RUBIACEjE. CLXXVI. CEPH^LIS. 



607 



Poaia do Matto by those of the southern provinces ; and Cipo 

 by others, which is the name often given to it by the Portuguese 

 settlers. The root is simple, or a little branched, and furnished 

 with a few short radicles, irregularly bent, externally brown, 

 wrinkled from rings. 



It appears that a native of Brazil, whose name was Mi- 

 chael Tristan, was the first who brought ipecacuanha into 

 use. He speaks of it as a remedy for dysentery. Piso 

 afterwards describes it, and speaks of two sorts (hist. nat. bras. 

 p. 101.), the white and brown, which he says were given for 

 fluxes, and as vomits. But we are indebted to Helvetius for 

 bringing it into general use, under the patronage of Louis XIV., 

 from whom he received a thousand pounds, to reveal the secret 

 medicine with which he so successfully treated dysentery. Be- 

 sides the brown ipecacuanha, there is another sort, brought from 

 Brazil, which varies in appearance from the former ; and some 

 have supposed that these differences are owing to accidental 

 circumstances, such as the place of growth, the kind of soil, &c. ; 

 but, on the authority of M. Gomez, the common brown ipecacu- 

 anha of the shops, is yielded to be Cephcelis ipecacuanha, while 

 the white is the root of Richardsbnia scabra and R. rosea, 

 which is exported largely to Portugal. Besides these, the name 

 of ipecacuanha, which, in the language of South America, means 

 vomiting root, is given to various species of Cyndnchum, Ascle- 

 pias, Euphorbia, Di-rstenia, and Ruellia ; and with regard to 

 their comparative power, De Candolle says that vomiting is 

 produced by 22 grains of Cyndnchum ; by 24 of Psychotria 

 emetica; by from 60 to 72 of Viola calceolaria; and by from 1 

 to 3 drachms of C. ipecacuanha. Linnaeus, in a paper pub- 

 lished in the third volume of " Amoenitates Academicae," gave 

 ipecacuanha, as a trivial name, to a species of Euphorbia, a na- 

 tive of Virginia and Carolina, the root of which is there used as 

 an emetic. But this was soon discovered not to be real ipecacu- 

 anha. In his second " Mantissa" he gave the trivial name to a 

 species of Viola, a native of Brazil, the root of which he sup- 

 posed to be the white ipecacuanha of the shops. De Candolle, 

 in a paper published in the " Bulletin des Sciences par la Societe 

 Philomatique," and republished entire in the " Nouveau Dic- 

 tionnaire d' Histoire Naturelle," says there are three species of 

 Viola which produce the white ipecacuanha ; the V. calceolaria, 

 a native of Guiana and the Antilles ; the V. ipecacuanha, and 

 the V. paniflora, both natives of Brazil. The roots of these, 

 and especially the last, are sometimes mingled in common with 

 the true, or brown, ipecacuanha ; but they are a fraudulent 

 adulteration, and do not possess its active properties. They 

 may be distinguished by their colour, but most certainly by the 

 size of the woody part, which in these is always considerably 

 thicker than the bark ; whereas in the true ipecacuanha it is 

 much less, and, as described by Brotero, is only a fibre. 



The black or striated Ipecacuanha (Psychotria emetica) is ex- 

 ported from Carthagena to Cadiz, and is also said to be the 

 Peruvian grey ipecacuanha. The root is black within and 

 without, fusiform, articulated, striated, and not annulated. 

 The rvhite ipecacuanha is described by Gomez to be the root 

 of Richardsbnia scabra; it is of a dirty white, and turns 

 brown by drying ; it is simple, or a little branched, often 5 or 6 

 lines thick, 3 inches long and upwards, variously twisted, and 

 tapering at its extremities, with transverse annular rugosities, 

 larger than those of the brown ipecacuanha. The common 

 brown ipecacuanha is exported from Rio Janeiro to Portugal. 

 Its colour varies from different degrees of grey and brown ; but 

 it is characterized by being contorted, wrinkled, and unequal in 

 thickness ; having a thick brittle bark, deeply fissured trans- 

 versely, covering a central, very small white wood, so as to give 

 the idea of a number of rings strung upon a thread. 



