s 



RHIZOMA COPTIDIS. 3 



slightly acid glucoside which they named Udlehovein, It occurs only 



H 



in 7/. viridis. 



H 



Rellehoretin, C^^iL 



C^"H""*0^l It is remarkable that hellebore tin has no physiological 

 action, though hcUeborem is stated to be poisonous. 



An organic acid accompanying helleborin was regarded by Bastick 

 as probably aconitic (equisetic) acid. There is no tannin in hellebore. 



Uses — Black Hellebore 

 ;ish medicine its emnlov: 



In 



I 9 



I 



Adulteration — Black Hell 



always to be relied on, and without good engravings it is not easy to 

 point out characters by which its genuineness can be made certain. In 

 fact to ensure its recognition, some pharmacopoeias required that it 

 should be supplied with leaves attached. 



The roots with which it is chiefly liable to be confounded are the 



following : 



1. Hellehoriis viridis L. — Although a careful comparison of authen- 

 ticated specimens reveals certain small differences between the roots 

 and rhizomes of this species and of Bf, mgery there are no striking 

 characters by which they can be discriminated. The root of H, viridis 

 is far more bitter and acrid than that of IL nigeVy and it exhibits more 

 numerous drops of fatty oil. In German trade the two drugs are sup- 

 plied separately, both being in use ; but as //. viridis is apparently the 

 rarer plant and its root is valued at 3 to 5 times the price of that of H. 

 nigei\ it is not likely to be used for sophisticating the latter. 



2. Actcea spicata L. — In this plant the rhizome is much thicker; 

 the rootlets broken transversely display a cross or star, as figured in 



/. o - 1 ■ ^- The drug has but 

 little odour ; as it contains tannin its infusion is blackened by a 

 persalt of iron, which is not the case with an infusion of Black 

 Hellebore. 



RHIZOMA COPTIDIS. 



Radix Coj^tidis ; Coptis Root, Mishmi Bittei\ Mishmi Tita. 



Botanical Origin — Coptis Teeta Wallich, a small hei^baceous plant, 

 still but imperfectly known, indigenous to the Mishmi mountains, east- 

 ward of Assam. It was first described in 1836 by Wallich/ 



History — This drug under the name of j\[<dimira is used in Sind 

 for inflannnation of the eyes, a circumstance which enabled Pereira^ to 

 identify it with a substance bearing a nearly similar designation, men- 

 tioned by the earl}^ writers on medicine, and previously regarded as the 

 root of Chelidoniiiui niajus L. 



Thus we find that Paulus ^gineta in the 7th century was ac- 

 quainted with a knotty root named tlufxtpag.^ Rhazes, who according to 



1 ri 



Trans, of Med. and Plujs. Soc, of Cal- ^ Fhaiin. Journ. xi. (1852) 204 ; also 



cutta, viii. (1836) 85. Reprinted in Prr- Mat. Med. Ic, 



eira's Materia ilcJica, vol. ii. part 2 (1S57), ^ See also Meyer, Gesclikhte dev Botanil\ 



699. n. (1855) 419. 



