death of a child was traced to
Lo this substitution, and in a subsequent case, on a vendor’s stock
cs of ecerekens bark being seized, about eo of it was
1 to consist of nux-yomica bark.
hue the introduction of Strychnine into India a asa medicine
| i“ Europeans, it has been not unfrequently used as a poison,
In Bengal the Chemical Examiner reported its detection in
human viscera three times in 1880-81, once in 1881-82, |
once in 1882-83, twice in the remaining nine months of 1883; _
three times in 1885, ‘and twice in 1886. In 1884 and es no ies
¢ases occurred, makin : of
ing in t 766 viseors
LOGANIACEA). 47]
Inthe Punjab, during the period between 1879 and 1887,
nly two cases were recorded—one in 1879 and one in 1887,
The total number of viscera examined was ISERe oe ae
In the N.-W. Provinces and Oudh no case is recorded
ring the same period.
= the Madras Chemical Examiner's ie we a under
ychnine was detected in 2 out of 152 cases; in "1883; in 4 out
123 cases; in 1884,in 8 out of 85 cases; in 1885, in 4 out of
‘eases; in 1886, none; and in 1887, in 2 out of 76 cases; in
in 8 out of 101. Under the head of ‘Suspected
pis to Poison” strychnine was detected in the articles
amined twice in 1882,.once in 1833, and once in 1887.
ad one case of catile poisoning by ea is recorded.
) sapuseses was found. 7 ws : ;
ing from eating “the leaves OFS. Nw ; ce
eg in the eben oe and = :
The following table, ‘conipiled by Assistant Surgeon C, L, Bose, Assistant Chemical Examiner to the
Government of Bengal, shows the particulars of poisoning by poe vomion and Strychnia in India :—
| Substances sus spected to be or
REMARKS.
Human viscera. to contain n poison in connection
ith hum g cases. | Suspected
3 ay a substances
es j silo in connec-
og
§4 Animal a $3 |? Pa tion with
‘4g } viscera. 3 3 sy 1
ga a mt Ae a a cattle
° Alsi f4|scia. poisoning
Pe Gl ea So} 5a o :
: Ol) o 1 : as cases,
Kr Bi S|) bP las | oS] Be
5 BIE Ba | 22] Re aa
Aa wm| | wa a 2) re
wee eeeeee Sesless eee 1 eve eee eeese
eee eereee fee tee eee ] eee . eae tes
eee *eteee altee vee vee fee pee oe
eee eeb ae Seeleee aan ons fee eee teres
POP COR e reer ery
Petter eveereree
“Ofthe four deaths fro rom poisoning by
bea hig tine three were accidental and
rom a
in mistake for itonin. Both these.
accidents ee once in Caleutta. Dur-
LF
BAOVINV POT
°
Fs
1880
_ing
similar case came to this
rot of bot
“There were 5 deaths from poisoning
y ne OLMoEEE a t4in the —
year. = i ed — only one
due to st aving been mista inion
for feterie fo against 3 deaths arising
from a similar inistake in 1878-79.
‘A somewhat rare form of poisoning
by thebark of the strychnos nux
yas ee in Caleutta, in whieli
a a child was given a strong
dee of X-vomica _ bark,
techie, insted of a similar prepara-
tion of the bark of the Holarrhena
antidysenterica, kurchi. From the .
eeiae ence which Wes a it appeared
that the child had been suffering
from dysentery, and a macieg practi-
ioner, who ) pute in
ed to be taken to his own dispensa
for compounding. The com puss
the previous year sortie a
mn
‘WAOVINVDOT
&4P
(bark or seed )| & =,
, REMARKS
incharge, an unqualified man, findivig
ba sed
no kurcht bark in store, purchase
nniah, bar
was supplied instead, and not being re-
cogni he preseription was du
dispens -0Z. mixtur
ent, the dose being one tablespoonful
and the child yea ag
coction was, eli of such
strength that one ounce represeuted
extractive matter from an ounce
of the bark. Halfa ee
tered, and was followed by death i
15 minutes. Brucia was fetscind tn in
the snixture, and also in the stomach
and vomit.’’
“ Kuchila and kurchi bark have certain
points ing ore mage i. pps se
bot after the
above tees “i the Msi obtained
samples of kurchi bark from various
PLY
“WAOVINV SOT
Do. Pee eee esters tes
Do. Wee eee eee ree nee 1882
seers
eSeerre
ee
In one instance the same
for k i bark has occurred, but it is
erfectly evident that bunuiahs do not
reco, nize ie impo Dieta?
A fatal accident.oc ote rred. a Bae
by which a child w was poisoned by the
unniah, the
medicine prepared, and its administra-
tion was followed by death.”
** The vie Surgeon of Sibsagar for-
warded few pills and wrote as
follows : pe: The pills were made ya
u
It
lent spasms and became comatose.’
The pills were rae to contain
strychnia and brucia
“WH HOPINV OT
‘Substa nces suspected to he or
to contain poison in connection
wit th human poisoning cases. | g,, spected
2
9LP
Animal
viscera. tion with ReMARES.
Prosidency.
poisoning
-yomica.
Nux
Brucia
(bark or seed )
Brncia.
Strychnia and
Nux-vomica
Ooark or seed.>
ms
=
E
i Ce
oe s contd.).. 1885 Ac Fol eae i. ae
i a emt 1884 . ee ts eee 2 eeetet eee ete eee
“ The seeds of strychnos nuz-vomica vere
etected in the stomachs of two in-
i th
—
mw
thi
suspected to be poison or to contain
po}
“ One rat the two eases in which nux-
vo
“PAOVING DOL
a
sahajmaribark. It was sed pio that
apil Das, a Hindoo male, alt “
aa Ves
ogether
sahajmari, molasses, and fn ith
water, and afterwards drank the mix-
mouth
e sto-
mach. The other case océurred at
Nux-vomica was detected h
para Sa a See ek aE (a Se ee ey
ahabai!, Debalakin Jalahin,
the police to
ium. The relatives of the deceased
stated that de was due
to
holera. The chemical examination
detected nux-vomica,
“From Din magepers, a case of alleged
nin
°
od
suspected substances were sent
xamination, and nux vomica | ‘seeds’
were detected in one of them.’
“In a case at Wace t Mohamedan
male, named Jahan ‘Selah: died
HR HOVINV DOT
L£L¥
Animal
viscera,
- | Substances suspected to be or
tocontain poison in connecti
with human poisoning cases. Baspected
—— SS ee y ubstances
a 33 > Gl . connec- R
= 2 e tion with EMARKS.
$| |aa\8e/8 é cattle
Bla as oFl4¢ poisoning
3\2\ 83 | bx 8 -
ple ba| 22 | a8) 32
5 -—
alaja ja cla |o
Bengal.—(coutd)
1884,
suddenly after taking some medicine
which was ee to him forthe
relief of a co A few pieces of
the bark, of which e was said to have
eaten, were sent for examination, and
identified, physically abd Panne:
as nux-vomica bark.”
‘« There seems to be little doubt but that
eaths are
for the bark of a non-poisonous nee
dicinal tree.
by ys Vagaret insight was obtained in
the month of May hai s to herr this
ei pea ey Kurchi bark
is in great r pi Be: mb as
reput
a mild antiperiodie ae tonic for
children, and a dee i
bark is also used in ane native hos-
82V
WAOVINV DOT
ee
|. pitals. The apothecary e the Camp-
bell Hospital when proceeding to
make some decoction hospital
use, Observed, amongst the iis
he Seen the matter to Dr. Coull
oat the ie mekkir ta of
the Hospital. A nd Lge
of havent “bark was pte for to the
same native drnggist who ied
the first lot, and this too contained
several pie nu ‘
The police were then informed of the
matter by . Mackenzi h
ceeded to shop ist
and seized the whole of his remaining
very large a
one- e-fourth of. the entire quantity of
the bark.”
e of the most remarkable seb
a
nu
for 1884 in this as un-
sails high. The lrge bu balk - the
W LOVIN V BOT
.
'
6Lb
Presidency. Year,
Stryehnia.
Brucia.
=
g
|
Strychnia and
Brucia.
Nuxeyomica
(seed or bark.)
Animal
viscera.
to contain poison
Substances pag Baye to be or
in connection
Brucia
(bark or seed )}
Strychnia aud
Nux-vomica
Strychnia.
Biucra
Nux-yo-
mica
Ext.
with “human poisoning cases. Raspectod
substances
REMARKS.
Bengal—{contd )..11884
|
Re eirnserysncs1 SOOO) Slenr
geese sexy fiooe) Lf 1
Hib trees aye f LOOT
; 888
See eae tarererens 1889 ]
u..
L
CO et YD
Co kt orbs Oo
} The
‘
\
which figure in the returns
ander this heading occur in children
and infan nd such enorm ously
igh pray rilesom ‘of nse has never
sively used :. the people for
infantile ailments
five substances in connection
with eattle poisoning were found
nux-vomica
O8P
‘WAOVINVOOT
ning by stryehni ia,
detected in the gon:
caloi d was
of the. Rican and in the liver of:
dsy
“wfecisle Marked sy mptons of poison-
ing by strychnia were present during
8 act quantity t "as
no mm. ‘It was, however, ascer-
tained that 10 grains by weight of
strychnia was in the-deceased’s hou
shortly before she was attacked with
syinptoms -of poisoning fter her
port of this ‘quanti
pened be eerie ‘Only three other
/ case poisoning by stryehnia (all
n stad} ve 9 re me dur-
ing the past tive years. Dr.’Chever’s
rem hat ‘commonly as the nux-
mica fi a place among the
‘Bazaar drugs of Bengal, ‘it would
_ appear thatit is by no means: frequent-
ly employed in this ¢ country as a
supported by the experience of t
Bombay ‘Chemical Analyser’s Hes"
* The single er in seal stryehnia was
detected wa me respects a
“curious one. ae toed practitioner,
; ing do
t
dog a piece of the meat before him.
called away before he had due
‘a sat any himedlf, and on his return
é
‘WAOVINV DOT
‘
Substances. suspected to be or : es
to seam poison in connection a
with human poisoning cases. — win ected
5 ; ~ substances
; ad |. ; 6) B ‘tion with Ramanns.
41 18.) Beeld cattle
‘al .| de] 6s - wa poisoning
S| a) os | Fe | dg] v4
ple) PE) as |g) os
alalamlta~| a jaa4
Nsano| | ; : é | -about half an hour afterwards, found
nee his dog dying. He naturally suspect-
i at the meat he had th
: . . dog was Sp rgiac and pac in apc “bs
' police. ‘On examination strye as >
detected in the. contents of the orineh Q
of the mt but none, eould be found 1
i ; i ndrg e probable explana- 2
: ; tio re case was that the dog ty
cf : ‘had got hold of the ‘poison from the ©
; apes police, who were * a“ time poten - &
‘ : : / mg stray dogs ‘Bombay with By
strychaia.
=
.
-
.
*
°
.
.
.
en peeeetoer
Ge ee ee fee | cee | sees ff The case 1in whieh didi was
found was that ofa man at Satara
>
>
re
ho o
ed to' be stryehnia. This he probably
stole from the police, who use it for
destroying dogs, ”’
ses which strychnia was»
d came ‘under notice during
One of these, except from
in. a hospital w
mixtures pie ning the Liq Hydrarg.
Perchloridi of the British Pharmaco--
peeia. The quantities: ordered were
respectively as apna every 3rd hour
for patient. A,. one fluid drachm
n
nie: symptoms. Further admin
tion of the mixt
what was left of’ th hem was — to.
me for da
ra
t
©
Fy
WAOVINVDOT
Nuxsyomica
Substances suspected to be or
to contain poison in aanicion
with human pasate < came.
3 =
z Animal 8 g $ REMARKS,
3 viscera, | ¢ a 3
4 a Pas) ee
$ S| 2/35 | te
3 PB) S| he | we
3 Sif) 88) 33
& ml S| a sa
Bombay—(contd.) |1878
eeneee
r os
2... eos sue cae eee aoetes
|
:
seneonitaenctnmnemeetetpnnie iy tamtnbetegl antl velit op gee
substituted for the Lig. Hydrarg.
Perehloridi which had been Pelee
This poison was detected in 4 ea
(two of now pay sri ys during the
year. Of the esses, one Was
san Be from Kaira, fee was the case
ich aman was stated to have
po eliat ted suic y swallowing a
packet of as ae Tor killing bya
1% n analysis, the ay on was dete
n the conte nts ¢
ms liver of the 7.
fatal case came fi
Rerars.
2
a
—
=
@
wn
L mad
©
=
S
]
°
a
b=]
o
m3
PBC!
tes
=
given to Lim b
iste,and some pai
op haar ear,and soon Hla Ieid
ecame violently, conyulsed,
23h ‘died j in about 15 minutes Ou
PSP ©
‘WHOVINVDOT
(line co
tho a nial afterwards. mae
into Insensibility The symptoms
isapy M. The
Ta 5 mplain
_ gave bread. to her dangher
who ag om ed of its bitter taste,
vel whieh mother tasted it, then
her father (the sada er ), as well
as four or five men sitting at the time
in the piso ot aa gt each and
‘© AOVINV DOT
Substances suspected tobe or
to conta n poison in connection
with human poisoning cases:
Strychnia. :
Brucia. es lee
rychnia and} = |
Nux-vomica ee
o~ ‘ = oe | & =
.§| Animal | | | 2 | 81 F | 8
Year. £2| viscera, | Sal Bs E E
t “s of
5 gig] 8e| Fal" 8] g
is Ble) Ee | 28198! op
a |ee os od na a heads Ses
Suspected
pss
nede
REMARKS
it-to a do ‘he dog ate the whole,
and after about a quarter of an hour, it
fell down trembling, 0
vulsed, on after died.’ The
: 3s
peek Wi. s-sent: for examination, and.
H onalyaia strychnia was detected in
RSG
5
~~]
iz
ao
Dn
2
t=)
=]
pant
2
co
=
sake
ro
=
a
=)
&
oe
om
73]
la]
Z
=a
re)
a
in two of these, and perhaps in Ai
the employment of strychnia as a
poison ts traceable to its introduction
eas use for the purpose of destroyin ng
dog
98h
WAOVINVOOT
1880! .
eee
tereee
eecves
eho Hav veri
Age <
a packet con-
ting mur’ which on examination
‘be
prov waasbionta seeds, was
Crear 4 oie request that.I woul
he whether such seeds if adminis-
be ause abortion, ‘Two fatal
cases. of, bats oning by str a une
from Poona and the otherfom Dharam
gaon (Khandesh .Distriet), were refer-
red during the year. In the Poona
ca
two brothers -by, it -w
plicable ide Deresrod's two bro-
‘thers, findin ng the sweetmeat had a
-bitter taste, did not eatit. Strychnia
vwas found on analy “7 in. the. contents
oy .W
of. the stomach of the who died.
The .Dharamgaon case apy 0
have been an accidental one, arising
out of some strychnia s sup
plied to the police for the tad ad of
destroying dogs, having -been mis-
takenifor«cinchona alkaloid eae
supplied as a febrifuge.”’
Two cases came under notice during
the past — in which ee bs
—! eo hip from Dha
ere this alkaloid
wie detetiad | fa ihe contents of t
i
‘VT MOVINV DOT
L8¥
‘Human viscers.
th er, : Sa 4 —
iy ae a
@ \s¢ ‘ |g/e fd
j | 8B 4) |#g/E@) 5 | &
; a4 Ba} a AS tee | She
/}28| Fs Slgldel ial“ 8| 3
. es 4 4 2 3 oF us ae seat
Ba | es SB SS) Fs) HE] oF
a n Ag 1) al @ hao aes] ol
‘Rewarns,
ee
stomach of a hospital _assistant, who,
it-was ib ed, |
PLLC
symptoms in this case being
somewhat prowess’ I transcribe from
the repor
osed ; no dicenieitae, 8 lt ale
Ricca: twitchings of face and arms.
The second case was fécviedan from
S87
‘#AOVINV DOE
n
some table
“pot be found ina cup near the” dend
ody of a man, who, it was suspected
had committed, suicide.
‘A case was submitted by the Roribay
Police in igyce me quack pills were
found to contain a minute quantity
of dervichnlie?
ee ease from poy in which a Ons
mica seed was found in the co
tents + a packed suspected to contain
pol
= pile — detected in 2 oes o
ue e contents of the
e fiv TS,
ded were eager ened Pe
chnia given to hem by mistake
for feitiehoies alkaloid
“The poison was et —— ic! Me —
bor the yea ea
_ Dindor i (Nasik Biteat) ng Ake
nagar, In the sets the luna»
Lge rn abe suspected to b
te contain poison in qeanacthe te
enh ia poisoning cases. | Suspected
substa |
“ys 6 ‘ ‘ ec~
a Animal | 3 S| 2 4 [in conn Ri
' 4 ms ith -EMARKS,
nearer: wie al fa VES ae Bek ceitte
A alae Sly g RQ | poisoning
5 S| SE | uM] wo] ws cases.
BB) fal S| RE oe
mal? |4S)q 24
SE aT
T
bend
: Bombay—(contd.) /188 ee in the vomit of young
gees : who attempted to commit sui-
Aes ide. The sufferer was the son of
a police constable, and the ge sae
swallow ed by him was a portion of
some issned to his eg for the pare
pose of destroying do nt
Bonar ay ‘ar case, bev etnis was detéoted
me fragments of bread and also
t
bute Subba in the school-room.’
067
AOVINVDOT
fF
é
seen
in which s
owder: s were recogn
‘mica sell and
ea
case from Patan (Satara district), in
which nux-v i eeds and er
of arsenious oxide and sulp oe of
copper were fo waved for identifica-
tion, no notes of the case being
rded.”
Strychnia—I. It not mentioned
whether the deletion was in connec-
tion with buman or animal poisoning
cases
m Sly oe at Superintendent of
suicide,
this | aT “hee "Paisohed Bhadun
an Assistant Surgeoy at Kaship
in the Tarai. After death two phials
were found in his pockets, one empty
and labelled “ Prussie acid,” the
for stry eta a detected it by the
usual process. From the history of
Fe eA ES ih A ps Sg te age ese No eh ee a
"WT AHOVINV DOT
“a
S
; Remarks.
oaneee
wee
“peeter
seveer
tet ree
eneane
he case it would appear. that this
unfortunate man must have taken a
large dose, as the symptoms of the
oison were not only well marked, but
he died in about 5 wh od the
first symptoms were obser
Pinna: 2. Detected in Frucacdes
with hu i ae eases, but
whether “ ‘the viscera or in the
gai substances it is not men-
ned.
Nux Vomica—1. Detected in connection
with human geval stip ge Bk vl
he
the rac a ed hiiiates if is
ion
“ From Ballia, The i te Sl examined
was found to he mica. This
also a drug often us Hs found in
bazaars and an: not much used as a
poison.’
B6P
6
=)
em
5
ay
5
S
1885
: See 1879 1 vee
z parent ver aes 1880 sae
quantity ae ere nia I coul
not hie at ace of this alkaloid in
the
he ie apne (ck This case
et
ea
3
oo
&.
is")
if]
bo is
°
Sw =
—e
z=
°
oman
alleen, had iaie rumeiteret roe
vomic I
too slowly she ned herself.
Small gi ay of nux-vomica w Be
foun x the ts of
u mong en
sn and stryehpia, the iahee
principle of nux-vomica, was also
nd jin the substance of the sto-
4 Cattle case from Sitapore soncatying’
siete hy horse— poison used wa
nux-v
“A woman was ele ved to have com-
mitted suicide with bine pied Jeaves,
No fragments of the leaves or traces
hni 0 in é
omac ome leaves which wer
sent up were own to be leaves of
nux-vomic
‘WAOVINVOOT
: Gia r ea I
eeerneeeenee
Do.
ee Babaisnoce pasteriee to be or
aman viscera. to contain poison in connectio:
~~" Gee with human poisoning cases .
se “>
} 3 '
S| g¥| Animal E | e3le 12
r yieoeree | oe 5 4 e
3) e3| 5° s| || 82|48|,
3 i a SIS Sel Ge] sel of
33 El E| oA 2 me] oR
ajala | ad a\f)a |a>|a ja
T. 2 see eee eee eeneer eeejlere eve eee eee eee
1882 2 eee eee eee eeeerr 2 oer ove ee ee eee
1883 7 wey wee eee seeeee a see eee eee ane eee
Suspected
substances
n connec-
REMARKS,
“ Strychnia was ‘detected in viscera in
two insta One may h
been a case of suicide, In the other
an who was ering from
leprosy seems to h 1 poisoned
with an immense
quantity of L Preger and ginger.”
«é
Nux-vomica seeds in powder were ote
found in a pee wder which a man
used of having forcibly ited
into the mouth of a woman before
attempting to commit a rape upon her,
The poison was also found twice in
native medicines, the properties of
which were wanitel to be known,’
In seven’ instances strychnia was de-
tected in the ope viscera, and in
three instances ong substances
suspected to be or ys contain poison,
P6P
‘WAOVINVVOT
SPER eee ees
Te tenes eee
1885| 4
18861...
1887] 2
ew:
tarees
aeacee
eebeve
jin the
be
within three hours. The
Salem is remarkable, bee
victim was said to ha
third e
ve died twenty-
the took
The history of t oe se indi-+
peri the srotlghiliey of io bane
heen produced by some irritant poi
adtainisters d by an enemy of tone
peri who was supposed to have
ntly been Rae d to the de-
os No ante is font oe
remaining Ps ca Nux- ca
was detected in connceton with Whe
cattle- Reig ca
<
The nux-vomica was mi ed with orpi-
feat in all of the three cases
In one case strychnia was discovered in
was de-
tected a only i in the viscera, but also
| pest iaaiton The case was remark-
vipa and ies
ause ie
ne which was drawn off
‘EAOVINVLOT
CoP
| Nux-vomica
(bark or seed )) 23" oo
REMARKS,
beetee
symptoms e oecasional
caamoste 36 SH of the muscles
of the upper extr sia Later on ch
temperature rose, the spas
ceased. At4 p.m. the oMticas somite.
t 7-15 p eae hea fit of convul-
sious and died. Zine RSet, and
apomorphia had been administered
without effect,
“The c ial al ef a woman (widow) was
dragged out of a well, and as the
cause of jest Sonia. not tte ascertain-
ed at the inquest, the body was con-
veyed to the local Ba sary by the
po ee. - S eerting gp
mo ‘inet a foe
crate rey of the winding nied: pats
96P
‘WE AOVINY POT
mortem delivery having occurred on
the way unnoticed by the bearers of
There were no signs indi-
een By ante e; there were no
the aid ve art, and indeed even after
si sito as hans recorded aud
hief factors in the production of
Pee * d . “ cadaveric
spa also kno occur at
a Ae Mjeath by soa dtae poisoning,
and x en till true cadaveric rigi-
dity n, disappearing only
out 18
hours in the water, cadaveric rigidity
had all but mene way at the time
of examination (only the upper limbs
being slightly stiff) and no doubt
expulsion : ‘ie ha Roget: as
the pressure of the us products
of puttetietton which ‘filled the abdo-
WAOVINVYOT
a
Substances suspect cted to be or
The possibility of this accident
occurring is a point in obstetric juris-
ru
xamining the dead body
ol a female alleged to have mis-
rhe -vomica was detected in bibs 2 is
would be at once aroused. Date
by his wife by eset who gave
1 rug et e advi vice of a
to contain poison in connectio
: with human poisoning contig Suspected
ne Seael See a a1 & 7 stances
ako a Animrl E #3, >» |‘ |in connec
read 21. , § : 4 : Z 2 i e oa ee REMARES.
= 7 '¢ & na a 8
4 ea a 5 e a B@| oe A. poisoning
12 o| F 4 cisi eo it s : ase
| By me Ke i 2 PE| MS) ga) oS
i P| oo zie gm z-le =| A
1873 Bt tecane Tools Ti} eve | oes | 1
with the cattle-poisoning ¢
1879 ee see Baeeee = lawel tee oe 1 : bi ee | 1 . N vomica
|
|
him the d
fakeer as an aphrod
Bio ee pie er er eee ea eee
“In one of the stry chi cases, a police
officer took a fp e powder, as he
supposed, from a a in which
such were Pee for igh oe From
this drawer there we t 93 pow-
ders of iabcbioti sie of 5 grains,
S6F.
‘HO er
Pe hh eo
of cinchona febrifuge and sulphate of
quinine. It was not stated whether
“tlh ie i been made up to poison
bea
I Sk see sap eeves( LO GL cce[see| sar oy an) bitok gp: how, fey Neck ee
DO biisisthee veu{ 1882 «0. feve ee nae ag tole. : ves san Wepesso os
De... veeneses eae tee 1883 Peele ee eee eee eee seeleer l 7 . ° . ee eeeeses
BPI as ivaseesivers BB4)..)..0] ve | « pide ST Mook 3h. Se Os at is
Do. . eve { LODO, cae fee ree ba aoe oo 1 tes 1 (Used for procuring abor Nux
. vomica was detected in yo with
the cattle rane case,
Do. see vet eee cates ete site] see vee vee J aoe eee ney Seas Cumin) Sn a Shes. LSS.
Do. . wah oi \ aed oN ee ee Ee on a oes: 7 careers: peg ete i ‘
= ae hese eps cases of poisoning by nux-vomica and its alkaloids are recorded in Dr. Brown’s Book on “ Punjab
oison
* In a case which was brought to the Medical College, Calcutta, in 1880, an old man put five of the seeds
into . vessel ‘of water and allowed it to stand all night long; the next morning he drank off the water. About half an hour
s he began to feel giddy and unable to 7s ie re length he hada fit. About three gore s er he was brought
to i hospital, not having. vomited, and t mp was used; as soon as the tube of this passed the throat a
spasmodic attack was oceasioned, in which all his fimbe backs 6 d remained so = about 2 minutes ; after this wig
e tube was vorphtngys into the stomach, which was throughly seaned out, and a dose of opium was administ ered.
ead no return o t, and the next day he was quite well. The above forms a eicd example ‘of a very mild case of this
form of poisoning.”
: * Case No. 48 of 1862, Umballa.—A man ate some sugar; soon after he complained * twitchings and spasms in the
: on bag and limbs; he vomited and afterwards rédow eae strychnia was detected in the sugar used.”
y * Oase No. 134 of 1869.—Several persons partook of food in which nux-vomica seeds ad been put; within a minute
td com Bed of a bitter taste in the mouth, twitching of the throat, and Stig an vomiting oceurred ; they subsequently
38 red from cramps and twitching in the limbs, dimness of sight and we t fell asleep two hours afterwards an
then peeave vered, ux -vomnica s seeds and strychnia were found i in the batons esa
along with a large number of yale
WHOVINVOOT
667
500 LOGANIACHA.
Collection.—Cochin nux-vomica is collected in the dry
deciduous forests at the foot of the Travancore hills, and is
sold to small native dealers at a low rate, who send it to the
merchants. The Coconada nux-vomica is obtained from the
Ganjam district and Godavery. The Madras seeds come from
Nellore and several other parts of the Presidency. The dirty
and discoloured seeds, such as those left by monkeys, hornbills
and parrots only fetch half rates. The best seed is obtained
by collecting the fruits, washing out the seeds and drying in
the sun. The right of collection is sold by the Forest depart-
ment over fixed areas, and in the upper taluks of the Godavery
in 1889, 5,500 maunds were taken out on payment of
seigniorage. The last Nellore sales fetched Rs. 12 per candy
of 20 maunds, that is, Rs. 2-8-0 per cwt.in Madras. In the
Concan the seed is collected in a similar manner by the Mhars
and other outcastes, and is sold to the small dealers at an
average rate of one anna per measure of about 4lbs.
Commerce.—Large quantities of nux-vomica are exported
from India. The annual exports from Bombay amount to
about 4,000 cwts., all shipped to the United Kingdom.
Madras and Cochin export still larger quantities, and Calcutta
rather less. An extensive business is done in this drug at
Cocanada, from which port it is shipped to Calcutta, Madras,
Alleppy, Cochin, Bombay and Europe. The bags are made up
to contain 164—1]65 Ibs. each, and are valued at Rs. 3 per bag.
Exports from Cochin. Cwt.
1883-84 2,396
1885-86 10,787
1886-87. 2,535
1887-83 7,575
1888-89 8,255
1889-90 17,716
: STRYCHNOS IGNATII, Berg.
Fig -—Rev, de Plant. Vasc. Filip. App.,p. 449. Saint.
Ignatius’ Bean (Zng.), Féve de Saint a i ).
Hab.— Philippine Islands. The seeds,
LOGANIACEA. 501
-. Vernacular.—Papita, from Spanish Pepita (Ind. Bazars).
History, Uses, &c.—The seeds were first described in
Europe by Ray and Petiver (Phil. Trans., 1699, xxi., 44, 87),
from information furnished to them by the Jesuit missionary
Camelli, and probably were brought to India by Jesuit mission-
aries about thesamedate. They are described inthe Makhzan-el-
adwiya of Mir Muhammad Husain (A.D. 1769) as the seeds of
a fruit, about the size of an orange, brought from the New
World ; of a hot and dry nature, an excellent remedy in cholera
and obstinate vomiting, and useful in all cold phlegmatic
_ diseases, such as asthma, dropsy, rheumatism, &c. The dose is
oneto two grains, with two or three peppercorns rubbed down in
water. There is a lengthy account of the seeds in the Talif-1-
_ sharifi, which the author informs us is chiefly compiled from
_ European works. Loureiro says:—“I have often given and seen
others give a whole seed weighing one drachm rubbed in water
or wine to buffaloes, horses, cows and swine as an anthelmin-
ic.” The plant, hitherto imperfectly known to European bota-
nists, has now been fully described and figured by Von Sebas-
_ tian Vidal y Soler, Chief of the Commission de la Flora Forestal
de Filipinas, in their ‘‘ Revision de plantas vasculares Filipi-
nas,” published at Manilla in 1886.
The seeds are not now used medicinally in Europe, but when
cheap are readily purchased for the manufacture of strychnia.
They are officinal in the United States.
Description.—Sst. Ignatius’ Beans are about an inck
in length, their form is ovoid, but by mutual pressure it is
Tendered very irregular, and they are 3 to 4 or 5-sided, bluntly
angular or flattish, with a conspicuous hilumatoneend. In the
_ fresh state they are covered with silvery adpressed hairs ; por-
_ tions ofa shaggy brown epidermis are here and there perceptible
on those found in commerce; but in the majority the seed shows
the dull grey granular surface of the albumen itself. Not-
Withstanding the different outward appearance, the structure
‘St. Ignatius’ Beans accords with that of Nux-vomica. The
radicle however is longer, thicker, and frequently somewhat
ct
502 LOGANIACEZ.
bent, and the cotyledons are more pointed. The horny brown-
ish albumen is translucent, very hard, and difficult to split-
The whole seed swells considerably by prolonged digestion in
warm water, and has then a heavy, earthy smell. The beans
are intensely bitter, and highly poisonous.
Microscopic structure.—The hairs of the epidermis are of an
analogous structure, but more simple than in nux-vomica.
The albumen and cotyledons agree in structural features with
those of the same parts in nux-vomica.
Chemical composition.—Pelletier and Oaventou (1819) found
the seeds to contain the same constituents, though in different
proportions, as nux-vomica ; they stated the yield of strychnine
(still containing brucine) to be 1-4 per. cent. Geissler (1837)
likewise found 1°5 per cent. of this alkaloid. F. F. Mayer
(1863), on assaying ignatia with his solution, obtained from 2
troy ounces of the seeds 4°5 grains of strychnine and 13°73
grains of brucine, which correspond to 0°52 per cent. of the
former and 1°43 per cent. of the latter. The dried seeds yield
1:78 per cent. of nitrogen, indicating about 10 per cent. of
albuminoids. (Pharmacographia.)
Commerce.—The seeds sometimes reach India from the
East via Singapore, or are ees from Europe. Value,
extremely variable.
STRYCHNOS COLUBRINA, Linn.
Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal. vii., t. 5.
- Hab.—wW. Deccan Peninsula, from the Concan to Cochin.
The wood.
