CANNABIS INDICA 499 



CANNABIS INDICA 



INDIAN HEMP. The dried, flowering, or fruiting tops of the 

 female plant of Cannabis sativa, grown in India, from 

 which the resin has not been removed (B.P.). Nat. 

 Ord. Cannabinese. 



The Cannabis sativa cultivated in India, and also in the 

 southern states of America, attains a height of four to ten 

 feet. The stalks, leaves, female tops, fruit, and exuding 

 resin are used in making the extract, the preparation gener- 

 ally prescribed. The most active extract is stated to be 

 obtained from the resinous juice, cannabin or ehurrus, which, 

 although exuding from various parts of the plant, appears 

 to be more potent when got from the female flowering tops. 

 Churrus, mixed with tobacco and treacle, is smoked in the 

 East as an intoxicant, producing dreamy narcosis. The 

 larger leaves and fruit, with adhering resin, constitute 

 bhang, which is sometimes given to horses on long journeys. 

 Gunjah consists of the leaf-stalks, with adhering brown 

 leaves, dried, flowering, and fruiting tops and resinous 

 exudate. Hasehisch is an Arabian preparation obtained 

 from the tops of the female plants after flowering. In India, 

 bhang and gun j ah are given to vicious horses when being 

 shod, or when undergoing surgical operations. 



Indian hemp, for pharmaceutical use, occurs in compressed, 

 rough, dusky green masses, consisting of the branched 

 upper part of the stem bearing the leaves and pistillate 

 flowers or fruits, matted together by a resinous secretion. 

 The upper leaves are simple, alternate, 1-3-partite, the 

 lower are opposite, and digitate. The fruit is one-seeded, 

 and supported by an ovate-lanceolate bract (B.P.). The 

 composition of cannabis indica is still uncertain, but the 

 following constituents have been obtained : 



Cannabin, a glucoside ; cannabinol, an oil which is said to 

 be the active principle ; cannabene, a volatile oil ; tetano- 

 cannabine, and a resinous body cannabinon, insoluble in 

 water, soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, fats, and 

 volatile oils. 



The extract is directed to be prepared by exhausting 

 Indian hemp in coarse powder, with alcohol (90 per cent.), 



