86 IPECACUANHA. 



States annually. Large quantities of the ipecac of commerce are 

 damaged. They are injured by sea- water and by being gathered 

 during the rainy season. The statement has been made that over 

 four-fifths of the ipecac imported into England is damaged. It 

 is also badly mixed with inferior roots both of the same and of 

 other plants. The most of the substituted roots are nearly 

 smooth, and non-annulated, others are medulated, farinaceous, with 

 white woody cords. All are totally different from the true root. 

 Woody stems are also frequently mixed with the roots. The 

 most of these substitutions under the microscope possess a central 

 pith. 



Powdered ipecac is of a light yellow-gray color, with a 

 peculiar bitter, nauseating taste, slightly acrid. It has a faint 

 musty odor; much of the odor is probably lost in the drying 

 process. The wood is almost tasteless. 



The microscopical structure of ipecacuanha is so character- 

 istic, although quite simple, as to be a sure means of identifica- 

 tion. 



There is first a single layer of tabular cells, empty, flatten- 

 ed rather thick walled and of a dark brown color. [Some au- 

 thors give several rows of these cells and call them cork.* But 

 the best authority gives only one -row. It is possible in the 

 preparation for market, the epidermis together with some of the 

 cork cells are destroyed. If so it is a little surprising that only 

 one layer of cells should so uniformly remain. ] 



The principal part of the root is composed of the bark con- 

 sisting of oval or hexagonal cells, thin walled, with no intercel- 

 lular spaces. The cells are loaded with starch granules. These 

 starch grains are very minute averaging ygVu of an inch in diam- 

 eter. They are generally found in clusters of two, three or 

 four, so when separated they will have one or more plane faces 

 with the rest of the grain rounded. A minute depression or dark 

 spot appears near the center of a majority of the grains. These 

 starch grains are so different from the starches of the most of 

 those substances used as adulterations, as to be easily distin- 

 guished. Some of the 1 cells of the bark are set apart to contain 

 crystals in the place of starch. These crystals are long and 



*Planchon, "Determination des Drogues Simples" vol. i, p. 498, says "seven or eight 

 rows of cells form the outer cork." 