STRYCHNOS RHEEDII. Clarke,
Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal. viii., t. 24. eres wood (Eng.),
Bois de couleuvre (Fr.).
Hab.— Malabar. The wood nud leaves,
Vernacular.—Néga-musadi (Tel.), Modira-caniram (Mal.),
Kuchila-lata (Hind., sc asiceh Hoegertlekss (Gn, ) pose kale
(Mar.)s as :
LOGANIACEE. . B08
History, Uses, &c.—The vernacular names we have
given are applied to several scandent species of Strychnos, the
___ wood of which is used medicinally in India, and is known in
Europe as lignum colubrinum. In additioa to the two plants
placed at the head of this article, it appears to be probable
that S. Beddomei, Clarke, 8S. laurina, Wall., and 8. cinna-
momifolia, Thwaites, yield some of the serpent’s wood used by
the natives, and it is well known that the wood of S. Nu«-
_ vomica is often sold under this name. Rheede (viii., p. 47),
_ &peaking of this wood, tells us that it is called Pao de solor or
Pao da cobra by the Portuguese; and that the Malayalim
word modira signifies mystax (yvorag), probably an allusion
tothe moustache-like tentacles of the plant. In addition to
the well-known use of the wood, he says: “‘ Folia cum zinzibere
et lacte ad consistentiam unguenti cocta, arthritidem, Vilvada
_Malabaribus appelata abigit; balneum ex illis praparatum
idem prestat.” Vilvada isa term applied to neuralgic pains,
The arbor ligni colubrint of Rumphias (1, 70) appears to have
d anthelmintic, and also externally in certain skin diseases.
_ his species is described by Rheede under the name of Scheru-
4 Katu- Valli-Caniram. He says that the Dutch call it Wild
_Klimmend Kraanoog; that the bruised fruit is applied to the
ead in mania, that the root rubbed down with pepper is given to
check diarrhcea, and that boiled with oil it is used asa lini-
ment for painsin the joints. The bark and wood of the differ-:
Species of Strychnos appears to be the Katukavalli of
the R4j4 Nirghanta, often confounded with Kutaja, the bark
of Holarrhena antidysenterica, In the yernaculars the San-
skvit Katu, bitter, becomes Kadu, Karu, Kadva, Karva, Karo,
ura, &c., and Kuta, a water pot, becomes Karva, Karua,
— &c. ‘These names are very loosely applied to many bit-
504 - LOGANIACEA.
4.e. Chinese Dand islikea pistachio nut, and the kind called San-
jariis like a red castor seed, marked with rough patches. The
Indian Dand is smaller than the Chinese, but larger than the
Sanjari. Dand is a Persian name for Croton and Castor seeds
of different kinds, and is the equivalent of the Hab-el-Khatai
(Cathay berries) and Hab-el-Saldtin (Prince’s berries) of the
Arabs, who.do not appear to have made use of lignum
colubrinum. It is evidently a corruption of the Sanskrit
Danii, and the Indian kind, smaller than the Chinese, is doubt-
less the seed of Bultospermum azillare, the Danti-vija of the
Hindus. .
Virey (Histoire naturelle des Medicamenis, p. 191,) states
that Bois de Couleuvre in an overdose occasions tremors and
vomiting, but mentions at the same time that in smaller
doses it may be considered as a useful vermifuge, and be given
also with advantage in obstinate quartan agues. Guibourt
considers that S. Colubrina yields the true lignum colubrinum,
or Pao da Cobra of the Portuguese, but he is unable to. decide
whether the wood usually found in commerce is produced by
this tree or by;S. Nuwx-vomica. (Hist. Nat., Ed. 1869, Vol.
IL, p. 557.) Its claims as an antiperiodic have been exa-
mined by Dr. Berdenis van Berkelow (Schmidt’s jahrbucher,
May 24, 1866, Brit. and. For. Med. Chir. Rev., April, 1867,
p- 527); after a trial. with, it in twenty-two cases qnartan
and tertian, he reports favourably of its action, and con-
siders that from its cheapness it may advantageously be
- wsed as afebrifuge. In Bombay shops two kinds of lignum
_ eolubrinum (Goagari-lakri) are met with; the genuine and
least « common ae roned from poussins ‘ind the stems of 89.
ennai auateiag ane are particularly efficacious,
and the extract of nux-vomica in half grain doses, appears to
shave all the virtues of the lignum colubrinum. In the Concan.
are a i
the fresh leaves of 8. colubrina rubbed into a paste. with the _
i of the ashew: \pbaaning tumors.
LOGANIAOE&. - 505
Description.—The general structure of the bark re-
_ sembles that of S. Nua-vomica, but it it of a rusty colour, and
the small lenticels upon it, instead of being pale, are of a bright
_ Tusty brown. The pieces of wood vary much in size, and are
4 more knotty and crooked than those of 8. Nua-vomica; they are
_ often as thick asa man’s arm. The texture of the wood is
_ closer, harder, and of a deeper colour ; when touched with nitric
acid it turns ef a reddish orange. Under the microscope the
Zone of stone-cells in the bark is seen to be wider and more
irregular than in S. Nua-vomica, and the cells themselves
are bright yellow, and larger.
Chemical composition.—The wood was found by Pelletier and
ventou to contain strychine and brucine. H. G. Greenish
i Journ. [3] ix., 1013) confirmed the presence of |
th alkaloids in the bark and wood, the strychnine reaction
eing especially well marked in the alkaloid from the bark.
lis analysis gave 0°96 per cent. of alkaloids in gh dry wood,
d 5-54 per cent. in the dry bark.
STRYCHNOS POTATORUM, Linn. ¢
Fig.—fozb. Cor. Pl. i., t. 5; Wight IU. ii., t. 156; @artn:
ruct. %., t. 179. Clearing nut (Hng.).
-Hab.—Deccan Peninsula, Prome, Ceylon. The seeds.
Vernacular.—Nirmali (Hind., Beng., Guz.), Nivali, Katak,
ailbij (Mar.), Chillbij (Can.), Tetran-kottai (Tam.), Chilla-
njalu (Tel. ), Tetran-parala (Mal.).
istory, Uses, &c.—This seed, in Sanskrit Kataka or
‘buprasada (ambu, water; prasdda, clearness), has been in
in India from the earliest ages for the purpose of clearing
ywater. Kalid4ésa says :—*‘ the ignorant man is refined
Srey. of the learned as water is by the Kataka.”
u (vii. 67) alluding to the popular saying that to name
Ratake ; is sufficient to purify water, remarks: “Though
e fruit of the Kataka purifies water, yet the water
pure, Se faith without nore avails |
*
506 LOGANIACEA.
Kataka is mentioned by Susruta in his chapter on water.
One of the seeds is usually rubbed hard for a short time
round the inside of the earthen pot, and the water is after-
wards poured into it and left to settle ; the impurities subside
and the water remains clear and tasteless. Medicinally nirmali
rubbed down with honey and camphor is applied to the eyes
to strengthen the sight and prevent lachrymation; it is also
used in ulceration of the cornea and purulent discharge from
the conjunctiva. (Chakradatia.) Mahometan writers state
that it is cold and dry, that when applied externally to the
abdomen it relieves colic ; they also notice its use to strengthen
the sight and as a remedy in snake-bite. The author of the
Talif-i-sharffi recommends it in irritation of the urinary organs
‘and gonorrh@a. He directs four of the seeds to be powdered
and mixed with a little curd of milk, to be tied up in a piece
of cloth and steeped in water during the night. The infusion
is to be taken in the morning. Ainslie says :— “The fruit,
though when very young it is made into a preserve and eaten,
is reckoned in its mature state amongst the emetics of the
Tamool doctors in Southern India, given in powder in the
quantity of about half a teaspoonful.” The clearing nut has a
place in the secondary list of the Pharmacopeia of India, and
is there said to be used asa remedy i in diabetes, on the authority
of Kirkpatrick. A suggestion is also made that the nut would
be of use if supplied to troops marching in the rainy reason,
when little but muddy water can be procured.
Dr. Pereira. (Pharm. Journ., 1850, Vol. IX., p. 478 Dridces
: ‘that tho property of clearing water possessed by these seeds
3 depends upon the albumin and casein which they contain. If
the seeds be sliced and digested in water they yield a thick
mucilaginous liquid, which, when boiled, yields a coagulum
ak and by subsequent addition of acetic acid, it fur-
a further ‘coagulum (casein ).—(Phar, of India, p- 146. )
_ Description. he me is peels: orbicalar, Sains
Lg aay Ps
LOGANIACE@. 507
s _ ofthe two portions of albumen constituting the bulk of the seed ;
at one point a slight irregularity of the ridge marks the situation
_ of the radicle, from this runs a faintly projecting line to the
~ umbilicus, which is central and well marked, a hardly perceptible
_ depression marks the opposite side of the seed. The integu-
ments are yellowish grey and covered with fine silky hairs.
‘The albumen horny but not quite so hard as that of Nux-vomica.
) the embryo consists of a club-shaped radicle and two delicate
heart-shaped cotyledons.
+ Chemical composition.—We found the seeds as difficult to
’ powder as those of Nux-vomica, and they had to be treated ina
similar manner before they could be pulverised. The pow-
dered seeds were boiled with strong alcohol acidulated with
sulphuric acid, caustic potash in slight excess added, and then
acetic acid to acid reaction. The solution was then evaporated
ily principle when agitated with the acid extract. After .
Separation of the benzolg the still acid solution was agitated
with ether, which extracted resinous matter which became of a
2p yellow colour on the addition of alkalies, The aqueots
Solution was then rendered alkaline with carbonate of soda
and agitated first with ether and subsequently with chloroform.
- In both cases intensely bitter extracts were obtained, the
ether extract exceeding that yielded by chloroform. These
extracts were purified,* and afforded all the reactions for
alkaloids, the special colour reactions in both instances indicat-
ing the presence of brucia, and it is interesting to note that
the larger amount was found in the ether extract. Portions of
these extracts were injected into frogs, but beyond inducing
muscular irritability no tetanizing effects were induced. Ace-
tates of the alkaloids were. employed for the hypodermic
injections. We failed in obtaining any reactions for the pre-
Sence of strychnia in either of the extracts. We are not
v prepared to state that other alkaloidal principles are
ted that the ether extract when first dissolved in dilute sulphuric —
of a yellow colour, but.changed to grass green on standing.
*
rm,
i asdociate seiated with brucia im the seeds. We noted that on the e
oo GENTIANACEZ.
evaporation of the alcoholic tincture of the seeds acidulated
with sulphuric acid, a beautiful violet coloration was deve-
loped on the sides of the capsule; we also obtained a similar
reaction with Nux-vomica seeds. Phosphoric acid, however,
failed to afford this coloration, and it was not afforded either
by hydrochloric or acetic acids
GENTIANACE.
GENTIANA DAHURICA. Fisch.
_ Fig,—Act. Soc. Nat. Ser. Mos. iii., 63. Syn.—G. Olivieri,
Griseb.
Hab.—Persia. The flowering tops.
Vernacular —Gul-i-ghafis (Indian bazars).
History, Uses, &c.—Ibn Sina and the Eastern dikes
and Persians adopted a Persian plant called Ghafat as re-
presenting the Eupatorion of the Greeks. This plant is still “a .
in India under the name of Ghifith or Ghafis. (fa Nel ds
582). It is described in the Burh4n-i-katia as a plant one alk
in height, having a long blue flower and a very bitter taste.
The entire plant i is not aeibeqnoutiy to be found in parcels of —
the drug which arrive from Persia, Aitchison (Bot. of the
a. Del. Com., p. 88,) speaking of @. Olivieri, says :— 4
“In great uxuriance on the sandy downs of the Bédghis,
part of the sward along with several Carices, Thisis
sdly; as. Boissier remarks, the Gentian of the hot
conniey. ; Ttisin such ‘profusion, that when in flower it gives a
. bese > colouring,” » downs.” We are informed that it is
ul-kealli i by t the Persian peasants from its being used to
ingworm of the scalp in children.. Indian _
tan pl ysicians describe Ghéfis as having
g blue flowers, &c.} the
GENTIANACEM. 509
_ to it the flowers of the Persian Gentian with which they are
miliar. The medicinal properties attributed to it are those
of Agrimony.
7 - Description.—The drug, which is imported from Persia,
consists of delicate quadrangular flower stalks, two to four
inches in length, terminating when perfect in five flowers;
one of these is terminal, the remaining four are in opposite
Pairs and on longish peduncles, with bracts as long as the
peduncles. The corolla is funnel-shaped, about 1 inch in length,
erect, five-partite; calyx five-partite ; stamens five, alternate
with the corolline segments; style single; stigmas two ; fruit
three-fourths ofan inch long, one-celled, containing numerous
Small seeds; calyx and corolla persistent. The lower portion
f the plant is sometimes to be found; it has the leaves of a
‘gentian.
The entire plant is from 6 to 8 inches high, and very bitter.
hemical composition.—The drug reduced to fine powder
treated with ether yielded 7 per cent. of extract, consisting
st entirely of a light yellow-coloured wax. The spirit
contained a crystalline bitter principle, neutral in reac-
on, unaffected by alkaloidal reagents but precipitated by
mnin. The residue, after treatment with ether and alcohol,
elled up on the addition of water, and a quantity of nee
and red-colouring matter entered into solution.
_Commerce.—The drug is an article of regular import from
, and sells at from 2 to 3 annas a pound.
Jintiyana. —Under this name Gentian root imported from .
urope is sold in India, and is generally accepted by the
510 GENTIANACRAL.
GENTIANA KURROO, foyie.
_ Fig.— Royle Illus., t. 68, f. 2; Bot. Mag., t. 6470.
Hab.—Cashmere and N.-W. Himalaya. The root-stock.
~ Vernacular.—Kara, Nilkant, Kamal-phél (Hénd.).
History, Uses, &c.—This drug is not mentioned by
Sanskrit writers on Materia Medica. Their Katuki, in the ver-
naculars Katki and Kart, which is in general use all over India,
is undoubtedly the root.of Picrorhiza Kurrooa. In the Dietion-
ary of the Economie Products of India (iii., p. 486,) it is stated
that G. Kurroo is largely exported to the plains along with
P. Kurrooa as the officinal Karu or Katki, but we have been
unable to find anything like the root of a Gentian in the origi-
nal parcels of that drag which arrive from the hills. We
believe that all the references to this plant, asa drug in use
in the plains, belong properly to Picrorhiza, and that G. Kurroo
is only used in the Himalayas and northern districts of the
Punjab. 3 |
Description.—The root-stock is perennial and creeping,
terminating in knotty crowns from. which spring numerous
vertical rhizomes from 3 to 6 inches in length; the latter, which
form the bulk of the drug, are bluntly quadrangular, about as
thick as a goose-quill, and marked on each face by the remains
of a closely set single vertical row of rootlets; they are also
transversely wrinkled, and terminate in a scaly tuft consisting
of the remains of leaves and flower stems. A transverse section
shows that the rhizome consists of a central quadrangular
woody portion, surrounded by a thick cortex, both of a light
yellow colour, tough, and having the odour and taste of
but is precipitated by ammoniacal aceta
*
ome
and alcohol, and is not thrown down
ES
GENTIANACEAE. 511
from an aqueous solution by agitation with benzine or ether,
_ but more readily by chloroform. Ferric chloride does not
f precipitate it, nor does tannin. Sulphuric acid colours it red-
dish, and the dilute acid decomposes it with the production
of sagar. The root also contains a yellow, transparent, brittle
resin, resembling mastic, in softening at the temperature of the
mouth ; it is odourless and tasteless, neutral in reaction, and
soluble in alkaline liquors. ‘The presence of this resin to
Pthirotta (Eng. } Ohiverti (Fr. ).
Hab.—Temperate Himalaya. The plant.
far.), Nila-vembu (Tam.), Nela-vemu (Tel.), Nelabeva
-), Nila-veppa (Jal.), aes
History, Uses, &c.—Kirdyat has long been an import-
article of the Hindu Materia Medica. It is mentioned by
ita and other Sanskrit writers under the name of Kiréta-
ta, which means the bitter plant of the Kirdtas, an outcaste
of mountaineers in the north of India. It is also called
4rya-tikta, “the bitter plant of the non-Aryans,”’ Another
askrit name is Bhunimba, “‘ground-nim.” The herbis much
med by the Hindu physicians on account of its tonic,
mintic and febrifuge properties, and is prescribed in
forms of malarial fever in which the chief symptoms
spepsia ; it is usually combined with aromatics, such as
is also’ considered to be laxative, anthelmintic and
2. Inthe Bhaishajya-ratnavali, a decoction is directed
le of — parts of chiretta, Tinosposa stems, raisins,
ns and zedoary root. ‘Chiretta is one of the
of the . powder known as Su
512 GENTIANACEA.
churna, and it gives its name to a compound oil called Kirétad
taila, in which it is combined with 26 other drugs, mostly aro-
matics and stimulants, This oil is rubbed on the body in
obstinate cases of ague, causing emaciation and anemia.
( Bhaishajya-ratnavalt.)
Mahometan writers upon Indian drugs have identified Chi-
retta with the Kasab-ed-darira of the Arabs, and Calamus
aromaticus of Dioscorides. Guibourt was alas of the ia
opinion, but Fée and Royle dissent from it.
The author of the Makhzan-el Adwiya gives at the end of hi
article upon Kasab-ed-darira the following short summary of
the manner in which Chiretta is used by the Hindu phy
cians :— 7
«They consider it to be cold and dry, light and flatul
a remedy for colds and bilious affections, burning of ie b d
and the fever arising from derangement of the three
which they call sannipat (fever wills delirium).” The lal
first described by Roxburgh under the name of Gentian:
rayita in 1814, Ainslie notices it, and remarks that it
to be much used in Bengal; it was probably rather a
drug in Southern India in his time, as he says little ab
In England it began to aitract attention about the year J
and in 1839 was introduced into the Edinburgh Pharmacop
ias,
is generally accepted as a valuable bitter tonic. In We
— it has a Aghios asa remedy for bei ae
@ENTIANACEA, 513
ens, the root is somewhat oblique or geniculate; perhaps the
‘stem i is in this case the product of a second year’s growth, and
the plant not strictly annual. Each plant usually consists of a
single stem, yet occasionally two or more spring from a single
_ root. The stem rises to a height of 2 to 3 feet, and is cylin-
drical in its lower and middle portion, but bluntly quadrangu-
lar in its upper, the four'edges being each marked with a pro-
minent decurrent line, as in Hrythrea Centaurium and many
other plants of the order. The decussate ramification resembles
that of the other Gentians; its stems are jointed at intervals
of 1 to 8 or 4 inches bearing opposite semi-amplexicaul leaves
or their cicatrices. The stem consists in its lower portion
of a large woody column, coated with a very thin rind, and
nclosing a comparatively large pith. The upper parts of
we stem and branches contain a broad ring of thick-walled
roody parenchyme. The numerous slender axillary and oppo-
branches are elongated, and thus constitute a dense umbel-
panicle. They are smooth and glabrous, of greenish or
mnish grey colour.
The leaves are ovate, acuminate, cordate at the base, ples,
ile, the largest one inch or more in length, 3to 5 or 7-
nerved, the midrib being strongest. At each division of the
‘panicle there are twosmall bracts. The yellow corollais rotate,
obed, with glandular pits above the base; the calyx isone-
third the length of the petals, which are about half an inch :
af ae The one-celled bivalved capsule contains numerous
‘The flowers share the intense bitterness of the whole drug. :
Be wood of the stronger stems is devoid of the bitter pra
Chemica i vietlionconk the request of the authors of the
, jraphia, a chemical examination of chiretta was made
éhn under the direction of Professor Ludwig of Jena.
shief results may be thus described. Among the bitter —
of the seas, Ophelic Acid, C'3H2°Q"9, oceurs in the
portion. It is an Stee boon y ow
S14 GENTIANACE A
stance of an acidulous, persistently bitter taste, and a faint
ventian-like odour. With basic acetate of lead, it produces an
abundant yellow precipitate. Ophelic acid does not form. an
insoluble compound with tannin ; it dissolves in water, alcohol
and ether. The first solution causes the separation of protoxide
of copper from an alkaline tartrate of that metal,
A second bitter principle, Chiratin, C°®H*8O'', may be
removed by means of tannic acid, with which it forms an in-
‘soluble compound. Chiratin is a neutral, not distinctly crystal-
line, light yellow hygroscopic powder, soluble in alcohol, ether
and in warm water. By boiling hydrochloric acid, it is decom-
posed into Chiratogenin, C!3H**O%, and Ophelic acid. Chirat-
ogenin is a brownish, amorphous substance, soluble in alcohol
but not in water, nor yielding a tannic compound. No sugar
is formed in this decomposition.
‘These results exhibit no analogy to those obtained in the
‘analysis of the European gentians. Finally Héhn remarked in
ehiretta a crystallisable, tasteless yellow substance, but its —
quantity was so minute that no investigation of it could be
made. The leaves of chiretta, dried at 100° C., afforded 7°5
per cent. of ash; the stem 3:7, salts of potassium and calcium
prevailing in both. (Op. cit. 2nd. Ed., p. 487.)
~ Commerce.—Most of the chiretta of commerce is said to be
collected in the Morung district of Nepal; it is packed i in large
bales, which contain about 1 ewt., and arrives in India about
_the end of March, when a stock may be laid in at about 2 annas
Bee Ib. a inferior kind, known as Mitha kirayat, “sweet
_ chiretta,” is frequently met with ; it is sometimes packed sepa-
rately, a. sometimes mixed deans the true drug, but can be
easily recognised by the almost complete absence of the cen-
tral pith, and by its deficient bitterness. This spurious chiretta
has been noticed in the London market and described by Prof.
Bentley. (Pharm. Journ. [3] Ve, 481.) It is said to be derived
from 8. angustifolia, H am.
stems i ae some bundles of
-Blborne in 1883 potest) a :
oA Chiniia. dessa cua
GEN TIANACEA), BLS
Swertia decussata—Nimmo, Wight Ill., t. 157, bis f.
3 f., Syn.—Ophelia multiflora, a native of the West Deccan
Peninsula; is used’ under the name of Siléjit as a substitute for
chiretta. The whole plant is bitter, but the root is preferred,
and is said. by Dr. Broughton and others who have used it to
be an excellent substitute for gentian. ‘It is not an article of
commerce, but. is sold in the bazar at Mahableshwar under the
name of Kadé, which simply means “ bitter.”” The 8S. corym:
bosa on the Nilgiris, and the 8. pulehella on the Pulneys, are
used as tonics in place of the true chiretta.
Description.—Stem quadrangular, 4-winged, ascending
densely leafy ; leaves round ovate ; stem clasping, 5-nerved,
-mucronulate, glabrous, decussate , cymes many-flowered ; ealyx
divisions lanceolate, acuminate ; corolla white, 4-divided, seg-
ments ovate, elliptic, their rounded pits surrounded hy long
fringes; filaments united at the very base; capsules. large,
cylindrical, erect; seeds minute. Root of the diameter of a
: quill, giving off two or three rootlets, covered, with a whitish-
brown epidermis, when dry wrinkled longitudinally, white
internally, and brittle, a i
ENICOSTEMA LITTORALE, Blume. — :
Fig.—Bot. Mag. ii., t. 28; Wight Ic. t. 600.
Hab.— Throughout India, except in Bengal. The plant.
_ Vernacular.— Chhota-kirdyat (Hind.), Mamijva ((ruz.),
Nella-galli (Tel.), Vellurugu (Tam.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant does not appear to
have been noticed by Sanskrit writers on Materia Medica, but
it is popularly known in many parts of India, aloug with seve-
ral other bitter herbs as a kind of Kirdyat. It is most abundant
in moist situations near the coast, and is also found in Tropical
Africa and the West Indies. Roxburgh describes it under the
name of Gentiana verticillata, but says nothing about its medi- —
cinal properties. In the Pharmacopeia of India it is noticed
‘Under the name of Cicendia hyssopifolia. cons ote
oe 2301 aie oa sateen
516 GENTIANACEZ,
According to Cleghorn it is much used by the natives of |
Madras as a stomachic, as in addition to its tonic properties, it
is also somewhat laxative. (Ind, Ann. of Med. Sci. iii., p. 272.)
Description.—Root perennial, creeping, filiform. Stems
herbaceous, simple, erect, from 6 to 12 inches high, four-
sided, jointed; leaves opposite, sessile, lanceolate, 3-nerved,
smooth, entire, 14 to 2 inches long, by half an inch broad;
flowers axillary, sessile, generally threefold, small, white ;
corolla funnel-shaped. The whole plant is bitter.
Chemical composition.—The aérial and subterranean por-
tions of this plant were examined separately; the former gave
34 per cent, of dry alcoholic extract and 157 per cent. of ash,
and the latter 15°5 per cent. of dry alcoholic extract and 10°4
per cent. of ash. The bitter principle from both portions
appeared to beidentical and to have the characters ofa glucoside.
Tt was left as a varnish-like residue from the evaporation of its
solution in chloroform, and was also soluble in ether, benzol,
alcohol and water. It gave a reddish-brown colour with
strong sulphuric acid, which changed to a purplish tint after
standing. The hydrolysis of the bitter principle with dilute
hydrochloric acid resulted in the production of an agreeable
aromatic substauce, and the deposition of a flocculent light -
brown colouring matter.
CANSCORA DECUSSATA, Roem. ct Sch.
Fig.— Bot. Mag. t. 3066.
| Hab.— Throughout India. The plant.
_Vernacular.—Sankhéhuli, Danipola, Danakuni (Hind. ), Dan-
kuni (Beng.) , Sankhvel (Mar.), Cansjan-cora (Mal.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant is mentioned in Sans-
krit medical works, under the names of Shanka-pushpi,
Kambu-pushpi, Kambu-malini and Dandotpala, as a laxative,
: alterative, and nervine tonic. Chakradatta recommends. the
. fresh juice of the plant to be given in doses of about an ounce _
e in all sorts of insanity ; he also prescribes it as a nervine tonic.
‘ GENTIANACEH. | 517
It seems probable that the Sanskrit names are applied in
ifferent parts of the country to more than one species of
anscora. Rheede (Hort. Mal. «., t. 52), figures C. perfoliata
with the Malayalim name of the Consfan-cieee from which the
tanical name of the genus has been derived. The different
ecies of Canscora are bitterish annual plants which grow in
moist situations during, or immediately after the rainy season.
‘They have pink, yellow or white flowers, and are of no medi-
al importance.
Description.—Stem about a foot high, perfectly erect
Janda-utpala), four-sided, angles very sharp, or rather mem-
ra ne-winged, smooth, ramous, branches always opposite
-armed, in other respects like the stem; leaves opposite,
ding, sessile, lanceolate, sharp-pointed, entire, smooth, 3-
d, size various; flowers terminal and axillary, peduncled,
: tetninal ones ‘Bites fold the axillary single, white;
ncles 4-sided ; calyx large, 4-toothed, 4-sided, 4-winged ;
ol funnel-shaped, border irregular, 3-parted, the two upper
ments equal and orbicular, the lower one 2-parted, with a
preates in the groove is lodged the fourth or large:
; filaments four, inserted into the mouth of the tube, —
Be stinost longer than the other three; style single; stigma Bs
ft, segments recurved ; capsule one- -celled, many-seeded, _
Other plants belonging to this Order which are somthin.
d medicinally are: the different species of Exacum,
0 ngst which may be mentioned LH. tetragonum in Northern.
-and E. bicolor in the Deccan Peninsula.
rythroea Roxburghii has been recommended as a
stitute for Chirctta ; it is a delicate little plant from 4 to
inches high, appearing in cultivated ground after the rains.
The root is small and fibrous, sparingly branched, the stem
gular and winged; lower leaves obovate-oblong,
those | onthe stem lincar-acuminate ; cymes dichotomous ,
ight pink, starlike; capsules oblong, mucronate, } of
, dehiscing, 9-celled, covered by the long ' ey
silyer-paper-like tube of the corolla.
CD
518 BORAGINEE
~BORAGINEZ.
CORDIA MYXA, Linn,
Fig. —Delile Fl. Aigypt, t. 19, f.1 3 Wight Iil., t. 169 ;
Rheede Hort. Mal. wv. t. 87. Small Sebesten Plum (#7ng.).
Hab. ..(Phroaghout India. Egypt to Cochin-China, Aas |
tralia, The fruit and bark. | ae
CORDIA OBLIQUA, Wit.
Fig.—Bedd. Fl. Sylv., t. 245; Wight Ic., t. 1378. Large
Sebesten Plum (Eng.).
_ Hab.—Western India. cs: and Hindustan to ° Ceylon
The fruit. : a
GO Sai eae Se . (Hind. ); Bahubéra (Beng.), Bickers ;
Shélvant (Mar.), Bargund, Gondani (@uz.), Naruvili (Tam.)>
Nakkera, Botuku (Tel.), Viri (Mal.), Dodachallu (Can.). The |
adjective great or small is added to these names to ia comeaer :
the two species.
History, Uses, &c.—The fruits of these trees are the —
Selu, Bahuvara, or Sleshmétaka of Sanskrit writers, the —
Sapistén of the Mahometans, and the Sebestens of old European
works on Materia Medica. C. Mywa is Supposed by some to —
: be the kokupnea deyorria of Theophrastus. The natives of India
_ pickle the fruit of both trees. Medicinally the dried fruit is
yalued on account of its mucilaginous nature and demulcent
properties ; it is much used in coughs and chest affections, also
in irritation of the urinary passages ; in larger quantities it is
given in Dilious affections as a laxative. Mahometan writers
describe two kinds of Sapistdn; the greater ay obliqua),. the
pulp of which is Separable from the stone, and the lesser (@
Myzxa), the. pulp of which i is adherent. The word Sapistén is.
an abbreviation of Bin cs pistan,. esshich, means in Persian ‘ 2
BORAGINE. 519
sion to their glutinous pulp,. Both trees are minutely de-
yxa is used by the Javanese as a tonic. This tree is the
Vidimaram of Rheede, the Fruita d’ Entrude of the Portuguese,
nd the Arbor glutinosa or Kleeverige Boom of Rumphius.
_ Description.—C. obliqua : Drupe oblate-spheroidal ; about
inch or inch and a quarter in diameter, smooth, when ripe
low ; pulp in large quantity, soft, clear and very clammy,
one-celled ; nut nearly circular, laterally compressed, rugose
the outside, with a cavity at each end, the lower one deeper
than the other, exceedingly hard, 4-celled, though rarely all
fertile ; seed solitary, ovate-oblong.
Ev. Sia Drupe globular, smooth, the size of.a cherry, sit-
ting in the enlarged calyx, when ripe yellow ; the pulp almost
trausparent, very tough, and viscid ; nut cordate, at both ends
ntate and perforated, rugose, somewhat. 4-sided, 4-celled,
it rarely happens that all prove fertile; seeds solitary.
urgh.) Both kinds of fruit when dry are shrivelled, and
he colour of a dry prune. The pulp of C. obliqua can be
ated from the nat, that of C. Myxa cannot; on sawing
gh the nut a heavy disagreeable smell is observable.
hemical composition.—The palp of the fruit of C. obliqua
r cent,
Moisture ....é....:.. 12-85
- Extracted by hot water ... . 64°25
|. Sugar (by copper estimation) ...........0+ 29°76
- Acidity neutralizing Na i 5. OS
_- Alkalinity of ash as KHO . .. 8°06
Total ash P 8°85
PRC Ash i im insoluble atin er eee eee ere 408s ee tee eee
alkaloid, and was not rendered turbid with lime water.
plums appear to have properties: similar to prunes,
ey _— a —* laxative action when’ taken in set :
520 BORAGINEZ.
A decoction of the bark of C.: Myxa was not affected: by
iodine solution, and was only slightly turned green by ferric
-chloride. The alcoholic extract contained some white, trans-
‘parent’ crystals belonging to the square prismatic system.
They had no peculiar taste, were neutral in reaction and 4
unaffected by alkaloidal reagents and the stronger mineral
acids. The aqueous extract. was dark-coloured, free from
bitterness, and a substance like cathartin was precipitated
from it by six volumes of alcohol. Nothing was found in the
bark to account for its reputed tonic action. Some simple
crystals of calcium oxalate were present, and the reduction of
this salt. to carbonate, by bien contributed lasgety * to the —
12°75 per cent. of ash.
