Chapter VI: Preface (5)

Both plants are official in the Spanish Pharmacopoeia and they and their preparations are common in all drug stores.

Habitat.--Common, cultivated in the gardens and well known.

Botanical Description.--_F. vulgare_: Aromatic, stout, smooth herb, 4-6° high. Leaves with many slender thread-like divisions. Large umbel of yellow flowers, no involucre and no involucels. _C. sativum_: Low aromatic herb, leaves pinnately compound, small umbels with few rays, flowers white.

CORNACEÆ.

Dogwood Family.

_Alangium Lamarkii_, Thwaites. (_A. decapetalum_, _hexapetalum_ and _tomentosum_, Lam.)

Nom. Vulg.--(?)

Uses.--According to Mooden Sheriff, the root bark is an efficient emetic in doses of 3 grams. In smaller doses it is febrifuge and produces nausea. The bark is extremely bitter; its reputation in the treatment of skin diseases is undeserved. It is a good substitute for ipecac, having given good results in all conditions in which the latter is indicated, with the exception of dysentery.

The febrifuge dose is 0.35-0.60 gram; alterative, 0.15-0.30 gram.

It is furthermore prescribed in India for syphilis and leprosy and is one of the many remedies used for the bites of rabid animals. The bruised leaves are applied to the joints of rheumatic patients.

Botanical Description.--A tree 20-30 meters high, leaves alternate, persistent, petiolate, no stipules, oblong, dentate, acuminate, pinnately nerved. Flowers whitish, regular, hermaphrodite, in terminal cymes. Receptacle concave. Calyx short, 10-toothed. Corolla, 10 narrow, elongated ribbon-like petals. Stamens 30-40, filaments free and glabrous. Ovary inferior, held in the concavity of the receptacle, one-celled, with 1 seed, crowned by an epigynous disc, above which rises a simple style with dilated stigma. Fruit a globose drupe, crowned by the calyx, with 10 inconspicuous ribs. The putamen encloses an albuminous kernel.

Habitat.--The mountains of San Mateo.

DICOTYLEDONOUS, GAMOPETALOUS.

RUBIACEÆ.

Madder Family.

_Hymenodictyon excelsum_, Wall. (_H. Horsfieldii_, Miq.; _Chinchona excelsa_, Roxb.; _Exostema Philippicum_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Huligaga_, Tag.

Uses.--The bark of this tree has a wide reputation in India as a tonic and febrifuge. The inner layer of the bark possesses astringent and bitter properties much like quinine. Ainslie states that it is used in India to tan hides and therapeutically where an astringent is required. O'Shaughnessy experimented with it in the hospital of the Medical College of Calcutta and reported good tonic and antipyretic effects.

In 1870, according to Dymock, Broughton analyzed the fresh bark and reported that the bitter taste was due to _esculin_, which after drying and coming in contact with decomposing organic matter is transformed into the almost tasteless _esculetin_. Naylor studied the bark at a later period, and attributed the bitterness to an alkaloid that he named _hymenodictyonine_. This substance exists in the form of a gelatinous mass, cream-colored, very hygroscopic. An ethereal solution, carefully evaporated, deposits it in the form of crystals. Its empirical form is C_23_H_40_N_2_; it is probably volatile and is notable for its lack of oxygen. It differs from _quinoidine_ in that it is inactive (?) and that in combination with platinum it retains less of this metal than does quinoidine. It differs from _paricine_ in its proportion of hydrogen, and from _berberine_ in containing more carbon. In the presence of sulphuric acid its solution assumes a yellow color, changing to wine-red and then to dark red. Naylor extracted another principle which he found combined with the alkaloid in a soda precipitate of the latter; it is a product of the decomposition of a glucose, the formula of which is C_25_H_49_O_7_. This compound remains insoluble when the alkaloid is treated with ether. Repeated boiling in alcohol renders it colorless. It is bitter, soluble in alcohol and dilute acids; insoluble in ether and chloroform. Reaction, neutral.

Botanical Description.--A large tree, with leaves opposite, oval, entire, acute, downy. Petioles long, flat above, with 2 stipules. Flowers axillary, in compound verticillate racemes. Calyx adherent, with 5 promptly deciduous teeth which leave a scar that also disappears. Corolla much longer than the calyx, funnel-form, the limb 5-cleft. Stamens 5, inserted near the middle of the tube. Filaments rudimentary. Anthers 2-celled. Style longer than the corolla. Stigma globose. Seed-vessel rather rough, ovoid, flattened, of 2 compartments, where are inserted numerous seeds, imbricated, circular, encircled by an entire wing.

Habitat.--Angat and the woods of San Mateo. Blooms in August. (P. Blanco states further that this tree grows to a height of about 3 yards in Angat and that it exhales a strong odor resembling that of vinegar at times, and again like that of tobacco.)

_Oldenlandia corymbosa_, L. (_O. biflora_, Lam.; _O. ramosa_, Roxb.; _O. herbacea_ and _serabrida_, DC.; _O. burmaniana_, Mig.)

Nom. Vulg.--Doubtful.

_Uses._--The Sanscrit writers often mention this plant as an important remedy for the fevers due, according to their theories, to disordered bile, _i. e._, remittent fevers, accompanied by gastric irritability and nervous depression. The entire plant is used to make a decoction, often combined with aromatics. Dymock observed in Goa that this plant could be gotten in all the shops of the herb-venders, and that it was widely used as an alterative in mild fevers in combination with _"Hydrocotyle Asiatica_ and _Adiantum lunulatum_."

In Concan they apply the juice to the hands and feet in fevers, giving at the same time a dose of one "tola" (6.80 grams) in sweetened water or milk. This juice is obtained by soaking the bruised plant in water. In remittent fever the decoction is also used as a liniment for the whole body. It is given internally for skin eruptions due to excessive heat, especially "lichen tropicus."

Botanical Description.--A small herb, stem straight, about 30 centimeters high, glabrous, dichotomous. Leaves opposite, linear, green, lanceolate, stipulate. Flowers small, hermaphrodite, axillary, solitary, or in pairs, alternate or opposite. Calyx gamosepalous with 5 short teeth. Corolla gamopetalous, funnel-shaped. Stamens 5, free, inserted in the tube of the corolla. Ovary inserted in the hollow of the receptacle, 2 many-ovuled locules. Style simple, ending in a bifid stigma. Capsule rounded-oval, membranous. Seeds numerous, polyhedrous, albuminous, surface granular.

Habitat.--In the rice fields.

_Randia dumetorum_, Lam. (_R. longispina_, DC.; _R. aculata_, Blanco; _R. stipulosa_, Miq.; _Gardenia spinosa_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Sinampaga_, Tag.

