safford: narcotic snuff, cohoba 561 



Collins) ; Venezuela, where it is called curuba, ?Tupa, fiopa, niopa, 

 niopo (Gumilla; Gilii; Humboldt); Northeastern Peru, on 

 the Maranon, where it is called curupa (de la Condamine); 

 Southern Peru, where it is called vilca, villca, huillca (Acosta; 

 O. F. Cook) ; Argentina, where it is called cebil, or sebil (Grise- 

 bach; Sotelo Narvaez); Guiana, where two varieties are found, 

 paricd and black parted (Schomburgk) ; Brazil (many parts), 

 where it is generally known as paricd (Spix and Martius; Lieu- 

 tenant Herndon; Spruce). 



CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION 



The most remarkable fact connected with this narcotic is that 

 its chemical properties are still unknown. An exhaustive search 

 through literature, in a vain attempt to find something bearing 

 upon the subject, indicates that it has never been studied chemi- 

 cally or therapeutically. The only authority who mentions it 

 is Dragendorff, who dismisses it with the statement: "Der Same 

 zu Schnupftabak (Niopo, Nupa), der stark aufregen soil, ver- 

 wendet." No authority is quoted, except for the botanical name 

 and its synonyms. This may have been in consequence of the 

 remark Humboldt made in connection with the snuff: 



La famille des Legumineuses varie singulierement dans les proprietes 

 chimiques et medicales de ses graines, de ses sues et de ses racines; et 

 quoique le sue du fruit du Mimosa nilotica soit tres-astringent, on ne 

 peut croire que ce soit principalement la silique de V Acacia Niopo qui 

 donne la force excitante au tabac des Otomaques. Cette force est due 

 a la chaux fraichement calcinee.' 21 



That Humboldt was mistaken is indicated by Spruce's obser- 

 vations. Moreover it is not so strange, as Humboldt would 

 indicate, that the seeds of certain Leguminosae have narcotic 

 properties. The red seeds of Sophora secundiflora of Texas and 

 northern Mexico are very narcotic and are still used by certain 

 Indian tribes to cause intoxication. They are used in certain 

 secret ceremonies by the "Red Bean Society" of the Iowa Indians, 

 which takes its name from them. Spruce witnessed the prepa- 

 ration of fiopa snuff without the addition of lime, in June, 1854, 

 by a party of Guahibo Indians from the Rio Meta, temporarily 



21 Humboldt & Bonpland. Voyage aux regions equinoxiales, 2: 621. 1810. 



