SOME USEFUL PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS 319 



lating substance, similar to caffein, called theobromin. 

 Brazil or Paraguay tea, prepared from the dried leaves of a 

 member of the holly family, is used in some of the countries 

 of South America. It also contains caffein. 



Alcoholic beverages of one sort or another are used in 

 all parts of the world. Most important of the fermented 

 beverages, produced by the action of yeasts, are wines (made 

 mostly from grapes) and beers (made from barley malt to 

 which hops have been added). There are many other 

 fermented drinks used in particular countries or localities ; 

 for example, pulque, made in Mexico from the juice of some 

 of the agaves ; sake", a Japanese drink made from rice ; and 

 toddy, made in various tropical countries from the sap 

 of the coconut palm and from other materials. By distilling 

 fermented beverages, liquors containing a larger proportion 

 of alcohol are obtained. Whisky is made in this way from 

 the fermented juices of rye, corn, or sometimes of other 

 grains. Gin is distilled from rye or other grain and flavored 

 'with juniper berries ; vodka is distilled from rye or potatoes ; 

 and rum from the juice of the sugar cane. Brandy is dis- 

 tilled from wine, mescal from pulque, and arrack from toddy. 

 Absinth is made by steeping wormwood in alcohol or in a 

 strong liquor. 



337. Other Stimulants and Narcotics. Aside from the 

 stimulating beverages already mentioned, plants supply a 

 number of substances that are used for their stimulating or 

 narcotic effects in other than liquid form. Of these the best 

 known is tobacco. The tobacco plant was originally a 

 native of America, but its cultivation and use now extend 

 to almost all parts of the world. Many other substances, 

 most of them more powerful than tobacco, are used both for 

 their narcotic effect and in medicine. Opium is made by 

 drying the juice which exudes from cuts in the unripe fruits 

 of the white poppy. It is extensively used, especially in 

 Asiatic countries. Morphin and laudanum are prepared 