CACCINIA GLAUCA, Savi.
Syn.—C. Celsti, Boiss. Fl. Orient iv. p. 277.
Hab. — Persia. The herb and flowers,
Vernacular.—Gaozabin (Ind. Bazars). The flowers, Gul-i-
gaozabin (Ind. Bazars). f
History, Uses, &c.— A plant named Sovyreooos is men-
tioned by Dioscorides, Paulus Aigineta, Pliny and other Greek
and Latin writers as useful in the cold stage of fevers as a
stimulant when added to wine.* ;
Dioscorides says of it, Zoe Be PAdpo GudAdovy yapaumerés tpaxu Te
kai peAdvrepov Sporov Bods yhooon © it has leaves like Verbascum,
: shen, but rough and blacker, like a bullock’s tongue. -
ell i :
Bugloss of the ancients was Borage, laying special stress upon
the fact that Dioscorides, Paulus Aigineta, Galen and Pliny all —
mention its addition to wine to increase its stimulating effects.
a well known use of the plant up to the present time.
‘Forskahl lees Anim., p. 146 ; Flora lxii.) identifies the Lisén-
‘althoae of br eetnorharie Mbee eee oe a of = Makhzan,
BORAGINE:, 521
ith other Persian writers, assumes that the Gaozabén of Persia
aozab4n we now receive from Persia, and says that most of
he drug comes from Gilén. He also mentions another kind
with smaller leaves as coming from Azimdbad in India. Mir
uhammad Mumin, in his. Juhfat-el-Maminin, says that in
[spahdn and some other towns of Persia a kind of Gaozaban is
called Marmakhiz, and has a small round blue flower. In Persia
taozaban is used as a demulcent in colds and coughs, and the
In India the drug has long held a high place in native prac-
tice as an alterative tonic in syphilitic, leprous, and rheumatic
cases; it has also diuretic and demulcent properties. O’Shangh-
1essy (Beng. Disp., p. 420,) notices it favourably, but there is
e doubt as to the kind of Gaozab4n used by him. Mr. M,
Sheriff and others have suggested its use as an alterative
nstead of Sarsaparilla. It may be given in decoction (1 oz. to
int of water) in doses of from 2 to 4 ounces three or four
s a day. Whatever its alterative powers may be, there
be no doubt as to its mucilaginous and saline properties.
hison found the Persian Géozabar growing abundantly in
Badghis and Khorasan as well as in the Hari- rud valley.
tates that the root stock is eaten by the natives, and that it
en with a most viscid juice, which seems to be palatable to
people of those parts. (Trans. Linn. Soc. 8nd Ser. Botany,
Description. —The following description is drawn up
m ie examination of original bales of the plant and flowers
| from Persia :—Gaozabén is a large herbaceous, pe-
al plant with black woody rhizomes, 1 to 2 inches in dia-
r, and terminating in a knotty head, from which spring
ral angular stems, thickly studded with calcareous
les and armed with stiff, white, calcareous bristles.
ves, which are very fleshy, entire, petioled, and of an
minate shape, have a slightly waved margin; the
re 8 inches long by 44 inches meer: =
522 BORAGINEZ.
leaves were 44 by 2 inches, gradually decreasing to J inch;
both sides of the leaves are thickly studded with calcareous
tubercles which support stiff, white, calcareous bristles. Heads
of flowers scorpioid and branched, thickly studded with white
stiff bristles; bracts lanceolate to linear lanceolate, bristly ;
calyx half an inch long, 5-partite; segments linear-lanceolate,
bristly; peduncles very short when the plant is in flower,
lengthening to half an inch when in seed, and becoming studded
with calcareous spots; pistil hairy, bifid at the apex, double
the length of the calyx ; corolla one and a half inch long, half
an inch wide at the throat, funnel-shaped, almost bilabiate, qa
externally hairy, 5-lobed, two upper lobes longest, throat of
corolla glabrous, naked; stamens five, attached, a few long,
weak hairs between the stamens; the fruit consists of oblong
rugose nuts, ¢ to ;5; of an inch long, supported upon bony cups
one-twelfth of an inch in diameter. If long kept the flowers
lose their deep blue colour and turn reddish.
Chemical composition.—In boraginaceous plants there occurs
a nitrogenous substance differing from gluten, the solution
of which in boiling water jolidites on cooling to an imperfect
jelly, and is precipitated by acids. It is also precipitated by
the alkaline earths and by most salts, but tannin merely clonds it.
(Braconnot, J. Phys. 84, 274.) In Gaozabén this nitrogenous
substance is particularly abundant.
The ash of the leaves and stalks of Gaozab4n has been
examined by Deshmukh (1884), with the following results:—
Silica, 24°17; Carbonic acid, 15°71; Alumina with traces of iron,
1°87; Lime, 27-31 ; Magnesia, 2° 77; Potash, 14°56; Soda, 9°51;
Sulphuric acid, 1° 79; Phosphoric acid, 1 06 ; PGilacina, 14th
Commerce. —Value, Goazabén, gs 7 per maund of STs lbs. 5
Gul-i-gaozabén, Rs. 12 per maund.
“TRICHODESMA INDICUM, Br.
i Bet: ae t 172
q BORAGINEA 593
TRICHODESMA ZEYLANICUM, Br.
Fig.—Bot. Mag. t. 4820 ; Jacq. Ic. Pl. Rar. ti, a 314,
Hab.—Deccan Peninsula and Ceylon. The herb.
Vernacular.—JI hingi, Jhingino (Hind., Mar.), Kouri-buti,
Ratmandu (Bunj.)s Gaozabaén (Sind.).
History, Uses, &c.—These plants bear the Sanskrit
1€8 of Jhingi, Jhingini, Sirishika, Durbala and Ambu-siri-
‘a; they are andor to be demulcent, alterative and alexi-
rmic; useful for the removal of phlegmatic humors, skin
The Hindi and Mar: rathi names, which are derived
on or prickly obj ects; im Hindi J hinga i isa name for shrimps
itles, and also a stinging kind ef fish. ‘Phe authors of the
khzan-el-Adwiya and Tuhfat-el-Muminin notice a small kind
aozabin with a round blue flower, which is probably a
odesma. J’. indicum is mentioned “in Spry’s Modern
as being in repute as an antidote to snake poison. Dr.
‘er (Bombay Med. and Phys. Soc. Frans., 1840, p. 42,)
ices the use of Indian Borage in the Deccan on account of its
nollient properties. In the Punjab and Sind it is used as an
terative and diuretic like the Persian Gaozab4n; in the latter
wince 7’. Africanum isalso used under the name of Pdbarpani.
Description.—Bristly, with hairs springing from
ercles and also more or less villous, leaves mostly sessile-lan
te or cordate-lanceolate, 1-4 inches long, tuberculate on the
r surface ; lower pedicels often distinctly axillary, 1-flower-
clayx lobes (at least in fruit) cordate or hastate at the
—4 inch, more or less grey or white-villous ; corolla tube
lobes } inch, ovate, suddenly acuminate ; staminal cones
r woolly on the back; nutlets 4 inch, sometimes very
the inner surface, Sbasairely margined. In the variety
2, the leaves are amplexicaul and strigose econ
nerves, but glabrous between them. T. Zeylanic
- and more softly ‘villous racemes tha
) Ne aeee it hardly differs from it a
624 BORAGINE.
Chemical composition.—Like others of the same family thes e
plants afford a nitrogenous substance, differing from gluten,
the solution of which in boiling water solidifies on cooling, and
is precipitated by acids sleltaline earths, and most salts, whilst
tannin merely clouds ‘i. ‘The ash contains silica, lime, magne-
sia, potash and soda, in combination with enrnanie sulphuric
_ and phosphoric acids and chlorine.
Several other plants belonging to this Seti are used as
substitutes for Borage, such as Onosma echioides and .
iO. bracteatum i in Northern India (Stewart, Royle), Helio- :
Aspptum ophioglossum i in Sind (Stve ~
eee : - ALKANET,
This colouring matter was well known to the Greeks and
Romans as éyoveaand Anchusa. It is mentioned by Theophras-
tus (vil., 9), Dioscorides (iv., 35, 36) and Pliny (22, 23). Dios-
-_corides describes three kinds; it was used chiefly to colour
“medicines. Iba Sina ealls it bagel (anjusa); he gives Khass-
‘el-himar “ ass’s lettuce” as the, Arabic name, and quotes
_Galen’s opinion of its medicinal properties ; he also mentions
several other names for the different kinds of alkanet. ‘The
author of the Makhzan-el-Adwiya, in his article upon Abn-Kalsa,
_ gives various names for the four kinds of alkanet described by
-Mahometan writers ; he states that Harjuya is the Persian, and
_ Ratanjot the Biiee name for them. In India the roots of
i Onosmna, Hookeri, Clarke, and of a species of Arnebia from
a hanistan, are known as Rang-i -i- -badshah, “king” s dye,” and
oo jot, and dre chiefly used ie colouring medicinal oils, &c ;
ee third kind of alkanet i is imported from China, and consists of |
_ long, woody, twisted roots like the alkanet of Europe, which
is chiefly derived from Alkanna tinctoria, Tausch, and | is i
Orcanette of th Frenc on
WS yaa ns oo rb:
BORAGINBE. 525
HELIOTROPIUM INDICUM, Linn. »
Fig.—Wight Il., t. 171; Rheede, Hort. Mal. «., 48.
e Padian Turnsole (Eng.). tos
Hab.—Throughout ae ae The herb,.
Vernacular-—HAthi-shtra (Hind.), Hatistira (Beng.), Bhi-
rindi (Mar.), Tét-kodukki (Tam.), Télumani, Nagadanti (Tel),
Tél-kotukka, Teliyanni (Mal.), Hathi-sundhéna (Guz.).
‘History, Uses, &c.—This plant i is the Hasti-sunda of
‘Sanskrit writers, it isalso called Sri-hastini, from its being held
in the hand of Sri or Lakshimi; it appears to be very generally
used as an astringent and vulnerary in different parts of the
world, It is the Bena Patsja of Rheede. Ainslie describes
it under the name of Heliotropium indicum, Of its medicinal
The juice of the leaves of this plant, which isa little bitter,
th: native practitioners apply to painful gum boils, and to
repel pimples on the face; it is also prescribed as an external
application to that species of ophthalmia in which the tarsus is
inflamed or excoriated. The Heliotropium indicum is also a
native of Cochin-China and of the West Indies; in the rai
mentioned country the natives call it Cay-boi-boi. ‘OF
virtues, Loureiro says :—‘ Folia istius herb contusa maximé
conducunt ad inajores anthraces, vel, quando incipiunt, resol- -
endos, vel postea suppurandos.’ (Flor. Coch.-Chin., Vol. I., :
p. 103.) It is well described by Browne, in his History of
maica (p. 150), and I find Barham (p. 42) tells us that it
cleans and consolidates wounds and ulcers, and that boiled with
castor oil it relieves the pain from the sting of a scorpion, and
cures the bite of a mad dog!” (Mat. Indica, Vol. LL., p. 414.)
In India also the plant is used as a local application to boils,
Sores, and the stings of insects and reptiles.
Description —An annual plant common in ditches where |
e soil is rich,’ The whole plant is more or less covered with
hairs, stems several, as thick as the little finger, hollo’
sched from the axils of the leaves ; leaves cena ern
526 BORAGINE 2.
cordate-ovate, rugose, long-petioled ; petioles margined ; spikes
terminal, solitary, simple; flowers like those of the garden
Heliotrope, but smaller; fruit mitre-shaped.. The plant has a
fetid odour like Stramonium ; taste a little bitter,
Chemical composition.—The stems and leaves, besides con-
taining a tannin soluble in ether, affording a dirty green colora-
tion with ferric chloride, and an organic acid, non-crystalline,
also soluble in ether, gave very marked evidence of the pre-
sence of an alkaloidal Pantie soluble in ether, and yielding
marked precipitates with the ordinary alkaloidal reagents: with
potassic chromate it afforded no. precipitate, and it gave no
special colour reactions. It was tasteless,
Heliotropium Eichwaldi, Steud. Bichw. Itin. Casp-
Caucas 10, t. 4, differs little from H. europeum, Linn. Its
leaves, boiled in castor oil, are said by Murray to be used
in Sind to relieve the pain of scorpion stings, and also
for cleansing and and healing ulcers. 4H. brevifolium and H.
undulatum are used for similar purposes in Northern India.
The 7corpémov ro péeya of the Greeks (Theophr. H. P. vii.,
8, 9, 10; Diosc. iv., 195,) is supposed to have been H. euro-
peum, the same plant was the Herba Solaris of the Romans,
and was used by the ancients to expel bile and phlegm, and
locally applied to scorpion stings. P. L. Simmonds (Amer.
Journ. of Pharm. Feb. 1891) states that it contains a toxic
alkaloid. It obtained its name from a myth which is related
- by Ovid (Metamorph. Lib. iv., Fab. 6), in which the nymph
oS Oe atun the Sun was turned into this plant, but still
; ed her affection for her lover.
** Membra ferunt hesisse solo: partemque coloris.
Luridus exsangues pallor convertit in herbas,
Est in parte rubor, violaque simillimus ora
Flos tegit. Ila suum, quamvyis radice tenetur,
Vertitur ms soles pareeque seryat amorem. ”
“ey et Vaesiem # it Poy ae teaNeY
- Stillthe lov'd aah the fond leaves hea
Still move gee metas Di vial 4) Sire
yinph is true.”
retained,
CON VOLVULACEZ, oad
. Plants of minor importance belonging to this Order, which
are used medicinally, are:— |
: Ehretia buxifolia, Rob. Cor. Pl. 4., t. 57, a shrub of
the Deccan Peninsula, called Kurwvingi in Tamil, the root of
which, according to Ainslie, is sweet and slightly pungent
when fresh, and is used as au alterative in cachexia and
_ syphilis; the Mahometans consider to be an antidote to
4 vegetable poisons.
a Ehretia obtusifolia, Hochst., a native of Sind and the
4 Punjab, is considered to have similar properties.
Coldenia procumbens, Linn., Lam. Ill., ¢. 89, a com-
mon weed in rice fields during the cold season, known to the
natives as Tripakshi or Tripankhi, is, when dried and powdered,
made into a paste with an equal proportion of powdered
fenugreek, and applied to boils to promote maturation,
Sh Wa he Sage ie ea Sane peu
Gee Te eee eee ey Su Da abt) es ea
agi ehpigi Se Re ORT ok en ee
sat Masi ial Mas Ss Meee oe ad are th
CONVOLVULACE&.
IPOMZA TURPETHUM, Pr.
Fig.—-Bot. Reg., t. 279; Bot. Mag., t. 2093.
-Hab.—Throunghout India and Ceylon. The root. oe
oot. lating
- Vernacular. —Nisot, Nakpatr, Pitohri ( eed ), Teor: ( Beng. i,
Shivadai, Shivadai-vér (Tam.), Tegada, Tegada-véru (Tel.),
Chivaka-véra (Mal.), Tigadikeputigadi (Can.), Nishottar,
Tartari, Shetvara, Phutkari (Mar,), Nishotar (@uz.).
_ History, Uses, &c.—This drug, which bears the Sans- —
krit names of Triputa, “ three-angled, ” Trivrit, “ three-fold, ‘e
Kutaran4, Tinti and Nindika, is described in the Nighantas as
pungent, cathartic, dry, sweet and hot; a dispellent of wind,
: ot bile and melancholy, and bitter and ae
os rene two varie varieties, Sree Se 4
Ss.
528 CONVOLV ULACER. ‘
Kala, Kélaparni and Kalameshi, and is described as a violent pur-
gative. Its source has not been satisfactorily ascertained, but
itis supposed to be the root of Lettsomia atropurpurea, Clarke,
anative of Nipal and Sikkim. J. T'urpethum is sacred to Siva,
to whom the flowers are offered by the Hindus, It is one of the
most common native cathartics, and has probably been in use |
all over India from a very early date. The usual method of
administration is to rab down about a drachm of the rootorstem — "
with water, and add to it some rock salt and ginger, or sugar
and black pepper. Under the name of Turbud,an Arab corrup-
tion of Triputa, Mahometan writers also mention two kinds,
white and black, and direct the black to be avoided dn account
of its poisonous properties, which are said to resemble those of
Hellebore. As regards the properties of Turbud they say that
it isa drastic purgative of phlegmatic humors and bile; its
action is promoted by combination with ginger; it is particularly a
beneficial in rheumatic and paralytic affections, Combined
with chebulic myrobalans it is useful in melancholy and
dropsies,
Ainslie says—* The Convolvulus Indicus alatus maximus had
long a place in the British Materia Medica, but of late years has
fallen into disuse. I find it mentioned by Avicenna under the
name of Turbud ; but the first. among the Arabs who prescribed
it was Mesue (see Spreng., Ret Herbariw, Vol.1, p, 249), also
Rhazes (c. 173). Alston in his Materia Medica speakspfturpeth
as a strong and resinous cathartic, and recommended in his days
in 2 tetas dropsy and leprosy. The plant is known to the modern
eks b he name of rovpmeé ; it is a native of the Society and
Fr iendly Isles, as well as of India, of the New Hebrides and of
‘New Holland. Virey, in his Histoire Naturelle des Medica-
ments (p. 184), speaks of the root of the Convolvulus Turpethum
as more drastie than the common jalap, which, however, it does
_ not seem, is to be found in India.” (Mat. Ind. II., p. 384.) -
Wallich, Gordon, and Glass considered this drug to be of
lue as a cathartic. ‘Sir W. 0” Shaughnessy
p. 504), four “06 uncertain paaeh bes. e that
CONVOLVULACEA. 529
he pronounced it unworthy of a place in the Pharmacopotia.
‘In this opinion he is undoubtedly correct, as the active resins
are present in the root in a much smaller proportion than in
jalap, but as the drug is very cheap it might be used with
it Ae iien inflamtintlgeer the gastro-int mbrane
_ and bloody dejections, Like jalap itis an faye stimulant,
increasing the secretion of biliary matter and rendering it more
watery. Being’ a hydrogogue cathartic itis useful for the
_ removal of dropsical effusions, and in such cases it acts best in
combination with ginger and bitartrate of potash. The dose
t
Be abtion. The Turpeth of commerce consists of the
lisot and stem of the plant cut in short lengths, usually from 3
to 2 inches in diameter; the central woody eee is hes
of a dull grey colour, a transverse section shows a porous sur-
face of a dirty white colour, and loaded with pale yellowish-
white resin; through this substance pass numerous bundles
composed of large vessels and woody fibre. The drug is free
from smell, but has a nauseous taste, which is only perceptible
after it has been some time in the mouth. In some specimens
all or a portion of the central wood remains; it resembles a
piece of rattan cane. Black nisot presents a similar appear-
ance, but is of smaller size and of a darker colour.
Microscopie structure.— The epidermis consists of tebuslne
‘born, cells; the parenchyma is starchy, in it are thickly.
‘Seattered very large resin cells and numerous rosette-like
530 CONVOLVULACEA.
‘The central cane-like woody column of the root or stem when
present is seen to be divided into four parts by four bands of
parenchyma (medullary rays); it consists of large dotted vessels
connected together by narrow portions of woody fibre. :
The black nisot has exactly the same structure as the white.
Chemical composition.—Turpeth resin consists of a small ~
quantity of soft resin soluble in ether, and of a substance in-
soluble in ether, benzine, bisulphide of carbon and essential
oils. Thissubstance has been named Turpethin (0%*H%°O"),
and is present in the root to the extent of 4 per cent.; it has —
been examined by Spirgatis, who describes it as a grey powder —
having a powerfully irritant action upon the mucous membranes —
of the mouth and nose, and being analogous in its reactions —
with jalapin and convolvulin. Under the action of alkaline
_ bases it is transformed into turpethic acid, and in the presence —
of hydrochloric acid becomes converted into glucose and tur-
petholic acid. (Zeitschr. der Chemie und Pharmacte, 1865.)
Turpeth resin is supposed to have a resemblance in colour and —
action to Turpeth mineral, an old name for basic sulphate of ©
mureury,
Commerce.—The price of the drug i in Bombay is about Rs. 2
_ per maund of 374 lbs, .
IPOMAZA HEDERACEA, Jacq.
Fig.—Jacq. Icon., t. 36; Bentl. and Trim., t. 185. Syn—
ha “ont Nil, Chois. \
-Throughout India. The seeds.
ar.—Mirchai, Kéladana (Hind.), Nil-kolomi, Kéla-
dav (Beng.), Kodi-kikkatan-virai, Jiriki-virai (Tam.), Jiriki-
ttulu, Kolli-vittula (Tel.), Kéladana (Guz.), Nilapushpi-
eh Mar.). The same vernacular names are often 7
to the seeds of Clitorea ternatea,
21S! >. —These hom do not appear to be |
| Medica, “naeta the
name ' i-nfl,
CONVOLVULACRE, 531.
Shape of the seeds, and colour of the flowers. As regards the
medicinal properties of the drug he says that it is a drastic
‘purgative and attenuant, relieving the system of bilious and
hlegmatic humours, and acting as an anthelmintic. In some
native works the seeds of Cliterea ternatea appear to be con-
founded with Kaélédéna. The author of the Makhzan, though
: describing the latter article correctly, gives Aprajita (Oliteria
ternatea) as the name of a kind of Hab-un-nil. i
From the time of Roxburgh, and probably from an earlier
ate, the properties of the seeds have been known to Europeans,
ho have almost universally acknowledged their value as a
e and sure cathartic.
Th the Pharmacopeia of India (1868) they were made
official, aud directions fer preparing an extract, tincture, com-
ound powder, and resin are given. These preparations are
‘Meant to supply the place of similar preparations of jalap.
With regard to the extract, we would observe that no direc-
ons for separating the albumen and mucilage are given,
msequently the result of the operation isan enormous bulk
f a most inert extract, which in a short time becomes putrid.
@ to ten grains of this extract have no perceptible effect as
urgative. The resin, first prepared by Dr. G. Bidie of
as in 1861, appears to be the most satisfactory prepara-
of this the dose is from 4 to 8 grains.
ae eg
Jescription.—The seeds resemble in shape those of <
of the Convolvali, being in the form of a segment ofa _
e; they are generally about 3, of an inch in length,
nearly as much in breadth, but sometimes much smaller.
ir weight varies from }to nearly ] grain. The colourof _
testa is black, except at the umbilicus, where itis brown,
le. ‘These have an acrid taste and earthy odour.
structure.—From without imwards the testa con-
a layer of epithelial cells, the thick outer walls of
ical projections; 2nd, a sixgle layer —
Koad
3 — eal ig of a light green sGisiies 15 inches long; ealyx
identical with those: re E,, hederacea.
532 CONVOLVULACEM.
quadrangular cells; 3rd, a layer of radially elongated prisma=
tic cells; 4th, a zone of parenchyma, the cells of which are
irregularly compressed. Within the testa is the thin layer of
albumen, which contains much mucilage. The cotyledons are
built up of polygonal cells; in their substance are cavities or
passages which contain a yellowish oil.
Ipomoea muricata, Jacq., Hort. Schoenb, vis, 40, t. 325;
Bot. Reg. iv., t. 290, a native of Persia and the Himalayas, is
the source of the Tukm-i-nil imported into Bombay from Persia.
Roxburgh says of it :— “ I have only met with this in my own
garden; it was raised from seeds sent from Persia and proves —
annual.” Itis noticed by Graham, who seems to regard it as a
variety of Calonyction speciosum ( Bombay Plants, No. 972).
In Bombay it is common in gardens and upon waste ground,
and it is agarden weed in many parts of the Concan, where it is
known as Barik Bha urt, or the lesser Bhauri, on account of the
similarity of the calyx to that of Porana racemosa (Bhauri). |
The juice of the plant is used to destroy bugs. The Bombay —
plant i is identical with the one we have obtained by sowing the
Persian see a
A a —Annual herbaceous, Secs, root small,
nad: with many slender rootlets ; stem branched, covered
with soft prickles, not hairy; leaves broadly aperete, acurninate,
smooth, onlong petioles; flowers axillary, 2 to4, on long
peduncles having prickles like the stem ; pedicles large, fleshy —
vided ; ‘sepals 5, broadly ovate, mucronate, smooth, persistent; a
corolla. purple, about 2 inches in diameter, expanding at
sunset, before sunrise ; capsule two-celled, composed
of 4 segments, whisk separate from the central partition; cells
two-seeded ; seeds dark brown, smooth, the same shape asthose
of Kaladana, about 4rd ofan inch in length, and} in breadth;
weight about 8 grains each. They can easily ie ae
guished from Indian Kaladana by their greater size, lighter
colour and thick testa; their medicinal Prapertigs ww to be
CONVOLVULACE. 533
Chemical composition.—The authors of the Pharmacographia
say:—‘* By exhausting the seeds dried at 100° C., with boiling.
ether, we obtained a thick light-brownish oil having an acrid
taste and concreting below 18°C. The powdered seeds yield-
ed of this oil 144 per cent. Water removes from the seeds
a considerable amount of mucilage, some albuminous matter,
_and a little tannic acid. The first is soluble to some extent in
dilute spirit of wine, and may be precipitated therefrom by an
alcoholic solution of acetate of lead.
_‘*The active principle of Kaladana is a resin, soluble in
alcohol, but neither in benzol norinether. From the residue of
the seeds after exhaustion by ether, treatment with absolute
alcohol removed a pale yellowish resin in quantity equivalent
8-2 per cent. of the seed. Kaladana resin, which has been in-
oduced into medical practice in India under the name of Phar-
tisiny has a nauseous acrid taste and an unpleasant odour,
ecially when heated. It melts at about 160°C. The follow-
ing liquids dissolve it more or less freely, namely, spirit of wine,
absolute alcohol, acetic acid, glacial acetic acid, acetone, acetic
ether, methylic and amylic alcohol and alkaline solutions, —
It is, on the other hand, insoluble in ether, benzol, chloro-
rm, and sulphide of carbon. With concentrated sulphuric
acid, it forms a brownisb yellow solution, quickly assuming &
violet hue. This reaction, however, requires a very small
quantity of the powdered resin. Ifa solution of the resin in
monia after having been kept a short time is acidulated, no
ecipitate is formed; but the solution is now capable of sepa-
ig protoxide of copper from an alkaline solution of the
rate which originally it did not alter. Heated with nitric
1, the resin affords sebactc actd.
rom these reactions of Kaladana resin, we are entitled to
that it agrees with the resin of jalap or Convolvulin. To
re it in quantity, it would probably be best to treat
‘seeds with common acetic acid, and to precipitate it by
ising the solution. We have ascertained that the resin
for a week. phe lea al 8
‘a ye
a
Br
*
534 CONVOLVULACEA.
‘“We have had the opportunity of examining a sample of
Kaladana resin manufactured by Messrs. Rogers and Co.,
Chemists of Bombay and Poona, which we found to agree with
that prepared by ourselves. Itis a light yellowish friable mass,
resembling purified jalap resin, and, like it, capable of being
perfectly decolorised by treatment with animal charcoal.” (Op.
eit., nd Hd., p. 449.)
Commerce.—Kaladana is collected in different parts of the
country; the plant is everywhere common during the latter
part of the rainy season.
In the Bombay market the seeds of oo muricata, Jacq.,
imported from Persia, are much more common than those of
the true Kaladana. They are accepted by the natives as
Kaladana. Value, Rs. 5 per maund of 374 lbs.
IPOMAAA DIGITATA, Linn.
Fig.—Rheede Hort. Mal. wi., 49; Bot. Reg., t. 62, Bot. —
Mag., 1790. Syn.—Batatas paniculata.
Hab.—tTropical India. The root.
Vernacular.—Bidari-kand, Biléi-kand (Hind.), Bhumi-
kumra (Beng.), Bhui-kvhola, Patténa (Mar.), Bhui-koholu
(Guz.), Matti-p4l-tiga (Tel.), Nela-gumbala, Buja-gumbala
Seen Pal-tiodekks (Mal.), Nelli-kumbalu (Tam.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant is mentioned by the
_ early Sanskrit writers on medicine under the names of Vid4ri
» and Bhumi-kushménda. In the N ighantas it bears numerous
: ynonyms, such as Payas-vini, “abounding in milk” ; Vriksha-
valli, _“tree-creeper ”; Ikshu-valli and Be ecridéri, The
name Bhumi-kushménda signifies “earth gourd,” and is ap-
plied to I. digitata, from a supposed resemblance between its
large taberous root, and the gourd of Benincasa cerifera. The
acular . shami-kumra and Bhui-kohola have the
indi Bilai signifies a “
root,” and in Malayalim p4l
modekka “a se ae
CONVOLVULACE-#. 535
The large tuberous root is considered tonic, alterative, aphro-
disiac, demulcent, and lactagogue. In the emaciation of
children with debility, and want of digestive power, the follow-
ing diet is recommended :—“ Take of Vidari, wheat flour and
barley equal parts, and make into a confection with milk,
clarified butter, sugar, and honey.” Susruta gives several
prescriptions for its use as an aphrodisiac. The simplest is
as follows:—‘‘ Macerate the powder of the root in its own
juice, and administer with honey and clarified butter. Vidari
enters into the composition of several diuretic and demulcent
piers
ceo
mixtures.
In the Concan the root is peeled and cut in small pieces and
dried in the shade, it is then powdered and the powder repeat-
edly moistened (14 times) with the juice of the fresh root and
dried. Half a tol4 of this preparation may be taken daily in
oney or milk asan aphrodisiac. From this powder a Paushtik
is made by frying it in butter with equal parts of almonds,
uince seeds, cloves, cardamoms, nutmegs, satawari, gokhroo,
ed of Mucuna pruriens, musli, &c., and making the whole
nto a conserve with sugar. This conserve is taken dissolved
1 milk in doses of half a told or more, as an aphrodisiac. In
spermatorrhcea the juice is given with cumin and: sugar,
and as alactagogue it is combined with coriander and fenu-
greek. Rheede says:—‘ Radix in ‘sole siccata, trita, in
pulverem redacta, cum saccharo et butyro decocta et assumpta,
macilentos fertur reddere et obesos ; sed et immodicum men-
jum sistit fluxum, et in febribus ossium confert.”’
Description.—The root is a simple or branched tuber,
Sometimes as much as 40 to 50 lbs. in weight, externally it is
of a brown colour, and somewhat warty and scabrous. hen
. transverse section is made the cut surface is of a dirty white
ur, and marked by concentric rings, which are formed by
vascular and laticiferous vessels; from the latter a viscid
ky fluid exudes ; the taste is astringent and somewhat acrid,
e raw potato, The bulk of the tuber consists of
renchyme. The vascular system is scalarifor
536 CONVOLVULACEZL.
The ‘laticiferous vessels are ceeseiemprunie ‘towards the cortical
part; raphides abound.
Chemical composition.— The fresh tuber, collected in Novem-
ber when the vine had died away, was sliced, dried at a low
temperature and reduced to fine powder. The powder dried at
100°C., yielded 2°68 per cent. of extractive to absolute alcohol
of which 1°78 per cent. was soluble in ether. The resins con-
tained in the alcoholic extract had the properties of Jalap resins
as: regards colour, reactions, &c.; but we are unable to say whe-
ther they possess any purgative action. Sugar, reducing alka-
line copper solution on boiling, was present to the extent of
10-909 per cent. calculated on the anhydrous tubers. The bulk
of the tuber consists of starch. Supposing the resins to be
purgative, they are present in so small a proportion that no
ordinary dose of the root would have any aperient action.
IPOMAAA BILOBA, Forsk,
Fig.— Rheede Hort. Mal. xi., t. 57; Bot. Reg., 319. Syn.—
I. pescapre. Goat’sfoot Convolvulus ( Hng.).
Hab.—Coasts of India and Ceylon. The root and leaves.
