98 



APPENDIX. 



MENISPEKMACE^. 



ft 



Constituents of Calumba Boot. 



M. Bocchiola {Chemist and' Britggut^ Jan. 10, 1891) gives the 

 following percentage composition of the cortical and woody portions 

 of the root : 



L 







n 



Outer part. 



Inner part. 



Water 





P4 » 



1 



^ »■ ■ * ■ . 



13-00 



14-00 



«A.SX1 «ti «■«' --• 





f « V 



r « ■ « >• 



5-00 



6*00 



Ether extract 





* • ¥ 



>» t • ** 



0-70 



0-80 



Alcohol extract ... 





1 « • ■ 



t * « V * « 



3-89 



3-86 



Proof Spirit extract 





V •■ • 



» • • ■ « • 



17-96 



17-80 



Calumbine 





* t « 



■ • m •»• 



1-42 



1-90 



Do. hy titration ,„ 





• * t 



1 



1 • ■ « k » 



0*98 



1-38 



•r 



Berberine ... 





• * • 



1 * « • * • 



1-43 



0-72 



Do- by titration .,, 





■ • « 



k »• *•« 



2-95 



1-45 



The percentage composition of the ash was : 



Silicic acid 14*13 and 7*42, phosphoric acid, as an iron salt, 6-11 

 and V^l, phosphoric acid, combined with alkali and earthy bases, 

 5 04 and 12'63, in the outer and inner parts of the root. 



The author found old roots to contain as much as 2-07 and 2*63 

 percent, of calumbine, and 2'05 and 1-02 per cent, of berberine, 

 showin^r their suDerioritv over the vounirer roots. 



BERBEEIDE.^. 

 Berberis vulgaris, Zinn, 



Aitchison {Notes on Prod, of W. Afyhanistan and N,-E. Persia, 



p. 25) has the following notice of this plant: — "The Barberry, 7^r, 



jirl'hdr^ zer-Jc/iar^ zfr^ zir-bdr^ zir-halak'^ the fruit, zirishkj sirishh. 



A very common shrub, growing at an altitude of 2,000 feet and 

 upwards, from which is largely collected the fruit ; this is consumed 

 locally, as well as being exported in some quantity to India, where it 

 is highly appreciated by the natives as a condiment. Usually the 

 fruit contains no seeds ; it is then much more oval, longer, and of a 

 much lighter colour than that which has seeds. On reaching the 

 Punjab the fruit or preserve is called zirishk-tursh^ to distinguish 

 it in the trade from small, dried, Wack grapes; the latter are our 

 Europcau cujrants, or coriuths. From the root-stocks of the 



