of the black doctors much more successful than his own, acknowledged, with his usual candour, that he was not ashamed to take instruction from them, which he pursued with good success; and collecting 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 attention."
" In the Concan, 1 to 2 tolas of the juice are given as an emetic ; it is also dried and made into pills which are administered in dysentry " (Dymock).
[The root of this plant, which is met with in the bazaars in the form of thick contorted pieces of a pale colour, and a bitterish, somewhat nauseous, taste, has long been known to possess diaphoratic and emetic properties, and its efficacy in dysentery is asserted by Dr. J. Anderson (Roxburgh, Flor. Ind., vol. ii , p. 34). Its value has also been confirmed by Sir W. O'Shaughnessy. It has, however, been superseded by the dried leaves, the operation of which has been found more uniform and certain. It may be regarded as one of the best indigenous (Indian) substitutes for Ipecacuanha.]
Dr. Bidie considers that, like Ipecacuanha and Tartar Emetic, it acts as a specific emetic, exciting vomiting after absorption, by its action on the vagus.
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 percholoride of iron. Broughton of Ootacamund obtained from a large quantity of leaves a small amount of crystals — insufficient for analysis. Dissolved and injected into a small dog they occasioned purging and vomiting,
A re-examination of the drug by one of us (D. H.) shows that both the leaves and root contained an alkaloid, Tylophorine, which is crystalline and forms a crystalline hydrochlorate. The solution of the alkaloid is precipited 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, bat only partially in water. With sulphuric acid it dissolves with a reddish colour changing to green and indigo. With HN03 it dissolves with a purplish red colour.
Frohde's regent gives a deep sap-green solution. Sulphuric acid and K2Cr2O7 dirty violet. The leaves afford 15 per cent, of mineral matter.
(Pharmacographia Indica, Vol. II, pp. 439-440.)