Vernacular.—Dopatilata (Hind.), Chhagal-khuri (Beng.),
Marjadvel (Mar.), Ravara-patri (Guz.), Balabandi-tiga, Chevul-
apilli-tiga (Tel.), Kutherai-kolapadi, Anttoo-kala-dumbo,
Adapu-kodi (Tam,), Adambu-balli (Can.).
‘History, Uses, &cC.—Vriddhadéraka is the name of a
drug in use throughout India; it is a twisted root about half an
inch in diameter, upon the broken or cut ends of which may be
observed a black, concreted juice. It is supposed to strengthen
the body. and prevent the effects of age (Vriddha déraka).
Datt states that in Bengal the root of Argyreia speciosa is used,
but the drug sold as Vardhéra in Western India is not the
root of this plant; it appears, however, to be obtained from a
plant of the same order, but, as is usually the case in India, the
herbalists will not indicate the source from which they obtain +
it. If we turn to the Nighantas we find the following syno-—
CONVOLVULACER. 537
nyms for Vriddhadéraka :—Chhagala, Chhagalénghri, “ goat’s
foot” ; Chhagalandi, “ goat’s testicles ;” Chhaggalantri, “ goat’s
guts;” Antri, Raksho-ghna, Dirgha-mulaka, Anda-kotara-
pushpi, Durga and Mahasyama. From these names it would
appear that the “ goat’s foot convolvulus” is the plant which
ought to be used. Vriddhadéraka is described as astringent,
hot, pungent, alterative, tonic; a remover of rheumatism,
dropsy, gonorrhwa and phlegm. Theso properties agree very
nearly with those ascribed to I. biloba, the leaves of which
boiled are applied externally in rheumatisth and colic ; whilst
the juice is given as a diuretic in dropsy, and at the same time
_ the bruised leaves are applied to the dropsical part. Rheede,.
_ Speaking of I. biloba, which he calls Schovanna Adambu,
States:—TIn aqua decocta fomentum exhibet quo dolores
3 arthritici mitigantur. Folia cum lacte caprarum in potionem
_ Preparata, pro hamorrhoidibus propinantur.”
_ According to P. S. Mootooswamy, the leaves are used as a
cataplasm in phlegmon, &c, Plumier states that the dried juice
of the root is used asa purgative in the Brazils in doses of 12
to 14 grains, and that it should be given like jalap resin with
uger and bitartrate of potash.
_ L, biloba is sacred to Durga, and the Kolis on the Wesiobs
Oast, on the sixth day after a child is born, decorate its cradle
with the flowers to propitiate that goddess, who, under thename
of Shashti, is supposed to destroy newborn children. In this
Tespect it also agrees with the description of Vriddhadéraka.
The Brahminical name for the plant given by Rheede is ainda,
. 4 Combination of the Marathi word Béngadi, ‘‘a coil of rope or
bangle,” and the Sanskrit Valli, “a creeper.”
_ Description. —A perennial plant with a tough woody
root of great length ; it abounds in sandy ground near the sea~
shore ; from the enlarged crown of the root grow a number of
ig stems, fleshy and a when young, but becoming
they mature; the leaves are smooth, thick, long
and two-lobed like those of the Bauhinias; the flowers
nd of a reddish purple. A section of the nonk-slowe Se
Se ee
Bi)
i
2
a
ie
aa
ii
hs
a
538 CONVOLVULACEA.
in the’ central) portion’ five: wedge-shaped bundles. of. fibro-
vascular.tissue ; external to these is a row of laticiferous vessels
full ofa viscid. yellow. latex, then again come a number of
irregularly. plaged. fibro-vascular handles, and. external to ~
them another zone of laticiferous vessels. The parenchyme of
the root contains starch and large conglomerate raphides. —
= whole plant is very mucilaginous. . 4
“ Ohemical composition.—The powdered roots, avied at a low
temperature, were exhausted with 80 per cont alcohol : : th
tincture exhibited a slight greenish yellow fluorescence. The
tincture was freed’ from aleohol by spontaneous evaporation,
and the extract mixed with water, acidulated with sulphuric
acid and agitated with benzole. During agitation, a brownish —
soft resin separated ; this resin was insoluble also in ether, but —
dissolved in alkalies with a dark yellowish brown coloration
and was precipitated’by acid in brown flocks. The benzole
®
which possessed a slight odour of peppermint. This extract
was soluble in absolute alcohol with greenish yellow
fluorescence and was neutral in reaction: it was also soluble
‘in ‘ether, with: similar» fluorescence. The alcoholic solution
gave with ferric chloride a dirty greenish precipitate. In_
eald 5 per cent.. caustic soda it was insoluble, but | on ‘
boiling it. dissolved. with, some difficulty, affording a dark
: — solution, while an odour not unlike that of aniseed
yas
: on ‘the addition of dilute acids afforded a yellowish precipitate.
a The original | acid aqueous solution was next agitated with —
ether, The extractive was small in amount, partly in the form
: of a transparent varnish adhering: to the sides of the capsule,
and pa ict whitish crystals. Heated with water.
ford = Adal solution, but ' which beca
ore
on oe :
CONVOLVULACE, 039
talline structure; we only ‘detected’ minute «globules. » The
queous solution was strongly acid in reaction, and gave with
ferric chloride a dirty greenish coloration, with lime water a
bright yellow coloration, and with basic acetate of lead a
| phur-yellow precipitate. . This principle, soluble in water,
and reprecipitated on cooling, is probably ‘allied to the Quer-
‘itrin group of principles. That portion of the residue insoluble
m water, was in properties similar to the resin dissolved by
benzole. ees 7
: The aqueous acid solution was lastly rendered alkaline. and
gitated with ether. The ethereal extract was nof more
han a trace, but afforded all the reactions ina marked degree
f an alkaloidal principle. . .
Phe leaves also afforded marked evidence of the presence of
Ikaloidal principle soluble in ether, and probably similar
one we detected in the roots.
veral othor species of Ipemea are considered by the natives
ia to have medicinal properties. I. reniformis, Chovs.,
Pl. Ind. 77, t. 30, f- 1, is said to be deobstruent and
the jaice is administered im rat-bite, and is ‘supposed —
anciful than real, though, like others of the genus, it is
ive if taken in large doses. |
scription.—Stem creeping and rooting ; Jeaves kidney-
waved, and dentate on the margin, obtuse ; petioles
duncles very short, 1 te 2-flowered ; corolla small,
Common in places where water has lodged ; flowers in
ther. At alittle distance the plant has the appear-
tyle'asiatica, = fist | Se
Sweet., Burm. FI, Ind. 45, ¢. 18, f. 1, isa large | .
ant, with cordate, palmately 5-cleft leaves, 2
low flowers, the juice of which is consi
‘and is administere
540 CONVOLVULACEM.
sugar; itis also applied’ locally to inflamed eyes, mixed with
limejuice one part, opium 3, and Mémirén (Coptis root) 4.
I. Quamoclit, Linn., Bheede Hort. Mal. zi., t. 60, a small
twining plant, easily recognised by its filiform, pectinate
leaves, and small,bright crimson or white flowers, is considered
by the Hindus to have cooling properties; they apply the
pounded leaves to bleeding piles, and at the same time
administer one tol4 of the juice with an equal quantity of
hot ght (clarified butter) twice a day internally. The crushod
leaves are also applied as a lép (plaster) to carbuncles.
The Sanskrit name is K4malata, ‘‘Cupid’s flower.” (See As.
sgh — p- 256.) ‘The Marathas call it Rita- che-kes,
*Sita’s locks.
he seat: Ortega, a native of Tropical America intro-
duced in the North-West Provinces, is the “N oyeau Plant.”
The leaves have an odour of oil of bitter almonds, and are used
in the preparation of the French Liqueur known by that name.
I. campanulata, Linn., Rheede Hort. Mal. wi., t. 56, is
said to be an antidote to snake-poison.
iI; Sepiaria, Koen., Rheede Hort. Mal. ai., t.. 58, has o
roputation as an antidote to arsenic; the juice, which is strongly
acid, is said by Rheede to be used “ad purificattonem corporis.”
¥, pes-tigridis, Liinn., Rheede Hort, Mal. zi., t. 59, is sup-
posed to be an antidote to the poison of mad dogs; pounded
a butter, it is applied to disperse boils and carbunceles.
I, uniflora, Roem. et Sch., Rheede, Hort. Mal. «i. » €. 54,5 18
purgative, and the juice is administered in bilious dyspepsia.
. aquatica, Forsk., Rheede, Hort, Mal. zi., t, 52, is com-
monly used as avegetable. It is called Kalambi in Sanskrit,
Kalmi-sék in Bengali, and Néli-chi-bh4ji in Marathi.
I, bona-nox, Liwn., Cone. Or. 59, t. L f. 4, is the
Moon-flower. _
The —
‘pi m of this species of Convolvulus contains
a the size of kidn Mansy Deon. Wiok ate 7
CONVOLVULACEE. “5AI
_ eaten when young... Dried, these capsules and seeds, as well as
the flowers, leaves and root, are amongst the medicines. which
_ are supposed to have virtues in snake-bites; the dose of the
seeds is about three daily, administered i in powder, (Ainslie.)
The capsules have been sent to us from Poona as being in use
there. In the Concan the juice of Rivea ornata, Phénd
(Mar. ), is made with Borneo camphor and butter into an oint-
ment for pityriasis. For piles, one told of the Juice | with half
a tolé of Babul pods, and a little sugar, is given.in a quarter
seer of cow’s milk every morning.
e ARGYREIA SPECIOSA, Sweet.
- ‘Fig. — Wight Ic., t 851; Bot. Mag. 2446. Wlephaak-areepre
(Eng.).
Hab. Oo. Thycdghout India. The leaves and root.
- Vernacular.—Samandar-sokh (Hind. ),. Bijtarka (Beng. ),
mudra-shok (Mar.), Shamuddira-pachchai, Kadal-péla
(Tam. ), Samudra-p4la, Kokkita (Tel., Can), recone arr rs
Samudra-yogam (Mal.), Samudra-sosha (Guz.). sa
History, Uses, &c.—The root. of .this large i
an which is called Samudra-sosha in . Sanskrit, is used. as @
bstitute in Bengal for the drug described under the name of
Vriddhad4raka, a drag which we have already noticed as having
een originally the root of Ipomea biloba. The large leaves,
ich have the under-surface covered by’a thick layer of silky.
hairs, afford a kind ‘of natural impermeable piline, and are
as a maturant by the natives. ‘ With regard to the alleged
blistering properties of the upper surface of the leaf there
<8 be some mistake, as we find it has no effect when Saprett
Pe era
Fie
eee
action. — Leaves ee aed 91 to 12 rachel vad
and 8 to 10 broad, or even larger; upper. surface dark green
smooth, under-surface white and silky from the presence
a felted layer of long simple hairs. Under the. microseope,
3 are seen to he simple tubes gradually tapering to omen
542 CONVOLVULACEAE.
and much like the fibre of flax; they are very strong and not
easily removed by pulling or scraping ; they retain moisture well.
The roots are long, woody and tough, covered with a dark
brown bark; on transverse section they present a central
porous woody column, and several concentric rings of woody
fibre, between which are situated portions of parenchyma. In
the woody portions of the root there are large laticiferous
vessels which contain a yellowish latex. The vascular system
consists of very large dotted vessels. In the parenchyme are
numerous conglomerate raphides. -
Chemical composition.—The roots yielded acid resins of an
amber colour, soluble in ether and benzole, and partly soluble
in alkalies. The acid ether extract was partly soluble in water
with strong acid reaction, and gave with ferric salts a grass-
green coloration; with alkalies a bright yellow. The portion
insoluble in water was soluble in alkalies with orange colora-
tion, and afforded with acids a yellowish-white precipitate. The
original aqueous solution after addition of an alkali and agita-
tion with ether, failed to afford any alkaloidal reactions when
the ethereal extract was tested. This extract did not amount
to more than a trace. The original aqueous solution contained
a tannin-like principle.
CONVOLVULUS ARVENSIS, Linn.
Fig.—Eng. Bot. v., t.312; Bulliard Herb. Fr., t. 269. Small
oe "os othe (Eng.), Pies des champs (F’r.).
Te a Western India from Cashmere to the Deccan. Most
emperate climates.. The root. |
Verncalir —Hiexipad, Hiranpadi (Hind.), Hiran Guz.,
‘Sind. ), Ni aranji (Can.). —
ib : —— &c.—This common: weed of cultiva-
ek name for a plant described by Dios-
Cissampelos of Matthiolus (Valgr. 2, 359).
‘ently of ee plants, men- 5
CONVOLVULACEZ. 648
\satisfactorily identified. Roxburgh describes C. arvensis under
he name of C, Malcolmi; his plant was raised from seeds
bronght from Persia by Major Malcolm in 1801. Stewart and
Aitchison notice the occurrence of the plantin the Punjab. Dr,
bson states that it is very common on the black soil of the
eccan, flowering during the rains. The root is used as a
rgative in the Punjab and Sind.
Description. —Root perennial; stems and branchlets
rine to an extent of six or eight feet, somewhat furrowed,
- twisted, and villous, herbaceous ; leaves petioled, sagittate,
argins a little hairy, smooth on both sides, from 1 to 3 inches
ng; barbs or posterior lobes dilated, spreading, somewhat
te, often dentate, and always angular ; petioles scarcely
I f the length of the leaves, phacublled: peduncles axillary,
flowered, three times longer than the petioles, round ;
icels clavate, as long as the petioles, villous ; bracts bers, ,
site, at the base a the pedicels, lanceolate; calycine :
s ovate; Corol large, of a beantiful lively pink colour, =~
; almost entire; filaments not half the length of the
villous at the base; anthers purple; germ with a
y ring round the base; style longer than the stamina ; ;
a of two linear, spreading lobes. (Rowburgh. )
Chemical composition.—This plant, like many others of the
contains convolvulin.
EVOLVULUS ALSINOIDES, Linz.
} Lam. Ill, t. 216, f.2; Wight Ill, t. 168; Rheede,
al. wi, t.
a pent India and Ceylon. The herb. i
racular.—Vishnukranta (Hind.), Shankavéh (Mar), |
: ae (Pam., Can.), Vistnukrandum (Te/.).
, Uses, &c.—This plant is the Vislonioleishatg:
» of Sanskrit writers. In. the Nighantas it~
1s of Nila-pushpa, ‘‘ blue flowered,” Jaya and
ped ae as cephalic, a ant .
5A, - GONVOLVULACEA.
‘phlegmatic and antiphlogistic. | In Vedic times it was» thought
‘to promote conception. At: the present time. it is thought-to
strengthen the brain and memory, and.is used extensively as.a
.febrifuge and tonic.. .Rheede calls.it Vishnu-clandi, an evident
corruption-of the Sauskrit:name; he ‘states that it .is used as.a
febrifuge with cumin and.milk, also as an alterative, and with
oil to promote the growth of the hair.. According to Ainslie,
the leaves,- stalks, and roots are all used in medicine by the
Tamools, and are supposed. to possess. virtues in certain bowel
affections; they are prescribed in infusion in the quantity of
half.a teacupful twice daily. Burmann says that it is reputed
to bea sovereign remedy for dysentery.
\. Deéscription:—A very small herbaceous plant, ceespitose,
procumbent, covered with adpressed hairs ; leaves ovate-oblong,
subsessile, less than 4 inch long; peduncles one-flowered, as
long as the leaf or longer; flowers of a beautful deep blue, very
small. Common everywhere in grassy places.
' Chemical composition.— Ether separated from the powdered
herb a yellow neutral fat of the consistence of vaseline. The
alcoholic extract contained an alkaloid of a slightly bitter taste,
and affording no colour reactions with strong mineral acids.
An organic acid of a deep red brown colour occurred in the
water extract, and formed an uncrystallizable compound with
lead. A quantity of saline matter was present in this drng.
SAKMUNIYA or BAZAR SCAMMONY,
_ This substance is all fictitious, and is said to be made in
Surat ; nevertheless it was for many years purchased by the
Medical Store Department in Bombay under the impression
that it was genuine Scammony! (See Pharmacopeia of India,
__p. 447.) Te usually occurs in irregular fragments of a bright
green colour, somewhat translucent at the edges, and having
> resinot & Arsaieinel, Rectified spirit dissolves the resin, aud
rene of Breen colouring matter and. gum. ; the fors
~
artes origin. bitten Oe eetes ey oe ee Pe ee Aid
¢ ha hig : :
q CONVOLVULACEA. 545
P ovSometimes a°black Sakmuniya is met with; this is also
spurious; and is resinous in taste and smell, but has a‘ more
earthy appearance than the green variety. Reotified ‘spirit dis-
solves ont a quantity of resin, and leaves a black residue
which, under the microscope, is seen to be made up of tufts, of
vegetable seers: numerous ea carbonaceous particles, and
tallineparticles, Treatedwith dilute hydro-
chloric acid it oMarviees fais after a short time; with strong
acid it effervesces strongly at once,and forms a green solution.
’
*
a fa a
The Persiais call Scammony Mahmudah. Mir Mnhammad
Husain in the Makhzan gives a good description of it and the
plant which produces it. ‘He tells us that artificial Seammeny
is made from the juice of Calofropis gigantea, mixed with the
flour of a kind: of pulse called ‘in Persiaw ‘ Karsanah.’ His
account of the uses of the drug does not differ materially from
hat given in European works, with the exception that Scam-
mony when baked is said to lose its aperient properties and to
act as a powerful diuretic “The baking process consists im
nclosing the powdered drag i in a bag, and then placing the
bag inside an apple | or quince which has been hollowed out for
the } purpose, the apple i is then enclosed i in dough like a dump-_
ling : and baked in an oven. ee
CRESSA CRETICA, Linn.
4 Fig. —tam.- ths t: 183; Sibth. Fi. Greve. y g, 256)
eS “Hab. —Throughout India. Common on the West
| Diary —Rudravanti, Rudranti (Hind., Beng.), Khardi,
Chavel chansghaed Una (Guz., Sind. 5
ses, &e, —This plants is the Rudantike and
, and is behaved to. Tes!
546 CONVOLVULACEAE.
eonsidered to. be exhilarating, and-to purify the blood and give
tone to the system. It is prescribed in decoction as a tonic,
and is believed to possess. a and antibilious pro-
perties.
C. cretica is found in Greece, and is supposed to be the first
kind . of dv@vAXis mentioned by Dioscorides (iii., 144); it is
described as growing in sandy ground, and having a salt taste,
and was used asa diuretic and to disperse swelling and phleg-
matic humors. Paulus Algineta and Pliny also mention it.
Mahometan physicians copy whatthe Greeks have said about: the
two kinds of anthyllis, but give no Arabic or Persian name for
the drug, and those who have written in India do not identify
it with the Rudantika of the Hindus. It appears to retain its
place in their Materia Medica solely because of its repute among
te Greeks.
- Description. —A very small, shrubby, diffuse plant ;
leaves ovate, sessile, very small, acute, numerous, ashy or
hoary-pubescent; flowers small, white or pink, sub-sessile, in
the superior axils, forming a many-flowered head. It is very
common in rice fields about Bombay in the cold weather, and is
much used by gardeners for making bouquets. The plant has
a bitter and saline taste. According to Retz and Roxburgh
the Indian plant differs from the common form of C. cretica in
having 4 seeds.
Chemical composition.—The plant con erases alkaloid soluble
which fails to afford any special colour.reactions ; its
1 is not precipitated by chromates. It is not Biter
ig else in the plant of special interest.
_AFTIMUN. ms
Se ta
er
% ey sr
CONVOLVULACES. . 547
-he is:speaking of the flowers of a kind of thyme, or of 3 a
parasitic plant growing on thyme. Pliny (26, 35), com-
mences by speaking of Epithymon as the blossom of a sort of
thyme similar to Savory, but ends by saying—‘ Some
persons, again, give a different description of epithymon:
according to them, it is a plant without a root, diminutive,
and bearing a flower resembling a small hood, and of a red
colour.” Epithymon is generally identified with Cuscuta
_ Epithymum, Linn., the Lesser Dodder, a parasitic plant upon
Heath, Furze, Thyme and other small shrubby plants. (See
Fi. Br. 283 ; Fl. Dan. i. 427.) The plant used medicinally in
India as Aftimun is imported from Persia, and appears to bea
‘ larger species, probably C. ewropea, Linn., which isa native of
Europe and of Western and Central Asia. Mahometan physi-
cians consider this drug to be alterative and depurative, a
urge for bile and black bile, useful in all affections of the brain
such as fits, melancholy, insanity, &c. They also describe it
as carminative ; and apply it _locally as an ano pee The
i
{i
Bs
: small ae toa “desariplica: of its properties and uses.
odern medicine the different species of Cuscuta are no longs
hanical composition.—In addition to quercetin, which was
present in large amount, and resins, an alkaloidal principle
was isolated, slightly bitter, soluble in ether, but more easily
by chloroform. This alkaloid did not afford
vial special colour ‘reactions. We provisionally call it
KUSHOOTH, vulg. KASOOS.
shooth (“545) is the Arabic name for the. Dodders, and
have been derived the Greek xacovéa and Latin Cuseuta
Revie
048 CONVOLVULACEA.
“He is like the. Kashooth; for he has neither root, leaves, fra-
grance, shade or fruit.” '
In the Indian bazars the name is applied to the fruit of a
species of Cuscuta, imported from Persia; and also called
Pukm-i-kasis ; it is mixed with the small oblong leaves and
spines of the plant upon which it has grown, and the flowers
and portions of the stem may often be found. The seeds are
four in number, light brown, convex on one side, concave on
the other, and enclosed in a nearly globular capsule about the
‘size of a radish seed. The taste is bitter. Mir Muhammad
Husain identifies this drug with the Amal-bel, Akds-bel, or
Amarlata of India, and describes it as yellow growing on thorns :
and other shrubs, and as having a very small, whitish flower,
and seeds rather smaller than radish seeds, nearly round, and of
reddish yellow colour. Its properties are described as much
the same as those’ of Aftimun:’ The plant may be either |
‘O. hyalina, Roth., C. chinensis, Lam., or C. planijlora, Tenore ;
possibly dsveial species are collected. In India OC. -reflexa,
Roxb.; is sometimes used; it is a larger plant, and has Jarger
fruit than the imported article.
Chemical composition.—In addition to quercitrin, we sepa-
rated a bitter and glucosidal resin, insoluble in ether, but
soluble in amylic aleohol, and also somewhat soluble in water.
‘With basic acetate of lead, after the solution of the resin in:
‘ alkalies, a light yellow precipitate was afforded ; but when the.
_ alkaline solution was exposed to air, the precipitate with basic
lead. was of the colour of chromate of silver. An alkaloidal-
principle was also present in traces which failed to give any
_ special colour reaction’. The presence of a principle in traces
_ possessing a marked rhubarb-like odour was detected; thiS
principle did not appear to exist ready formed in the seeds, but
was a product of the action of dilute acids on an undetermined
principle: it was soluble in ether and benzole. | Astringent.
matter affording.a plum-coloured precipitate with basic acetate
of lead a present pas well-as: wax, — a b Corkain amonnt |
of ou. Ae tata A Toe mn
| SOLANAOEA: 549
SOLANACEZL. .
SOLANUM NIGRUM, -Linn.
“Fig. — Wight Ic. t. 344; Jacg.-Pl. Rar. it., t. 326; Rheéde,
Hort, Mal, «., t, 73. Garden Nightshade (Huzg.), Morelle noire
at.) Pepe ee
- Hab.—Throughout India and Ceylon, .. All temperate and
‘tropical parts of the world, The herb in fruit. | wd
SOLANUM DULCAMARA, Jinn. -
_ Fig.— Bentl. and Trim. t. 190. Bitter-sweet Nightshade
(Eng.), Douce amére, Vigne vierge (Fr.). _ ee ee
_ Hab.— Temperate W. Himalaya, Europe, Central Asia,
The herb in fruit. Lea
: Vernacular.—S. nigrum: Makoi, Garkamai (Hind.),: Kék-
machi (Beng.), Kémuni (Mar.), Pilidu (@uz-), Manatta-kéli
(Tam., Mal.), K&nchi-chettu, Kémanchi-chettu (Zel.), Kanchi,
_ Ganiké (Can), S, duleamara: Inab-es-salib (Ind. Bazars). ee
History, Uses, &c.— The Sanskrit names Kéka-méchir
Kékamata, Dhvénksha-machi, Jaghana-phala and Kinkini are
3 probably applicable. to both of these plants; whilst the verna-
cular names, with the exception perhaps of the Hindi, are only
applicable to S. nigrum. In the Nighantas the drug is de-
Scribed as emollient, hot, sweet, strengthening, cardiacal and
alterative; a useful remedy in dropsy, skin diseases, piles, fever,
gouorrhcea, and inflammatory swellings. In a preparation
called Hridayarnuvarasa it is combined with mercury and
sulphide of copper as a remedy in heart disease. In India at
the present time S. nigrum is in general repute as
_ ®remedy for skin diseases, and.as a local application to
= rheumatic -and gouty. joints, It is also valued as a diuretic .
Under the name arpoxves or Teuxres the Greek physicians describe
‘Several Solanaceous plants, one of which, the, 7rpexser , Maaing OF 7
550 SOLANACEA:
*“Garden nightshade ”’ of Dioscorides (iv.69) appears to agree
well with S.nigrum. He distinctly states that it may be eaten
without danger, and describes it as very cooling whether applied
externally or administered internally.. It appears’to have been
used. chiefly by the Greeks as a local application to inflamed
parts,
Haji Zein-el-Atiar, under the name of Inab-eth-thélib, “ fox’s
grapes,” in Persian Riibah-turbak, and Sag-angur “‘dog’s
grapes,” describes a kind of nightshade with yellowish red berries
having similar properties, which he also saysis useful in dropsy as
a diuretic; he concludes with acaution against the use ofanother
kind with black berries which causes delirium and is_ highly
poisonous. In cases of poisoning by the latter plant he directs
an emetic to be administered, and milk, or honey and water
with aniseed and bitter almonds to be: given. Most Arabian
and Persian writers on Materia Medica describe the four kinds
of orpixvos mentioned by Dioscorides as varieties of Inab-eth-
thalib, and copy from Greek writers, but they only appear to
have used the first and second kinds medicinally, viz., Solanum
nigrum or dulcamara, and Physalis Alkekengi, commonly known
as Kakanaj. The Inab-eth-thdlib of the present day, imported
from Persia, consists entirely of the red berries of 8S. duleamara.
In India the juice of S. nigrum is given in doses of from 6 to 8
ounces in the treatment of chronic enlargements of the liver,
and is considered a valuable alterative and diuretic. The juice
after expression is warmed in an earthen vessel until it loses
its green colour and becomes reddish brown; when cool it is
x ‘strained and administered in the morning. aes is said to act aS
a&hyd: ogogne cathartic and diuretic. Mr.M. Sheriffin his Sup-
ant to the Pharmacopeta of India speaks very favourably
of it when used in this way. In-smaller doses (1 to 2 ozs.) it is
# valuable alterative in chronic skin diseases, such as psoriasis.
In the Concan the young shoots are cooked as a vegetable and
given im these diseases. ‘Dr. De B. Master of Bombay. informs
us that as'seen fl with great snecess in psoriasis:
Loureiro states that theherb is anody wane eboaidbectiecd
SOLANACER. 564
_. physiological action of solanine, tlie active principle of this plant,
has been investigated by Max Perles (Centralbl, f. Klin. Med,
1890, No. 2), who found its action upon ameeboids, infusoria and
_ ciliated epithelium cells to be that of a powerful protoplasmic
_ poison. A solution containing less than 1 per cent. prevented
the growth of bacteria; a very dilute solution added to blood
accelerated coagulation, whilst a stronger solution (1 per cent.)
prevented coagulation and partially dissolved the red corpuscles ;
left for some hours in contact with hemoglobin it converted
it into reduced hemoglobin, but not into methemoglobin. In
‘cold-blooded animals solanine produced paralysis of the central
nervous system, acting first on the brain and afterwards.on the
spinal cord, and finally paralysing the heart muscle. Locally
applied solanine produced destructive changes in muscular
tissue, causing paralysis and obliteration of transverse striation,
while the nerves, which were at first excited, finally became
_ paralysed.
Intravenous injections of BERS in warm-blooded animals.
: sanded violent tremblings, soon. followed by clonic spasms of
the muscles of the jaw, nape of the neck and back, and see
wards by paralysis of the central nervous system.
« The temperature changes in poisoning by solanine were forthe
to indicate very exactly the gravity of the case, the minimum
of temperature corresponding with the maximum of danger.
The-dyspnoea which was observed in all the cases is: attributable
partly: to the disturbance of the circulation and partly to seca
blood changes which have been already noticed.
> The post-mort tion of animals poisoned by solanine
showed:-a eskidsen similar'to the enteritis of typhoid fever,
with here and there hemorrhagic extravasations. into the
intestinal walls. The -kidneys presented lesions similar to
those seen in acute nephritis, with infarction of the renal tubes«
Intra-peritoneal: injections of solanine caused iene
nitis with exudation.
“Moderate snbcutaneous injections produced little effect, but :
=_— quantity to be poisonous, the — ‘alrea
552 SOLANACEM.
described were observed, and the temperature fell as low as
31%5 C
’ The fatal dose of solanine administered by the stomach is ‘30
gram. per kilo body weight; death takes place in 12 hours.
In dogs injections into the stomach cause violent. vomiting,
which interferes with the absorption of the poison.
_ Solanidine has similar properties, but is much less active
than solanine; it has no local irritant action. The author
classes these substances with the sapotoxins, such as quillaic
acid, sapotoxin, senegin, cyclamin, &c.
Description.— 8S. niyrum is an erect annual or biennial,
stem angled, with spreading or diffuse branches, one to three
feet high, glabrous, or pubescent, with simple hairs, without
prickles, but the angles of the stem sometimes raised and smooth
dr rough, with prominent tubercles; leaves petiolate, ovate-
oblong, attenuated at both ends, 1 to 3 inches long, entire or
repandly toothed; flowers small and white, in little cymes,
contracted into umbels on a common peduncle, from very short
to nearly an inch long; calyx 5-toothed or lobed tothe middle ;
corolla deeply lobed, 3 to4 lines in diameter; anthers very’
obtuse and short; opening in terminal slits, which are often
continued down the sides ; berry small, globular, usually moans)
black, but sometimes yellow or dingy red.
- §. duleamara isa woody scandent plant, with numerous
glabrous or sparingly pubescent branches, leaves ovate or
oblong, subentire, lobed or lyrate, peduncles extra-axillary ;.
eymes Jaxly panicled; calyx-teeth small, obtuse ; corolla purple.
~ The berries are 4 inch in diameter, globose, red; seeds.
numerous, ;/, inch indiameter, smooth. The fresh plant has a
fetid odour, which it loses when dried. Taste at first bitter,
afterwards sweetish.
< Chemical composition. — The most important constituent of
S. nigrum is Solanine, which was discovered in the berries by’
a Desfosses in. 1821; This base has been represented by various
: pee formule. saw ro 8, Boa analyses Jead to ithe fs formula
SOLANACEZ. 553
C*°H7' NO! ; according. to Kletzinsky it-is C?*H55NO’, =A.
Hilger from recent analyses assigns to it the formula
_ CH*'NO?, and to Solanidine, obtained from it by boiling with
_ dilute, acids, the formula O?6H*'NO*, while Zwenger and
Kind assign to solanidine the formula C?° H** NO and repre-
sent its formation as being due to the assimilation of 301° by
_ Solanine, and its resolution into solanidine and 3 molecules
of glucose. Solanine forms delicate colourless, silky needles,
appearing under the, microscope as four-sided rectangular
_ prisms. (Zwengerand Kind; Payenand Chevallier.) It turns
__ yellow when heated, and melts at 235° C. (Zwenger and Kind.)
_ Itis.inmodorous and tastes faintly bitter and somewhat. acrid.
(Ginelin Handb. xviii. 90; Watt, Dict. of Chem. viii. 1807.) M.
