SEMEN STRAMONIL 4G1 



SEMEN STRAMONII. 

 Strdmonram Seeds; F. Semences de Stvainoine; G. Stechapfehamev. 



Botanical Origin — Bat lira Stntjnoniiim L., sec preceding article. 



Description — The spiny, ovoid capsule of stramonium opens at the 

 siumiiit in four regular valves. It is bilocular, with each cell incom- 

 pletely divided into two, and contains a large number (about 400) of 

 flattened, kidney-shaped seeds. The seeds are blackish or dark brown, 

 about 2 lines lonor and i a line thick, thinnino:* off towards the hilum 



which is on the straightei' side. The surface of the seed is finely pitted 

 and also marked with a much coarser series of shallow reticulations or 

 rugosities. A section parallel to the faces of the seed exhibits the 

 long, contorted eniLryo, following the outline of the testa, and bedded 

 in the oily white albumen. The cylindrical form of the embryo is seen 

 in a transverse section of the seed. 



The seeds have a bitterish taste, and when bruised a disagreeable 

 odour. When the entire seeds are immersed in dilute alcohol, they 

 afford a tincture displaying a beautiful green fluorescence, turning 

 yellow on addition of ammonia. 



Microscopic Structure^The testa is formed of a row of radially 



extended, thick-walled cells. They are not of a simply cylindrical 

 form, but their walls are sinuously bent in and out in the direction of 

 their length. Viewed in a direction tangential to tlie surface, the cells 

 appear as if indented one into the other. Towards the surface of the 

 seed the cell-walls are elevated as dark brown tubercles and folds, 

 giving to the seed its reticidated and pitted surface. The. albumen and 

 embryo exhibit the usual contents, namely fatty oil and albuminoid 



substances. 



The active constituent of stramonium 



seeds is the highly poisonous alkaloid Dafn rine, of which tlicy afjf)rd orjly 

 about tV per cent., while the leaves and roots contain it in stdl smaller 

 proportion.'-' Daturine was discovered in 18;33 by Geigcr and Hesse, 

 and regarded as identical with atropine by A. von Planta (18.:>0), who 

 tound it to have the same composition as that alkaloid. 1''^^ ^^^'^^^o"" pf 

 exhibit the same relations as to solubility and fusing point {^^--'^ '-■J', 

 and they also agree in crystallizing easily. The experiments ot hchron 

 (1852), tending to show that although daturine and atropine act m the 

 same manner, the latter has twice the poisonous energy ot the lormei 

 raised a further question as to the identity of the two alkaloids, i'oei.l 

 (1«76) also stated solutions of daturine to be levogyrate,_ those of atro- 

 pine being devoid of rotatory power. From the observations otbr hard 

 ( 8GG). it would appear that the crystalline form of some ot the ^a s 

 <^t atropine and daturine is ditferent. In stramonium seeds datu me 

 appears to be combined with malic acid. The seeds yielded to Llocz 

 {^^(io) 20 per cent, of ash and 25 per cent, of fixed oil. 



Uses-Stramonium seeds are prescribed in the form of extract or 

 wneture as a sedative ov narcotic. 



'We have not Been W. 0. Mann, OnJn- ^ ^^'Vnther m Wigo-^-^ Husen-an..-. 



^-''schede, 1875. 



