190 ■ LEGUMINOS^. 



The employment of cowhage as a vermifuge originated in the AVest 

 Indies, and is quite unknown in the East. In Endand the druo- hecan 



to attract attention in the latter part of the last century, when it was 

 strongly recommended by Bancroft in his Natural History of Guiana 

 (1769), and by Chamberlaine, a surgeon of London, who pubhshed an 

 essay ' descriptive of its effects which went through many editions. It 

 was introduced into the Edinburgh Pharmacopceia of 1783, and into the 

 London Pharmacopoeia of 1809. At the present day it has been almost 

 discarded from European medicine, but has been allowed a place in the 

 Pharmacojjoeia of India (18GS). 



_ The name Coiuhage is Hindustani, and in the modern way is written 

 Kiwdnch, which is generally derived from the Sanskrit Koin-Kachh" 

 monkey's _ itch (Dr. Rice) ; the corruption into Cotv-itch is absurd. 



MLicuna is the Brazilian name of another siiecies mentioned in 164H 

 by Marcgraf ^ 



Description— The pods are 2 to 4 inches long, about yV of ^^ inch 

 wide, and contain 4 to G seeds ; they are slightly compressed and of a 

 dark blackish brown. Each valve is furnished with a prominent ridjje 

 runmng from the apex nearly to the base, and is densely covered with 

 rigid pointed, brown hairs, measuring about yV of an inch in length. 

 1 he hairs are perfectly straight and easily detached from the valves, out 

 ot the epidermis of which they rise. If incautiously touched, they 

 enter the skin and occasion an intolerable itching. 



Microscopic Structure— Under the microscope the hairs are seen 

 to consist of a single, sharply pointed, conical cell, about Jo of an irich 

 m diameter at the base, with uniform brownish walls 5 mkin. thick, 

 which towards the apex are slightly barbed. Occasionally a hair shows 

 one or two transverse walls. Most of the hairs contain only air ; others 

 shovv a little granular matter which acquires a greenish hue on addition 

 ot alcoholic solution of perchloride of iron. If moistened with chronnc 

 acid 110 structural peculiarity is revealed that calls for remark. 1"'^ 

 walls however are somewhat separated into indistinct layers, the pre- 

 sence ot which is confirmed by the refractive power displayed by tlie 

 hairs m polarized lic^ht 



mposition 



^ The hairs when treated with sulphuric 



acid and iodine assume a dark brown colour. Boiling solution of potasn 

 does not considerably swell or alter them. They are complete!} 

 decolorized by concentrated nitric acid. 



Uses— Cowhage is administered for the expulsion of in^p^l"t 

 w-orms, especially ^sc«m lumbricoides and A. rerwiici'iaris, whit-n 

 ettects by reason of its mechanical structure. It is given mixed win 

 ^yrup or honey in the form of an electuary. . ^,^e 



V , c T°^^ ^°^ ^^^'""'^ ^^i"e i-epnted medicinal by the natives ot sou 

 part of India. The pods when young and tender may be cooked ana 



^^L^^Zd^ f:^''''^^ -• CV,.- => in.f. Xat. Bra.nl 18. 



