482 LIU AC E^. 



faint acrid odour. ■ The taste is mucilaginous, feebly bitter, and 

 has an acid taste. The starch granules are mostly ovoid, 

 the vascular bundles few, consisting of spiral and jointed 

 vessels. The root is figured by Lyon. {Med. Juris, for Irdia^ 



p. 210.) 



Chemical composition. — The root has been examined by War- 

 den, who obtained from it two resins, a tannin, and a bitter 

 principle which he has provisionally named Superbiue. He 

 considers that the bitter principle is closely allied to, if not 

 identical with that of squills. It was found to be very 

 poisonous, 0'047 gram injected into the stomach being 

 sufficient to kill a full-grown cat, (Inch Med. Gaz., Oct. 



1880.) 



Toxicology. — Ainslie and others speak of the root as violently 

 poisonous, and it finds a place in the list of Indian poisons 

 published by Chevers. {Indian Ann. of Med. Set., ii^ 



p. 147.) 



Med 



following case : — A female, aet. 18, swallowed a quantity of the 

 powdered root. Symptoms of poisoning appeared in half an 

 hour, and were : retching, violent vomiting, spasms and con- 

 tortions of the body, with fearful racking pain ; from time to 

 time there were short intervals of relief, followed by a 

 recurrence of the same symptoms. Death took place in four 

 hours. The post^morfem appearances were congestion of the 

 brain and its membranes, with extravasations of blood. The 

 lungs, Hver, and kidneys were all deeply congested. The 

 gastric mucous membrane showed signs of inflammation. The 

 peritoneal covering of the fundus of the uterus (unimpregnated) 

 was also found inflamed. 



ASPARAGUS RACEMOSUS, mild. 



Yig.^Wight, Ic, t 1056. 

 Hab*— Throuo^hout India. 



