508 SCIENTIFIC AND APPLIED PHARMACOGNOSY 



ellagic acid; a yellow, crystalline coloring principle; calcium oxalate; 

 ash about 3 per cent. 



Arbutin forms colorless, bitter needles, which are soluble in water 

 and alcohol, the solutions being colored azure blue upon the addition 

 of an alkali followed by phosphomolybdic acid. It yields on hydroly- 

 sis hydroquinone (arctuvin) and methyl hydroquinone (see also 

 Chimaphila). 



Ericolin is a yellow, hygroscopic, bitter substance, which yields 

 on hydrolysis the volatile oil ericinol. Ursone occurs in tasteless 

 needles insoluble in water and capable of being sublimed. 



Allied Plants. Various other species of Arctostaphylos contain 

 principles similar to Uva-Ursi. The leaves of trailing arbutus 

 (Epigsea repens) contain ericolin and possibly arbutin. Ericolin 

 occurs in a number of species of Ledum and Rhododendron, and 

 European huckleberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), small cranberry 

 (Oxy coccus palustris) and heather (Calluna vulgaris), all of Europe. 

 The two latter plants are naturalized in New Jersey, the New Eng- 

 land States and eastern Canada. A number of species of Rhododen- 

 dron contain, in addition to andromedotoxin, the same principles 

 found in Uva-Ursi. Marsh tea or narrow-leaved Labrador tea 

 (Ledum palustre), growing in the northeastern United States and 

 Canada, as well as northern Europe and Asia, contains ericolin, arbu- 

 tin, an ethereal oil (the principal component of which is Ledum cam- 

 phor), valerianic, acetic and butyric acids. 



The leaves of Empetrum nigrum contain resin, benzoic acid, 

 tannin, a wax, fructose and probably rutin. (Van Itallie, Jour. 

 Pharm. et Chim., 1918, vii, 18, p. 180. 



Literature. Tunmann, Pharm. Zeit., 1906, p. .757; Pharm. 

 Zentralb., 1906, p. 945. 



GAULTHERIA. Folia Gaultheriae, Spring or Creeping Wintergreen, 

 Aromatic Wintergreen, Teaberry or Checkerberry. The leaves 

 of Gaultheria procumbens (Fam. Ericacea), a low, shrub-like peren- 

 nial, producing slender creeping or subterranean stems, the branches 

 ascending and from 5 to 15 cm. in height. The leaves are alternate 

 and evergreen, the flowers are white, and axillary, and the fruit is a 

 bright red, globular, aromatic berry. The plant is exceedingly com- 

 mon in coniferous woods throughout the eastern United States and 

 Canada. 



The chief interest of this plant lies in its volatile oil, which is 

 obtained by steam distillation. The chief sources of supply at one 

 time were the New England States; it is now, however, obtained 

 from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland. 