Uses.--The fruit is used in some parts of India to kill the fish in ponds and sluggish rivers, the same use to which they sometimes put the "Cocculus Indicus." It is prescribed as an emetic by the Sanscrit and Arabic medical authors of India. Mooden Sheriff ascribes its emetic properties to the pulp alone, the epicarp and seeds being inactive according to his authority. It is a substitute for ipecac even in the treatment of dysentery in which case the decoction of the trunk bark is also used.

The dried and powdered pulp is given in dose of 2.50 grams as an emetic and 1-2 grams as an antidysenteric. To prepare the fresh fruit for administration as an emetic, mash 2-3, macerate 15 minutes in 150-200 grams of water and filter. It acts in a few minutes and its effect may be hastened by giving tepid water or tickling the fauces.

Botanical Description.--A shrub with straight, thorny stem, leaves sessile, springing from the buds, occurring in threes, obtusely lanceolate, entire, glabrous. Flowers solitary or in pairs, very fragrant. Calyx gamosepalous with 10 toothlets. Corolla twisted, arched, cleft in the middle, throat nude, limb slashed in 5 large glabrous parts. Stamens 5. Filaments short, inserted on corolla. Style 1. Stigma bifid. Fruit inferior, about the size of a crab apple, crowned by the remains of the calyx, smooth, yellow, fleshy, 1-celled with many seeds.

Habitat.--On the coast of Luzon. Blooms in May.

_Ixora coccinea_, L. (_I. bandhuca_, Roxb.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Santan_, Tag.

Uses.--The handsome red flowers are used in decoction for hæmoptysis and catarrhal bronchitis. Both root and flower are astringent and are given for dysentery. In Concan they cook 2 "tolas" (13.60 grams) of the flowers in lard, together with coriander and "mesua ferrea," add a little candied sugar and divide the mass into large pills to be given twice a day.

The fresh root in the form of an alcoholic tincture has been recommended by Deb for dysentery, the dose 2-4 grams in an appropriate potion. The tincture of the fresh plant is prepared by macerating 126 grams of the fresh root 15 days in 473 grams alcohol. The plant has been used in intermittent fevers and various skin diseases.

Botanical Description.--A shrub cultivated in all gardens, 6-8° high. Leaves oval, entire, glabrous. Flowers in terminal umbels, white, pink or red. Corolla tubular with limb cleft in 4 rounded lobes. The plant is so well known that further description would be superfluous.

_Coffea Arabica_, L.

Nom. Vulg.--_Cafe_, Sp.; _Coffee_, Eng.

Uses.--The infusion of roasted and ground coffee seeds constitutes a beverage of Arabic origin, but now common all over the world. In the Philippines, where a few years ago the coffee plant was only cultivated in gardens, the harvest has assumed such proportions that it now constitutes one of the greatest sources of agricultural wealth. Its use is becoming more general every day and the discovery of its alkaloid "caffeine" the therapeutical use of which is also steadily increasing, has given new importance to the seed on account of its increasing demand in the drug trade. When newly harvested its taste is not very agreeable, for it needs considerable time--2 or 3 years--in which to dry completely, before it acquires the aromatic properties and the savor of which it is susceptible. General Morin relates an incident of having drunk a delicious infusion of coffee made from authentic Moka that had been kept for fifty years, of course under ideal conditions of preservation.

In civilized countries coffee is an article of prime necessity as a food; here we shall consider it therapeutically under two heads, as a tonic-stimulant and as an antiseptic. As caffeine is the principle that acts upon the heart we shall consider the cardiac properties of coffee under the head of that alkaloid, so important that it may best be studied separately.

There are two preparations of coffee, the decoction used by the Arabs and the infusion, used in Europe and adopted in the Philippines. The decoction forms a tonic and aromatic drink devoid of any excitant properties, but the infusion is highly excitant and should not be taken in such large amounts as the decoction, for its action may be powerful enough to cause headache, nausea, trembling of the extremities and disorders of vision and hearing. These phenomena however are not dangerous and rapidly subside as soon as the urine eliminates the substances that cause them.

Infusion of coffee stimulates especially the cerebral functions and the circulation; as to its digestive properties, opinion is divided but it is more probable that it lacks them and that coffee taken after meals owes its reputation as a digestive aid to two distinct factors--the temperature and the sugar. Without doubt it exerts an anaphrodisiac action, on account of which the illustrious Linnæus called it the "drink of eunuchs." This action seems incompatible with the fact that the Arabs, who are so much given to the abuse of the pleasures forbidden to eunuchs are most addicted to the use and abuse of coffee. The explanation rests in the form in which they consume their coffee, namely the decoction, which is free from the sedative principle of the seed, that undoubtedly resides in the aromatic ingredient "cafeol."

Coffee is contraindicated in hysterical and nervous persons, in children and in those who suffer with insomnia or palpitation. It counteracts sleep and coma, being very useful in poisoning by opium or its alkaloids. Its stimulant action is as rapid as that of alcohol. On several occasions it has yielded me marked results when given by stomach or by enema in cases of nervous and cardiac depression. Indeed it is a remedy that I cannot recommend too highly and each day leaves me more convinced of its therapeutic activity and certainty.

Attention has only lately been directed to the antiseptic property of coffee though we have long been availing ourselves of that property without knowing it; this is true of many other medicinal agents, indeed of all that the modern studies of bacteriology have presented to us as antifermentives and microbicides. Roasted coffee in powder form gives good results if dusted over ulcers and gangrenous sores, rapidly improving their appearance and destroying the foetid odor. It corrects the unhygienic properties of non-potable water and therefore enters into the army and navy ration of nearly all the nations of Europe. In epidemics of disease every physician should advise its use in mild infusion as a regular beverage.

Dr. Luderitz, experimenting in the Hygienic Institute of Berlin, reported that no bacteria could resist the action of coffee in infusion. He attributed this action not only to the tannin, which is present in high percentage, but principally to the empyreumatic substances formed by the roasting. The caffeine takes no part in this action. Dr. Luderitz exposed the coffee to the open air for six days and found it free from bacteria at the end of that time. Whatever may be the explanation of its activity the fact remains that coffee is highly antiseptic, and this should be kept in mind by physicians not only because it is everywhere easily obtained and an infusion easily prepared, but because it in addition possesses the great advantage of being nontoxic.

The chemical analysis of the seed is as follows:

Cellulose 34.000
Water 12.000
Fatty matters 10 to 13.000
Glucose, dextrin, undetermined acid 15.500
Legumin, caffeine 10.000
Chlorogenate of caffeine and potassa 3.500 to 5.000
Albuminoids 3.000
Caffeine, free .800
Essential oil, solid .001
Essential oil, liquid .002
Mineral substances 6.697

Caffeine, the only one of the ingredients that interests us, was discovered by Hunge in 1821 and recognized as an alkaloid by Herzog. It also exists in tea, formerly known as "theine" which is now known to be identical with caffeine; both are expressed by the formula C_8_H_10_N_2_O_2_+H_2_O. It crystallizes in fine, silky needles, is colorless, odorless and slightly bitter.

