BOTANIC MATERIA MEDICA, 317 
Asia, and cultivated at Hitchin and Mitcham, 
England, also in some of the southern parts 
of Europe. This annual trailing plant closely 
resembles in general character our cucumber 
vine. The trailing stems are adorned with cor- 
date leaves, crenately-toothed as to their edges; 
surfaces pubescent and on long petioles; flow- 
ers yellow, moncecious, with stamens united in 
three sets (triadelphous) ; the Style trifid and the 
stigmas bifid; fruit, ovate in shape, about 1% 
inches long; seeds, numerous, brown in color, 
compressed and reticulated. When the fruit is 
plucked from the vineit suddenly contracts, and 
ejects from the scar left by the stalk its seeds 
and juice. The juice of the nearly ripe fruit 
is the Klaterium of the stores, which is obtained 
by straining it through some fine muslin or a 
hair sieve. The strained juice is then dried 
rapidly on porous tiles or bibulous paper. Ela- 
terium occurs in gray or light buff colored, flat- 
tish fragments, very light in weight and easily 
broken ; when fractured it shows a granular na- 
ture; the odor reminds one of tea, whilst the 
taste is intensely bitter, with slight acridity. 
Elaterium is converted into Elaterin by the action 
of chloroform and ether, and contains about 27 
per cent. of this active principle, 8 per cent. of 
Chlorophyll, Prophetin, Ecbatlin and bitter ex. 
tractive matter. Elaterin is crystalline and 
fusible at 392° F. soluble in chloroform and 
hot alcohol. It is said that it requires 40 pounds 
of the fruit to obtain % ounce of Elaterium. 
The chief adulterants are the calcium salts and 
Starch; in its medical action Elaterium is a pow- 
erful hydrogogue cathartic. The dose of Elate- 