E. Wotezal (1890) has published an elaborate paper on the
peretes bastion of Solanine, and its Microchemical Reactions in
Kussian, from which we extract the followmg :—
“Solanine was found in nine species of Svulanwm and three of
! Scopolia. Inthe tubers it is found chiofly i in the neighbour-
hood of the ¢ eyes.’ In the vegetatiye portions it oecurs in
greatest abundance in the young tissues, and in the mature
tissues it is usually entirely wanting except in the neighbour-
hood of the buds, and of the origin of the roots. In the floral
organs the reverse is the case, the quantity of solanine increasing
for a time in both calyx and corolla as the flower opens, but
ultimately disappearing from these organs, while it continues to
increase in the green unripe fruit, diminishing again when the
fruit is ripe, and being then localized chiefly in the peripheral
; layers.. The seat of the solanine is the cell cavity, where it
Occurs in the form of a soluble salt, and from which also it
‘Peneirates the cell wall by diffusion. -
The author regards solanine as a product neither of primary
synthesis nor of disorganization, nor as a seeretion or exerction,
r as a reserve substance, nor as a transporting form like
a04 SOLANACEZ,
edly also serves as a protection against consumption by
animals.
Wotezal finds only three trustworthy tests for the presence of
solanine, viz.:—(1) Mandalin’s vanadin-sulphuric acid, i.e, 1
part of ammonia-metavanadinate in 1000 parts of tri-hydrated
sulphuric acid (H?SO*+2H?0O). The test is one of extra-
ordinary delicacy; if the preparation contain solanine, it
goes through the following series of colours :—yellow, orange-
red, purple-red, brown, pure red, violet, blue-green, and
then disappears altogether. (2) Brandt’s reagent: 0°3 gram
sodium selenate in a mixture of 8 c.c. of water and 6 e.c.
ef pure sulphuric acid, Ifthe preparation containing solanine
is first warmed, then, on cooling, it becomes first violet-red,
then orange-red and yellow-brown, the colour finally disap-
pearing. (3) Pure sulphuric acid as a macro-chemical reagent,
but this test has no advantage over the other two. (Pharm.
Journ., July 1890.) :
_ Prof. E. Schmidt and Mr. Schiitte (Apoth. Zig., 1890, 501,)
have recently reported that they have found small quantities of
an alkaloid having the property of dilating the pupil in S.
nigrum. Solanine has also been obtained from 8S. duleamara
along with a glucoside Dulcamarin. Duleamarine was the name
given by Wittstein to a nitrogenous substance which he obtain-
ed from the stalks of S. duleamara. This substance has been
further examined by Geissler (Arch. Pharm. (3) vii. 289), who,
by treating it with ammonia, has freed it from a nitrogenous
impurity, and by converting the remaining substance into a lead
ae Gear, and decomposing the latter with hydrogen sul-
phide, has obtained a pure non-azotised body having the
composition C*"H5*O'°. This duleamarin ig amorphous,
tastes bitter at first, afterwards persistently sweet, dissolves in
aleohol and acetic ether, and is precipitated by basic lead
acetate, yielding the compounds Ona PbOw 4+. 3H?O and
C”"H™ Pbo” ¥ 5H7O.
By the action of dilute acids, dulcamarin is encheud into
glucose and a resinous compound wkend. scalled dadzamaratins
ie -_ Dict. of Chem. vill. badah a =
SOLANACE. 555
Toxicology.—-Cases of poisoning from eating the berries of
8. dulcamara, S. nigrum, and 9. tuberosum (the potato) have
eccasionally been recorded in Europe, and it is also on record
that the germinating tubers of the potato, have given rise to
symptoms of poisoning. It would appear, however, that the
process of cooking rendersall those plants mnocuous, or nearly so,
as the herb of 8. nigrum is used in India asa vegetable. Burton
Brown (Punjab Poisons) records the death of three children
after eating the berries of S. nigrum; the symptoms observed
were, a focling of sickness followed by vomiting, pain in the
belly and intense thirst, pupils dilated, with impaired vision,
headache, giddiness, delirium, purging and. convulsions, sleep
ending in coma.
: Commerce.—The dried fruit of S. duleamara, known as
Anab-es-silib in Bombay, comes from Persia. Value, Re. 4
per lb.
__ &. nigrumis a common weed everywhere on cultivated ground,
The dried fruit is met with in the shops in many parts of the
untry.
Sey eae rer ae :
hs sh 9 a a atte
%
¥
SOLANUM INDICUM, Linn.
Fig.—Wight Ic., t. 346 ; Rheede, Hort. Mal. i, t. 36.
~Hab.—Throughout India. The frait and root.
Vernacular.—Bari-khatéi, Birhatta, Barhanta (Hind.), By-
ra (Beng.), Dorli, Mothi-ringani (Mar.), Ubhi-ringan
Guz.), Mulli, Pappara-mulli (Tam.), Tellamulaka (Ted.),
heruchunta (Mal.), Gulla (Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant is of importance in
du medicine as the source of one of the drugs required for
preparation of the Dasamula Kvatha. In the Nighantas it
the Sanskrit names of Bhantaki, Vrihati, Mahati, “large
plant,’ ? Vartaki, Mahotika, &c.; and isdescribedas cardiacal,
1, astringent, carminative and resolvent; useful in
a gh, ee pap se. ee tions, colic, f. tulence, worms, ne :
thor of the Makhzan-el-adwiya notices it under — =
595 SOLANACEM.
the name of Birhatta, and repeats what the Hindu writers say
about it. Chakradatta gives the following prescription as useful
in bronchitis with fever: Take of the roots of S. indicum, 8.
wanthocarpum, Sida cordifolia, and Justicia Adhatoda one part,
raisins one part, and prepare a decoction in the usual manner.
Rheede notices its use in Malabar; and: Ainslie (ii., 207)
remarks that the root has little sensible taste.or smell, but is
amongst the medicines which are prescribed in cases of dysuria
and ischuria in decoction to the quantity of half a teacupful
twice daily. He also notices that Horsfield in his account of
Java medicina} plants says, that the root taken internally,
possesses strongly oxciting qualities, and that Rumphius states
that it is employed in difficult parturition. The berries, which
are bitter, are sometimes’ cooked and eaten by the natives of
India as a vegetable.
- Description.—Trunk trifling, but the branches are nu-
merous, ligneous, and perennial, forming a large, very ramous,
shrub of several feet in height, armed with numerous, very acute,
somewhat recurved spines, the young parts are downy; leaves
solitary, or in pairs, petioled, ovate-lobate, downy, and armed
with a few straight spines on both sides, from 2 to 4 inches
— long; racemes between, or opposite to the leaves, supporting
- several long-pedicelled, middle-sized, pale blue flowers; calyx
deeply 5-cleft, armed; berries erect, round, smooth, size
of a marrowfat pea ; while immatare variegated’ with deeper
: and lighter green 5 when ripe, with ‘deep orange yellow.
Chemical composition.—200 grams of the fruits were aoe
to consist of 58 grams of pericarps and 142 grams of-secds.
These were powdered and examined separately, and had the
following composition— eee Nc rernne :
: +, a ia | Pericarps. Seeds.
_ ‘Bthereal extract jbavanseas cabal fA: See © £18°3: se dein oo
Mboobolietcger Sos onivacises BB ietng MOM oki
Aqueous §,, F eseeecsvniale 138: sigma hs 9 “Oe
Mineral mat bole )
See ag k2
-SOLANACHA. B57
. The pericarps contained a yellow wax-like principle melting
: ab as”, a trace of an alkaloid answering to solanine, and a quan+
tity of ammonia combined as an ammonium salt. -The seeds
afforded 13:5 per cent. of a yellow oil having a specific gravity
me white crystals separated out, having a melting point
ine, and it was associated with a glucosidal principle giving
‘a purple-coloured solution with sulphuric acid. ‘The seeds like
the pericarps contained an ammonium salt, and both portions of
the fruit gave off strongly alkaline fumes on burning, and m
rhich ammonia was casily detected. The fruits when dried
and kept for some time. are almost tasteless compared with
eir bitterness and acridity when fresh, and it would conse~
ntly appear that the alkaloids solanine and solanidine, be-
ome decomposed with the production of ammonia and other,
stances. Cnt eet
SOLANUM XANTHOCARPUM ,Stlirad.ct Wend.
4 Fig.—-Schrad. et Wendl. Sert. Hanov. i. 8, t. 2 5 Jacq. ae
Rar. ii:, t. 332; Wight Ic., t. 1401. Syn.—S. Jacquint,
ab,—Throughout India. The plant. ait
ernacular.—Laghu-khatéi, Bhatkatya, Bhumi-ringani
.), Ké&ntakéri (Beng.), Bhui-ringani, K4nte-ringani
), Patha-ringani (Guz.), Kandan-kattiri (Tam.), Vakudu,;
amulaka (Tel.), Nelagulla (Cun.), Kantam-kattiri (Mal.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant is of importance in
du medicine, as its root is one of the Dasamula or “ten
”? so often prescribed in decoction by. their. physicians.
2 Tribulus terrestris.) In the Nighantas it is called Kan-
ind. Kantakini, “thorny”; Nidigdhika, “clinging”5
“tigress”; and Dush-pradarshani, “‘ which, cannoy
“
558 SOLANACEZ.
be touched” ; and is described as aperient, pungent, bitter,
digestive, diuretic, alterative, astringent and anthelmintic;
useful in fever, cough, asthma, flatulence, costiveness and heart
disease. It is also thought to promote conception in the
female. In practice the drug is generally combined witl other
expectorants, demulcents and aromatics.
The following prescription from the Bhavaprakasha is scion
in * Dutt’s Hindu Materia Medica” :—Kantakdryavaleha, or
electuary of S. Jacquini. Take of Kantaékéri 124 seers, water
64 seers, boil till reduced to one-fourth and strain, Boil the
strained decoction till reduced to the consistence of a fluid
extract, and add to it the following substancesin fine powder,
namely, T'imospora cordifolia, Piper Chaba, Plumbago zeylanica,
Cyperus rotundus, Rhus Kakrasingt, long pepper, black pepper,
ginger, Alhagt maurorum, Clerodendron Siphonanthus, Vanda
Roxburghii, and Zedoary root, each 8 tolas, sugar 24 seers,
sesamum oil and clarified butter each one seer. Boil together 3
until reduced to the proper consistence. Lastly, add honey —
one seer, bamboo manna and long pepper in fine arg each
half a seer.
This electuary is given to allay cough. The drug is also
used in decoction with long pepper and honey, and with salt
and asafcetida for asthma,
Mahometan writers, under the Arabic name of Hadak, or
the Persian Badinjén-i-barri (wild egg plant), mention three
kinds of Solanum, having somewhat similar properties. Their
small kind, or Hejazi, appears to be the Solanum xanthocarpum,
which they recommend in asthma, cough, dysuria, catarrbal
fever, leprosy, costiveness and stone in the bladder. Under
the name of Cundunghatrievayr, Ainslie (ii. 90) notices the use
of this drug in Southern India as an expectorant. The stems,
flowers, and fruit, according to Dr. Wilson (Calcutta Med.
Phys. Trans., Vol. TI., p. 406), are bitter and carminative, and
are prescribed in those forms of Ignipeditis, which are attended
with a vesicular, Watery eruption. Fumigations with the
—— os see bane eek sepsis |
SOLANACHA. 559
in the cure of toothache; they are smoked in a chilam like
tobacco and the natives have the idea that the smoke kills
the insects which they suppose cause the pain. The ancients
used the seeds of Henbane in the same way. (Scrib. Comp.
54-) They act as a powerful sialogogue, and thus afford
relief. (Phar. of India, p. 181.) In the Concan 2 tolas of
the juice of the fresh plant, with 2 tolas ofHemidesmus juice,
are given in whey as a diuretic, and the root with chiretta and
ginger is given in decoction as a febrifuge. Dr. Peters, of the
Bombay Medical Service, informs us that in Bengal the plant
is much used as a diuretic in dropsy.
Description.—Root at least biennial ; stem none, but se-
veral flexuose, ramous branches, spreading close on the ground,
_ for an extent of some feet, often striking root at the insertion
_ of the leaves; angular, nearly void of pubescence ; leaves fre=
quently in pairs, oblong, pinnatifid, or laciniate, smooth, but
armed on both sides with long, strong, straight spines ;
_ racemes between the leaves, and almost as long, bearing 4 to 6
alternate, pedicelled, large, bright blue flowers; calyx armed
_ with straight spines ; berries spherical, size of a large goose-
‘ berry, very smooth, drooping, while immature variegated with
green and white, when ripe with different shades of sada
_ only.—(Roab.)
Chemical composition.—The fruits of this plant were found on
analysis to have a similar composition to those of the previous
article, except that in this caso the fruits were examined in a
esh condition, and the solanine reactions of the alkaloid and
the almost entire absence of ammonia were noticed. The dried
leaves left 20°74 per cent. of ash when burnt, and contained
traces of an alkaloid, and an astringent organic acid giving a
green precipitate with ferric salts.
S. trilobatum, Linn., Wight Ic. t. 854, is mentioned by
lie ‘al being used medicinally in Southern India. He
oots of this creeper, are all
Lit ieticive by the Tamools; the two first, which are bitter,
oi prescribed in consumptive cases in the form ¢
560 SOLANACH AL
electuary, decoction, or powder; of the electuary a teaspoonful
and a half are given .twice daily.” -(Mat Ind. ii., 427.) lt
appears to be used asa substitute for S. canthocarpum. The
medicinal use of S, verbascifolium, S. torvum and S$.
ferox has also been recorded, and it seems probable that these
Nightshades are often mistaken by ignorant people for the
officinal plants.
PHYSALIS ALKEKENGI, Linn.
* Winter Cherry (Zng.), Coqueret, Coquerelle (F’r.).
Hab.—Persia, Southern Europe. The fruit.
Vernacular.—Kaknaj (Arab., Ind. Bazars).
. History, Uses, &c,—tThis plant appears to be the opxvs
éduxaxéBds of the Greeks, which they also ‘called pucadis or Pueahhus;
and the Vesicaria or Halicacabus of the Romans; it was sup-
posed to cure diseases of the bladder. It is the Kékanah of the
Persians and Kékanaj of the Arabs.: It also bears the names
of Kachuman; and Artisak-pas-i-pardah, or “‘ bride behind the
-curtain,” in Persia; the Sanskrit name is said to be Réjapu-
trika.
Abu Hanifeh, author of the Book of Plants, says of Kaka-
naj:—“ It is of the Aghalith and isa plant resembling the
Harmal (Peganum Harmala), except that it is taller, with
round branches, and having capsules (-i%) like those of
_ Harmal ; it has also berries intensely red, like beads of corne-
lian, smaller than the Nabik (Zizyphus Spina-Christi) and
rer than the currant, and people seek out the leaves thereof
‘that have not been rendered foraminous, which leaves are
then bruised and used beneficially as a dressing for maladies
attended with pain.” Other names for the fruit are Jouz-el-
marj and Habb-el-lahv, which indicate. that they are thopem®
to be possessed of intoxicating properties. “2
sicians, describe, it as. diuretic, alleratixe. and
SOLANACE®. 561
ception if given to women. after menstruation. Large doses
are thought to-be narcotic. Exterually itis applied to. pros
mote the absorption of tumours, boils, carbuneles, &c. Laville’s
gout pills consist of 15 parts of extract of Alkekengi and 5
parts of silicate of soda. Four to ten 5-grain pills are takem
Description.—The fruit is about the size, shape and
‘olour of a small dried cherry, skin smooth and shining, red-
lish ed much ‘shrivelled ; it contains a large number of
" presence of a small quantity of brown pulp, which has a fruity
odour.
hemical Ec dordiionelRieeisigoce and Chautard (WN. J.
. 21, 24) found sugar and citric acid in the berries, and
e leaves and calyx an amorphous bitter principle, Ph ysalin,
160°, which is obtained as a whitish powcer on agitating
aqueous infusion with chloroform, and is soluble. in
1, but sparingly so in ether, cold water and diluted
by erneiin, Handb. xvi., 191.) :
PHYSALIS MINIMA, Linn.
g.— Rheede Hort. Mal. «. tt. 70, 71.
Hat. _—Throughout India. The plant in fruit.
; sular.—Tulati-pati (Hind), K&knaj (Punj.), Ban-tepa-
kari (Beng.), Thanmori, Chirbutli, Chirboti (Mar.),
Tel.), Bondula (Can.).
ry; Uses, &c.—This common weed of cultivation,
1 Sanskrit Tankéri, occurs in two forms, one with a
about the size of a pea and the other with a berry half
diameter. “The former plant is pubescent and the
_ Tankéri is considered by the Hindus to be
and aperient, and is an ingredient in a medici- .
en. for enlargement of the spleen ; tho other
is mul, Hing, te — pepy
562 SOLANACEAE.
(black salt),. Saindhava (rock salt), Javakshara (potash), gin-
ger.and melted butter. . In the Concan the plant is made into
a paste with rice water, and applied to restore flaccid breasts,
in accordance with the doctrine of signatures. _ Both varieties of
this plant are noticed by Rheede, and Ainslie (11. 15) in a note
remarks that P. minima has been neticed by Dr, Heyne as
medicinal among the Hindus, and is called by them Lakshmi-
devatya, ‘‘sacred to Lakshmi.” Dr. Stewart states that the
fruit is considered in the Punjab to be tonic, diuretic and
purgative. Itis used by the Mahometans as a substitute for
P. Alkekengi.
Description.— An herbaceous annual, leaves 2 inches;
petiole 1 inch ; pedicels 4? to $ inch; calyx at flower-time $
to 4 inch; lobes lanceolate, half the length of the calyx, often
hirsute, sometimes glabrescent; corolla clear yellow or some-
times spotted at the base; berry nearly globular ; ; fruit-calyx
globose in the smaller variety, rswrese in the larger, 5 or
10-ribbed ; seeds numerous, ;4 inch, discoid, reticulated,
scarcely scabrous.
P. peruviana, the Cape Gusbpenn or Brazil Cherry, which
is cultivated in India, hardly differs from this plant except
in its larger size-and more oblong berry. It affords an excel-
lent fruit, and is now much cultivated in France and is largely
used in India for making the well known “‘ Topare jam.”
CAPSICUM FRUTESCENS, Linn.
| Fig.—Lam. Til., t. 116, f. 1; Rheede, Hort. Mal. it., t. 56.
Chillie (Eng.), Piment de Cayenne (Z’r.).
Hab.—Aumerica. Cultivated throughout India. The fruit.
CAPSICUM MINIMUM, oad.
“Fig.— Wight Ic. t. 1617; Bentl. and Trim., t. 188. Bird'e:
eye Chillie (Eng.), a ai Pile Maurice (Fr).
Hab. —Uneertain, € ultiva
“SOLANACE®. "563
—-Vernacular.—Mirch, Lal-mirchs Gach-mirch (Hind.), Mirchi,
Tambari-mirchi, Mir-singha (Mar.), Milagay (Tam.), Mirapa-
‘kéya (Tel.), Kappal-melaka (Mal.), Menashina-kaya (Can.);
‘Lél-morich, Lanka-morich (Beng.), Lal-mirch, Marchu (Guz.).
a History, Uses, &c.—Clusius states that Capsicums
were brought to India from Pernambuco by the Portuguese ;
from India they were introduced into Germany, and finally
reached England in 1595. The Spaniards were acquainted
with the spice as early as 1494. Chanca, physician to the fleet
‘of Columbus in his second voyage to the West Indies, notices
‘them among the productions of Hispaniola as a condiment used
by the natives under the name of Agi, which is still the com-
mon name for them in Spanish. In Bnglish they were for-
merly known as Guinea-pepper, and the Portuguese call them
menta de Guiné. Chili is the Mexican name. (Pharmaco-
phia.) In the Indian vernaculars there is no special name
1 them, and they are not mentioned by any Sanskrit writers.
Jp to the present time the cultivation of the plant is carried on
gore extensively at Goa than at any other place in Western
\dia, and .capsicums are well known in Bombay as Govaz-
4, “Goa pepper.” The Arabs call the chillie Filfil-ahmar,
d pepper,” in Persian it is F ilfil-i-surkh, which has the
me meaning. Besides the two species commonly cultivated,
everal varieties of 0. grossum are met with in India as
ornamental plants in gardens ; they are mostly remarkable for
the size of their fruit; which is almost or entirely devoid of
\wency ; one variety, which has been named C. cerasiformis,
globular fruit resembling a cherry. A yellow capsicum,
ga peculiar flavour, has been introduced into India from
, and from it is prepared a very highly esteemed Cayenne
per. In India C. minimum, though common in many
‘of the country as a weed of cultivation, is seldom used
use | e
Persians object to it. Medicinally the natives of
.
564 ‘SOLANACEA.
a promoter df the regilar action of the bowels: externally
they use it asa rubefacient. The irritant properties are fre-
quently taken advantage of to inflict torture upon prisoners
and’ refractory children. In. European medicine capsicum is
used in the form of a plaster, or liniment, made with the
ethereal tincture, in rheumatic-and neuralgic affections ; it pre-
duces warmth and redness of the part. Pads dipped in a strong
infusion of -the crushed pods may also be used ; they should
be covered with paraffin paper or oil silk, and may be kept on
for several hours; as a gargle, or in the form of lozenges, it. 1s
used in baneaiitis, pharyngitis and relaxed sore-throat. In
the West Indies it is used in infusion with cinnamon and
sugar to relieve the sinking at the epigastrium felt by drunk-
ards, and forms a most valuable diet drink for patient suffer-
ing from . delitiam tremens, as it satisfies the craving for
stimulants. ‘Large: doses taken internally by persons who
are not in. the habit of using capsicum may produce gastro-
enteritis. om
~ Description,—The ‘ey is very Marin biei in size a
shape, and many-seeded. The fleshy pericarp-is composed
‘of two layers, an outer consisting of thick-walled cells, and an
inner, which is a soft and spongy parenchyme traversed by
fibro-vascular bundles. Most of the: colouring matter is con-
tained in the outer layer, which also: contains some: fatty oil.
The — are discoid, — or F sub-seabrous the embryo
4 Panic! Bicoded | in ee a a soivaenics dow: i belive
_ principle, Capsaicin (C°H"0*),. from the extract, which he
Canal by exhausting the fruit of C. minimum with petro-
Jeum ¢ ether. From the red liquor dilute caustic lye removed
ca apsaicin, » ‘ich’ ot | precipitated in minute crystals by eet
a ough t the alkaline bape and. which may be
ae them” om either aleohol, _ether,
i ee
“SOLANACGEA | 565
dissolves.abundantly on addition of fatty oil, ‘The latter being
present in the pericarp is the cause why capsaicin can m
_ extracted by the above process.
Capsaicin forms colourless prismatic crystals ‘cmclable in
water; it begins to volatilise at. 100° C. and is powerfully irris
tant. The pungent taste is removed by heating with potas-
sium bichromate and dilute sulphuric acid. Ba Cl’ and CaCl’
4 in alcoholic solution give a precipitate soluble in ether;
_ AgNO® gives a precipitate soluble in ammonia, and Fe*Cl
a a red precipitate when warmed.
Capsicine, an alkaloid, has also been extracted by katie
from the fruit of C. minimum. The benzene is evaporated and
the residue dissolved in ether, from which the alkaloid is
: obtained by shaking with dilute H*SO* (Thresh, Pharm. Jowrn,
| vi. 941). It forms ‘needles insoluble in water and very .so-
ble in alcohol’and ether, which may be sublimed or volatilized
_ with steam, and are free from pungency. The hydrochloride
_erystallises in cubes and tetrahedra, the sulphate in prisms.
Tatt’s Dict. Cham., 2nd Ed. i., 678.) A. Meyer has discovered
at capsaicin is not, as has been generally assumed, distri-
uted throughout the entire fruit, but only occurs in the light
llowish-red placentze and their attachments. These parts
ld 0-9 per cent. of capsaicin. According to G. Laube and H,
3 a a i ag
foe io Nahe es aa
eee ee
ances 4:31, Volatile oil 3°05, Fat 8°17, Sugar 2°54, Nitrogen-
ee extractive 43°88, Cellulose 22°50, Ash 2°87 per cent., and
hen dried yield 0°79 nitrogen and 12°85 per cent. of volatile
and fat. According to Warnecke, the ash of capsicums
mounts to 4°66 per cent. :
: The colouring matter of capsicum fruits is sparingly soluble
tensely red soft mass is obtained, which is not much altered:
7 po otash, it turns first pee then black with concentrated ee
Pores Le 1 1877,
566 SOLANACEZ.
Commerce.—Several varieties of C. frutescens are cultivated
throughout the plains of India for local consumption which is
very large, but of which statisticsare notavailable. .C.minimuin
is common asa weed of cultivation in most: parts of India,
but is little used by the natives. The average:-value of: capsi-
cums in the Bombay market is-about Rs. 12. per cwt.
WITHANIA SOMNIFERA, Dunal.
| Fig.—Jacq. ‘Bel, tt. 22,23 ; Sibth. Fl. Greec., t. 233 ; Wight
d., t. 853; Eheede, Hort. Mal. ww., t. 55. Moorenkappen
(Dutch)
.. Hab.—Dry sub-tropical India, West Coast. Southern
Europe. The root and leaves.
Vernacular.—Asgandh (Hind., Guz.), Asvagandhé (Beng.),
Asvagandh4é, Tula, Dorgunj, Kanchuki (Mar.), Amkitléng-
kalang (Tam.), Pénérré-gadda (Tel.), Hirimaddina (Can.).
History, Uses, &c.—This plant bears the Sanskrit
names of Asvagandha, Turagi or Turangi, and Turagi-gandha,
‘* smelling like a horse or mare”; Varaha-karni, “ boar-eared”;
Vrisha, “amorous,” &c. It is described in the Nighantas
as tonic, alterative, pungent, astringent, hot and aphrodisiacs
and is recommended in rheumatism, cough, dropsy, consump=
tion and senile debility. Chakradatta recommends it in
decoction with long pepper, butter and honey in consumption
and scrofula. A ghrita or medicinal butter prepared by boil-
ing together one part of the root with one part of clarified
butter and ten of milk may be used in such cases. As an
c and as a remedy for rheumatism the drug is usually
RET with a number of aromatics, each dose contains about
30. grains of the root.. It is also made into a paste with
aromatics for local application in rheumatism. Indian Maho-
metan writers merely repeat what the Hindus say about this
_ drug, and do not recognise in it the Kaknaj-el-manoum of the
. io Goa ee So-mepeoeen tp erates tewwunip of
SOLANACEE. 567
tolerably well with W. somnifera. Rheede calls it Pevetti, and
states that a vulnerary ointment is prepared from the leaves,
Prosper Alpinus (i., cap. 33) describes and figures it under the
name of Solanum somniferum antiquorum. Roxburgh states
that the Telinga physicians reckon the roots alexipharmic.
Ainslie (ii. 14) says:—‘“The root as found in the medicine
bazars, is of a pale colour, and in external appearance not
anlike our gentian; but it has little sensible taste or smell,
though the Tames Vytians suppose it to have deobstruent and
diuretic qualities, given in decoction to the quantity of about
half a teacupful twice daily ; the leaves moistened with a little
warm castor oil, are a useful external application in cases of
_ earbuncle.” The authors of the Bombay Flora say that the
seeds are employed to coagulate milk like those of W. coagulans.
_ We have tried the experiment and find them to have some
coagulating power.
The plant is very common along the sherri of the Mediter-
ranean, where it has always been reputed to be hypnotic. The
properties of W. somnifera have recently been investigated by
Dr. Trebut with regard to its reputation for hypnotic. proper-
ties ; he states that he has obtained an alkaloid from it which
has i protic action and does not produce mydriasis. Pl.
Simmonds (Amer. Journ. Pharm., Feb., 1891) states that the
plant is omeloret at the Civil Hospital, Alves, as a sedative and
hypnotic.
— Description.—The plant sa long tapering light 1 brow
root, which may attain the size of a carrot ; it is surmounted by
a knotty crown, from which spring eter) shrubby, flexuose
round branches, 1 to 5 feet in length. The leaves are double,
ovate, entire, 2 to 4 inches long; flowers axillary, subsessile,
crowded at the ends of the branches; corolla campanulate,
yellowish .green, very small; berry red, smooth, size of a pea;
covered by a membranaceous closely-fitting calyx, open at the
apex;. seeds numerous, yellowish white, reniform, Bein
, about sth of an inch long; testa honeyco
hole plant i is covered with small branched: sand
team ote *
568 . SOLANACER:.
white hairs, which give it a hoary appearance. The odour is
pungent and disagreeable like horse’s urine.
- The dried root as it appears in commerce: is of very uniform
Appearance, being from 4 to 8 inches long, and from } to }
ich in diameter at the thickest portion a little below ine!
crown ; if is plump, smooth, tapering, and of a light yellowish
brown colour externally, white internally, brittle; fracture
short and starchy. The root is seldom branched. Attached
to the crown are the remains of several slender stems.
Microscopic examination shows the substance of the root to be
principally composed of starch, enclosed in delicate oval cells ;
the cortical portion is about 5, inch in thickness. The vas-
cular system consists of a ee central bundle of scalariform
and dotted vessels; round this several smaller bundles and
single vessels are arranged in a radiating manner. It has a
mucilaginous and slightly bitter taste. In the “ Materia Medica
of Western India” an opinion is expressed that the commercial
article'cannot be the root of W. somnifera. This opinion was
founded upon a comparison of the drug with the root of that
plant as found in the salt marshes near Bombay, where it ac-
quires a twisted, woody form, entirely different to the tapering,
starchy root which it has when growing in sweet soil. Young
roots obtained from Satara exactly corresponded with the drug
of commerce. Another point of difference is the red colour of
the inner bark in the Bombay roots, which was not observed in
those from the Deccan, The foliage, flowers and fruit of both
is appear to be identical.
_ © Chemical composition.—Dr. Trebat i in 1886 separated an
ye elksloldigeom the Mediterranean plant, which forms a crystalline
see ees ee hypnotic action, but not producing mydriasis.
ly named the alkaloid Somniferine. ( Lancet.)
the Indian plant, reduced to fine powder and
with a ! afforded: a a red-coloured tincture
dto dryness. The
late racer 4
SOLANACEA. 569
Was left as an amorphous substance from its solution in ether, but
‘gave crystals when neutralized with sulphuric or hydrochloric
acid, It had a bitter taste, was not coloured with nitric acid,
but with sulphuric acid and alcohol it imparted a red colour
similar to that produced by.solanine. A solution of the neutral
acetate of the alkaloid was found to have no action upon the eye.
A fatty.and colouring matter were also .present in the root;
the latter was resinoid, and the alkaloid was combined with an.
astringent acid. The leaves afforded 19°5 per cent. of ash, and
a trace of alkaloid was detected in them.
Toxicology.—Dr. Burton Brown (Punjab Poisons) records a
fatal case of poisoning by the seeds of this plant. The
_ Symptoms observed were vomiting, insensibility, convulsions ;
the patient became unconscious with dilated pupils insensible
_ to light; there were continued tetanic spasms of the muscles of
the face and extremities, tongue not bitten, no lockjaw, face
and lips livid, veins distended. .
WITHANIA COAGULANS, Duna.
Fig.—Wight Ic., 4. 1616; Stocks in Hook. Ics, ¢. 801, —
Hab. — Punjab, Sind, Afghanistan. The frnit.
-Vernacular.—Panirband, Panir-ja-fota (Sind.), Khamjaria.
(Punjab), Spin-bajja (Afghan), Akri (Hind.), Kakanaj
(Bomb.). :
History, Uses, &c.—A small, rigid, grey undershrub,,
the fruit of which is commonly used in Sind, N.-W. India and
Afghanistan to coagulate milk instead of rennet; the natives of ;
those countries rub up a few of the fruits with a small quantity
of milk and add this to the milk to be coagulated. This useful
_ plant appears to have attracted little notice until 1849, when it»
was described by Dr. Stocks (Journ. Bomb. Asiat. Soc., 1849,
55). The fruit is also used as an emetic, and smaller doses
as a remedy for dyspepsia arising from chronic liver disease ; ihe
is alterative and diuretic, In Bombay it is usually confounded”
72
570 \ SOLANACEZ. .
with the fruit of Physalis Alkekengi, Wild., imported from
Persia, the Hab-el-kaknaj or Kaknaj of the Arabians, which is
described by Ibn Sinaas an alterative similar to Dulcamara,
and especially useful in skin diseases. The berries of bot
plants have a reputation as blood purifiers. Recently, from
experiments made by Sir J. D. Hooker at Kew, it has been
ascertained that 1 oz. of the fruit of Withania coagulans and 1
quart of boiling water make a decoction, one tablespoonful of
which will coagulate a gallon of warm milk in about half an hour.