It is considered a substitute for digitalis, especially valuable as a diuretic and where cerebral anemia exists. Germain See values it as a preventive medicine, acting principally upon the heart and thus preventing fatigue; with this end in view he advises its use before long marches, violent exercise and all conditions where the heart will be called upon to do a greatly increased amount of work. Dose 0.25 gram to 1 or 2 grams a day given by stomach or hypodermic injection.

Caffeine is also useful in headache, neuralgia, and asthma and as a general tonic. For the latter action it is best given in pill form, 0.02-0.04 gram a day, with the extract of cinchona or other bitter tonic.

"Etoxy-caffeine," which is caffeine in which an atom of H has been replaced by the C_2_H_5_O, exists as white, needle-like crystals, slightly soluble in water; it is narcotic and sedative to the cerebro-spinal system. In doses of 0.24 gram it is useful in headache.

Botanical Description.--"A small tree that reaches a height of 8-9°. It grows readily in the province of Batangas without cultivation," Blanco.

A small tree or shrub with leaves opposite, smooth, glossy, rich green, oval, edges fluted. Flowers fragrant, white, growing in small clusters in the axils of the leaves. Calyx 4-5-toothed. Corolla short-tubed with 4-5 spreading lobes of about the same length. Berry red, containing two plano-convex seeds enveloped in arils.

The plant is widely cultivated in gardens. It finds ideal conditions for growth in some of the hilly and mountainous regions of Luzon, notably in Benguet and Batangas.

_Morinda citrifolia_, L.; variety: _bracteata_, Hoock, Jr. (_M. ligulata_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Bankundo_, _Pankundo_, _Bangkuro_, _Nino_, _Kulit_, _Tumbongaso_, _Lino_, _Mambog_, _Takpus_, Tag. and Vis.; _Taliantar_, Pam.; _Apalot_, Iloc.; _Indian Mulberry_, Indo-Eng.

Uses.--In the Philippines, as well as in India, the root of the plant is widely used as a red dye. As a medicine the Tamul physicians use it in decoction to treat diarrhoea and dysentery. The fruit is emmenagogue and perhaps aperient. In Bombay the mashed leaves are applied to wounds and ulcers to hasten cicatrization; they also use the decoction internally as a febrifuge and tonic, 10 grams to 500 of water, a wineglassful twice a day.

The root bark contains a crystalline substance called by Anderson _morindin_, C_28_H_30_O_15_. It is a glucoside and exists in the form of yellow needles, soluble in alcohol and in cold water, insoluble in ether; dissolves in alkalies producing an orange-red color.

There is another species, _M. tinctoria_, Roxb.; _M. Royoc_, Blanco, called in Tagalog _Tumboung aso kapay_, the roots of which are used by the Filipinos for the same purposes as the leaves of the former species; the dose, 8 grams a day. The powder is also applied to ulcers and sores, especially those of gangrenous aspect.

Botanical Description.--A small tree 11 or more feet high, branches opposite, quadrate at the extremities. Leaves opposite, oval, oblong, smooth, entire, glabrous. Petioles very short, with 2 broad, lanceolate stipules curved outward. Flowers white, opposite the leaves, fixed on globose, solitary receptacles from which spring the flowerets. Calyx proper, very short, monophyllous, a lanceolate leaflet springing from the border. Corolla tubular, woolly inside about the middle, with 5 lobules. Stamens 5, inserted on the walls of the corolla. Anthers thin, incumbent. Pistil somewhat longer than the corolla. Stigma cleft in 2 laminæ. Fruit: the receptacle of the flowerets ripens to a globe bristling with the remains of the calyces, like a berry covered with many smaller ones, each containing 2 monospermous, quadrangular seeds.

_M. tinctoria_, Roxb., is a climbing shrub with leaves opposite, ovate, keeled; petioles very short; flower and fruit like the foregoing species.

Habitat.--In Luzon and, especially the M. tinctoria, in Malinta, Calauan and Tanauan.

_Pæderia foetida_, L. (_P. sessiflora_, DC.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Kantutan_, _Kantutæ_, Tag.; _Lilitan_, _Tæ-tæ_, Vis.

Uses.--The foetid odor of this plant has suggested both the technical and common names for it. The natives regard it as a cure for rheumatism. The root is emetic. The leaves, boiled and mashed, are applied to the abdomen in retention of urine; the decoction of the leaves is used for the same purpose and also has some reputation as a solvent for vesical calculus. For fever, cloths soaked in the decoction are applied to the head, the same preparation being given internally at the same time.

Botanical Description.--A slender, twining plant with leaves 3' by 1', opposite, oval, acute, entire, long petioles and caducous stipules. Flowers dark rose color, in compound axillary and terminal cymes. Calyx of 5 persistent lobules. Corolla tubular, pubescent, 5 lobules. Stamens 5, free. Ovary inferior, flattened, 2 uniovulate locules. Style with 2 stigma-bearing branches.

Habitat.--Luzon, Mindanao, Cebu, Panay.

COMPOSITÆ.

_Eupatorium Ayapana_, Vent.

Nom. Vulg.--_Aya-pana_, Sp.; _Ayapana_, _Apana_, Tag.; _Ayapan_, Indo-Eng.

Uses.--A native plant of Brazil now naturalized and well known in the Philippines and many other tropical countries; it is called by its Brazilian name, Aya-pana, more or less modified. The entire plant is aromatic and its infusion has an agreeable, bitter taste. Its virtues have been much exaggerated, but it is certainly a good stimulant, diaphoretic and tonic. An infusion, 30 grams of the leaves to 1 liter of water, is given in dyspepsia, a small cup after each meal. In the island of Mauritius this infusion was widely used as a stimulant and aromatic in the cholera epidemics of 1854 and 1856.

It is used internally and locally for the bites of venomous snakes and insects. The leaf-juice is a good application for foul ulcers, as is also the decoction of the entire plant. "It appears probable that this plant has fallen into unmerited neglect."--Pharm. of India.

Botanical Description.--An aromatic plant 3° high, leaves opposite, sessile, coherent at the base, lanceolate, entire, glabrous. Flowers in racemose panicles. Common calyx cylindrical, of many imbricated, awl-shaped scales, the lower ones smaller; within are 20 or more hermaphrodite disk-flowers. Corollas are funnel-form, 5-lobed. Style a little longer than the stamens. Stigmas 2, long. Seed 1, quadrangular, with simple, downy, sessile pappus. Receptacle nude.

Habitat.--Common in fields and gardens. Blooms in January.

_Blumea balsamifera_, DC. (_Conyza balsamifera_, L.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Sambon_, Tag.; _Lakbandulan_, _Hamlibon_, _Lalakdan_, _Lakadbulan_, _Gintingintin_, _Gabuen_, _Ayoban_, _Alibun_, Vis.; _Sobsob_, Iloc.

