PIMENTA , 245 



Leaves" was the subject of a paper contributed by 

 Dr. A. R. L. Dohme to the American Pharmaceutical 

 Association, 1895. (Proc. Amer. Pharm. Ass'n., 1895, 

 pp. 266-268). His conclusions were to the effect that 

 the alkaloidal deterioration of the leaves as contrasted 

 with the drug in the past was due to poor quality and 

 not to substitution. The paper must be studied as a 

 whole for details. But we must not further encroach 

 on the duties of Dr. Waldbott and Prof. Heyroth, in 

 whose field rests the history and record of the pharma- 

 copceial drug constituents. 



PIMENTA (Pimenta, Allspice) 



Official in all editions excepting New York, 1830 and 1910, 

 in which the product is limited to the oil. In the early editions, 

 1820-1828, 1830, the berries are named. From 1840 to 1870, the 

 "unripe fruit," while later editions give "the nearly ripe fruit," 

 the part to be employed. 



Allspice, Pimenta officinalis, is the berry of a tree 

 native to Jamaica and other West India islands, where 

 it was found in use as a spice by the explorers in the 

 days of the enthusiasm of the new world's discovery. 

 It was probably this substance that Garret, a druggist 

 of London, 1601, gave to Clusius (153), who described 

 it in his Liber Exoticorum. According to Parkinson's 

 (492) Theatrum Botanicum, 1567, it was imported into 

 England soon after the beginning of that century, 

 under the name Round Cardamon. It has received many 

 different names in its passage through various countries, 

 Lewis' Materia Medica, 1761, defining it as follows (382) : 



"Piper Jamaicense, Pharm. Lond. Piper jamaicense 

 sive pimenta, Pharm. Edirib. Amomum, Pharm Wirten- 

 berg. JAMAICA PEPPER, PIMENTO, ALL-SPICE: the dried 

 aromatic berry of a large tree growing in the moun- 



