106 OCCURRENCE OF SAPONIN, ETC. 



As the commercial saponin, in doses of 2 drachms, is a 

 deadly poison to dogs, it may well be supposed that a dose of 

 6 drachms would kill a man ; and this quantity is contained in 

 the extract from only 21b. of " wattle curls." In Europe many 

 fatal cases of poisoning by saponin occurred sometimes, as the 

 seeds of the common weed, Ayrostemma Githago, get mixed with 

 the grain and go into the bread. The symptoms have been 

 headache, vertigo, vomiting, hot skin, rapid pulse, great 

 difficulty in standing erect, and, finally, deep coma and 

 cardiac palsy. 



Eespecting the medicinal value of the black wattle curls, it 

 must be stated that they can be used for exactly the same 

 purposes to which the drugs containing saponin are applied in 

 medicine. Sapwort has been used in Germany as a remedy in 

 venereal and scrofulous affections and cutaneous eruptions. It 

 appears to act as an alterative, like sarsparilla, to which it has 

 been deemed superior in efficacy by some physicians. 



As a taenicide wattle curls might be used in rustic 

 medicine, as an infusion very likely would not produce more 

 irritation in the alimentary canal than oil of turpentine, which 

 is still much used for tapeworm in some parts of Europe. 

 Finally, there is not the slightest reason for thinking more o^ 

 senega root than of the black wattle pods as an expectorant in 

 indolent respiratory complaints. I must state here, however, 

 that I have now and have always had a great aversion to all 

 saponin containing drugs, and that I never used — and never will 

 use — any of them for my patients, be it senega or black wattle. 

 There is one point left to be discussed — the occurrence of 

 saponin in the acacia leaves at the time when it is found to 

 prevail in the pods. Is it formed in the leaves, and does it 

 migrate to the pods '? Or is it formed in the pods, and does it 

 go to the other parts of the plant from there ? The question is 

 a- difficult one; still an answer is given (1) by the fact that 

 saponin makes its appearance first in the unripe pods, and only 

 after some days in the leaves ; (2) the analogy with similar 

 processes shows that tannic acids in many instances are formed 

 in unripe fruits, to be transformed into sugar when the fruits 

 ripen. Unripe bananas are very rich in gallotannic acid, and 

 even when they are cut off, the tree will lose nearly every trace 