Uses.--Sambon is a panacea among the Filipinos; its virtues are prodigious according to the ignorant natives who wear the leaves in the hat or the "salakod" (rain hat), to prevent "tabardillo" ("burning fever"; tabardillo pintado = spotted fever). They use the decoction to bathe convalescents, and for rheumatism they vaporize it in an improvised bath-cabinet consisting of a chair in which the patient sits enveloped in blankets that reach to the floor and retain the steam.

The hot infusion of the leaves is a good diaphoretic taken by the mouth, especially useful in catarrhal bronchitis, and prized as an expectorant by the Chinese and Javanese. Furthermore it is stomachic, antispasmodic and emmenagogue.

The camphorous odor of the plant suggested to me its application as an antiseptic lotion for varicose ulcers and my results have been very satisfactory. The infusion for internal use is 30 grams to the liter of water.

Botanical Description.--A woody plant 6-9° high. Leaves 1° long, 3' wide, oblong, lanceolate, acutely serrate, rugose, soft, downy, whitish. Flowers yellow in panicles. Involucre conical, of many linear scales, enclosing 15 or more hermaphrodite disk-flowers and several pistillate ray-flowers. Hermaphrodite: corolla infundibuliform, 5-toothed. Pistillate: corolla very minute, infundibuliform, obscurely 4-toothed. One seed crowned with a simple hairy pappus.

Habitat.--Grows universally in the islands and is well known. Blooms in January.

_Sphoeranthus Indicus_, L. (_S. hirtus_, Willd.; _S. mollis_, Roxb.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Sambong-gala_, Tag.

Uses.--This plant seems to possess anthelmintic properties and for this purpose it is administered in powder, 2-4 grams with a little molasses or syrup. It is bitter and aromatic and is given in diseases of the stomach and intestines for its tonic and stimulant effect. The odor of the drug is transmitted to both urine and sweat. In India it is used in "bilious diseases" and to dissipate all sorts of tumors. The Hindoos cook it with flour, lard and sugar and eat the mixture as a tonic and to prevent gray hair and baldness. They also give the seed, fried in oil, as an aphrodisiac. The aqueous distillate is a good preparation as it contains the active principle of the plant, a yellow, viscid, essential oil.

Botanical Description.--A plant about 1° high, stem and branches bearing 3 serrate wings. Leaves premorse, lanceolate, decurrent, downy. Flowers white, in a globose head, divided into 50 or more groups each with its own calyx of 9 or 10 leaflets surrounding 2 or 3 hermaphrodite, 5-toothed, campanulate flowers. Anthers 5, united. Style 1, thick at extremity. Stigma none. Corolla of pistillate flowers very minute, with 3 obscure teeth. Stigma of 2 down-curved divisions. One seed, 4-angled, imbricated.

Habitat.--The rice fields. Blooms in January.

_Spilanthes Acmella_, L.

Nom. Vulg.--_Hagonog_, Tag.; _Agonoy_, Sp.-Fil., Vis.(?); _Palunay_, Pam.

Uses.--Some native herb-doctors use the root as a purgative, giving a decoction of 4-8 grams to a cup of water. The infusion is used locally for itch and psoriasis. Internally it has a diuretic effect and is reputed to be a solvent of vesical calculi. The leaf juice and the bruised leaves are applied to wounds and atonic ulcers. These leaves with those of "sambon" and "sampaloc" (tamarind) are used to prepare aromatic baths for convalescents, rheumatics and pregnant women.

Botanical Description.--A plant with stem drooping, square, grooved, covered with drops of gum resin. Leaves opposite, cordate, oval, lanceolate, serrate, 3 prominent nerves covered with short down. Petioles short, grooved. Flowers yellow, in a sort of umbel, with 3 or more flowerets on long peduncles. Common calyx, 9-11 narrow sepals, concave, fleshy, in 2 rows. Hermaphrodite disk-flowers 40 or more. Corolla tubular, 5-toothed. Anthers longer than corolla. Pistil longer than stamens. Style bifid. Pistillate flowers, 15 or more, forming the rays. Corolla monopetalous, 3-toothed. Style and stigma as in hermaphrodite flowers. Seeds of hermaphrodite flowers quadrangular, crowned by one long awn, and the rudiment of another. Seeds of ray flowers small and sometimes flattened, 2 awns, of which one alone lengthens and becomes conspicuous. Receptacle covered with concave scales.

Habitat.--Grows along the shores of the sea and of rivers. It is very well known.

_Artemisia vulgaris_, L. (_A. Indica_, Willd.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Ka-María_, _Santa María_, _Tinisas_, Tag.; _Indian Wormwood_, Indo-Eng.

Uses.--The native women use the infusion of its aromatic leaves to induce menstruation. It is also used as an abortifacient, but is too mild a uterine stimulant to be reliable for that purpose. Its stomachic and tonic properties are common knowledge in the Philippines. The Hindoos use it for those effects and as an antispasmodic in amenorrhoea and hysteria. Dr. Wight states that the leaves and tops are useful in nervous troubles resulting from debility and that a decoction of them makes a good fomentation for phagedenic ulcers.

The infusion is prepared in the proportion of 10-30 grams of leaves to 1 liter of water and the powdered leaves are given in doses of 4-8 grams; the aqueous extract 30-40 grams a day. For amenorrhoea the drug is given daily for a week preceding the menstrual date.

Botanical Description.--A plant 3° high, stem straight, woody, square toward ends of branches. Leaves alternate, tomentose, decurrent, divided in several places, medium lanceolate. Flowers straw-colored, in axillary and terminal, 1-ranked spikes. Common calyx cylindrical, 2 circles of oval, scarious leaflets around its border, 11 hermaphrodite disk-flowers and about 5 pistillate ray-flowers. Hermaphrodite: Corolla bell-shaped, 5 obtuse teeth; stigmas 2, bent to the sides. Pistillate: Corolla diminutive, 5 toothlets; anther none; stigmas 2. Seeds of both small and quadrate, smaller in the latter. Receptacle nude.

Habitat.--Grows throughout the islands and is well known.

_Carthamus tinctorius_, L.

Nom. Vulg.--_Azafrán de la tierra_, Sp.; _Biri_, _Kasubha_, _Katsumba_, _Lago_, Tag.; _Kasabba_, Vis.; _Kasubha_, _Kastumba_, Pam.; _Bastard Saffron_, _Dyer's Safflower_, Eng.

Uses.--This plant must not be confounded with _Curcuma longa_, L., whose tuber is also frequently called saffron (azafrán), and is used to color food.

The flower is the part employed as a condiment coloring the food yellow. Some use them internally in doses of 4 grams to cure icterus. The leaves coagulate milk. The seeds are purgative in dose of 8-16 grams, bruised and taken in emulsion, or 15-30 grams in decoction.

