whose growth and use as an ordeal poison were restricted 
to the French Sudan and the upper parts of Senegal, 
where it was used primarily by the Marabout tribe. 
This plant, which was known in the vernacular as 
bouron, hongkel, kaurane, or kidi-sarane, contains an ex- 
tremely powerful glycoside, adeniine (Ci9H Qs). Its 
action is analagous to digitalis and ouabain in paralyzing 
the heart and affecting the medulla. The muscles and 
nerves remain excited even after death, and lose this 
property very slowly. 
In preparation, the flowers and peduncles were pul- 
verized and infused with water. The solid material was 
then removed. Shortly after drinking, the heartbeat and 
the blood pressure increased. Respiration became labored 
and spasmodic. Accompanying the rise of the respiratory 
irregularity was a similar irregularity of the heartbeats. 
When both reached a peak, they suddenly ceased simul- 
taneously. Post mortem examinations revealed severe 
gastro-intestinal irritation. 
Closely related to this poison was Adenium somalense 
DC., which grew only in those areas of the Sudan which 
were confined to the Sahara Desert. The Somali tribe 
used the expressed juice of this plant in their ordeals. 
Detarium senegalense Gmel. 
Detarium senegalense Gmel. of the Leguminosae occurs 
throughout West Africa, and was known by the natives 
generally as niey datah or datah 1 ney and specifically as 
tali (for the plant), and melt (for the bark). An interest- 
ing interrelationship exists in this terminology, for it is 
identical to that used for Hrythrophleum guineense. It is 
possible, however, that the passage of time brought these 
words into general usage for the designation of many 
plants which were used for the ordeal. 
According to custom, the bark was made into an in- 
[805 J 
