March i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



639 



1) ats (5-826 per cent) was found to be— tannin, 1-591 per 

 c-;nt; kola red, 1-290 per cent; glucose, 2-875 per cent; 

 (K'ed salts, 0-070 per cent. 



The entire composition of the kola nut is compared by 

 t le authors with that of tea, coffee and cacaq as fol- 

 I >ws : — 



These results, it is pointed out, differ somewhat from 

 those obtained by Attfield (Fharm. Journ., [2], vi., 457), 

 rspecially in the recognition of the presence of a second 

 alkaloid and of tannin. The proportion of caffeine is 

 higher than that observed in any coft'ce or, e.xcept in rare 

 instances, in tea, and exceeds that of theobromine iu cacao. 

 riie alkaloid exists in kola, as in tea, uncoml>ined, but in 

 c-offee, according to Payen. it is present as chlorogenate 

 of potassium and eatt'eine. It is worth mentioning that 

 the authors report the presence of a considerable pro- 

 portion of caffeine and some theobromine in the pericarp, 

 but the material at their disposal was too scanty for an 

 exhaustive investigation in this direction. The leaves, wood 

 and bark were also examined for alkaloid, but gave negative 

 results. As in the case of coffee, kola undergoes a con- 

 siderable loss of caffeine (three-fourths) during roasting, 

 while the quantity of essential oil present is augmented. 



Some experiments have been made with this kind of 

 kola in the treatment of the atonic diarrhoea to which 

 Europeans are frequently liable in tropical countries. The 

 results have been fairly satisfactory, and through the ef- 

 forts of M. Meckel the medicine has been supplied to 

 some French colonial stations for a systematic trial. The 

 preparations used are an aqueous extract, an alcoholic 

 extract and a wine. The alcohohc extract is made by 

 exhausting fresh kola with five parts of 60 ° alcohol and 

 the wine by macerating the same proportions of kola in 

 a sweet white wine dui-ing a fortnight. Neither of these 

 preparations, however, comiiletely exhaust the kola, at 

 last as far as the caffeine is concerned. The preparation 

 of an aqueous extract presents considerable difficulty in 

 consequence of the quantity of starch, which forms an 

 manageable magma. 



Concerning the " male kola " or " kola bitter," as before 

 stated, nothing definite was known, and as recently as 

 the year 1^82 it was referred erroneously to a species of 

 Stercidia. In the ' Flora of Tropical Africa,* Oliver says: — 

 '■ The kola bitter of Fernando l*o is the product of trees 

 belonging to the CTuttiferte." The authors were led by 

 this remark to attempt to obtain from various parts of 

 the eastern coast specimens of the plant yielding " kola 

 bitter," and although the flowers did not reach them they 

 received specimens of the branches, leaves and fruits, 

 together with a sufficient quantity of seeds to allow of 

 a complete analysis being made. All the specimens re- 

 ceived from various places corresponded in their characters, 

 and showed that the kola bitter is the produce of a single 

 Ciuttiferous species and not of several. From the material 

 at their disposal the authors refer it to a new species, 

 Garclnia Kola, Meckel. The plant is described as a 



tree of variable aspect, 10 to 20 feet in height, bearing 

 towards the base of the branches large opposite leaves 

 (12 iu. long by 7 in. broadj, with short petioles, whilst at 

 the extremity of the branches the leaves are much smaller 

 (5 in. by 2 in.). The leaves are oval, slightly dilated at 

 the base, mueronate at the apex, without stipules, full 

 green on the upper surface and greyish underneath. The 

 fruit is a berry the size of an apple, with a rugose epi- 

 derm covered entirely with rough hairs. It presents three 

 or fom- divisions, each containing a large oval cuneiform 

 seed, rounded on the external and angular on the internal 

 face; the seeds are covered with au abundant sourish 

 yellowish pulp, constituting a true arillus. The fruit has 

 at the base the persistent calyx still adherent to the 

 peduncle, and sometimes the persistent corolla, and at the 

 apex the persistent stigma. The plant is reported to 

 occur all along the eastern coast of Africa and of Sene- 

 gal, intermixed with the Stercidia acuminata, tiourishing 

 under the same conditions, but less widely distributed. In 

 its known characters the plant wordd appear to be closely 

 allied with -darcinia Morella, which, however, is essentially 

 an Asiatic species. The seeds present one convex and two 

 plane surfaces, the former being towards the circumference 

 of the fruit. They are covered by an apricot-yellow epi- 

 sperm, below which is a large yellowish-white macropodous 

 embryo, devoid of cotyledons, and with numerous depres- 

 sions on its surface. The tissue is denser and closer than 

 that of true kola and crackles under the teeth ; it con- 

 sists of a compact mass of very homogenous cellular tis- 

 sue, interspersed here and there with laticiferous vessels 

 of varj-ing size containing resin, the cells constituting 

 which are filled with sfcirch granules larger than those 

 occurring in true Irola. 



Upon chewing these seeds a strongly bitter, astringent 

 and yet aromatic taste is perceptible, which is quite dif- 

 ferent from that of true kola, anil approaches in its 

 aromatic flavour that of green coffee ; it is this aromatic 

 flavour that is esteemed by the negroes. It is worthy of 

 remark that although the use of these seeds <ioes "not 

 produce any notable stimulant effects or ward off fatigue, 

 they are as much sought att<;r and fetch nearly as high 

 a price on the eastern coast as the true kola'. In the 

 Ulterior, however, they are unknown. The authors are of 

 opinion that these seeds owe their properties to the resin 

 they contain, which is slightly stimulant. By the negroes 

 they are thought to exercise an aphrodisiac action, which 

 the authors consider doubtful, and as a masticatory, they 

 are said to be a valuable remedy for colds. 



An examination of fresh male kola nuts for caffeine 

 gave negative results, the chloroform, ether and alcoholic 

 percolates being all free from alkaloid. Besides colouring 

 1 matter, tannin and glucose, two resins were separated. 

 I One of these was brown, hygrometric and soluble in ether 

 and melted at the temperature of the water-bath ; the 

 other was yellowish white, soluble in ether, alcohol, acet- 

 one and acetic acid, insoluble in carbon bisulphide or 

 petroleum .spirit, and had a high melting point. 



A large ptoportion of the paper is di'voted to a .study 

 of the constitution of caffeine and several of its dei-iv- 

 atives, in reference to the identification of the alkaloidal 

 substances obtained by the authors from the female kola. 

 — Pharmaceutical Journal. 



Saccharate of Coffee. — O. Paresi, in an Italian medical 

 journal, describes a new method of concentrating and ad- 

 ministering the useful constituents of coffee, viz : roasted 

 coffee, best, one part, refined sugar two parts with warm 

 water sufficient for the purpose. The coffee is exhausted, 

 and iu a convenient displacement apparatus, of all its 

 soluble constituents, by means of the warm water ; the clear 

 brown percolate is mixed with the sugar, and invaporated 

 at temperature not exceeding 122 deg. Fahr., in a suitable 

 apparatus, for low dryness; and finally reduced to powder, 

 and kept iu well closed vessels. The product is a browni.sh 

 powder, of a coffee odour, a .sweet and slightly bitter, but 

 very agreeable taste, and very soluble in cold water. Dis- 

 solved in boiling water, it yields a very fine cup of coffee ; 

 on being made into a paste with tragacanth, it may be 

 formed into tablets or troches, these being a very convenient 

 shape for use. — Plnnter^^ Qazettr. 