The following is the chemical analysis of the plant:

Yellow coloring matter, soluble 26.1-36.0
Carthamic acid 0.3- 0.6
Extractive matter 3.6- 6.5
Albumin 1.5- 8.0
Wax 0.6- 1.5
Cellulose, pectin 38.4-56.0
Silica 1.0- 8.4
Oxide of iron, aluminum, oxide of manganese 0.4- 4.6

(Salvetat.)

Botanical Description.--A plant 3° high, root gray and spindle-shaped. Stem straight, few branches. Leaves scattered, sessile, partially embracing the stem, lanceolate, serrate with hooked teeth. Flowers yellow, terminal in a sort of corymb. Common calyx semiglobose, with imbricated scales, the border often bearing thorns; numerous hermaphrodite disk flowers, with corolla very long, funnel-form, 5-toothed. Style longer than the stamens. Stigma bifid. Seed large, lacking pappus.

Habitat.--Cultivated in the gardens.

PLUMBAGINEÆ.

Leadwort Family.

_Plumbago Zeylanica_, L. (_P. viscosa_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Sagdikit_, Tag.; _Bagbag_, _Talankaw_, Iloc.; _White-flowered Leadwort_, Eng.

Uses.--The root is vesicant and is used by the natives for this purpose. (_P. rosea_, L., common in India, is more powerful. The Pharmacopoeia of India states that both species are worthy of further investigation.) According to the Sanscrit authors it increases the appetite and is useful in dyspepsia, piles, dropsy, diarrhoea and skin diseases. The Filipinos use the infusion locally for itch with good results. A favorite medicine of the Hindoos for flatulence is the old recipe of Susrutas, composed of equal parts of the following substances in powder:

Leadwort root, root of _Cissampelos Pareira_, _Picrorrhiza kurroa_, [6] _Aconitum heterophyllum_,1 and _Terminalia Chebula_ in dose of 4 grams a day.

Dr. Oswald has employed the alcoholic tincture of leadwort in the intermittents, with satisfactory results, and claims that it is a powerful diaphoretic. [7] The mashed root is mixed with rice flour and made into a caustic paste to apply to buboes, destroy warts, etc. Women also use the scraped root to induce abortion, introducing it through the vagina into the _os uteri_. This practice should be strongly condemned on account of its dangerous consequences--metritis, peritonitis and often death.

The chemical composition of the root has been studied by Dulong. [8] It includes a non-nitrogenous principle, plumbagin, existing in the form of orange-yellow needles, bitter, acrid, volatile, neutral, slightly soluble in cold water, more soluble in ether, alcohol and hot water. The aqueous solution becomes cherry-red on the addition of an alkali, which color is changed to yellow by acids. Basic acetate of lead causes the same color change.

Botanical Description.--Plant with stem declined, angular. Leaves lanceolate, entire, rather downy. Petioles at their base embrace the stem. Flowers white, in axillary spikes. Individual involucres, 3 oval leaflets, the lower larger. Calyx long, cleft almost to the base in 5 lineal parts thickly set with small glands, exuding a sticky gum. Corolla salver-shaped, the tube long, square, throat bare, limb divided into 5 obovate parts, ending in stylets. Stamens 5, inserted near the base of the corolla, almost as long as the tube. Style a little shorter than the stamens. Stigma, 5 parts. One long seed enclosed within the calyx, pentangular, covered with a membranaceous skin.

Habitat.--In Tanauan (Batangas).

SAPOTACEÆ.

Sapodilla Family.

_Achras Sapota_, L.

Nom. Vulg.--_Chico_, Sp.-Fil.; _Tsiku_, Tag.

Uses.--The _chico_ is one of the popular fruits of the Philippines, much appreciated by Europeans as well as the natives. When not entirely ripe it yields a resinous juice that sticks to the lips and affords a disagreeable taste; but when once thoroughly ripe it has a slightly vinous, sweetish taste and is easily digested. Therapeutically its seeds are used as a diuretic, but large doses should be avoided as they contain a small proportion of hydrocyanic acid. The proper dose is 5-6 mashed seeds in sweetened water. They contain, in addition to the above, a fatty substance of the consistency of butter.

The trunk bark is tonic and febrifuge; Mr. Bernon [9] has isolated from it a crystalline alkaloid, _sapotine_, soluble in ether, chloroform or alcohol, but not in water; a large per cent. of _sapotanic acid_ and two resins.

The trunk exudes, when incised, a milky resin, closely resembling guttapercha and possibly susceptible of the same uses.

Botanical Description.--Trees, about 11° high, with leaves lanceolate, keeled, entire, glabrous. Flowers pure white, solitary or by twos, terminal, very long peduncles. Calyx, 6 sepals, 3 within the others, inferior persistent. Corolla jug-shaped, the border divided into 12 parts, the 6 smaller ones alternating and within the others. Stamens 6, inserted near the border of the inner petals and opposite the outer circle. Filaments very short. Style long. Stigma obtuse, fruit globose, resembling a small pear, russet brown, crowned with the hardened style, more than 10 compartments, each containing a seed. Seed oval, flattened, joined to a central fleshy axis.

Habitat.--Common all over the Archipelago. Blooms in April.

_Mimusops Elengi_, L.

Nom. Vulg.--_Kabiki_, Tag.

Uses.--Its flowers are fragrant and generally well known. The trunk bark is astringent, and in decoction is given by mouth for fevers and diarrhoea. Locally is used as an injection for blenorrhoea, as a gargle for sore throat or relaxed uvula, and a mouth wash to harden the gums. Horsfield states that the Javanese use it as a tonic and antiperiodic. In India an aqueous distillate is employed as a perfume and therapeutically as a stimulant. In Concan they chew the green fruit for toothache and to harden relaxed gums. The decoction of the green fruit serves the same purpose and besides is used to wash wounds and ulcers.

Botanical Description.--A large ornamental tree with leaves alternate, oblong, coriaceous, green. Flowers small, straw-colored, star-shaped, very fragrant. Calyx, 8 sepals. Corolla gamopetalous, 16 oblong, lanceolate divisions. Stamens 8, free, short, alternating with 8 petaloid, conical, pubescent staminodia. Ovary free, many ovules. Fruit fleshy, oval, smooth, yellow when ripe, with one or several locules according to the number of matured seeds. Seeds solitary, oblong, flattened.

Habitat.--Cultivated in the gardens.

OLEACEÆ.

Olive Family.

_Jasminum Sambac_, Aiton. (_Nyctanthes Sambac_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Sampaga_, Tag.; _Sampaguitas_, Sp.-Fil.; _Arabian Jasmin_, Eng.

Uses.--The flower is the most popular and beloved of any in the Philippines (and is commonly referred to as the national flower). In decoction it is used as an eye-wash in catarrhal conjunctivitis. In India the flowers and the leaves have a merited reputation as a lactifuge; 2 handfuls of flowers bruised and applied without moistening, once or twice a day, sometimes checks the secretion of the milk within 24 hours, but generally 2 or 3 days are required for a complete effect.