Experiments of a similar nature have been made on the Kilkerran
Estate, the property of Sir James Fergusson, late Governor of
Bombzy, four ounces of the fruit were allowed to simmer for
12 hours in 1} pint of water, and half the liquid was then added
to 55 gallons of milk; the milk curdled inan hour and a half,
affording a firm curd free from taste and smell; of this a cheese
was made which proved to be excellent.
Description.—The entire fruit is about § ofan inch in dia-_
meter, flattened at the base, and enclosed in a leathery close-
fitting calyx, with a small 5-partite opening at the apex, through
which a small portion of the fruit is visible; thisis red when
fresh, but yellowish and chaffy when dry; within is a mass of
flattened reniform seeds nearly } of an inch in their longest
diameter, and held together by a viscid brown pulp which has
a nauseous fruity odour.
Chemical composition.—The following is Mr. Sheridan”
_ Lea’s report upon the “rennet” ferment contained in the
Sie
" ing equal weights of the seeds, I extracted them for
- 7s hours with equal volumes of (1) water,(2)5 per cent. sodic
_ ehlorid 2 per cent. hydrochloric acid, (4) 3 per cent. sodic
carbon: Equal volumes of each of the above were add
, and neutral condition, to equal volumes o
bath at 38° C, The milk was rapidl}
carbonate e |
SOLANACER. : ol
nown that a 5 per cent. solution of sodic chloride is the most
ficient in the extraction of the active principle from the
There is no doubt that the substance which possesses the
lating power is a ferment closely resembling animal
ennet.
ri—A portion of the 5 per cent. sodie chloride extract loses
8 activity if boiled for a minute or two.
4 II.—The active principle is soluble in glycerine, and can be
racted from the seeds by this means ; the extract possesses
mg coagulating powers even in small amounts. :
—Alcohol precipitates the ferment body from its solu-
; and the precipitate, after washing with alcohol, may
dissolved again without having lost its coagulating
.—The coagulation is not due to the formation of acid by
erment. If some of the active extract be made neutral or
line, and added to neutral milk, a normal clot is formed, and
reaction of the clot remains neutral or faintly alkaline.
T The clot formed by the action of the ferment is a true
resembling i in appearance and properties that formed une.
rennet, and it is not a mere precipitate.
question of preparing an extract which should be
of being kept for a considerable time is perhaps of im-
- Ordinary commercial rennet usually contains a large
H Bodie chloride and some alcohol. One specimen I
ined 19 per cent. of common salt, and 4 per cent.
have, therefore, added to the 5 per cent. chloride _
ed above enough salt’ to raisc the percentage
and also alcohol up to 4 per cent. The
ct is not appreciably altered by this, and
72 SOLANACEZ.
such a preparation corresponds very closely in activity: with a
commercial solution of animal rennet with which I compared
it. The possibility of making extracts which may be expected
to keep, is thus indicated, but, of course, time alone will show
whether the activity of the ferment is impaired to cad important
‘extent by such keeping,
I may add, in conclusion, that I have coagulated a consider-
able volume of milk with an extract such as I have described,
and prepared a cheese from the curds, I have also given a
portion of the extract to a professional cheese-maker, who has
‘used it as a substitute for animal rennet in the preparation of
a cheese. The product thus obtained, and the statements of
the person who has made the experiment for me, lead me to
suppose that extracts of the seeds of Withania can be used as
an adequate and successful substitute for animal rennet.’’
(Pharm. Journ. [8] xiv. 606.)
- An attempt has been made by Mr. D, 8. Kemp, of Bombay,
to preserve the ferment by means of sugar, but with ‘only
partial success.
ATROPA BELLADONNA, Linn.
Fig.—E£ng. Bot. t. 934; Benil, and Trim. t, 193. Common
Dwale, Deadly Mabhaia nds ), neneeees Morelle furieuse
7 (Pr. 1a
suliah. —Westom Himalaya, oie bene The root and
s Vaimochtas -—Suchi (Hind J.
£ a Uses, &c.—This plant i is not mentioned by
anskrit medical writers, and does not. appear to. have been
‘ ag : a in Mae tt een to correspond pretty
Writers ssnpy copy —
NS atone &
s, though it cannot, -
: SOLANACEAE. $73
general name in Arabic for the Nightshades. Haji Zein-el-Attar
(A. D. 1368), speaking of Inab-eth-thdlib, in Persian Rubah-
turbak and Sag-angur, “ foxes’ or dogs’ grapes,” concludes by
cautioning his readers against the use of a kind with black
berries, which causes delirium and is highly poisonous. In
cases of poisoning by the latter plant he directs emetics to be
given, and milk or honey and water, with aniseed and bitter
almonds, to be administered.
The use of Belladonna as a medicine is of quite recent date ;
it was only known to the ancients as a noxious herb. ts
action upon the pupil of the eye appears to have been utilized
in the 16th century by the Italian ladies, whence the name
Herba Belladonna. (Matth. Comment. (1558) 533.)
Physiological action—All animals are not equally affected
_ by this poison. It has been observed that rabbits can feed
_ upon the plant with impunity, and that the pupils of their eyes
may be dilated by the application of their own urine. Birds
eat the fruit, and, strange to say, the drug has no local actiou
upon their eyes. Hecquet has observed the insusceptibility
of marsupials to the poisonous action of belladonna, and
snails and slugs feed upon its leaves with impunity.: Atropine’
has no injurious effect when injected into the blood vessels of
birds and herbiverous animals, it is therefore evident ‘that
their nervous system is not susceptible to its toxic action. _
The carnivora, under the influence of the drag, exhibit along
with dilated pupils, evidences of suffering, retching or vomiting,
general muscular debility, dulness of the senses, and increased,
_ frequency and force of the heart’s action, but no delirious
excitement is observed. (Acad. des Sciences, Séance du 28 Juin,
1875.) 7 3 7
In man when poisonous doses of belladonna have been
taken, a sense of tightness or pain is felt in the forehead and
eyes, with giddiness, confusion of thought, and. noises in the
ears, The sight is confased, objects are hazy or their charactor
is mistaken. Often they appear to be much smaller than
ral. Spectral illusions, generally of a pleasing character,
574 ; SOLANACEA.
are frequent, such as jewels, flashes of coloured light, birds of
brilliant plumage, and insects with enamelled wings. In other
cases they have the hideous appearance of the phantasms of
delirium tremens. Sometimes there is a total blindness of
several days’ duration, and even after all mental disorder has
subsided. The mind is apt to be filled with extravagant ideas ;
there is often delirium, which is generally of a gay description,
and which prevents sleep or disturbs it with fantastic dreams.
Sometimes the patient is quite conscious of his illusion and
delirium, but is without the power to control either of them.
The latter may be characterized by the incessant repetition for
hours of some habitual act or phrase; sometimes though rarely,
it is violent, maniacal, and attended with injury to himself or the
attendants; but, in general, poisonous doses of the drug give
rise to active and, for the most part, joyous delirium. Itisa
powerful anesthetic; in cases of poisoning by it ending in
recovery there has been almost a total loss of sensibility of the
skin, lasting for several days. It has no direct soporific
operation. Belladonna in excessive dose renders the gait un-
steady and staggering, producing numbness with trembling and
jerking movements of the limbs; the patient unconsciously runs
against objects in his way, or avoids encountering imaginary
ones; he is unable to co-ordinate his movements or to pick up
small objects. The pupil is dilated, the eyes bright, the voice
husky, or deglutition, owing to dryness of the throat, is impos-
sible; the bladder is paralyzed and the urine retained, or both
this secretion and the fceces may be passed involuntarily.
Ae oe eyelid is Sa to be Piece and may remain so for
months. = and Maisch.)
_ Symptoms exactly similar to these have frequently been
seistetant in cases of datura-poisoning in India. ‘The action
of belladonna on"the brain has been attributed to a deficiency
= in that organ caused by stimulation of the vaso-motor
iS nerves, but as var nots the carotids i is not followed -y: any of
oe appears to
t understood.
SOLANAQCEH. 575
The action of belladonna on the spinal cord also has not been
satisfactorily explained. The spinal symptoms observed after
poisonous doses, viz., suspension of mental control over move=-
ments and their co-ordination, seem to result from impaired
sensibility and power of motion. Gubler, two hours after the
subcutaneous injection of several milligrams of sulphate of
atropine, observed symptoms of paralysis of both motor and
sensory nerves, the patient being unable to button his clothes
from want of power and feeling in the fingers. (Gubler, Diet.
Encyclop. des Sci. Med. (1) €. vii. et ix.)
Like all other medicines which act directly through the
nervous system, small and large doses of belladonna produce
opposite effects, the former stimulating, the latter paralyzing
it. The direct action of small doses upon the heart is to increase
the vigour and the frequency of its contractions; but large doses
render the pulse still more frequent, but more and more feeble:
and thready.
Under the action of full doses of belladonna the pulse is at
first slower and fuller, contrary to what takes place in the
until in fatal cases it grows thready and intermittent.
the active period of the operation the whole capillary circulation
would seem to be congested, for the external mucous membranes
are dry, the face is red and turgid, there is a sense of fulness
in the head, with throbbing of the arteries, as if the blood were
prevented from returning to the heart by a ligature around the
neck. But the intracranial pressure does not appear to be
increased in a like proportion. (Jacodt.) The general dryness
of the skin and throat and larynx contrasts with the greatly
augmented secretion of the kidneys during the active stage of
belladonna-poisoning. This diuresis has been attributed to the
fact that the active principle of the drug is excreted with the
urine, and almost exclusively in this manner. Irritation of ©
scrotum sometimes exists in a high degree. (Stillé and
eT ‘ aca ee eae
576 SOLANACEA.
Amongst the most remarkable and earliest indications of the
action of belladonna is dilatation of the pupil, and loss of the
power of accommodation, the degree and. persistence of these
symptoms being in proportion to the dose employed. The
defects of vision produced by the drug are various, there may
be want of defining power, diplopia, presbyopia, want of the
power of accommodation or even amaurotic amblyopia. Some
of these defects may even persist when the natural diameter
ofthe pupil has. been restored by eserine or has gradually
recovered its normal condition, which indicates that the retina
itself has lost some of its sensibility. The manner in which the
drug acts upon the pupil has been much discussed by physiolo-
gists; Gubler, who has thoroughly investigated this question,
admits that the various theories which have been suggested,
viz.—paralysis of the iris, excitation of. its radial fibres,
paralysis of the ciliary nerves or their spinal centres, contraction
of the blood vessels of the veins, torpidity of the ophthalmic
branch of the trigeminal and of the retina—are individually in-
- sufficient to explain the physiological fact. He considers it to
be of a complex nature, and that several of the causes above
mentioned contribute to its production. The solution of the
problem becomes more difficult when we consider the resistance
of the iris of birds to the action of the drug. Rossbach and
Frdélich have observed that in rabbits and frogs the pupil con-
tracts before dilating. (Gubler, loc. cit.)
- Belladonna is antagonistic in certain respects to eserine,
opium, ergotine and pilocarpine, viz., with eserine and ergotine
as regards its action on the pupil, with pilocarpine as regards.
rae its action on the secretions of the skin, and with opium as
egards its action on the brain. Its antagonism to opium is of
most importance, as numerous cases: are on record in which
ll
SOLANACHA. 577
contraction of the involuntary muscles; -as a mydriatic: in
upillary stenosis, cataract, iritis, posterior synechia,. and
pilepsy, chorea and eclampsia. To control secretions it is
used in excessive perspiration, profuse manera copious
atarrhal defluxions and to. arrest the secretion of m
preventive against scarlatina it is supposed by some re act by
ndering the condition of the mucous membranes less favour-
le to the absorption of the poison.
_ As an antidote itis used in poisoning by opium, eserine
d muscarine.
- Description.—An herbaceous plant with thick, dntdot
moms, 4 to 5 feet in height; leaves 3 to6inches long, stalked,
idly ovate, acuminate, attenuated at the base, pubescent
n young; flowers solitary, campanulate, pendulons, pur-
h-green; berries black, large and shining. The fresh
nt has a fetid odour and a nauseous faintly bitter taste.
berries are sweet. The root is large, fleshy, tapering and
ched, 1 to 2 inches thick, and a foot or more in length, it
s a thick, light brown bark, and is internally of a dirty white
our. Odour not peculiar ; taste acrid.
hemical composition.—All parts of the plant contain atro-
together with hyoscyamine. Atropine, C'7115NO5, erys-
allizes in needles from dilute alcohol; it is slightly soluble in
, , and very soluble in alcohol or chloroform, and the
u ienis are alkaline and taste bitter. Its salts enlarge the pupil
the eye. Atropine is decomposed by hot baryta water or
d aaa song into apts met, C°H'°05, and tropine,
HSNO. t t Pp ction on the eyes,
hen “sc with duhydeating agents, suchas Zn Cl’,
cL, oa, wei is sigeagen ae Besonding to Ladenburg,
inane g the methyl (CH)
6 oxethyl (C*H*O0H) sertnp in iw: plate of two H atoms,
acid is a phenyloxypropionic acid. By combining
‘other aromatic acids we obtain tropeins, a class of oe
| eo in constitution to atropine. - One of
578 SOLANACEZ.
these a compound of tropine with one of two isomeric phenyl-
glycollic acids has been named homatropine, and has proved
physiologically important. Atropine is the same as daturine,
the active principle of the Daturas; it occurs along with
hyoscyamine in those plants and also in Duboisia and probably
in other Solanaceous plants. Belladonnine is an alkaloid occur-
ring in the mother-liquor from which sulphate of atropine has
been crystallised; it is amorphous, very slightly soluble in
water, very soluble in alcohol, ether and chloroform. It is but
slightly attacked by boiling baryta water, but is split up by
alkalies into tropic acid and oxy-tropine, C®°H'5NO*. This
would indicate that belladonnine is oxy-atropine, C'7H**NO*.
According to Merling belladonnine is C!7H?'NO*%, and
gives tropine, atropic acid, and iso-atropic acid when boiled
with baryta-water. For further information on the chemistry of
atropine and its decomposition products, the reader is referred
to Watt's Dict. of Chem., 2nd Ed.; Stillé and Maisch, National
Dispensatory, 4th Ed.; Iiebig’s Annalen; Berichte der deutsch.
Chem. Ges. Atropamine is a new alkaloid found by Hesse in
Belladonna root, where it is occasionally present in con-
siderable quantity. It is amorphous, melts at 60° C.,
is easily soluble in alcohol, ether and chloroform, has
the formula C'?H?'NO® (differing from atropine, that is,
hyoscyamine and hyoscine, by containing one H’O less; but
identical with pure belladonnine). It differs from the other
belladonna alkaloids by forming beautifully crystallized haloid
salts 5 iti is optically inactive ; the hydrochlorate in 2 per cent.
n oe unknown acid, which may under some conditions
rrange its atoms to form cinnamic or isocinnamic acid.
Aci¢ i easily bring about the decomposition, but first
amine into belladonnine ; this easy decom-
i and the Doane was not sooner dis-
SOLANACEA. 579
Mr. A. W. Gerrard has obtained the following amount. of
alkaloid from Belladonna roots and leaves from plants of
different ages: -- :
Wild. Sn a
Age | inl Comin meaitl Yield from leaves. ,
al | 260 ° 431
Be vensencie ice sn son peupes “381 407
ad. | “410 510
Cultivated.
years *207 320
” *370 "457
aes | -313 ‘491
Prof. Schmidt. and Mr. Schiitte (Apoth. Ztg. 1890, 511)
have obtained the following alkaloidal results from Belladonna
_ Taken in Old roots. Young roots.
Per cent. Per cent.
Spring 0°174 °0°127
— Summer .........-eees000e 0°358 0452
0°458
PAGED fence ceeecece veep 0°280
ey found that the young roots contained only hyoscyamine,
the old roots much hyoscyamine and a little atropine; no
erence was observed between roots collected 1 spring,
mmer or autumn. cs
Toxicology.—Cases of fatal poisoning by belladonna are few
nber. A lad of sixteen died from a drachm of the
and a woman of sixty-six after swallowing “a tea-
1 of belladonna liniment.” A woman, having taken $
each of Lin. belladonnw and Lin. aconiti (Br. Phar.),
pasms within half an hour. (Hilinb. Med. Jour., xxvii.
A man having liquefied an ointment containing’ 2} _
10) of extract of belladonna, injected it into his —
‘a portion of it, but the remainder cai
580 SOLANACEA.
most marked symptoms of belladonna-poisoning. Recovery
ensued without special treatment. (Bull. de therap. ci. 239.)
Children have a remarkable tolerance of belladonna. After
death by belladonna or atropine the lungs and right side of
the heart are engorged, the brain and meninges are congested,
and the retina is hyperemic, and a corresponding condition of
the spinal cord has been observed. (Stillé and Maisch.)
No cases of criminal poisoning by Belladonna have been
recorded in India, but poisoning by Datura is extremely frequent
(see Datura). Dr. Warden (Ind. Med. Gaz. 1879,) records a
non-fatal case of poisoning ensuing upon the hypodermic
injection of 5 to 6 drops of Liq. Atrop- Sulph., B. P. Imme-
diately after the injection the medical officer in charge of the
case states that he scarified the part, and pressed out as much
of the injected fluid as possible. Within five minutes after the
injection, the patient complained of vertigo, was unable to sit
ina chair, and had to be carried to a bed. Within an hour
after the injection the patient was delirious, the symptoms
appeared to occur in paroxysms. The pupils were much dilated.
Three hours after the injection the patient was quieter, save for
an attack of furious delirium. Micturition was increas ed; the
pulse between 130—140 and rather weak. Six hours after the —
injection, the patient was picking up imaginary objects, tying
up imaginary rupees in his clothes, spinning, and carrying his
fingers along imaginary threads ; at times he would dig at the —
ground with his fingers and ook for his shoes, all the while
king incessantly. 10} hours after the injection the symp-
ns had considerably abated, and during the night sleep was
bed ey. wild dreams. On the. following morning the
ated that he had very little recollection of the events
ing ay Assuming 5 drops to have been injected,
ld equivalent to ‘0418 of a grain of the
SOLANACHE. $8
stomach had been removed, and all approved methods for
restoration tried, his condition appeared hopeless, when Dr.
_Tawrie injected one grain of morphia subcutaneously, and
_ maintained artificial respiration, a second grain of morphia was
injected, and after 7 hours a third grain. One hour after the
q last injection the patient was restored to consciousness.
ation aE RR OS eS
UR ers Oe
a ae aii
MANDRAGORA OFFICINARUM, Linn.
Fig.—Bulliard Herb., t. 145. Mandrake (Hng.), Mandra-
gore (Fr.).
Hab.—Levant. The root.
Vernacular.—Yebruj (Ind. Bazars), Lakshamana (Hind.),
Kattai-jati (Tam.).
_ History, Uses, &c.—In the Nighantas the root of this _
plant bears the names of Lakshamana, “ possessed of lucky
signs or marks”; Putra-da, “child giver” ; Rakta-vindu, ‘a
drop of blood” ; and Bh4gini, “co-heiress.” It is described as
_ of the body: bile, blood and phlegm. The Hindus appear to
have derived their knowledge of the drug from Western
from the Chinese, as the only Indian species
nations, or possibly
to be used
of Mandragora, M. caulescens, Clarke, is not known
medicinally. From the time of Hippocrates to the first century
of the Roman Empire, mandragora was used medicinally by the
Greek physicians, sometimes as an anzwsthetic before surgical
operations, but more frequently as an application to painful
tumours. The root bark was preferred as being the most
active part, but the leaves were also used, more especially for
local application. Internally the juice of the root was usu
administered in wine or vinegar. The description of the action
‘mandragora juice given by Dioscorides and Pliny leave no
; of its resemblance to that of belladonna. Theophrastus —
‘Dioscorides mention that the plant was also used in love
982 SOLANACEZ.
philtres, which appears to be explained by the sensual excites |
ment and hallucinations that are observed in datura poisoning. —
Like many other medicinal plants Mandrake appears always to
have been collected with certain superstitious ceremonies ; it was
supposed that it could only be drawn from the ground without
danger to the collector by the assistance of a dog, who, after
the earth round the root had been removed, was tied to it by
the neck and beaten until his struggles effected its extraction,
and not unfrequently the death of the animal. The ancients
speak of two kinds of Mandragora, male and female, the former
has been identified as M. vernalis, Berth.; it has larger leaves
and fruit than M. officinarum. From the time of Theophrastus
up to the fifth century of our era the superstitions which have
surrounded the mandrake appear to have gradually multiplied:
we then find it spoken of as anthropomorphon and semi-homo,
and described as having a human form and wonderful fertilizing a
powers. In the Middle Ages it became a mystical magic root,
which existed only in fancy, and was represented by a fictitious
image in the form of a man or woman manufactured from some
other root, and used by priests and charlatans as a charm. It
is the Alrina of German mythology, which was believed to be —
a gallow’s mannikin sprung from the seed of men who were
hanged; that when pulled out of the earth by a black dog it
shrieked like a child.* Tt came to be regarded as a kind of
talisman or fetish which could bring good fortune to its pos-
sessor. In France it was known as Mandagloire or Maglore (main _
de gloire), and was regarded as a kind of fairy which if well
: breatod. would bring good luck to its owner.
Chéruel (Dict. Hist. des meurs et coutumes de la France) gives
the following extract from an anonymous diary of the 15th cen-
tury:—‘En ce temps, frére Richard, cordelier, fit ardre plusieurs
madagfoures (mandragores) que maintes sottes gens gardoient
et avoient si grant foi en cette ordure, que pour vrai ils croyoient
fermement que, tant comme ils l’avoient, pourva qu il fut en
beaux drapennsteagie: ou de lin enveloppé, jamais ils ne seroient 4 ;
: *DeG k ti ee PM ete ahd Abruzzes, itis still exé sy
tracted from the ground in this maar nee
SOLANACEE. 583
auvres.” . This superstition, says Chéruel, was still current in
e 18th century among the peasantry of France. Dr. Pereira
nentions his having seen a rude representation of a human figure
ashioned out of the rootof Bryonta dioica, exhibited at an herb-
op in England as a Mandrake. The Arabs call the mandrake
own in Syria as Shammdém and in Persia as Dastambuyeh,
*perfuming the hands,” the Hucumis Dudaim of Linnzus, and
St supposed to be the Dudaim or “love apple” of Gen. xxx. 14, In
ja the mandrake is known as Mardumgyah and Sagshikan.
hometan medical writers, under the name of Yebruj, Yebruh
~ebrnj-cl-sanam, popsidiage with slight modifications the
gthe plant. Haji Zein-el-Attarstates
on the Sopders of the Garmasir of Shiraz, near the fort of
hryari, mandrake root was in his time (A. D. 1368) collected
the assistance of dogs, and was known as Sagkand (Sag,
Og: end kandan, Be dig ). = cases of poisoning by it he
I 1 t tion of aromatics in milk,
concludes by saying that it is beyond the province of medi-
to discuss its use as a love-philtre. Mandrake roots, though
well-known in India, are occasionally offered for sale as a
m ; the narcotic properties of the plant do not appear to be
wn to the natives. In China the plant is said to be much
as an anesthetic, and in Europe the leaves are still some-
used as as a local application to tumours. Gnuibourt
“Tes feuilles fort partie du baume tranquille (Hlwolé
ées composé).
ription.— Mandragora is a perennial plant, ay: a
<, fusiform, light brown root, which often bifurcates;
are all radical, petioled and humifuse, broad, acute,
nd nlating edges; flowers numerous, on peduncles shorter
e leaves ; fruit a yellow berry, which in M. vernalis (male
) is round and the size of a crab-apple, whilst in M.
(female mandrake) it is ovoid and rather smaller.
of < caeed aie are also narrower and smaller
male mandrake. The: ead when
CaF odour.
584 SOLANACEZ.
Chemical composition.—Herr Ahrens reports that he has
separated two basic substances that are probably isomers of
hyoscyamine (Annalen, ccli., 812.) The residue from the
evaporation of an alcoholic extract of the roots was treated with
acidulated water, the solution treated with potassium carbonate
in excess and then shaken with ether and the ether evaporated,
when a deliquescent alkaloidal substance was left, which when
dried over sulphuric acid resembled a brittle resin. When neu-
tralized with sulphuric acid it formed a sulphate crystallizing
in white scales, a solution of which dropped into the eye dilated
the pupil. Analysis of the gold salt gave results pointing to the
formula C’7H*NO*,HCI, AuCl, or the same as that of hyoscy-
amine, atropine and hyoscine. But although the gold salt had
much of the external appearance of hyoscyamine gold salt, and
a melting point only six or eight degrees lower, the properties
of the other salts studied differed widely from the corresponding
salts of hyoscyamine, and moreover the new substance was not
converted into atropine by prolonged contact with alkaline
liquor. Herr Ahrens is therefore convinced that the substance
is a new isomer of the belladonna alkaloids and has named it
“‘mandragorine.” The press residue left after the extraction
with alcohol was then treated with acidulated water and the
aqueous solution supersaturated with potassium carbonate was
shaken with ether, which left on evaporation an oily base
that did not crystallize over sulphuric acid. A solution of the
sulphate of this substance, which could not be obtained crys-
talline, when applied to the eye also dilated the pupil. The
mercuric chloride, platinochloride and gold double salts were
obtained crystalline; but the quantity available was too small
to allow of the determination of its composition, although Herr
Ahrens thinks it is probably another isomer of the belladonna
alkaloid. (Pharm. Jour. June 8th, 1889.)
DATURA STRAMON IUM, Linn
Fig.—Eng. Bot., t. 935; Bentl. and Trim., t. 192. Thorn
apple (Hng.), Pomme épineuse, Herbe aux sorciers (Fr.).
Hab.—Temperate Himalaya, Afghanistan, Persia.
SOLANACEZ. 585
DATURA FASTUOSA, inn.
. Fig.—- Wight Ic., t. 1896; Rheede Hort. Mal. %1., €. 28,
- Hab.—Thronghout India. 7
DATURA METEL, Luu.
Fig.—Bot. Mag., t. 1440; Rumph. Herb, Amb. v., t. 243,
Hab.—W. Himalaya, W. Deccan Peninsula. The roots,
eaves and seeds. .
Vernacular.—Dhatira (Hind.), Dhiitéra’ (Beng.), ‘Dhatiéro
(Guz), Umattai (Tam), Ummetta (Tel.), Ummatta (Mal.),
Ummatté (Can.), Dhotara, Kante-dhotara, Pisola (Mar.). ~
~
: History j Uses, &c.—The Sanskrit names Dhustura or
_ Dhattura, and Unmatta, ‘‘insane,” include all the species and
ah ic difficult. to judge how much of the effect produced is —
o the Datura. The Svalpajvarankusa may be taken as
imen of this kind of prescription; it contains mercury,
aconite, ginger andilong and black peppers, of cach
wo parts of
fs
Sos ae
y.secds. The dose is 4 gra
586 SOLANACE.
of the mass, which is directed to be made with the assistance of
lemon juice. .
As a local application to inflamed and painful parts, the
pounded leaves mixed with turmeric in the form of a paste are
much used as a domestic remedy. Similar pastes are made
with the fruit; and juice, with or without opium, and mixed
with oil; they are used to destroy lice and in parasitic skin
diseases.
A pill made of the pounded seeds is placed in decayed teeth
to relieve toothache, and the leaves are smoked along with
tobacco in asthma. According to Dutt, no mention of the
latter use of the plant is to be found in old Hindu books.
Mahometan writers also are silent upon this point. Ainslie
found upon enquiry that the physicians of Southern India
were unacquainted with the value of Datura in spasmodic
asthma, but he tells us that his friend, Dr. Sherwood of Chittore,
noticed the smoking of D. fastuosa as a remedy in that disease.
Tn the Concan the juice of the same plant is given with fresh
curds in intermittent fever to the extent of one tolé during the
intermission, and at least two hours before the fever is
expected. The seeds also often enter into the composition of
the bakha, used in the fermentation of country spirits, and
Norman Chevers states that bakha is also frequently added
to. Kaila (#4), an intoxicating drink prepared from the
fruit of Feronia elephantwm, and indulged in by the
lower classes during the Holi festival. The seyeral species
of Datura are described by Mahometan writers under
the Arabic name of Jouz-el-mathil. The Persian name
is Tatulah.t The author of the Makhzan recommends
preference to be given to the purple kind; he says
that all parts of the plant are powerfully intoxicating and nar-
_eotic; as a local application they relieve the pain of tumours,
piles, &c. The roasted leaves applied to the eyes give relief in
‘* Datura Stramonium is called ra i ni k, a name di
rFamonvum is called rarovha in modern Greek, a name doubt-
mstans whence it appears to hav
3
4
%
7
a
?
4
SOLANACE. 587
ophthalmia, similarly they are useful in headache, enlarged
testicles, boils, &c. The following description of Datura intoxi- .
cation is by the same author :—“ Every thing he (the patient)
looks at appears dark; he fancies that he really sees all the -
‘absurd impressions of his brain, his senses are deranged,
: he talks in a wild, disconnected manner, tries to walk butis
_ unable, cannot sit straight, insects and reptiles float before his
: eyes, he tries to seize them, and laughs inordinately at his
failure. His eyes are bloodshot, he sees with difficulty, and
“catches at hi8%clothes and the furniture and walls of the room.
Tn short, he has the appearance of a mad man.” pomcaep
article “Jouz-el-mathil.”’)
The leaves and seeds of D. fastuosa have been made official
the Pharmacopeia of India, and of these a tincture, extract,
ster and poultice are directed to be made. The extract
oe
ss A i otras i ii a
eg el aoe TMUney a ity ee
ES
plant as a remedy for painful syphilitic nodes, tumours, &c.5 is
well known to many European physicians in India.
For a description of the physiological effects of Datura, the
der is referred to the article upon Belladonna.
-Description.—The leaves of D. Stramonium, D. fastuosa,
nd D. Metel are very similar; they have long petioles, are
nequal at the base, ovate, acuminate, sinuate-dentate, with
irregular pointed lobes; when frosh they are firm and
, and have a disagreeable fetid odour, which they lose when
In D. Stramonium and D. Metel the young leaves are
rally pubescent, in D. Fastuose they are glabrous. In
» the leaves vary greatly, in vigorous plants the largest
7 to 8 inches long and 4 to 5 in breadth. All the species
» large trumpet-s shaped, night-scented flowers, which in
fastuosa vary much in colour and are often doable. In
x ee. are white, and in D. Metel ear
uw _ is van ovoid dis about the size of a wiles,
ed with blunt spines ; os is bilocular, with each cell
388 SOLANACEA.
incompletely divided into two, and in D. Stramonium opens at
the summit, when ripe, in four regular valves, disclosing a large
number of flattened, kidney-shaped black or dark brown seeds,
about:2 lines long and $a line thick. The surface of the seeds
is finely pitted, and also marked with a much coarser series of
shallow reticulations. The embryo follows the outline of the
seed, and has the tip of the radicleeverted. The fruitof D. fas-
tuosa dehisces i eae when ripe, and the seeds are ear-
shaped and of a light yellowish-brown colour. The testais much
thicker than in the seeds of D. Stramonium, but like them is
reticulated and finely pitted. The seeds of both plants have
a bitterish taste and disagreeable odour when bruised. The
fruit and seeds of D. Metel agree nearly with those of
D. fastuosa.
Microscopic structure—The outer envelope of the seed is
formed of alayer of thick-walled, sinuous cells, which in D.
fastuosa and D, Metel are much more developed than in D.
Stramonium, and contain secondary deposits ; the inner is formed
of tangentially extended cells. The albumen consists of poly-
hedral cells, containing granuler matter and fatty oil. The
structure of the embryo is similar, but the cells are much
smaller.
