RANUNCULACEE. . SF 
’ ‘in epilepsy, chorea, and whooping cough, the evidence in 
; favour of its efficacy is very slender. 
 Description.—The dried tubers are from 1 to 3 inches’ 
; in length, and $ inch to ? inch in diameter, tapering to.a point 
at both ends; the external surface is brown and channelled 
4 “Tongitndinally the interior is starchy and white; the cortex 
4 on section is seen to be hard and gritty and of a yellowish 
colour; taste slightly acrid; the central starchy portion is 
3 Bimost tasteless. The odour of the aoe cut tuber is faintly 
acrid. 
Chemteal composition iWissets obtained from the fresh root 
a distillate having the odour of bitter almonds, and acquiring 
_a blood-red colour by ferric chloride; separated by means of. 
_ ether the volatile oil had a pale yellow colour; the analysis of 
_ the fresh root by Morin proved the presence of starch, sugar, 
- fat, malates, oxalatesand phosphates, a little tannin, &c. (Stillé 
and Maisch, National Dispensatory, 8rd Wd.; p. 1122.) 
Commerce.—The tubers are imported from Turkey. 
COPTIS TEETA, Wail. 
Fig.——G@riff. Ic. iv., t. 660, f. 2. 
Hab.—Assam, China, Tibet. The rhizome. 
Vernacular.—Mamiran, Mishmi{ tita (Hind., Bomb.), Haladio- 
_ vachnag (G'uz.), Sou-line or Chynlen- (Chin.). 
History, Uses, &c.—The paptpas of Paulus Aigineta, 
_ who doubtless obtained his knowledge of it from the early — 
Indian traders ; the drug probably passed by the same com- — 
_ mercial route as it does now, viz., from China to Western — 
India, and thence to Europe. Mémfran is noticed by the 
_ early Arabian writers as a kind of Turmeric (Urtk). T : 
plant is described by Mir Muhammad Hussain “as _ 
leaves like ivy ; it is said to grow near water in the hi 
of India, China, and Khorasin, ‘The Indian kine 
