AMMANNIA VESICATORIA 



117 



a gargle for aphthae and catarrhal sore throat, and as a wash 

 for ulcers and the itch. 



The fruit is edible, resembling slightly the currant ; it has 

 doubtless received the name " granatis " on account of its many 

 seeds. 



Botanical Description. — Small tree, with opposite 

 branches, their ends covered with hairs. Leaves opposite, 3- 

 nerved, V long, very rough with short hairs. Flowers car- 

 mine, in terminal panicles. Stamens 10. Filaments alter- 

 nating violet and straw-color. - 



Habitat. — Mountains of Angat and San Mateo. 



LYTHRACE^ffi. 



Loosestrife Family. 



Ammannia vesicatoria, Roxb. (A. baccifera, L.; A. Indica, 

 Lam.; A. debilis and Celosia mana, Blanco.) 



Nom. Vulg. — Bias pogo, Tag.; Blistering A mmannia, Indo- 

 Eng. 



Uses. — The leaves contain an irritant and acrid principle 

 that renders them vesicant when applied to the skin. The 

 Pharmacopoeia of India quotes Sir W. O'Shaughnessy to the 

 eifect that plasters made of the bruised leaves even when 

 renewed every half hour require 24 hours to raise a blister and 

 at the same time cause severe pain. He found it much more 

 painful than cantharides and much less prompt to act. Dr. 

 Dymock has prepared an ethereal tincture of the leaves and 

 obtained with it results very diiferent from those just men- 

 tioned ; this is not surprising in view of the fact that the tinc- 

 ture holds in solution in a small quantity of ether, a consider- 

 able amount of the vesicant principle. This tincture has the 

 same color as the " epispastic " of the English Pharmacopoeia, 

 causes less pain and rapidly raises a good blister, facts of which 

 I have convinced myself by the use of a small quantity sent 

 me from Bombay in 1891. 



