SEMEN AREGM. 6G9 



m 



Another adulteration of late much practised, and not always eas}^ to 

 detect by the eye, consists in coating genuine saffron with carbonate of 

 lime, previously tinged orange-red. If a few shreds of such saffron be 

 placed on the surface of water in a wineglass and gently stirred, the 

 water will immediately become turbid, and the carbonate of lime will 

 detach itself as a white powder and subside. Saffron thus adulterated 

 mil freely effervesce when dilute hydrochloric acid is dropped upon it. 

 We have examined Alicante Saffron, the weight of which had been 

 increased more than 20 per cent, by this fraudulent admixture. The 

 earthy matter employed' in sophisticating saffron is said to be some- 

 times emery powder, rendered adherent by honey. We have found 

 that adulterated with carbonate of lime to leave from 1 2 to 28 per cent, 

 of ash .^ 



PALM^. 



SEMEN AREC^. 



Nuces AreccG vel Betel ; Areca N'uts, Betel Nuts ; F. Semence ow Noix 



dIArec; G. ArehaniXme, Betelnilsse. 



Botanical Origin— ^reca Catechu L., a most elegant palm,' with a 

 straight smooth trunk, 40 to 50 feet high and about 20 inches m c»rcuiii- 

 fcrence. The inflorescence is arranged on a branching spadix, with the 

 male flowers on its upper portion and the female near its base. Ihe 



tree is cultivated in the Mala\ 



Indian Peninsula, Ceylon, Indo-China and i 



bably indigenous to the first-named region. 



of the 

 is pro- 



tings as 



Guvdca. It is called in Chinese Pin-lang, a name apparently derived 

 from Pinang, a designation for the tree in the Malay Islands, whence 



t.hp nk,-«^.„ „„_• „^i*_ .i...!_-_j ii,„:„ „,,r.T.i,r Af fhft seeds. The oldest 



^•^vrui J. vawng, a aesignaiion lor lue ticc xu ui^v^ >..^w..~^ -~- 



the Chinese anciently derived their supply of the seeds. 

 Chinese work to mention the pin-lang is the to-Zu-Zma^Y-i^^. a 

 description of Chang-an, the capital of the Emperor Wu-ti B.C. 140-«b. 

 It is there stated that after the conquest of Yunnan, B.C. Ill, some re- 



markabl 



among them more than 100 pm-Zaiir/, which were planted m the imperial 

 gardens. Bretschneider,^ to whose researches we are indebted toi tms 



nfoimat 



*'iiuiination, cites several other UDinese wuii^o, ^^-"^ xi, ^t.«« „» 

 downwards, showing that areca nuts were brought from the then mi- 



Malay 



India. The custom of presenting areca nut to a guest is alluded to in 



a Av-ork of the 4th century. , ,, ..^nnlnfnd 



The Arabian writors/s for instance Ibu BaWa, wo-J^^acqu-tcd 



With the areca nut, which tht 

 of masticating it with lime. 



cn-eat estimation among Asiatics as 



-^iwanut.tnough hem m ffreai tjsLiui.ii^ivx. ^ ^- 



catory, and supposed to strengthen the g^ims, sweeten the breath and 



2 



laeme Papers, 368. '^'i tUe may oj 



Bentley ami Trimcn, Medic. Plants, Foochow, K^/W- -'• 



3 On the stndij of Chinese hotankal workv, 



P^rt 21 (1877); 



