368 ON GUTTA GAMBEEfc. 



feclly white. According to Dr. Campbell of Bencoole?i, 

 this is made by cutting small the leaves and young twigs, 

 and infusing them in water for some hours, when a faccula 

 is deposited, which is inspissated by the heat of the sun, 

 and moulded into round cakes. 



Its qualities '^ ie gambeer, when first tasted, impresses on tho palate a 



and use. strong sensation of bitterness and astringency. But it af- 



terward leaves a sweetish taste, which remains a long time. 

 From these sensible qualities, it might reasonably be ex- 

 pected to prove useful in medicine. And accordingly, we 

 are told that it has been found beneficial in angina and aph- 

 'thae, as well as in diarrhoea and dysentery. The drug was 

 infused in water, to which itgave the colour of the infusion 

 of bohea tea*. By the Malays it is mixed with lime, and 

 applied externally to cuts, burns, boils, &c. 



Chewed. But tne most frequent use of it is to chew, along with the 



leaves of betel, in the same manner as the hut (or catechu) 

 in other parts of India. 



„ , . For this purpose the finest and whitest kind is selected. 



ning and dye- The red, being strong tasted and rank, is exported to China 



in 8- and Batavia, where it is used for Uiq purposes of tanning 



and dyeing. For the first of these uses we might suppose, 

 from its sensible qualities, that it is well calculated; and 



p. , . . some rough experiments, which I hive made on it with ani- 



mal gluten, compared with those of Dr. Roxburgh on kut, 

 evince.it to be richer in tannin than that substance. 



Differences ^ ne cme ^ places of manufacture are Malacca, Siak and 



Rhio; and the process of boiling is most generally prac- 

 tised ; insomuch that the generality of manufacturers there 

 are ignorant of there being any other. The colour and 

 other qualities, they allege, depend on the vessel and the 

 skill or attention of the operator. Thus an old manufac. 

 turer, with Chinese iron pots, will produce a whitish drug; 

 whereas with a Malay iron pot its colour will be browner. 

 The first cuttings also yield a whiter drug than the subse- 

 quent ones. 



» Murray, 1. c. Seba. item. Buisson apud Degner. de Dysent. 

 p. 21)7. 



For 



