STYRAX 211 



199. HAMAMELIDIS FOLIA, N.F. HAMAMELIS LEAVES 

 WITCHHAZEL 



The dried leaves of Hamame'lis virgin'iana Linn6, collected in autumn before the 

 flowering of the plants. Not more than 10 per cent, of stems and foreign 

 matter permitted. 



HABITAT. North America. 



DESCRIPTION OF DRUG. Leaves broadly elliptical to obovate, more or less unequal, 

 3.5 to 12 cm. long, 2.5 to 7 cm. broad; apex rounded, acute or acuminate; 

 base obliquely cordate; margin sinuate or sinuate-dentate. Upper surface 

 dark green, midrib and veins prominent, veins of the first order running 

 nearly parallel to the margin; under surface light green, texture coarse, 

 brittle; odor slight; taste astringent. 



Twigs with nodes 2 -ranked giving the younger portions frequently a zig- 

 zag outline; externally yellowish-brown, with a purplish tinge, nearly smooth, 

 faintly longitudinally wrinkled and with small circular lenticels; fracture 

 tough, fibrous bark easily separable from the whitish or green white, finely 

 radiate wood, in which the annular rings are not very distinct; odor slight 

 and characteristic. 



Powder. Dull green. Characteristic elements: The trichomes, one-celled, in 

 groups of 8 to 15, radiating from a center; crystal fibers, calcium oxalate prisms, 

 and stomata. Seldom employed as powder. 



CONSTITUENTS. Gallic acid; hamamelo-tannic acid, CnH^Og + 5H 2 O, resin, 

 and extractive. Distilled Extract of Witchhazel, Hamamelis Water, Aqua 

 Hamamelidis, is prepared from hamamelis bark by macerating the bark in 

 water for twenty-four hours, then distilling the product until the distillate 

 reaches 85 per cent, of the bark used; then add 15 per cent, of alcohol. It has 

 a peculiar odor, a somewhat saccharine taste, is quite stable, and presents no 

 pharmaceutical, chemical, or therapeutical incompatibility. Its mode of 

 preparation has been to some extent a trade secret, but the above formula 

 furnishes a good preparation. This preparation has built up quite an industry 

 along the Connecticut Valley, where the distillation of the liquid is performed 

 almost exclusively. 



ACTION AND USES. It has come into extensive use as an astringent in hemor- 

 rhoids and internal hemorrhages, and as a general vulnerary. The distillate, 

 known as "Extract of Witchhazel," is alleged to have properties which are 

 not professionally recognized. Average dose: 30 gr. (2 Gm.). 

 Fluidextractum Hamamelidis Foliorum, Dose: 10 to 60 ITR (0.6 to 4 mils). 



200. HAMAMELIDIS CORTEX. WITCHHAZEL BARK. Thin pieces covered 

 with an easily separable grayish or grayish-brown cork, more or less covered 

 with blackish dots and scars. When deprived of this layer, the bark is pale 

 cinnamon -brown, fibrous. Odorless; taste astringent, bitter, and somewhat 

 pungent. Its medical properties are the same as those of the leaves. The 

 bark and twigs are official under the above title. 



201. STYRAX. STORAX 

 LIQUID STORAX 



A balsam obtained from the wood and inner bark of Liquid'ambar orienta'lis 



Miller. 



SOURCE AND DESCRIPTION. This balsam is not a natural part of the plant 

 but is produced as a result of the stimulus from wounds in the bark. 



