dN calaguala root 5 . 145 



the action of the water. Lastly by the third I dissolved the 

 amylaceous portion, and the peculiar colouring substance I 

 have mentioned above. 



On recapitulating all the products obtained by the dif* 

 ferent operations mentioned in the course of this paper, we 

 find, that the root of calaguala is formed of 



f. A large quantity of woody matter : Component 



2. A gummy substance, which comes next in point of root . ° 

 quantity : 



3. A red, bitter, acrid resin, the next in proportion : 



4. A sacchariue matter, tolerably abundant : 



5. An amylaceous part, the quantity of which I did not 

 ascertain : 



6. A colouring matter soluble in nitric acid, and turning 

 violet on the addition of an alkali . 



7. A small quantity of acid, which I could not discrimi* 

 nate, in consequence of its being so little, but which I sus- 

 pect to be the malic : 



8. A tolerably large quantity of muriate of potash : 



9. Lastly lime and silex. 



Of all these substances those soluble in water and alcohol Medicinal 

 are alone capable of producing any effect on the animal eco- I )arls - 

 nomy. These substances are the sugar, mucilage, muriate 

 of polash, and resin. 



Since the time when I analysed this root at the request of Roots of male 

 Mr. Alyon, I have subjected to similar experiments the moa po iypod? 

 roots of common polypody and the male fern, and obtained contain the 

 from them precisely similar principles nearly in the same S™ e a n™aii- 

 proportions as from the calaguala root. The former roots nin. 

 however contain a small quantity of tannin. Thus the ana- 

 logy of organization, which led Mr. de Jussieu and Mr. Ri- 

 chard to conclude^ that the medicinal virtues of the cala* 

 guala root must be similar to those of other ferns, is fully 

 confirmed by chemical analysis. 



Vol. XXIII.— Junk 1809. L XIV. 



