414 ^ OLEACE^. 



drug, but differs in its more uniform colour, and in being uucontaminated 

 with the slight impuj-ities, from wliieh natural manna is never whoHv 

 free. It differs also in that when broken, no crystals of mannite are to 

 be seen in the interstices of the pieces, and it wants the peculiar odour 

 and slightly bitter flavour of natural manna. If one part of it is boiled 

 with four of alcohol (0-838), a viscid honey-like residue will be obtained, 

 whereas natural inanna leaves undissolved a hard substance. Histed' 

 found it to afford about 40 per cent, of mannite, while fine manna 

 similarly treated yielded 70 per cent. 



Uses— A gentle laxative, much less frequently employed in this 

 country than formerly, but still largely consumed in South America. 

 Mannite, which possesses similar properties, is often prescribed in Italy 



Other sorts of Manna. 



Various plants besides Fraxinus afford, under certain conditions, 

 saccharine exudations, some of which constituted the Oriental Manna 

 used in Europe in early times. So far as is known, they differ from 

 oflicmal manna m containing no mannite. 



Alhagi Manna ; Turanjahin (Arabic) ; is afforded by Alhagi 

 Umelorum Fisch. (Hedysarum Alhagi Pallas, non L.), a small spiny 

 plant ol the order Leguminosce found in Persia, Afghanistan and 

 iieiucliistan. It had already been noticed by Isztachri.^ Excellent 

 specimens of the manna, kindly obtained for us in the north-west of 

 maia by Dr. E. Burton Brown and Mr. T. W. H. Tolbort, show it as a 

 substance m httle roundish, hard, dry tears, varyin<T from the size of a 

 mustard seed to that of a hemp-seed, of a light brown colour, agreeable 

 saccharine taste, and senna-like smell. The leaflets, spines and pods of 

 tne plant, mixed with the grains of this manna, are characteristic and 

 easily recognizable. 



o-vT^^^^^f^^ (1877) showed this manna to contain cane-sugar, a dextro- 

 r .,r?, • Sl"^°f 'f n^ w^^^^^/tose (see further on: Briancon manna, page 41C). 

 Ludwig had also found some dextrin and mucilage. 

 fnu:7^l^li. T^ '^ collected near Kandahar and Herat, where it is 

 W V'l 1 ^ f ?.^' ""^ *^'^^ *"^^e of flowering. It is imported into India 

 . r, .n "l''"'^,^^'?'^'''^^^^ *« t^ie extent of Ibout 25 maimcls (2000 Ib.) 

 annually; its value is reckoned at 30 rupees per seer, = 30s. per lb. 



monfhfK'^"' (^''^}^^)l Tamarlsh Manna (in part)-In 



mannifi 



Wady 



the 

 allica 



peuiuoUla of 



their slender 



briTioKoo • -^ ^ ^^^^y ^s fcJheikh, exude from tneir si^^^^v 



^S?,7Ei '"^ ^°f ^?^e^c<^ of the puncture of an insect {Coccus mami- 

 Crnna r i ^^^^,^^. ^^ney-like drops, which in the coolness of early 

 Ka^- T- '"n^/^ ^ '''°1^'^ «t^te This substance is Taraaif 

 of St K;fL '• '°^^','^'? ^^ ^^^° ^^^s> and by them sold to the monb 

 ^t. liathanne, wlio dispose of it to the i)ilgrims visiting the convent. 



^o«?«! "rfltmS' ^''"""' "^ ^^'"^"^' ' Stewart, Punjab Plants, Lahore (1^ 



, ' Tchiha cheff rj^aV ^- •• P- 57 ; Dalies, Report on the trade ««f 



355_ eii, lAste mamtrc, n. (1856) resources of the countries on tU ij- "'• 



^^ Arclilv fUr W,,^.., • ,r.o loundaru of Bntish India, Wi^ore, ii>»- 

 32-52. J 'tannacie, 10.3 (1870) 



I 