Qualities and chemical properties. Powdered ipecacuanha 



has a sickly odour, and a bitterish acid taste ; and on those who 

 pulverize it, sometimes excites such powerful effects as to pro- 

 duce nausea, faintings, and spitting of blood. It has been sub- 

 jected to various chemical investigations, and Dr. Irvine ascer- 

 tained that it contains a gum resin. MM. Pellitier and Ma- 

 gendie, while pursuing their investigation on ipecacuanha, dis- 

 covered that the power of the various kinds of ipecacuanha 

 depended on a peculiar principle, to which the name emetine has 

 been given ; and they think that it might upon all occasions be 

 substituted with advantage, being much more active than ipeca- 

 cuanha itself, without possessing its disagreeable taste and smell. 

 The latter quality resides in a greasy substance, quite distinct 

 from its emetine virtue ; for M. Caventon swallowed it with 

 impunity to the extent of 6 grains. All vegetable astringents, 

 as infusion of galls and vegetable acids, weaken or destroy the 

 power of ipecacuanha ; and Dr. Irvine found that half a drachm, 

 administered in 2 ounces of vinegar, had little effect. 



Medical properties and uses. The utility of ipecacuanha is 

 generally known, and properly appreciated. As an emetic, it 

 operates in doses of from 5 to 30 grains, surely and efficiently, 

 without depressing the system at large, like many other emetics, 

 or injuring the mucous membrane of the stomach ; it is there- 

 fore to be preferred as a mere evacuant of that organ ; and it can 

 be given in the fullest doses with perfect safety, and without 

 exciting much nausea. Its power as an emetic has been rather 

 undervalued in one particular view ; for if opium be taken, 

 recourse is generally had to violent remedies, which, by simple 

 contact with the stomach, when in a torpid condition, cannot fail 

 to produce injurious results. Ipecacuanha is sometimes em- 

 ployed in a full dose after the accession of a paroxysm of inter- 

 mittent fever ; and, by destroying the link which held the chain 

 of diseased sympathies together, it has often succeeded in cutting 

 short the disease. Paroxysms of spasmodic asthma also often 

 yield to the same treatment; and in the more chronic form of 

 that disease, small doses advantageously produce both expec- 

 toration and perspiration. In chronic dysentery and diarrhoea, 

 it is a most useful medicine in small doses. Given in doses of 

 half a grain, it promotes secretion in the lining membrane of the 

 bowels, whereby a healthy condition is eventually re-established, 

 and is, therefore, frequently prescribed in cases of dyspepsia, 

 attended by a foul tongue. Small nauseating doses are advan- 

 tageously given to subdue uterine and pulmonary haemorrhages ; 

 and combined with opium, the effects of both appear to be modi- 

 fied ; so that under the name of Dover's powders, doses of from 

 5 to 10 grains form one of the most powerful and useful sudo- 

 rifics that can be employed for acute or chronic rheumatism, 

 and for eruptive diseases that are disposed to recede. Nauseat- 

 ing doses of ipecacuanha are also useful for hooping-cough, 

 epilepsy and aneurosis. Two kinds of emetine are obtained 

 from ipecacuanha the coloured emetine and pure emetine ; the 

 latter is white and powdery, not acted on by the air, whereas 

 coloured emetine is deliquescent. The cases in which emetine 

 may be given, are the same as those in which ipecacuanha is in- 

 dicated. Pure emetine is much more powerful than the coloured. 

 Two grains are sufficient to kill a large dog. The officinal pre- 

 parations are Pulvis ipecacuanhas, Compositu and Vinum ipeca- 

 cuanhas. Pectoral lozenges of emetine are useful in chronic 

 pulmonary catarrhs, hooping-cough, obstinate diarrhoeas, &c. 



Ipecacuanha Cephaelis. PI. -j to 1 foot. 



31 C. RU'BRA (Hoffm. ex Willd. mss. in Roem. et Schultes, 

 syst. 5. p. 214.) stem dichotomous, kneed; leaves ovate, acumi- 

 nated, petiolate, glabrous above, and downy beneath ; stipulas 

 sheathing, bidentate ; heads terminal, on short peduncles, involu- 

 crated by 6 unequal bracteas. T(.. H. S. Native of Brazil. 

 Roots creeping. Veins of leaves purple. Stems flexuous, tumid 

 at the joints. 



