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narcotic properties. Herodotus terms the plant Kavva3ic nuspos, stating that 
the Thracians made a kind of cloth of it. The seeds were also thrown upon 
red-hot stones, and their perfumed vapor, so obtained, used for a fume bath, 
which excited from those enjoying it, cries of exultation. Dr. Royle considers 
it the Nepenthes of Homer, “the assuager of grief,” given by Helen to Telemachus 
in honor of Menelaus; she is said to have received the plant from an Egyptian 
woman of Thebes. Dioscorides recommends the herb in the form of a cata- 
plasm for inflammations, and to discuss tumors. Paulus A%gineta says the seeds 
are carminative and desiccative, and the juice of the fresh plant useful for pain 
and obstructions of the ears. In India, the plant is known by names which trans- 
lated mean, “Grass of Fakirs,’ “Leaf of Delusion,’ “Increaser of Pleasure,” 
“Exciter of Desire,” “Laughter Mover,” and “Cementer of Friendship.” 
The true Indian Hemp, z. e., that which contains to the fullest extent the 
narcotic properties of the herb, grows at altitudes of 6000 feet and over, prin- 
cipally in the Himalayas above Calcutta, and in Thibet. These plants differ in 
nowise botanically from those that grow at lower levels, but medically the varia- 
tion is wide. It is certainly admissible here to mention the products of the more 
active form which, for convenience, we will retain as Cannabis Indica. The 
principal commercial form of the Indian plant is called Gunjah, Ganja, or in Eng- 
land Guaza. It is this form that reaches the American markets through London, 
and from which our tincture of C. Zudica should be made. It consists, according 
to a fine specimen kindly given us by Shifflein & Co., of New York, of the dried, 
flowering tops, compressed into small, ovoid masses, cohering by the natural 
resin contained, and composed of small floral leaves, female flowers, and unde- 
veloped seed. Each separate mass exhales a small portion of the stemlet upon 
which it grew, and exhales to a high degree the odor peculiar to the plant. This 
Gunja yields an excellent extract, which, when at a temperature of 65° F., is thick, 
and only runs when held a long time at a sharp angle; it is of so dark a green 
color as to appear jet black; has a strongly narcotic, peculiar, and not unpleasant 
odor; is very adhesive, insoluble in water, and fully soluble in alcohol, its solution 
having a brilliant green color. When placed upon the tongue no taste is at first 
noticed on account of its very slow solubility in the natural secretions of the mouth, 
but after a few moments the taste is a counterpart of the odor, and when the solu- 
tion reaches the base of the tongue an agreeable bitter is notable. This extract 
was formerly used for our tincture. Other forms of the plant sold in India and 
_ Arabia are, a. Bhang, Subjee, or Sidhee, which consists of the dried leaves broken 
into coarse powder with which are intermixed a few seeds. This form is used for 
smoking, and is the narcotic ingredient of the confection called Majun. 3. Charas, 
or Churrus, consisting of the natural resin of the tops and leaves, mixed with bits 
of the plant and much dirt. This form is usually procured by natives who pass 
_ among the plants, wearing a leathern apron to which the resin adheres; in the mean 
_ time the plant tops are rubbed with their hands, and afterward the hands and 
aprons scraped to gather the product. y. Hashisch, Hashish, or Hashash. ‘vhese 
— Soi the Arabian names for hemp. The product consists of the dried flowering tops 