Botanical Description.--Stems scarcely climbing, flattened, pubescent. Leaves opposite, cordate base, lanceolate-ovate, entire, glabrous. Flowers in small, close clusters, white, fragrant. Calyx-teeth 8-9, long and awl-shaped. Corolla, long tube, 7-8 rounded lobes. Stamens 2. Style 1. Stigma cleft in 2 laminæ.

APOCYNACEÆ.

Dogbane Family.

_Allamanda cathartica_, L.

Nom. Vulg.--Not known.

Uses.--As this plant has no common name in the Philippines it is most probable that the natives do not use it. The Portuguese introduced it into India from Brazil. A decoction of the leaves is purgative and is used in lead colic. The milky juice of the plant is emetic and cathartic in large doses, but simply laxative when given in doses of 8 or 10 drops. On account of its possible violent cathartic action great prudence should be exercised in prescribing it.

Botanical Description.--A twining shrub with leaves in fours, bright green, oblong, covered with rough hairs. Flowers in compound spikes, yellow. Calyx 5-toothed. Corolla 5-lobed, funnel-form. Stamens 5, inserted in throat of corolla, which above them is closed by a crown of hairs. Ovary 1-celled with 2 many-ovuled placentæ. Style cylindrical, terminating in a bilobulate cone. Capsule globular, about the size of a pea, black, coriaceous, thorny, bivalvate. Seeds numerous, each encircled by a broad membranous wing.

Habitat.--In Calauang and other parts of Luzon and Panay.

_Thevetia nerifolia_, Suss. (_Cerbera Thevetia_, L. and Blanco)

Nom. Vulg.--_Campanelo_, Sp.-Fil.; _Exile or Yellow Oleander_, Eng.

Uses.--This shrub is very common in gardens, well known by its pretty yellow, bell-shaped flowers. The trunk bark possesses antiperiodic properties first described by Descourtilz and confirmed later by Dr. G. Bidie and Dr. J. Short. Both the latter used the tincture in 10-15-drop doses 3 times a day. This tincture was prepared by macerating for one week in 150 grams of alcohol 30 grams of fresh bark finely divided. This preparation operates as an emetic and purgative in doses of 30-60 drops. It is evident that the plant possesses very active, even poisonous properties and should be employed with great caution. The decoction of the bark is given as an emetic and cathartic, but very imprudently because there is no means of determining the quantity of active principle, shown by chemical analysis to be a dangerous product.

The fruit is very bitter and acrid. The seeds yield by expression 35 to 41% oil (De Vry) and 57% when treated with benzol. It has an agreeable odor resembling that of sweet almonds, its density is 0.9148 at 25° and it is perfectly clear and transparent at that temperature. At 15° it thickens and at 13° solidifies. According to Oudemans it consists of 63% triolein and 37% tripalmin and tristearin; it is not poisonous. After expression De Vry obtained from the caked residue 4% of a crystalline glucoside called by him _thevetin_. Blas, of the Academy of Medicine of Belgium, studied it later and described it as a white powder of small colorless scales, odorless, very bitter, soluble at 14° in 122 parts of water, in alcohol, in crystallizable acetic acid, insoluble in ether; formula C_54_H_34_O_24_. Concentrated sulphuric acid dissolves it, producing a dark red color that changes to cherry red and then after several hours to violet. The color disappears if water be added. Boiled in acid solution the glucoside changes to a new substance, _theveresin_ (C_48_H_70_O_17_), white, amorphous, slightly soluble in boiling water and in alcohol, insoluble in benzine or chloroform, soluble in alkalies, very bitter. Both substances are energetic narcotic poisons; but the plant contains another even more powerful poison isolated by Warden, of Calcutta; it does not form crystals, it is very bitter, freely soluble in water, and is turned yellow by sulphuric and nitric acids.

Thevetin and theveresin exercise a marked toxic effect on the heart. The former induces emetic and cathartic phenomena, trembling and progressive weakness. The latter does not cause vomiting or diarrhoea, but anæsthesia and rigidity of the limbs. Both poisons arrest the heart in systole. Injected hypodermically they are irritant, are eliminated by the liver, but are not found in the urine.

Botanical Description.--A shrub, about 10° high, with leaves nearly sessile, somewhat bunched at the ends of the branches and overlapping, lanceolate, entire, glabrous. Flowers about 2' long. Calyx 5-toothed. Corolla straw-colored, cylindrical, very narrow below, but the limb very large, spreading into 5 lobes with greenish, superimposed borders. Stamens 5, inserted in the throat, anthers lanceolate. Ovaries 2, united at base, free above, unilocular. Style simple, enlarging at the base in a bilobed stigma. Fruit a fleshy drupe resembling somewhat a small apple, the pit very hard, semilunar, flattened, with 4 compartments and as many solitary seeds.

Habitat.--Common in all gardens and on the seashore.

_Cerbera Odallam_, Gaertn. (_C. manghas_, Bl. & Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Toktok-kaló_, Tag.

Uses.--The milky juice of the plant is emetic and purgative. The chemist De Vry has isolated from it a poisonous alkaloid analogous to "thevetin," which has just been considered. The seeds are likewise emetic and toxic. The Javanese call the fruit "bimaro" and affirm that it possesses the same properties as "datura." The bruised leaves are used locally for hepatic eruptions; the bark is used for the same purpose and is purgative.

The use of the plant is dangerous and is condemned by the Pharmacopoeia of India.

Botanical Description.--A small shrub with forked branches. Leaves (overlapping) at ends of branches, lanceolate, entire, glabrous. Flowers in umbellate spikes. Calyx, 5 caducous lobules. Corolla white, twisted, cylindrical, with salver-shaped limb divided in 5 rhomboid lobes, throat stellate and woolly. Stamens 5. Filaments joined to the corolla, their ends thickened. Anthers arrow-shaped. Ovary, 2 uniovulate locules. Style, same length as stamens. Stigma thick, conical, lobulate. Two drupes joined at the base (one usually aborted), brown, large, oval, fleshy, with woody fibrous nut of a single flattened seed.

Habitat.--Luzon. Blooms in July.

_Plumeria acutifolia_, Poir. (_P. alba_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Calachuche_, Sp.-Fil.; _Kalatsutsi_, _Kalasusi_, Tag.

Uses.--This tree, beloved for its fragrant flowers, has a wide therapeutic use in India and the Philippines. The bark is a bitter hydragogue cathartic and is given in decoction (5-10 grams to 200 water) principally for dropsy; however the milky juice of the trunk is preferable for this purpose, given in emulsion in doses of 0.50-0.80 grams. The bark and the tips of the branches are given as an emmenagogue.

