240 SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



CALUMBA.-. Columbo. The root of Jateorhiza palmata (Fam. 

 Menispermacese), a perennial herbaceous climber, native of the forests 

 of eastern Africa. The large, fleshy roots are collected in the dry 

 season, cut into transverse pieces, dried and exported by way of 

 Zanzibar and Bombay. 



Description. In nearly circular or elliptical disks, sometimes 

 irregularly bent, 2 to 5 cm. in diameter, 2 to 10 mm. in thickness; 

 bark externally yellowish-green or dark brown, wrinkled; fracture 

 short, mealy; internally, radiate, yellowish-green, collateral wood 

 bundles forming a concentric zone, bark 4 to 6 mm. in thickness, 

 cambium zone distinct, center either depressed or more or less prom- 

 inent; odor slight; taste bitter and aromatic. 



Inner Structure. See Fig. 108. 



Powder. Greenish-brown, grayish-yellow or bright yellow starch 

 grains numerous, mostly single, occasionally 2- to 3-compound, the 

 individual grains from 0.003 to 0.085 mm. in the long diameter, 

 ovoid, ellipsoidal, frequently very irregular, slightly lamellated, with 

 excentral linear, x-shaped or branching clefts; stone cells few, but 

 very characteristic, having irregularly thickened, strongly lignified, 

 coarsely porous walls and containing one or more prisms of calcium 

 oxalate from 0.010 to 0.030 mm. in length or numerous small, sphe- 

 noidal microcrystals; fragments with tracheae few, the latter with 

 reticulate thickenings, or bordered pores, and associated with wood- 

 fibers having long, oblique, slit-like pores. 



Constituents. Two yellowish alkaloids, closely resembling ber- 

 berine and varying from 0.98 to 1.38 per cent in the bark and 1.02 

 to 2.05 per cent in the wood. To one of these bases the name colum- 

 bamine has been given. Calumba also contains a volatile oil 0.056 

 per cent, starch about 35 per cent, pectin 17 per cent, resin 5 per cent, 

 calumbic acid, calcium oxalate, mucilage, and yields 6 per cent of 

 ash. 



Substitutes. Various substitutes for calumba have been offered, 

 but these are free from starch, or they may contain tannin, as Amer- 

 ican columbo, the root of Frasera carolinensis (Fam. Gentianaceae), 

 an herb indigenous to the eastern United States. This root formerly 

 occurred in the market in transverse disks somewhat resembling 

 calumba, but without the radiate structure. It contains a larger 

 amount of a yellow coloring principle and less gentiopicrin than 

 gentian. 



Adulterants. Calumba has been adulterated with the roots of 

 Tinospora Bakis of tropical Africa and Coscinum fenestratum 

 (both of the Fam. Menispermacese), the latter growing in India. 



