PRIMULACE A, ) 347 
twisted and recurved after flowering. Corolla bright scarlet, 
with a violet coloured mouth; its edges finely crenate, or 
minutely fringed with glands. Fruit pale and transparent, the. 
size of a pea. Seeds roughish. The plant has.a somewhat. 
bitter and acrid taste. 
Chemical composition. —D: Malapert (1857) has shown that 
the poisonous properties of the plant are due to the presence of 
a. substance-similar to, if not identical with, Saponin. J. A. 
Heintzelman obtained’a small quantity of volatile oil from the 
dry herb, and found it of a strong peculiar odour anda pun- 
gent and acid taste, A few drops produced. headache and 
nausea lasting for several hours. 
CYCLAMEN PERSICUM, Miller. 
Fig.—Bot. Mag. t. 44. Sow-bread (Hng.), Arthanite, 
Pain de pourceau (J’r.) 
Hab.—Persia. Levant.. The tubers. 
Vernacular —Bakhér-i-Miryam (Ind. Bazars).. 
History, Uses, &c.—Under the name of. Kuahapivos, a 
species. of Cyclamen is mentioned. by Greek medical writers, 
which Fée considers to. have been O. hederefolium, Ait., and 
Littré C. grecum, Lam.: it was also called ixGvdenpov, * fish- 
taker,” from its being used to kill fish, and according to Theo- 
phrastus was used as.a love charm. It is described as having 
emetic, purgative and hydrogogue properties, and was consi- 
dered to be useful as. an emmenagogue, as an antidote to the 
poison of snakes, and when locally applied, as a resolvent of 
tumours. The juice was blown into. the nose to purge the 
brain; mixed with wine it is said to have intoxicating proper- 
ties. The plant was supposed to cause pregnant women to 
abort if they walked over it, and the dried root was worn by 
men as.an amulet to protect them against spells. Pliny (25, | 
67) calls it Cyclaminos, and states that it is known in Italy s 
‘Tuber terre ; he repeats much of what Dioscorides says about 
its medicinal properties. ‘The Arabian physicians 
jee ee ME ee Sed oR Bal 
