114 APPENDIX. 
CARYOPHYLLE®, 
False Bikh or Bikhma. 
Towards the end of 1891 certain medico-legal exhibits were 
received in the Chemical Examiner’s Department, Caleutta, from the 
Mongyr District, including a parcel of roots labelled Bikhma. 
Bickhma or Bishma, we may mention, is the vernacular name for 
to Nepal, where it was recognized, and stated to be sold as Bikhma 
in the Bazaars. Up to this period we had had no opportunity of ex- 
amining authentic specimens of Bikhma, and being doubtful whether. 
the drug we had received from Mongyr was true Bikhma or not, we 
forwarded a sample to Dr. Dymock, Bombay, who reported as 
follows :—‘‘ They appear to be the rhizomes of an aroid, and are not 
unlike those of the genera Lagenandra, Arum, and Cryptocoryne. 
They have been cured by some smoking process, have a strong tarry 
odour, and are somewhat translucent, tough, and flexible. They 
have no resemblance in structure to any kind of aconite. I have 
. 
to Fliickiger, and which was examined by Shimoyama. I kept it as 
being a remarkably fine sample; as the drug is expensive, it may be 
adulterated with aconite. Rs. 6 per lb, is the price, and aconite is 
only 9 annas.” His sample, when compared with ours, was wholly 
dissimilar. Under the circumstances we thought it might be of 
interest to examine the spurious Bikhma, and our results are 
embodied in this note. In the condition in which the roots were 
received they were so horny that it was impossible to powder them, 
and they were cut into fragments, exposed to a temperature of about 
80° C. for some time, allowed to cool, and then at once pulverised, 
During the process the dust caused watering of the eyes and sneezing. 
When dried at 100° C. the powder lost 6-23 per cent. of moisture. 
In extracting the powder 315-5 grammes were exhausted with boiling 
rectified spirit, and the tincture evaporated on a water-bath until it 
ceased to smell of alcohol. The resulting extract was of a dark 
