154 UMBELLIFERA. 
appearance, &c., and with regard to its properties informs us 
that it is attenuant, detergent, antispasmodic and expectorant, 
and is prescribed in paralytic affections, hysteria, chro: 
bronchitis and asthma,* also on account of its supposec 
stimulant action upon the uterus. Externally it is used asa 
physicians of the East have been in doubt as to the identi iY 
of the Persian Jaw4shir and the galbanum of Greek writers. 
In India galbanum is little used, the bulk of what is import 
into Bombay being sent to Egypt and Turkey as Jawdshu 
It is hardly necessary to add that those writers who 
identified Jawdshir with Opoponax can never have seen t 
latter drug. We have never met with Opoponax in India. — 
Description.—Persian galbanum as met with in 
Indian market is a yellow or greenish yellow semi-fluid 
stance having an odour between that of Levant galbant 
and sagapenum; it is generally .mixed with portions of | 
stem, flowers, and fruit of the plant: in some samples the 
samples, which seem to have been collected in a different mé 
ner, find their way to India: these contain slices of root a 
gum-resin in hard, dry tears, like that of Levant galbanum. 
Chemical composition.—According to Hirschsohn, 
Persian galbanum should yield to petroleum spirit not } 
than 65 per cent. consisting of volatile oil and resin, 
average yield of Levant galbanum being between 60 and 6: 
per cent. The amount of ash in Persian galbanum should n¢ 
exceed 4 per cent., being less than the ash of ordinary lum 
Levant galbanum by 2 per cent. The best Levant in te 
gives the same ash as clean Persian. As a qualitative 
action to distinguish the varieties of galbanum, hydroch 
acid can be used, as it colours the Persian resin yello 
* The Jawashir pill often prescribed in asthma consists of -—_ 
of Jawashir and colocynth pulp rubbed up with honey. 
