178 Botanic Drugs 



bitters so act and, as well, the augmented gastric 

 acids promoting the production of secretin in the 

 duodenum, and inducing pancreatic activity. 



Moorhead, in Jour, of Pharmacology and Exper. 

 Ther., Dec., 1915, paralleling Carlston's experiments 

 on healthy animals by similar ones on unhealthy 

 animals, found that the influence of bitters is defi- 

 nite in increasing the quality and quantity of the 

 gastric juice. He contends that this influence is 

 caused reflexly through the nerves of the taste and 

 not by any direct stimulation of the stomach itself. 



Thus, the pharmacology of the bitters is predi- 

 cated upon the influence in disease being definite, 

 while in health there is no definite effect produced, 

 another instance showing that clinical experience is 

 not always negatived by the findings derived by 

 experiments on healthy animals. 



THERAPEUTICS. The bitters stimulate appetite and 

 digestion, especially in convalescence, in chronic gas- 

 tritis, in general debility, and in dyspepsia associated 

 with deficient secretion of hydrochloric acid. 



ADMINISTRATION. The simple bitters should be 

 administered in liquid form only a few minutes 

 before eating. In pill form they serve no useful 

 purpose, so far as is known at present. The tannin- 

 free bitters, more especially in intestinal indigestion, 

 are calumba, chirata, and quassia. Gentisin, in gen- 

 tian, gives a reaction with ferric chloride, thus giving 

 the erroneous impression that gentian is rich in 

 tannin, which is not the case. 



DOSAGE. Extract of gentian is used only as a 

 pill excipient. The fl. is given in an average dose 

 of 15 minims; the compound tincture in doses of a 

 fluidrachm or more, but doses of 30 to 45 minims 