_. Chemical composition.—Prof. E, Schmidt and Mr. Schutte
(Apoth. Ztg.1890,511) found the seeds of D. Stramonium to
‘contain much hyoscyamine with small quantities of atropine
. hyoscine. M. Gérard (Comptes rendus, Acad. des, Ses,
1890) has prepared a new fat acid, Daturie acid, from
‘with petroleum, this oil was of a greenish
t was a with Biers then the lead
heved: by.
SOLANACEH, “Bag
Formula C*H2*0% (old notation). From’ Répert. de Pharm.,
; Sept. 10, 1890, in Amer. Journ. Pharm., Oct. 1890. The air-
dried seeds of D. fastwosa ( purple var. ) reduced to powder
Jost 7:828 per cent. of moisture when heated to 100° C.
The ash calculated on the air-dried seeds amounted to 4°830
per cent., and was of a brick- red colour.
On proximate analysis the following results were obtaitied,
ated on the seeds containing 7828 per cent. of
aS lice extract 11°654 —*
extract, containing °296 per cent.
il soluble in petroleum ether ......... O°340 4, 5 ~
erature of about 8) ©. fog Siieat days, it or
id to dissolve any trace of alkaloid, and se
paper, it had a specific gravity at 15°5 C. of 9167. It
mned below 10° C. The ether extract contained oily
which caused marked dilatation of the pupil when
xed into the eye. The alcoholic extractive contained a
exhibiting a marked greenish fluorescence, a
: and an alkaloidal body. The gold salt of this
am microscopically closely resembled the
of atropine. The total alkaloid extracted from
amounted to ‘088 per cent. Dragendorff states that
of atropine dried at 100° C. contains 31°37 per
; asalt having the formula C'?H?5NO*HAuCl*
n 81°31 per cent. of gold. We made two deter:
1 the gold salt, prepared with Sane ~~
after drying first over a |
Ne
590 SOLANACEAE.
then at 100° C., we found the gold content to be 80:518 per
cent. The melting point of our gold salt was above 170° C.
when heated in the dry state, The amount of alkaloid at our
disposal was too small to admit of any attempt at fraction-
ation.
Toxicology.—Datura poisoning is common in India, the seeds
being usually employed; a few cases of poisoning by the leaves
and root have, however, been reported. In the great majority
of cases the motive for its administration is facilitation of theft,
and when in India an individual has been first drugged and then
robbed, it will usually be found that datura has been employed.
A common form of theft by aid of this poison is road robbery,
and Dr. W. Center mentions the use in such cases of a hollow
pestle, the cavity containing the seeds. Inversion of this
while pounding the masaleh or spices always used in Indian
cookery, introduces the poison into the food without exciting
suspicion. It rarely happens that there is any ground for
suspecting homicidal intent in cases of datura poisoning; in fact,
there seems to be a popular belief in this country that the drug
is simply an intoxicant. As Harvey remarks, road poisoners
sometimes partake with their victims of the drugged food,
which they would hardly do if aware of thedanger. Commonly,
when datura is used for criminal purposes in India, the poison
is -mixed with sweetmeats or food, but in exceptional cases it
has been mixed with tcbacco given to the victim to smoke.
_ Datura is said to be used by vendors of native liquor,
for the purpose of increasing its intoxicating power, the liquor
a g poured into a vessel which has been first filled with the
smoke of the burning sceds. Suicidal poisoning by datura, if
it occurs at all, is extremely rare. Accidental ne aie among
children is occasionally met. with. — . Juris. for
India.)
: symptoms of poisoning by this plant the reader is
roferred to the article ‘Spon Belladonna.
sie use o% agen is so common
:
SOLANACEZ. 591
Giraud in 1843 met with only one death in fifty-one cases admit-
red into the Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy Hospital, Bombay ; and in the
ten years ending 1885, of fifty-nine cases admitted into the
- same hospital, only two died. ‘This, however, is an exception-
ally low death-rate. Dr. Burton Brown, of Lahore, records
__ twenty-one deaths in ninety-two cases. In Harvey’s one hundred
and twenty-three Bengal cases, twenty deaths were reported;
and of the Bombay Analyser’s one hundred and thirty-eight
4 cases, twenty-four died. Here there is a marked difference in
_ the fatality among cases treated in hospital and the last three
sets of figures which represent cases referred to the Chemical
Analysers from different part of the country, many of which
would probably have recovered under medical treatment.
From the Reports of the Chemical Examiner, N.-W. Pro-
_Vinces and Oude, for the years 1879 to 1887, it appears that out
of 110 cases referred tohim, 9 were fatal. His report also shows
a remarkable decrease in the number of cases in which Datura
detected in the various substances sent to him for exami-
nation, In 1879 and 1880, 20 and 25 per cent. of them contain-
[this poison, in 1881 the percentage fell to 9 and remained
t about that figure during the remaining 6 years.
In Bengal fatal cases of datura-poisoning are now very rare,
as ‘tm be seen from the following table :— —
Bae a Re TT
SEY gee REET
pres. th
mber pigs
Year. . vse ex-| of Da
ined. eceatiolle
1880-81 Pe 0-7
1881-82 phy. 10 0° 4
1882.83 210 | None.
Nine months of
1883 126 99
o 4 1 7 | 9?
234
e 266 0°4
592 SOLANACEA::
In the Punjab fatal cases are more frequent, but their number
appears to be declining, as will be seen from the followi ng
figures :—
.| Number of} Percentage
Year. -| viscera ex-| of Datura
amined. | detections.
1879 162 1°8
1880 . 194 2°0
1881 .. 186 6°3
1882. 201 0-9
1883 194 15
1884 : 200 Pe.
1885 .. ae 234 0-8
1886 272 0-7
1887 228 0°8
Madras—
1882 152 6
1883 128 1°6
1834, 85 8-2
3885 81 4°9
-_.1886 84, 273
1887 76 | None.
1888 11
1889 10] 1°9
A case is reported by Taylor (Poisons, p. 774) in which a
decoction of 125 seeds of D. Stramonium caused the death ofan
adult in seven hours : on the other hand, in. Dr.-E. Lawrie’s case
(see Belladonna), the patient, an adult, recovered under suit-
able treatment, after taking four graitis of Atropine.
Bite rian em Kien
Len eeeregnevuseres
PPP Peet Secor ers
Seer voverererr ets:
SOUP e ere eee estes
POOP UN Eten vertee
senvee
’
tee
Venrey
Peeres
‘WAV NV'1OS
rigs | Substan oe
| suspected to | suspected to
be or to con~ | be or to con-
m in es
ine connection REMARKS,
| with human } with cattle-
: poisoning | poisoning
7 (Datura)
PEA 1 (Datura age ‘* Datura was not detected in any of the viscera examined
. and ahh during 1884. In the years one 1876-77 and end-
Asafetida). ing 1882-83, datura was detected in one, three, none, one,
; two, one and one cases, E cautiely mAIth ugh not found
in th Ta eX ura was found in seven of the
cted substances and in ?) o
ith o isons. From Satkhira, a female was reported
to have been severely burnt and afte ro y two
persons d been her guests for the night.
8 oi these individuals poisoned the food of which
she had Part of the remaining rice an age were
piderag ak a pei ad examination, and datura was de-
“‘ Another of the cases was reported from Howrah. This
case also was an attempt to drug a woman. ath
Sircar and anothe n, name not yet known, po
quantity of liquor from a bottle into a wineglass and
offered it to the woman, w ad no sooner taken t
than she complained o urning sensation i throat,
interior of the wineglass.
6S
WHAOVNV'IOS
cciatetbveted by me to the Indian gnge ys ed
nee recording medico-legal ine 6 in Che-
xaminer’s Department, Caloutta, catome
in 1889, the ae one cases were cited as cases ree Datura
poisoning tha ¢ came under observation during the period.
‘In the case of an up-country bo
the following history was forw:
Sie oo states that he
travellin;
1 pate from Hoogly,
and his uncle and his uncle’s
m went to sleep and died in his
sleep. The nephew was sick pres * ooptelaeh The father
states that he was robbed by the m
‘On examining the viscera, the asties principle of datura
was detected.”
of drngging by datura, ~ most
important
one Satie 4 in Clie, in which one
their stomachs w , and the sent to the
Chemical Examiner’s Department for tho th In one of
these 46, in another 8, and Jl en as
and some broken fragments o:
the physiological action of the active prin on a shy drag
were detected in the hon 3 of the s ace
tion with this case, t a ype we, eae wil
the accused, were sie xamination, and the active
principle of datura t The man feigned
insanity at his trial in the ri ay Conk but he was sen-
“HAOVNV TOS
Presidency.
ef Year.
Human
viscera
Substances
tain
in connection |
poisoning
case
Substances
suspected to
- | be or to cons
pat Reaper.
cattle-
ee
REMARES.
Bengal—(contd.)......
N.-W. P. and Oudh,
i ‘
Do, OURO e tebe eotebeee
1890
1865
1866
eh ee eee we ee en ee eee
datura poisoning, no history was
rest the usual history of strangers taken
of the food and robbing of the
er was recorded,”’
oot ee tonne teee
‘‘ By the assistance of Major Manning, I have yelp from
a professi: — fs isoner retained at Benares under sentence
of transport as
rai hed or ground), the usual Dessiee the seed
(reduced to the finest powder) is quite unrecognisable, by
taste or tags the oe the proportion in fact being
25 grains to 3,500
‘Five cas fact poisoning by datura were referred. In 4 of
ee - I was able to detect the poison, The cases were
Sr
96S
‘WAOVNVTOS
Fe TS Tt Se ee ee Se ee a Oe
d in
peaked: The case
ren
his wife ad absence of all object
e tbe his Lense oe
s after, on ho
partaken he mothee
Roth became insensible and the daugh
in the chapatees made from
tomach.’’
“No 193 nd the o lowing were the only two
cases of gang or road poisoning referr ing the year
his case a sowar (trooper), by name
p as returning 8a to his h at
Lallutpur with a well-filled containing Rupees 310 ;
with
thus for eight hours. When
he came to himself, his purse and companions were gone ;
but he had sufficient strength to fone i Mt Te bow toned
e inform
pursued and apprehended, and Iuckily. for “juste, ic
sowar had retained, tied up in a piece Stas mall
it ich had been
‘No 194, This case occurred in - Se _—-
i i rriage party g from
Lallutpore were drugged by a Geoteenional | vison in an
encampment on the Grand Trunk Road. e drug was
given in ‘sherbet.’ Two of the men died, I failed to
‘“W OVNV'IOS
Substances | Substances
suspected to | suspected
ee or to con- or t -
in poison in |tain poison in
part hore coneucn REMARES.
with hum: with cattle-
poisoning poisoning
cases. cases.
eeeees
detect datura by analysis, but the eget erg that
_ _ given that po ison ere agli the sher
Was a dom janis ch en at Fyzabad.
shine ‘pers ons were “affec tas but recovered, wel been
Datura was found the
ny. 7?
ether in human viscera
or among suspected articles, is not moentionen’ in sg report.
* Datura tay gina s having been used for a criminal
Fe er n 12 cases.
atura seems a be used i in two le of paid the
ular gang poisoners, and by men to produce a temporary
ibility in women with a cr rienad urpose in view
n the rae eee _ A Sire is tol Aviat 2 triturated by
the prac o admini e dose is
e carelessness and ignorance
_ of the operator seaaity leave satisfactory evidence of the
instrument used to . ct his
‘¢ In 22 cases of poison g, dtu was found to be the cause
of deat a@ cases Were pe
wo of aa erfect examples
of the cold-blooded nt “heal ess system pursued by the
regular ey ssional poi
[. d a bo ge were travelling last May, fro
Bombay trwants the N.-W. Provinces. They were joined
366
WHOIVNY TOS
1870
1871
1872
teeters
(“To the othe er case, six men were seen to encamp near a
in the sear sein Py aie o strict. After a pes
et :
Datura was atone 20 instances, but whether in human
viscera or among eo arti oe , is not mentioned.
fr ca detection of aatura ais far fon m being on a satisfactory
In 3 out of the 4 cases in which it was detected the
ae r pa oat were appreciable to the or to
microscope, but in the 4th case ( 1 iscovered the
datura by its physiological test, dilatation of the pu
t was a case whic es det anpore in Oudh,
and the substance to be ined was a bain def = it
was from a nextract of it that te chained the tes ery
savnstenistio ee _ gh not ta succee ys bh gettin ing
this test from the ex t of a st peels 4 “ oy contents,
although it has been tried in almost sey of Datura
poisoning which has ie prea ts
WHOVNVIOS
66¢
009
‘FV UOVNV TOS
oo Substances | Substa
gpa to suspected i
= n= e
— | Human ig in apes allen :
‘Year. | viscera. gee inp ectio cise 2 ection . REMARKS.
be i hers uk cattle-
bi a beta ‘poles
cases. cases.
Ue ee + Datura was detected in 26 instances; ‘‘in all these 26 in-
ee eon “pu fal Mea ee it was in the contents of
. mach, in yomi atter, or in foo
1874 CY Se nee , vertu Dee was cpt in “i taro ces, but no mention i is nate
= ther the enya was detected in human viscera
mong s su Sper bj ed :
1875 | Oe iy tee : Do. 23 pia do.
We a ee cetee esha ses Do. in 23 instances do,
eG eee ets EL Yea ; Do. in 28 instances do.
1684) ve = ise Re aed “ Do, in 18 instances do.
PO yg PA es erst A lenges Do. in 20 instances do,
PeOU oe aces gti Bf sae Do 2 25 instances 3
1881. fe eee ats Do. 9 instances
‘ i In connection wit one of these BR “the Sessions Judge
aharanpore sent a small parcel containing 150 datura
seeds a ked first, if I c tell if these ha
| been in a human stomach, a 80, 12; ‘
secondly, if instead of having been rejected by vomiting,
| they had been retained in the st h of a woman, wow
they have caused death. To the first question, I co
only answer that I did not know. To the second, I ven-
tured to state that as seeds were whole a lso
and hard, they would most probably not bring about a
-_ issue, even if they had been retained in the woman’s
ach,”’
i
1887
1871
Be vaisester ssf $872
Hearne
beeen
fees
teers
weeene
Do. ass
Case “No 160. Muttra. The
gis balls, and they mee
mined wa sweetmeat
contain Galant t found dutura seeds
‘were very seeds, Pris
s
5
fer]
::
E
if
oe.
1an viscera
substance ekay
foig
datura
0 of the
lant, or of its alkalo vid, 3 we a ta phnsiak inc rk ae deaths.
n one of the fatal cases over 70 datura seeds
iven to a man by his wife
In the oth
(cire pumisijnecs an stated) the alkaloid was gens
toad aaa in_ the matter vomited, and in th
mac ons
included in the 7 ca es above mentioned
per ‘Yes ejeebhoy Hospital, who was a
vomited matter of g patient in
admitted
e 4, in the j ne
the 18 cases of datu Ta poiso: admitted into the Jam-
setjee Jejeebhoy sates. et ene the ge y under report is
included i
GPAOE NF LOS
“109
Substances
pected
be or to con-
cgpeat era - REMARES.
with cattle-
poisoning
cases.
ptoms of da and was dis-
from hospital’ b but Pot di 2 or or "3 ps afterwards.
Cases of datura poisoning occurring in Bombay so rarely
prove fatal that special re: tai es bya: case, the
symptoms, etc., of which are remarkable enoug: be
worth recording. While under reales ent in hospital, the
patient, an old woman, suffered from great tympanitie dis-
tension of the abdo: ; thi ever was completely
ved before her discharge from hos Sh
dismissed from hospital seven days on, ap~
parently quite well rwards, or ten days
th administration of the poison, her death w.
st = e
made, from the notes of Dr. e , House :
Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Hospital, I gather that the following
condition of parts was observed:— abdo-
ery greatly disten on opening it the disten-
sion was found to be due to an enormously sto
fill uid. No less 4 gallons of fluid we
contai the viscus. At the lower part of the intes-
tines three intussusceptions were fo fro )
absence of sign m in tones a
ons.
the stomach and the seat of the
completely empty, it is very doubtful anaes, ths be
‘609
WAOVNV TOS
Pee epee pe eeret
teneee
wever, taken in conn
zi he state of the
the time the sorrehy remained in
nsion of the
tem
Deed, acco f Da , quo uoted by
"iGhevers = nin Medical Jura te age 839) states,—
“Tn fo of da’ ave
prvot of greatest
value
WHOVN¥Y IOS
£e9
«
ry ; : oy
“The poison was detected in 9 cases, or the same aia
hh four of these nine gels came = the Conta
in 4
pinning of no less than foaty “indivi uals ; only one
th from the effects of the poison is eres perriets:
Tn all nine cases the wage ae to have been i
th, att
In most of the cases, aeatte, robbs was the object
in view. In one however from Akola, a org the
ym the foe
in question w i: anti by his wife. The following is
pele fatal case of poisoning by this
ig above alluded to:—A family comming of two
men, their wrives, and an old woman, their mother,—in
five persons,—lived in a hut in a ‘enely. ae of the Thar.
and Parkar District. in Sind. One evening a a epust
a small. quantity. Twe elve hon afterwards four of
Were gz
symptoms of datura poisoning, yor e old woman:
Lae Pala
was found dead. The alkaloid was hays 9p from. the
contents of the stomach of the deceased. Anattempt also
was made to extract it, from the. liver, but wihent success.’’.
%09
EAOVNY TOS
1876
suffering from some
ex nce datura poisoning. me
India should show a far greater mortality = this. on
Burt
8 0 nin
ie or 22°8 per cent. On the other hand, De _Girau -
records 51 eases of datura poisonin g admitted imto the
Jamsetjee sojeokinay Hospital: Banas 3 in 1848, without
a single dea
‘The poison was detected in 14 cases as compared with 9 ir
tc Th
each of the two previous € reports rd
iat 6 persons were attacked with symptoms of
datura poisoning ; ly a much r of
persons than this d, the reports sent with many
the cases being silent as to ‘whether any individuals ‘were
poisoned or not. 8 ineluded i
the 14 cases. One was a 0 aroda ; in
his case, although the* alkaloid was not detected in the
viscera of the dee » & powder of which
= geo — nd swallowed t me hours before
dea consist Bes A yeibr ie, datura seeds.
tal eases in oe nuts ‘seldom occur. Pos-
%
OV NYIOS
ty
et:
oa e es eee
: n :
netic: AR t
Human
viscera.
Substances ;
suspected to
with cattle-
pesos
REMARKS.
1877
etneee
eaeeee
alkaloid. In “a7 case, & child two years old, got held of
a small pill box n which a small quantity had been kept
te use in ophthl ic practice by its father. Bap after-
ards it became insensible and convulsed, | pils be
mbay, got into conversation with
d accepted pan-supari om them; they
ed
the identification of the poison depended on the extraction
of the alkaloid; in the remaining 7 cases, the extraction
t ired, whole datura seeds, suf-
e
und, and in seven the poison
ou = identified by it = physiological action
“'Twe ich
lve ich datura was detected were polenaae
durin wk eg ar 12 cases included the
of 17 ices, of whom eight died. In many of the otiteh
ee nd ee ny ee ay ees
909:
‘PHOFNVTOS
‘as follows :—Two
man from Hubli to buy cotton in
ere starting a man
emselves as guides, stating that
ww them the villages where cotton was to be
food w was prepared bh the Al tes of
he At a is
became
cn bae ae a case from Dho a ted women et
wi i
The third case seabed was a case in Sieh some
om Bhusaval, where a man was taken in a state
petty out of the Jubbulpore down mail. It was
stated that he had been insensible for 16 hours. e died
shortly after ‘aca ~ hos ospital, A fe Now--bevivelien
ive
persons were dined with wher: the emotive "for x
aria is not stated in the history of the In ea
th
cases the victims recovered, in the third all died. In the
fo case one individual was poisoned and recovered:
In the g possibly, persons were
poisoned, but no statement to that effect accompanied
matters sent i 0 of these cases
substances forw: ere pow con
seeds. In hird oid was found in some
8. th
sweetmeat, and in the fourth case some sediment. left in a
“WHOVNE IOS
ReEMaBES,
bottle, sent
contain the
fo anes
ee crag aes the
ae te ible eee hs cases m.
‘spss rmed that
it is “ oa
rsons, under a aadsve _of
big Facute a a in which from the poverty
isoned, i ble that ele could
se 5 mou oe came
ae 4 men second aaé
m died, pe from Kaira
Poona City peerset. ee Sate to
809
“WAOVNV TGS
1880 |
syeeee
e was als
pend case, and was a case, in which a prostitute, it was
eged, was drugged with et te and then robbed of her
A seo i
iscctg by some men ond case ¢:
and was one in whi an Was poiso by datura, his
wife being the party suspected to have administered
pois A third case was forwar ladgi; in
this man was poisoned, da
use p sed.
fourth and la mr case was doiemchndea the Civil Surgeon of
Satar ra ; in this case a child was poisoned, the poison hav-
>
atura was detected came under
notice © year, sehen cts the poisoning of 22 in-
dividuals, of whom two die Enumerating these cases in
list was one from Sukkur, where 7
is 8 poisoned with datura at a Holi feast by some
Hindu t we have a case
men weet poisoned b:
third
came from s bad
ed Districts, and was one in whi aia of
whom one died, belonging ee a native weisinien were
icine
609
poisoned by datura. The man who died, only lived, it is
Said, for 2 hours after taking the poison. The fourth case
came from Borsad ; in this
e
boys were poisoned by some
engar given to them, which, on examination, was found to
powdered datura
fig three nee 9
(sian
m rinci
was detected in some food nae had been pariaken
Mba ahi ter suffered from sympto:
OL
“HE AOVNV IOS
ZHAOVNYTOS
ve fo
ie Involving ten th. ered; ;
ee 1884 teases ‘ : ree, all recovered ; (¢) Three, two recovered and one died.
Tio 1885 5 uk ‘The pape is a summary of the five cases—all non-
eae nest va fatal. i : : :
tb sta fr ptom
atura oning after eating food prepared from flour
found, on examination, to contain the alkaloid of datura
119
The aceused in this case confessed to having mixed
of wdered datura seeds ah the heres! (2) In a case
Bagevadi ( ol
found in some sweetmeat gi Pas man to another, —
king of it, was satel os by the usual abet
: se W
da in her
hasta’ food. 5 “band and cothers? who ate of
the ea were @ a Da a ry In rere
8 possession an: identifi 4) In a case
from aines in which five person of them children—
were Loiemoee the alkaloid dante ah found in some
f breadcakes, some flour sent at the same time
three
J : ,
children were poisoned, and datura seeds, whole and ie
powder, were found in possession of the accused. Som
ti scraped froma grinding stone belonging to the
was also epee to contain the alkaloid.
entified.
Allon-fatal, seeds id
“ The ted in 5 cases during the eh In
poison w as detec y
ae cat the. 5, individuals were poisoned, and in 1 case
ene eee mie deaths. A summary of t ar ‘casce in
c19
‘WHOVNVTOS
eetewe
veaee
poner seeds.
cg se frm aoe’ (Kaira D Dist), in ‘which € the pie
2. rereongcewgya me food,
“He was seen at half past seven in the evening, at which time he was in a state of unconsciousness, with greatly dilated pupils. a
He continued in a state of restless delirium, incessantly tossing his head from one side to another. The pulse was slow and the &
mouth dry. bats a
ee He vy .
mited after an emetic was given, and then began to stare about and talk deliriously ; afterwards he had two convulsive
uth.
fits in whik he foamed at the mow
“The next morning he was less delirious, and the pupils were natural. He rem ained unconscious till the ard day, and then
recovered his senses, but he became weaker ; and on November 28th, five days after he had ta fr
tion. On enquiry it was found that he had never had any fits Wetors this illness.
mustard flour and hot water, afterwards cold affusion was applied to
as a stimulant. On the second day castor oil was given as a hea
_ “No, 24.—Case,No. 75 of 1866, Punjab Records.
three -
The patient was treated at first with emetic of
ati head and Carbonate of Ammonia administered internally,
—A man visited a house while food was bei cooked ; he left suddenly and the :
persons who partook of be food were tease ill and one eauH Spain seeds were found in the food, and also on the ey of
the — ‘who was sentenced tadeath.”
169
‘Case No 96.—@ogaits; January 1860. —A man named Furida went to the house of Mussammat Hatim one evening, while her
husband was absent, and took an opportunity of mixing some dhatura seeds with the rice that she was cooking, as he afterwards
co’ nfessed. ‘Mussammat Hatim, another woman, and an old man partook of the rice when it was cooked, but the poisoner refused to
do so. Shortly after eating, Mussammat Hatim was attacked ie extreme oe and her mouth and throat became very dry,
and subsequently she became insensible as did also the other tw
Sacer next ated the two women were seen to rush from the house in a very excited. manner, tearing off their clothes till they
and throwing about bricks like mad people. On entering the house, the old man was found insensible , lying on
hin bed and clutohing at it; his breathing was loud and as if his throat was filled with phlegm; he was perfectly unconscious and
remained so for three days. The two women recovered on the second day, one of them declared that she had been raped while
Supanible.
‘« An infant also partook of a Aye. of the food and became insenaitll Seeds of dhatura were found on the prisoner, who alone
‘was quite unaffected by any illnes
‘Case No 26.—Another very interesting case in which death occurred happened at Umballa in 1861. Aman named Din
Mul was sent with some money to Umballa; on his way he met with a person named Devera, with a companion. These
_ persuaded him to drink some liquid which they had mingled with pounded datura seeds, as they Seetvands confessed.
‘Shortly after Din Muhammad had drunk this, he complained of feeling thirsty and confused. He was seen to s tagger about
as if drunk, and then to fall and become senseless. From this condition he was ig by pouring cold water over his head; he
en ae ot
‘* Afterwards he ran up a tree and jumped off into thorns, and then began to run about laughing and singing, and to eat earth.
| ‘Subsoquently he fell ties and died, vomiting before death ’’ '
_ Case No. 26.—Lahore, November 2nd, 1859.—Lulloo had been married to Kirpoo for 14 years without having any children.
_ He therefore asked Muhammad Shah to give them some medicine which would produce fertility. This was done at their own house,
while ay and the poise? were alone present. Half an hour afterwards the male sufferer felt his head going round, and subse-
quent. , a8 also did his wife. They were found by the man’s brother in an insensiblo state, and the woman
% sonia 80 How: three nae ae then died, but the man recovered.
“WHOVNVTIOS
oR eo ey ee ee a es ee FE et ee | Sa ES Se err
, and was in Sbetiyeted there on Fike 24th August 1860. From the
Ballu, a Brahmin, sens tentellttgs with his brother and some cartmen, and also another Brahmin, named
tt on July 2ist, the last person prepared a dish called chori made of chuppaties (cakes) and sugar, of which the two
e rather largely, the cartmen sparingly, and the prisoner Sadanand not at all. Very shortly afterwards the two brothers
n ill and became insensible ; the cartmen appeared also as if intoxicated, but the prisoner was not affected. Ballu died the
day, remaining insensible up to the time of his dea ath
The prisoner confessed that he had ground dhatura seeds to powder, and mixed them with the food. In consequence none
- were detected on examination of the contents of the stomach of the deceased, but this was found to be very much inflamed
No, 28.—Case No. 112 of 1862, Umritsar.—Two men became insensible after eating some dhali; they remained so for
several hours, but ultimately recovered. A large quantity a white dhatura was found in the dhadi left.”
**No 29.—Case No 5 of — Hissar.—Three persons began to suffer from thirst, dryness of the mouth, and vomiting half an
hour after taking some food; they then became drowsy and delirious; the pupils of the eyes were seen to be di lated ; ther
Temained delirious for two pro and nights and then recovered. Dhatura seeds were found in the sugar which they had eaten.’
‘No 30. Case No 27 of 1868 from Panjab — for 1868.—Some travellers leaving Lahore were joined by a stranger, who
‘supplied them with ata and two of them also took some native liquor from him: they soon became ill, and appeared like
drunken mén: they were taken to Umritsur and treated for poisoning by dhatura. One man who had taken the spirit died in a
few days, the rest recovered. No dhatura was found, and the prisoner was acquitted.”
“No 31.—Case No. 38 of 1869, Jullunder.—Five persons of the same family became insensible after taking some food and
remained so ‘al a hours, after which they recovered, but their pupils were seen to be dilated. Dhatura seeds were found in the
a7." “No 32. —Case No. 12 of 1876, from the Panjab Records for 1876.—The accused confessed that he had administered dhatura to
“his wife, as he said, to frighten ten her. She and another woman partook of the food ie which the poison was introduced, and
intoxicated and suffered from vomiting and purging, pat recovered. The accused was sentenced to 2} years’ rigorous
Chg rae but no ners was seater to the sufferers
‘EW HOVNY TOS
£69
c+ HN 38. —Case No. 3 Delhi. —Five ve persons partook of food co but all complained of a peculiar bitter taste, and
of thel They were unable to stand, but fell down and kept on rollitg about. They all vomited, and then
ong htm woods were found in the vomited matters.”
me «No. 34.—Case No. 121 of 1870, Lahore.—A Sikh ate some dahi (curdled milk), Half an hour afterwards, he began to be
is and threw off his clothes ; he vomited and gradually recovered, Dhatura seeds were found in the vomited matters.’’
ee No, 35.—Caso No. 130 of 1868, Muzaffargarh.—A man became insensible in less than one hour’s time after drinking some
and died in 8 hours. : Dhatura seeds were found in the milk.”’
No. 36. —Case No. 205 of 1869, Karnal.—Two men partook of some Majwn* with which dhatura seeds had been mixed by
h ird man, who afterwards confessed it. Both the men became insensible, and were conveyed to the hospital, where they were
i to be in a state of complete coma with dilated pupils and eet breathing ; no pulse could be felt at the wrist, and both
001 died. Dhatura seeds were found in the stomach of each of them
No, 37.—Case No. 61 of 1886, Umballa.—A woman and a child became ae after eating some food, but both vomited,
and then reco vered. Dhatura seeds were found in the food in poisonous quantity.”
“No, 88.—Case No. 111 of 1866, from Hissar.—A poisoner was reported to have killed at least 15 persons, as he was in the
habit of giving ened sweetmeats to travellers who afterwards became insensible and many died. Dhatura seeds were found in a
ile bag: in his cl
An account of 32 cases of dhatura poisoning was given by Assistant-Surgeon Nil Ratan Bannerjee in the inion Medieal Gazette
for 1885, page 209. All but four recovered.
* A kind of sweetmeat.
To PERI A ee CN Pee ee aE aT eh: eons eee snail
81 of 1870,
ards they were all attacked by headache and giddiness. They all became stupefied, but complained of cramps and.
WAOVNF TOS
SOLANACE®. 695
SCOPOLIA LURIDA, Dunul.
tic. —Iink & Otto Ic. Sel., t. 835; Miers Ill. 8. Amer. Pl:
JI, t. 78; Sweet Brit. Fl. Gard., ¢ 125.
Hab.—Central Himalaya, Nepal, Sikkim.
History, Uses, &c.—The properties of this plant do
it appear to be known to the natives of India. It was intro-
uced into Europeas a garden plant by the late Mr, Whitley of
ulham in 1823, and is of the most easy culture, and will grow
no the leaves, in the proportion of one ounce to eight ounces
‘alcohol, administered to different patients, was found to
oduce extreme dilatation of the pupil; and in two instances it
uced blindness, which only disappeared when the medicine
discontinued. The largest dose given was 20 drops of the
incture during the twenty-four hours. (Op. eit. p. 181.)
experiments were reported in the Gaz. Med. Nov. 4th 1843)
peared in Bratthwaite’s Retrospect of Med. 1X., p. 119.
e years other species of Scopolia, especially 8. japonica,
attracted attention in Europe as substitutes for belladonna. |
Description.—S. Jurida is a strong, robust, downy,
scent plant, with something the habit of Belladonna, and
drooping, lurid yellow or greenish-purple flowers.
resemble those of Datura. The fruit is globose,
1 in diameter, circumsciss above the middle, lid
i remainder two-celled; seeds numerous, reniform,
inch.