The bark of the root and of the trunk is an excellent remedy for blenorrhagia. The fresh bark is thoroughly comminuted and mixed with sweetened water in the proportion of 60 grams to 4 liters; this mixture is put in the sun for 4 days, and shaken from time to time. It is then strained and given in doses of 4-5 glassfuls a day, at the same time with refreshing and emollient drinks, and prolonged tepid baths. At first this preparation exerts a purgative action, but later acts upon the urinary organs, rapidly lessening the suppurative process in urethritis. The bark may also be associated with wine or beer, in the proportion of 30 grains to the liter, the dose being 2-4 small cupfuls a day and Dr. Grosourdy employs the extract of the bark in doses aggregating 0.20-0.25 gram a day, gradually increased till at the end of a week 6 grams are taken daily (Dr. J. Amadeo).

The bruised leaves are applied locally to contusions to reduce the swelling. The juice is used externally as a rubefacient in rheumatic affections of the joints. In Concan they use a decoction of the root for diarrhoea. The flower buds are chewed with _buyo_, for intermittent fever and the juice is applied locally for itch.

Peckolt and Geuther isolated from the bark the glucoside, _agoniadin_ (C_10_H_14_O_6_), which crystallizes in silky crystals fusible at 155°, slightly soluble in water, alcohol, bisulphuret of carbon, ether and benzine; soluble in nitric or sulphuric acids. In solution it is a golden yellow soon changing to green. Boiled in a dilute acid it splits into glucose and an undetermined substance. Oudeman obtained _plumieric_ acid (C_10_H_10_O_5_) from the milky juice deprived of its resin; the acid exists as microscopic, needle-like crystals, soluble in boiling water, alcohol and ether. It melts and decomposes at 130°.

Botanical Description.--A tree, 12-18° high, commonly cultivated for ornament, well known in the islands, almost constantly bearing fragrant flowers, but rarely bearing fruit. Branches forked and peculiarly stumpy at the ends. Leaves alternate, broad lanceolate, entire, glabrous, the apices curved downward. Petioles short. Flowers creamy white, light yellow in the throat. Calyx 5-toothed. Corolla twisted, funnel-form, 5-lobed. Stamens 5, hidden in depths of the tube. Anthers dart- or arrow-formed. Style very short, thickened above. Stigma 2-parted. Two horizontal, cylindrical and long follicles joined at their bases, with numerous seeds in hollow receptacles, each seed encircled by a wing.

_Alstonia scholaris_, Br. (_Echites scholaris_, L. and Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Dita_, Tag.; _Dallopawen_, Iloc.; _Dita_ or _Alstonia Tree_, Eng.

Uses.--The trunk bark is a febrifuge of great importance; it is official in the Pharmacopoeia of India and is widely used in the Philippines. Personally I have had occasion to use it in several cases of malarial fever in the town of San Mateo near Manila. It is astringent, anthelmintic and antiperiodic, highly useful in chronic diarrhoea and dysentery, not only for its astringent effects but for its tonic and restorative action. As a tonic it gives as good results as quinine. The dry powdered bark is given internally in wafers of 20-30 centigrams. The infusion is prepared from 15 grams of the dry comminuted bark to 300 of water. The dose is 30-60 grams 2 or 3 times a day.

Another convenient preparation is the tincture, 75 grams of the powdered bark macerated 7 days in 500 grams of alcohol, shaking from time to time. It is then filtered and enough alcohol added to make up the 500 cc. The dose is 4-8 grams a day.

I have often used the following wine as a tonic for convalescents and patients suffering from general debility: Finely powdered bark, 25 grams, muscatel or dry sherry one bottle; macerate a week, shaking every day, and filter; dose 1/2 wineglass with equal parts water a few minutes before each meal; children or very weak patients should take it after eating; it should always be diluted.

G. Grupe, a Manila pharmacist, treating the bark in 1883 by the same process as that used in the preparation of quinine, obtained a bitter substance which he named _Ditaine_. According to Grupe Dr. Pina used this substance with great success in the treatment of malarial fevers, but neither Grupe's report nor Pina's experiment are of any scientific value, inasmuch as they have neglected to mention the doses in which the so-called alkaloid was employed. Later analyses by Hesse and Jobst revealed several principles: two alkaloids _ditamine_ (C_16_H_19_NO_2_), soluble in ether; _Ditaine_ or _Echitamine_ (C_22_H_28_NO_4_ + H_2_O) insoluble in ether, soluble in water; acetic acid and two amorphous substances dextrogyrous in ethereal solution, one of them a resin, _Echicauchina_ (C_25_H_40_O_2_), the other neutral, _Echiretin_ (C_35_H_56_O_2_); two crystallizable principles, dextrogyrous: _Echicerin_ (C_30_H_48_O_2_), _Echitein_ (C_42_H_70_O_2_) and _Echitin_ (C_32_H_52_O_2_).

_Ditaine_ is employed under the same circumstances and in the same dose as quinine. (The Hindoo writer, K. L. Dey, states that the plant yields an inferior quality of gutta-percha.)

Botanical Description.--A tree, 50 or more feet high, the trunk covered with small eminences resembling the scars of thorns. Branches radiating. Leaves radiating, 5, 6 or more, somewhat elliptical in form, pointed at the apex. Petioles very short, with a pointed glandule on the inner surface of the base. Flowers white, terminal, in umbellate racemes. Calyx very short, 5-toothed. Corolla twisted, tubular, the limb 5-lobuled; throat open, encircled with down. Stamens 5, hidden within the throat and inserted on the tube. Filaments almost wanting. Anthers arrow-shaped. Style as long as the stamens, somewhat flattened, a scarcely visible line throughout its length. Stigma bifid, placed above a cylindrical zone, two follicles, 1° long and 1'' thick, twisted like a string, containing the seeds in a row. Seeds cylindrical with a hairy awn at both ends.

Habitat.--In the forests of Luzon, especially in Batangas. Blooms in April.

_Nerium odorum_, Aiton. (_N. oleander_, L. and Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Adelfa_, Sp.; _Baladri_, Tag.; _Sweet-scented Oleander_, Eng.

Uses.--In the Philippines and in Spain this plant is well known to be poisonous. The bark and the leaves of both the red-flowered and white-flowered varieties are boiled in cocoanut oil and the product is used for inunction in itch and other skin diseases. The bruised root is a useful application for chancroids.

We have stated that the plant is poisonous, and indeed it is actively so in the tropics. It is now recognized as an energetic cardiac poison, comparable with strophanthus, destined to play an important part in therapeutics. Dr. Pouloux has made a study of the hydro-alcoholic extract of oleander and reports that it exerts a marked effect on the heart of frogs and rabbits, arresting them in systole. Where there is asystolia, such as we encounter in Bright's disease, without compensation, it stimulates the heart and increases the urine in the same manner as digitalis. No contraindications to its use are as yet known. It occasions no disagreeable symptoms and may be used many days consecutively provided that the daily dose does not exceed 10-15 centigrams.

The poisonous properties of the plant reside in two alkaloids isolated by Lukowsky from the leaves: _oleandrine_, extremely toxic and _pseudo-curarine_, as its name indicates, resembling curare in its action. Oleandrin is yellow, semicrystalline, soluble in water, alcohol, ether, chloroform and olive oil; fusible at 70-75° and changing to a greenish oil. With HCl it forms a crystalline salt. It is a violent irritant of the mucous membranes and given internally it causes emesis, diarrhoea, tetanic convulsions and death. It arrests the cardiac movements in doses of 25 milligrams.

Loiseleur-Deslongchamps experimented with the drug on his own person, using a solution of 30 grams of the extract in 120 grams of wine. He began by taking three drops of this preparation four times a day, adding a drop to each dose every day, so that at the end of 12 days he was taking 48 drops between 6 a. m. and 9 p. m. He reached a maximum of 64 drops a day but was forced to abandon his experiment at that point on account of the unpleasant symptoms induced--loss of appetite, great weakness and muscular pains. His deduction was that the plant contained a "destructive and irritant principle." The experiment is of interest as demonstrating the maximum dose of the drug.

The active principles of the plant reside principally in the leaves and bark, but that they are abundantly present in other parts is proved by the death of several soldiers in Corsica from having eaten meat roasted on a spit of oleander wood.

Botanical Description.--A small tree, about 6° high. Leaves coriaceous, lanceolate, entire, glabrous. Flowers in terminal cymes, rose-color or white, single or double. Calyx 5-parted. Corolla 15 petals, the inner ones larger, disposed in 3 groups of 5. Stamens 10, fixed on receptacle; filaments short. Style shorter than stamens. Two follicles, sharp-pointed, channeled, containing many imbricated seeds each with an awn.

ASCLEPIADACEÆ.

Milkweed Family.

_Calotrops gigantea_, R. Br. (_Asclepias gigantea_, Willd. and Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Kapal-kapal_, Tag.; _Swallow-Wort_, Eng.; _Mudar_, Indo-Eng.

Uses.--This plant is official in the Pharmacopoeia of India as an alterative, tonic, diaphoretic and emetic. J. J. Durant, having observed that the natives used it for dysentery, experimented with it quite successfully in that disease. For adults he gradually raised the dose from 1.10 to 4 grams, preferring smaller doses, however, for mild cases. To children he prescribed 5-10 centigrams for each year of age, 3 or 4 times a day. He remarked that the effects produced were identical with those of ipecac administered in Brazilian fashion.

The part of the plant used is the dry root powdered. The usual dose is 15-50 centigrams 3 times a day, gradually increased; as an emetic 2-4 grams.

The milky juice that escapes from the stem on the slightest abrasion is a drastic purgative, given commonly in dropsy, lumbricoids, etc. Pledgets of cotton impregnated with the juice and packed in the cavities of carious teeth, relieve toothache. It is applied locally for various skin diseases, including syphilitic ulcers, and as a depilatory.

Some races of India, such as the Rajputs of the districts of Allahab and of Khangor, use this milk-juice to poison their female infants whom they are accustomed to regard as a vexatious burden. Therapeutically they use it with honey, locally for sore throat.

The dry and powdered juice has been used in small doses as an alterative in the treatment of tuberculous leprosy, but it has not given results any better than many other drugs. In syphilis and mercurial cachexia its results are less doubtful.

In 1881 Dr. Riddell obtained a sort of gutta-percha from the juice, previously observed by Professor Redwood.

Mooden Sheriff states that the most active parts of the plant are the root bark and the dried juice. He adds that the action of the juice is irregular and even dangerous, and that the bark is active in direct proportion to its age. He recommends that the inert tuberous layer of the bark be removed; prepared thus and powdered it is emetic in doses of 2.50-3 grams.

Duncan claims to have isolated from the bark an active principle which he called _mudarin_ from "mudar," the Indian name of the plant. Following the same process Flückiger was unable to obtain the substance, but did isolate 1 1/2% of an acrid resin, soluble in ether and in alcohol; a mucilage and a bitter principle decolorized by chloroform and ether. It is probable that this is the active principle of the "Calotropis gigantea."

Warden and Waddell in 1881 isolated a substance crystallizable in nodular masses, with the formula C_17_H_28_O, analogous to the _albana_ of gutta-percha.

Botanical Description.--A small tree, 7-8° high, with straight stem, branched and woody. Leaves sessile, opposite, cleft at the base, oval, fleshy and woolly. Flowers lateral in simple umbels of 3 or more flowerets. Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla monopetalous, 5 acute lobes, white, of rare and beautiful form. Nectaries 5, united throughout their length with the receptacle, their bases curved like the sides of the fleur de lis.

Above the nectaries is a 5-angled crown, the extremity of the receptacle; in each angle a black anther. Two large follicles narrowed at the ends, woolly, the apex somewhat curved to one side, containing many imbricated seeds, each with a tuft of long hairs.

Habitat.--Bauang, Taal and the volcanic island of Taal. Blossoms in April.

_Tylophora asthmatica_, Wight. (_Asclepias asthmatica_, Roxb.)

Nom. Vulg.--(?)

Uses.--We are ignorant of the uses the Filipinos make of this plant. It is official in the Pharmacopoeia of India, the dry powdered leaf being the part employed, and its emetic, diaphoretic and expectorant properties are well known in that country. Roxburgh has used the root as an emetic and Anderson has employed it in the same manner as ipecac in dysentery. Later the experience of Anderson was confirmed by O'Shaughnessy; though in place of the root he used the leaf, the properties of which he regards as more certain and uniform.

Dr. J. Kirkpatrick has noted that the juice of the root and its powder are used by the natives of Mysore as an emetic, and adds that he himself has used it for that purpose in a thousand cases with good results. In its effect on dysentery as well as in its emetic effect it resembles ipecacuanha. He used the powder in doses of 1.20-1.80 gr., to which he added 3-6 centigrams of tartar emetic when he desired to obtain an energetic emetic action. Like O'Shaughnessy he prefers the powdered leaves. He considers it a good substitute for ipecac, not only as an emetic, but as a remedy in asthma, dysentery and catarrhal affections; Drs. Oswald and Mooden Sheriff have made the same observations. The latter advises the administration of the juice of the plant for snake bites till vomiting is produced; then follow with diffusible stimulants.

The emetic dose of the powdered leaves is 1.20-1.80 grams, the expectorant and diaphoretic dose 10-30 centigrams. The concentrated infusion of the leaves has an acrid taste. Tannic acid, the neutral acetate of lead and caustic potash produce with it an abundant precipitate; the perchloride of iron colors it a dark green. Broughton, of Ootaemund (India), informed Hanbury and Flückiger, from whom we quote, that in 1872 he obtained a very small quantity of crystals from a large quantity of leaves. He had not enough to make an analysis, but injected a solution of the crystals into a dog with resulting vomiting and diarrhoea.