; composition, —S. lurida has been examined by
ity of hyoscyamine,” but no atropine or
u plants collected when the seed had
quantity of atropine could be isolated —
626 SOLANACEZE.
under the same conditions and no hyoscyamine. The failure
to detect hyoscine is thought to be possibly due to insufficiency
of the material used. These results seem to indicate that the
degree of development of the plant may have an important
relation to the quantity and nature of the alkaloids occurring
in it. (Pharm. Journ. Mar. 1st, 1890, p. 709.)
HYOSCYAMUS NIGER, Linn.
Fig.—Bot. Mag., t. 2394; Benil, and Trim., t. 194; Hen= |
bane (Hng.), Jusquiame noire (f’r.).
Hab.—Temperate Western Himalaya. Casl toGurhwal.
HYOSCYAMUS MUTICUS, Linn.
Fig.—Jaub. et Spach. Ill. v., t. 415 ; Griff. Ic. Pl. Asiat.,
t. 412. Syn.—H. insanus, Stocks. ,
~ Hab.—West Punjab, Sind, Afghanistan. ae
-HYOSCYAMUS RETICULATUS, Linn.
Fig.— Commelyn Hort., 77, t. 22.
Hab.—Beluchistan, Badghis, Khorasan. The herb and
seeds.
euler. —Khoraséni-ajowin (Hind., Beng.), Khorasani-
ova (Mar.), Khorasdni-ajamo (Guz.), Kirashéni-yomam (Tam.),
_ Kérdsini-vamam (Tel.), Khuréséni-vadakki (Can.),
History, Uses, &c,—Henbane, though a native of the
malayas, was probably unknown to the ancient Hindu phy-
'Parasika and Khoraséni yam4ni, the names which it
1e recent Sanskrit works, indicate its foreign source.
Bee s were known to the Greeks, pedas
te ,and aNaniaeeiel yellow. Hyoscyamus'is called
r 1 honiaca by Latinwriters. Cf. Pliny, —
een ees pein pron
SOLANACEA. 627
_ writers we meet with the mutilated form Jusquiamus. Maho-
- ™metan writers call it Banj, an Arabic corruption of the Persian
_ Bang; they say it is the Afiyun (émor) of the Greeks, the Azmalis
_ of the Syrians, and the Katfft or Iskiras of the Moors; they
also add that in the Deilami language it is called Kir-chak,
because the capsules resemble a little basket with a cover, such
as the Arabs make out of date leaves and call Kafir. Baron
Hammer-Purgstall makes the following important observation :
ndj, the plural of which in Coptic is ‘ntbendj,’ is without
ubt the same plant as the ‘nepenthe,’ which has hitherto so
much perplexed the commentators of Homer. Helen evidently
wought the nepenthe from Egypt, and bendj is there still
reputed to possess all the wonderful qualities which Homer
attributes to it.” (Trébutien “ Contes Inédits des Mille et une
Nuits,” i, p. 12, note.) Mir Muhammad Husain’s description
Banj in the Makhzan agrees well with the genus Hyos-
amus. He says there are three kinds—white, black, and
and that the white is to be preferred; he mentions the
ration of a sun-dried extract from the juice of the fresh
, and says that the leaves are also pounded and made into
yaste with flour, out of which small cakes are formed, which
hen _ dry retain their medicinal properties for some time,
mbane is described by Hastern writers on Materia Medica
yxicating, narcotic and anodyne; among the many uses
ch it is put the following may be mentioned as now
to the Hast. A poultice of the juice with barley flour
sd to relieve the pain of inflammatory swellings. The
in wine are applied to gouty enlargements, inflamed
and swelled testicles. About half a drachm of the
with 1 drachm of poppy seeds is made into a mixture
: and water, and given as an anodyne iv congh, gout,
qual parts of the seeds and opium are said to bea
reotic. A mixture of the powdered seeds with
Fe ee cr oe eathache-. (Serb. Corp. 5s) Sul
aperto alterci semine carbonibus ‘asperso, subinde os cole
erdum enim quasi vermicul: quidam ejiciuntur. (See
628 SOLAN ACES.
pitch is used to stop hollow teeth which are painful, and also as
a pessary in painful affections of the uterus. The juice or a
strong infusion of the seeds is dropped into the eye to relieve
pain. Lastly, the seeds made into a paste with mare’s milk
and tied up in a piece of wild bull’s skin if worn by women, is
said to prevent conception. Ainslieand other Huropean writers
upon Indian Materia Medica notice the use of Hyoscyamus
seeds in India.
The officinal Henbane of the ancients is generally considered
to have been H. albus, Linn., and in the Mufaridat-i-Nasari
the seeds are described as Bazr-el-banj-abiad, ‘‘seeds of white
henbane.” Pliny mentions four kinds of the plant, the first
with a black seed, flowers bordering on purple, and a prickly
stem, growing in Galatia (H. reticulatus) ; the second, or common
kind (H. niger) ; the third having seeds like Izo, 4. e. “reddish”
(H. aureus, Linn.) ; and the fourth with white seeds, which is
preferred by medical men (7. albus). All of them have, he says,
the effect of producing vertigo and insanity. The Henbane
seeds brought from Khorasén are those of H. reticulatus. This
plant has also been sent to us from Quetta, where it grows
abundantly. H. niger is cultivated at the Saharanpur Botanic
Gardens, where the extract is also manufactured for use in the
State Sanitary Establishments. The physiological effects of
Hyoscyamus are the same as those of Belladonna, which have
already been described. In certain conditions of the system
the action of the drug, and especially of hyoscyamine, appears
_ to be considerably modified, as will be seen from the following
cases quoted by Stillé and Maisch. “Dr. H. A. Hutchinson, of
Pittsburg, took } grain of Merck’s hyoscyamine (Phila. Med.
Times, xiii. 139.) Besides the dryness of the mouth and throat,
there was intense congestion of the head and face and violent
c throbbing of the heart and carotids, numbness over the whole
y and muscular incodrdination, and an inability to walk
without watching the steps. There was no mental excitement
or sensory illusion, but an over-powering tendency to sleep,
; which came on and lasied for 11 hours. Various means
were used by friends who were ignorant of the.cause of the —
SOLANACE®. 629
sopor to arouse the sleeper, but uselessly. During the sleep
the muscular system was completely rélaxed, and the pulse
at first was full and hard, 138 a minute, the respirations
34 to 40, and the temperature 106° F. As the narcotism
’ subsided these rates subsided rapidly toward the normal stan-
dards. Onregaining consciousness the mind was unsteady and
confused, and all objects looked tinged with yellow. During
the sleep there was more or less nausea, and once vomiting. No
recollection of anything after the commencement of sleep
remained. For several days the pupils remained dilated, and
there was double vision, while all the secretions, including the
perspiration, were suspended. A patient of Empi’s affected
with paralysis agitans took 5 mgm, of hyoscyamine (gr. 7g),
and, finding the tremor diminished, used a like quantity on the
following day. The first dose caused a slightintoxication, and
after the second there was a like confusion of the mind and senses;
. the face was flushed, the expression anxious, the whole interior
_ of the mouth dry, the tongue stiff, and nausea was experienced.
Hallucinations in which rats and serpents appeared, and familiar ©
_ persons were not recognized, were accompanied and followed
by furious delirium, tetanic spasms, and extreme dilatation of
the pupils. Deglutition was impossible; the respiration was
hurried and oppressed, the pulse at 96; and constant vesical
tenesmus existed. The attack lasted for 3 hours, and gra-
dually subsided, and on the morrow only some recollection of
the hallucinations remained. (Bull. de thérap., xcix. 373.) A
phthisical tg accustomed to hypodermic injections of mor-
phia was given 7; grain of hyoscyamine. After vomiting he
became delirious, lost all correct perception of the distance of
objects, and constantly caught at insects, with which he said
his bed-clothes were covered. (Practitioner, xxii. 369.) In
some forms of hypochondriasis hyoscyamine seems to have
been useful as a means of calming agitation. Prolonged
experience has confirmed these statements. Prideanx states
(Practitioner, xxiii. 446) that it produces sleep, sometimes of
’ wonsiderable duration, in excited conditions of the brain, as in
‘a. delirium tremens, meningitis, and where ordinary
630 SOLANACEH.
hypnotics, and especially opiates, are inadmissible. In such
cases small doses (,!, gr.) suffice, but in chronic mania large
doses (} grain, or even 1 grain) are necessary, and are very
useful in cutting short exhibitions of temper and excitement of
a violent and destructive character. . It would appear to be
particularly useful in delusional insanity ; the illusions which it
conjures up overlie and gradually obliterate those which belong
to the disease. In chronic dementia, associated with des-
tructive tendencies, bad habits, and sleeplessness, the patients
are much improved by a course of small doses of the drug.
(Stillé and Maisch.) Of late years the hydrochlorate of hyoscine
has been recommended as calmant in maniacal excitement in
doses of one-half to one milligram. It is claimed for it that
there are no injurious after-effects, and that it isa good hypnotic,
bui at the same time its depressing influence on the system is
admitted,and it appears to have been of no use in a considerable
proportion of the cases in which it was tried. Therecan be no
doubt that much of the discrepancy which is observable in the
records of the medicinal effects of hyoscyamine, is due to the
use of impure or inert samples of the alkaloid.
Description.—The bazar seed is reniform, laterally com-
pressed, equal in size to that of H. niger, of a greyish-brown
colour. The testa is finely reticulated. The albumen is oily.
The embryo curved like the figure 9, the tail of the 9 being
represented by the radicle. The taste is oily, bitter and acrid.
: Mveroscopie structure.—The outer envelope of the seed is
composed of a row of large cells, the outer walls of which are
thin but the lateral and interior very much thickened. The
second layer is made up of very small cells tangentially
tended and closely applied to one another. The cells of the
bumen are BXeetel, and contain granular matter and oil
josttio Eaten contains Hyoscyamine,
Asomer aoe atropine. It occurs both in the
f the Miftorent, ‘Species of Hyoscyamus,
SOLANACE Zi. 631
It crystallizes in needles (from dilute alcohol), or prisms (from:
CHCI5), is more soluble in water and dilute alcohol than
atropine, and is levorotatory, {a],——21°. It enlarges the
pupil of the eye in the same manner as atropine.
Hyoscyamine occurs mixed with atropine in several plants of
the Solanaceze, such as Datura, Duboisia, Atropa, and probably
in some others, Ladenburg is of opinion that atropine is an
_ optically inactive base standing to hyoscyamine in the relation
_ of racemic acid to lwvotartaric acid. From 20 grams of com-
‘mercially pure atropine aurochluride he isolated by recrystal-
: lization one gram of hyoscyamine aurochloride, and to this he
_ attributes the statement that atropine can be converted into
hyos¢ Hyoscyamine is converted into atropine by heat-
for 5or 6 hours above its melting point.. Its optical
y may likewise be diminished by allowing its alcoholic
| oscine or "amorphous oa C’H=?NO’, is a
colourless syrupy fluid, and oceurs in the mother-liquor from
ich hyoscyamine has crystallized. It closely resembles
_hyoscyamine, both in its mydriatic action on the pupil and in
ther respects. Boiled with water it splits up into tropic acid
d pseudo-tropine. (Watt's Dict. of Chem, 2d.Ed.II., 744.)
enbane seeds contain 26 per cent. of fatty oil, and according
.
632 SOLANACEZ.
natives, and it is. stated to be smoked like Ganja, and some-
times used in the same way as Datura to facilitate robbery.
NICOTIANA TABACUM, Linn.
Fig, —Lam. Ill. ¢. 113; Wight Ill. t. 166, Bentl. and Trim.
t. 191. Tobacco (Eng.), Tabac (F'r.). ;
Hab.—America. . Cultivated throughout India. The herb.
Vernacular.—Tambaki (Hind., Mar.), Taéméku (Beng.),
Pugai-ilai (T’am.), Pogéku, Dhimra-patramu (Tel.), Puka-
yila, Pokala (Mal.), Hogesappu (Can.), Tamaki (Guz.).
History, Uses, &c.—In the Encyclopedia of Sanskrit
learning by Raja Ridh4ékanta Deva, entitled Sabdakalpadruma,
tobacco is mentioned under the name of Témrakitita. This
name occurs in the Kulérnava-tantra as that of one of eight
intoxicating agents. No Sanskrit medical writers mention.
Tobacco. Tamrakita isa word compounded of Témra, “a red
or copper colour,’ and kita, “deceitful or vile,” and the Hindi
name T'ambaku may possibly be derived from it and not from
the Portuguese, in which case Tobacco has usurped the place of
some older but now forgotten drug. From the Madsir-i-rahimi
and the Dédra-shikohi we learn that tobacco was introduced
into the Deccan by the Portuguese about A. H. 914(A. D. 1508),
and that it began to be smoked about 1605, towards the end of ©
the reign of Sultan Jalaleddeen Akbar. Rumphius speaks of
it as having been known from a remote period in the Hast, and
it appears to have been introduced into China in the 16th
century probably by way of Japan or Manila. In Europe the
Spaniards first became acquainted with Tobacco on the discovery
of Caba in 1492, and introduced it into Spain as a valuable
medicinal herb. Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdés, gover-
nor of Domingo, in his Historia general de las Indias, printed
at Seville in 1535, states that the plant is smoked by the Indians
through a branched tube of the shape of the letter Y, which
they call Tubaco, | nee Bo ec ats
SOLANACEA. 633.
In the edition of 1570 of Estienne and Liebaut?s 7’ Agriculture
et Maison Rustique, Nicot’s own account of the herb, which was
called after him Nicotiane, is given. In it he relates the won-
derful cures which were effected by it at Lishebron (Lisbon),
where he was resident as French ambassador to the Court of
Portugal in 1559-60 and 63. Nicholas Monardes in 1517
published a full account of the uses of Tabaco, the proper name
of which amongst the Indians he says, is Picielt; and in 1577
oking appears to have been first taught in eres oridee
wing circumstances :
Walter Raleigh’s first expedition took’ possession of
13th, 1534, and after a six weeks’ stay m
éturned home. The next year, a second expedi-
tio; veyed out a colony under Master Ralph Lane, ‘which
| remained i in the country from August 17th, 1585, to June 18th,
1586 : when Sir Francis Drake with his fleet, returning from his
victorious raid in the West Indies, brought home the colony
to the number of 108 persons. Among these was the celebrated
mathematician, Thomas Hariot, who in his, “ Briefe and true -
ort of the new found land of Virginia, §c.,” London, 1588,
eseribes tobacco, and the adoption of ‘the smoking of it by
shese Virginian colonists, It would therefore appear that —
leigh himself had nothing to do with the introduction of the
itself, or of the habit ofsmokingit. But while Sir Walter
du ed neither the herb nor tae manner of smoking it, there
consent that he principally brought the habit of
eo ory! as it was at first called, fcennieier oe
d pes connects his name withit. For these ie
634 SOLANACEM,
we must refer the reader to Arber’s reprint of King James’
famous ‘‘ Counterblaste to Tobacco.”
From George Sandys’ travels in 1610 we learn that tobacco
smoking was becoming common among the Turks at that
date, and that it had been introduced into the — by the
English merchants.
Like coffee drinking, the use of tobacco met with much op-
position at first, and even at the present day is visited with the
severest penalties by the Wahabis. Sandys remarks that
tobacco from England would prove a principal commodity in
Turkey were it not for the severity of Morat Bassa (Murad
Pasha), who commanded a pipe to be thrust through the nose
of a Turk who was caught smoking, and that he should be led
in derision through the city. The Mahometan law doctors in
Arabia and Turkey universally condemned its use, in Persia*
and the East they appear to have been less severe. In the
former country “to filla pipe forany one” is a vulgar expression
for doing a mrs Mulla Fauki says :—
58 WB pr Silos; she wi
58S eye 31 AS REI CoS ly 1 40S
A Sofi praises tobacco’in the following terms :—
BESS 5, VAT y BUI Gg! or, ab SA SU te wl
“Who drink tobacco; breathe Allah first, then God.”
The liberal policy of Akbar probably prevented any perse-
cutionin India; in China its use was prohibited by the emperors
both of the Ming and Tsing dynasties. In Russia up to the time
Peter the Great snuff-takin g was forbidden under the
nalty of having the nose cut off.
SOLANACEA, | 635
known Counterblaste, and published a Commissio pro Tabacco,
by which be placed a duty of six shillings and eight pence upon
every pound imported into England, in addition to the custom
of twopence which was before levied. Offenders against this
act were liable to confiscation, fine and corporal punishment. .
Even now the controversy is not extinct in England, but
_ Tobacco appears to have the best of it, and in all other countries,
except in the Wahabi territory, it reigns supreme, Nénak Shah
indeed when he established the Sikh religion thought it neces-
sary to forbid the use of something, and selected tobacco as
the forbidden article, but, nevertheless; he allowed converts who
been in the habit of using it to continue the practice.
‘The author of the Makhzan- el-Adwiya states that native
hysicians consider tobacco smoke to be disinfectant, and recom-
d it for fumigating cholera patients. Taken in various
iveness if inhaled fasting. The ashes of the
oa paste with oilare a useful application to sores
: revent bleeding. The water from the hookah
s diuretic, ani the black oil which collects in the pipe stem is
used on tents to heal up sinuses, and is dropped into the eye to
cure night blindness and purulent conjunctivitis. Mir Muham-
mad Husain closes his notice of Tobacco by remarking that
cen — classes of English in India smoke the hookah, but in
r own country they mostly take snuff, a few chew, andsmoke
a (the author of the Malk:shzan wrote about one hundred and
yenty years ago). Ainslie mentions the application of the
es of Southern India. In the Concana paste made with
souff, lime and the powdered bark of Calophyllum inophyllum
plied i in orchitis. Dr. Leith of Bombay was in the habit
a of Tobacco leaves to the spine in tetanus _
The use of Tobacco is very general amongst
; mixture of Pobon0d and Gur (ovneaelaiagey be
636 SOLANACEZ.
equal proportions, but the wealthier classes add other ingre-
dients to. it.*
' Guraku has the appearance of an extract; when used it
is broken into fragments which are packed.in the chilam and
covered with a layer of live coals of wood, or rice balls specially
prepared for the purpose. In Western India cigarettes rolled
in the leaves of Bauhinia racemosa or Diospyros Tupru are
much used. Many among the labouring. classes chew Tobacco
along with their betel leaves and areca nut. Sunff-taking also
is very common in some parts of India,
Physiological effects.—Tobacco acts as a poison upon most
insects, but is fed upon with impunity by weevils. In frogs,
nicotine, after a period of temporary excitement, causes a
tetanic condition ; sometimes accompanied by convulsions, and
followed. by muscular ralaxation. Herbivorous animals are
not affected by moderate doses injected into the stomach, but
large doses reduce the frequency of the pulsations of the heart,
and may prove fatal to them. The carnivora are affected by
it in the same wayasman. When its fumes are thrown into the
lungs of animals, or when its decoction is applied to their skin
its poisonous operation is speedily developed. Tobacco first
_* Apples and Sumbul, the root of Nardostachys Jatamansi, according to
the author of the Makhzan, who resided for many years at Murshidabad.
Dr. K. L. Dey “On the Use of Narcotics and Stimulants and their Effect upon
the Human Constitution,’ Caleutta, 1868, gives the following as the compo-
sition of the two kinds of Guraku commonly used in Bengal :—Ist quality,
_ Mildor Bhalsah—Tobacco leaf powder 72 parts, Powdered scents 16,
_ Treacle 88, Ripe Champa plantains 16, Ripe Jack fruit juice 2, Ripe Pineapple
- juice 1 part. The ingredients to be thoroughly mixed, and the mixture to
be allowed to ferment for 6 months. :
oe ae quality, Strong or Mitla Kurrah—Tobacco leaf powder 12 parts,
‘Tobacco leaf rib powder 6, Powdered scents 2, Treacle 22, Slaked lime 1
The ingredients
a 5, Bdellium 1, cloves 1, Patchouli 5,
Alkekengi 5, Storax 5, Tobacco powder
ae 49. The. ingredients to be
SOLANACHEE. 637
stimulates the spinal cord, giving rise’ to convulsions and after-
wards paralyses it. ‘The convulsions are of spinal origi im the
frog, but those which occur before death in mammals are
probably asphyxial. (C. Bernard, C. Rouget, L.-Brunton.)
~ Onman the minutest doses of nicotine(.7; to zy grain) occasion
a burning sensation in the tongue, a hot, acrid feeling in the
fauces, and sense of rawness throughout the cesophagus.
- Salivation is abundant. Small doses produce a sense of heat
‘in the stomach, chest, and head, and even in the fingers, with
some excitement of the nervous system; larger ones cause
heaviness, giddiness, torpor, sleepiness, indistinct vision, with
‘sensitiveness of the eye to light, imperfect hearing, laborious
‘and oppressed breathing, and dryness of the throat. In 40
minutes after the larger doses a sense of great debility: is
ceived, the head droops, the pulse-rate falls, the face grows
, the features are relaxed, the limbs seem paralyzed, the
hands: and feet are cold, the coldness advances gradually
trunk, and faintness ends in loss of consciousness.
oe
lisor or of the digestive organs manifests itself by
18, mnauseay and even vomiting, the abdomen becomes
nded, and an urgent desire is felt to go to stool ; wind i is
| “tremulousness of the ceiuunbees and gradually Ee aa
whole muscular system, including the respiratory muscles,
that the breathing is oppressed, gasping, and incomplete.
This enumeration of effects is sufficient to prove that nicotine
inal and sympathetic nervous systems,
It may cause death by direct paralysis
eart, or more indirectly by paralysis of the respiratory
producing asphyxia. The blood examined during life _
rson under the full influence of tobacco presents & —
cor gation of the red corpuscles, which are also
reular than natural, and have jagged or, crenated
As we poisonous operation passes off, however, the
primarily upon the sp
nd not upon the brain.
.
638 SOLANACE.
blood regains its normal characters. The action of tobacco
itself is so nearly identical with that of nicotine as to render
unnecessary a detailed account of it It, however, is mainly
exhibited in muscular relaxation and collapse. In some cases
“ lethargy” and “insensibility” are mentioned, but the
condition is not that of cerebral oppression so much as of
cerebral exhaustion. Of other symptoms especially prominent
in certain cases of tobacco-poisoning, either caused by a single
excessive dose or by inordinate indulgence in smoking or
chewing tobacco, may be mentioned: a rapid followed by a
very slow pulse, hiccough, and cold perspiration, profuse
diuresis, convulsions without loss of consciousness, sometimes
cataleptic and sometimes hysterical, and great numbness as
well as impaired motor power of the limbs and of the tongue.
(Séillé and Maisch.)
Tobacco is now hardly ever used medicinally. Formerly it was
applied to certian cutaneous eruptions such as scabies, and as a
palliative in rheumatism and other painful affections, but its
local application, if the skin be broken, is dangerous, and its
administration in the form of enema, to induce muscular
relaxation or remove worms, has often been followed by alarm-
ing symptoms. The value of tobacco smoking as a palliative
in the paroxysms of asthma is well established, and in some
- €ases its use appears to affect a permanent cure.
There can be no doubt that the moderate use of tobacco
smoking is not injurious to a great many people, but it is equally
certain that on some constitutions it produces mischievous
effects. For a full account of the injurious action of the
excessive use of the herb by smoking, rr or chewing,
tillés Therapeutics may be consulted. He shows that it
fiasdne the natural appetite, more or less impairs digestion, and
induces constipation, while it irritates the mouth and throat,
tendering it habitually congested and impairing the purity of
the voice. It induces a constant sense of uneasiness and
nervousness, with epigastric sinking or tension, palpitation
(‘irritable heart”), ay impaired memory, neu-
ralgia, and — ini Chewing and snuffing tend to :
i
SOLANACEM, 639
cause gastralgia, but smoking causes neuralgia of the fifth pair.
It renders the vision weak and uncertain, causing objects to
appear nebulous, or creates musce rolaaiiee and similar subjec-
tive perceptions. Analogous derangements of hearing occur,
with buzzing, ringing, etc., in the ears, and even hallucinations
of this sense. Often there is a feeling of a rash of blood to the
head, with vertigo and impairment of attention, so as to prevent
ontinuous mental effort; the mind is also apt to be filled with
ude and groundless cigs leading to self-distrust and
melancholy. The sleep is frequently restless and disturbed by
distressing dreams. It impairs muscular power and co-ordina-
ipe-smoking pyridine preponderates, but when tobacco
n¢ ced in cigars, where there is free access of air, the
oduct of the dry distillation undergone by the tobacco
ine, which is far less active than PING: and me
partly account for the fact that many Suropeans who —
resided for some years in India, are unable to smoke a ~
but can smoke many times the equivelent of a pipeful of
© in the form of cigars with impunity.
Ww work, as in sedi In these cases the effect is
oy not “i to the nicotine itself, but to the stimonias of
640 SOLANACEM.
apex, and with an entire margin. In the fresh state they are
rather thick, green, and covered with viscid hairs and with
small sessile glands ; after drying they are thinner, lighter or
darker brown, or mottled with different shades 'of brown, and
friable. The leaves have a thick, prominent midrib, branching
under acute angles into lateral veins, which are curved near
the margin. ‘The odour of tobacco is peculiar and heavy, and
its taste disagreeable, bitter, and acrid.
_ The variety rustica, Linn., is chiefly cultivated in India.
Chemical composition.—Tobacco contains a large amount of
salts, consisting of sulphates, nitrates, chlorides, phosphates,
and malates of potassium, calcium, ammonium, and_ nicotine,
and yields from 14 to 18°5 per cent. of ash. Larger amounts
have been obtained, sometimes as much as 25 to 27 per cent.
—a result which is probably due in some cases to dust adhering
to the viscid glands, as was suggested by B. F. Creighton
(1876). The other constituents of tobacco are albumen, resin
extractive, gum, citric acid (Gowpzl), and nicotianin.
Nicottanin was discovered by Hermbstiadt on distilling tobacco
with water ; if separates from the distillate in the form of white
foliaceous crystals, which have an odour resembling that of
seaseoneasincummes and a warm and bitterish aromatic taste. (Posselt
"and Reimann, 1928.) Landerer (1835) obtained nicotianin
from the dried, but not from the fresh leaves, Barral (1845)
stated that it contains 7°12 per cent. of nitrogen.
Nicotine or nicotia is the poisonous principle of tobacco, and
was discovered by Posselt and Reimann (1828), It may be
prepared by exhausting bruised tobacco with acidulated water,
concentrating the infusion, adding an excess of potassa, and
agitating with ether, which dissolves the alkaloid, and on the
addition of powdered oxalic acid, nicotine oxalate, which is
insoluble in ether, is separated (Schloesing): or, the ether is
, the liquid neutralized with oxalic acid, evaporated
to dryness, "and the residue exhausted with boiling alcohol
which ‘aivolires oxalate of nicotine. (Ortigosa.) Onevaporating —
the solution to a syrupy comsisterio’ and erred *. a
canes and ether, an q
SOLANACEE 641
- fractional distillation yields the alkaloid. This is a colourless —
oily liquid, having at 15°C. the specific gravity 1°0111, and
remaining liquid at —10° C. .It has an unpleasant, and when
heated a pungent, acrid, tobacco-like odour; a burning taste,
and a strongly alkaline reaction. Hxposed to air and light, it
_ rapidly acquires a brown colour and is partly converted into a
resinous compound. It boils near 250° C., but distils at a
lower temperature, always leaving a residue. Its composition
is C!°H!4N?, It absorbs water from the air, dissolves readily
in water, and is separated from this solution by caustic potassa;
Alcohol and ether dissolve it in all proportions, and it yields
with acids neutral and acid salts, of which the former crystallize
with. difficulty, and are mostly soluble in weak alcohol, but
insoluble in ether. The alkaloid acquires a wine-red colour
With strong sulphuric acid, and on heating the mixture is
charred. Chlorine gas colours it deep-red or red-brown, When
heated with a little hydrochloric acid a violet colour is pro-
duced, which on the further addition of nitric acid changes té
Mowish-red. The double salts with mercuric and platinic
ride are sparingly soluble in cold water. Dried tobacco
“leaves contain from 2 to 8, and occasionally as high as. 11 per —
- cent. of nicotine. The alkaloid is present in all parts of the
: green plant, as well as in the dried leaves, and, according to
Kissling (1882), also in tobacco-smoke. Instead of nicotine,
‘H. Vohl and H. Enlenburg (1871), found chiefly. collidine,
with pyridine, picoline, and other bases of the same series
in tobacco smoke, besides ammonia and traces of ethylamine ;
d, in passing the vapours through potassa solution, hydro-
eyanic, _hydrosulphuric, acetic, formic, butyric, valerianic,
rbolic, and probably other acids were retained. (Stillé and
Maisch.)
~ According to Herr Dieser (Archiv. Mar. 31, 1889, p. 266) the
id tartrate of nicotine can be obtained as a well crystallized —
definite salt. He prepares it by adding to pure nicotine
ot filtered alcoholic solution of tartaric acid, when
acid tartrate tan asa white syrup. After cooling, —
mors of the tartaric acid solution is added, so long. as it. con:
> oh
642 SOLANACER.
tinues to-producée a milky separation, and then the last trace
of the salt remaining dissolved in the alcoholic liquor is pre-
cipitated by the addition of ether. .The precipitate is dissolved
in hot alcohol, the solution filtered, and ether added to pro-
mote the separation of the salt, when it is obtained in handsome
crystalline tufts. Analysis of the salt indicated the formula
C '°H'*N2(C4H 5)*4 2h°O; it therefore contains 32 per
cent. of nicotine.
M. de Coninck (1889) made the interesting observation that
in the oxidation of a ptomaine having the formula C®H?'!N by ©
means of a solution of potassium permanganate a pyridincar-
boxylic acid was obtained presenting the principal characters of
nicotinic acid. Having since obtained the compound in a
purer condition he is able now to state definitely (Compt. Rend.,
cviii., 809) that this acid produced in the oxidation of a ptomaine
is identical with nicotinic acid resulting from the pace ee i a
nicotine. (Pharm. Jour., June 8, 1889.) ee”
Prof, E. Schmidt and Mr. Schiitte (Apoth. Zig. 1890, 511)
have discovered traces of mydriatic alkaloids in tobacco.
Toxicology.—The reports of the Chemical Examiners in India
do not contain many cases of poisoning by this drug. Dr.
Brown, Punjab Poisons, refers to a case of an infant, taken
from its mother in the morning, and returned at night but
soon died. Portions of tobacco were found in the stomach,
In a second case, also reported by Dr. Brown, a female child of
a woman who had left her husband was found dead; the
stomach contained a quantity of green substance which
proved to be portions of tobacco leaves; the brain and lungs
were congested. In the Bengal Chemical Examiner’s Report
for 1884, tobacco was received in connection with three cases
of alleged attempts at poisoning, in two of the cases ganja
was mixed with the tobacco. In the Bombay Dispensary |
Reports (vol. ii., p. 4,) the injurious effects of tobacco as an
_ emetic in a case of poisoning by opium is recorded. Dr. Lyon
(Med. Jurisprudence for India, p. 291,) remarks :— Death has _
resulted from “——— tobacco, from administration ty me
pe eZ aaa
SOLANACE. 643
ction of tobacco as an énema, and from swallowing
cco juice such as collects in pipes; and bad symptoms have
Se isicod by the application of tobacco leaves to a wound,
even to the sound skin. Death has occurred from exces-
e smoking ; it is doubtful, however, whether tobacco smoke
jains nicotine; probably its poisonous effects are due to
ine bases, developed during the combustion of the
merce.—The average annual total exports of tobacco from
amount to 40 millions of pounds, valued at 114 lakhs of
Iti is exported from Bombay to Aden, Arabia, and the a
tof Africa. Of manufactured tobacco the exports
80,000 Ibs., valued at about 24,000 Rupees; three-
this quantity goes to Aden, and the remainder is
| among twenty-eight different countries, and pro-
sists of small consignments of Indian cigars for
those who have acquired a taste for them in this
uction of ksbaase in all countries has eli. .
; 8,000,000 tons. In former days the
END OF THE SECOND VOLUME.