RHIZOMA COPTIDIS. 3 



slightly acid glucoside which they named Hellehorein. It occurs only 

 in very small proportion, but is rather more abundant in H. niger than 

 in H. viridis. When boiled with a dilute acid, helleborein, C^''H*^0^^ 

 is resolved into Helleboretin, C"H^O^ of a fine violet colour, and sugar, 

 C^'H^O^l It is remarkable that helleboretin has no physiological 

 action, though helleborein is stated to be poisonous. 



An organic acid accompanying helleborin was regarded by Bastick 

 as probably aconitic (equisetic) acid. There is no tannin in hellebore. 



Uses — Black Hellebore is reputed to be a drastic purgative. In 

 British medicine its employment is nearly obsolete, but the drug is still 

 imported from Germany and sold for the use of domestic animals. 



Adulteration — Black Hellebore root as found in the market is not 

 always to be relied on, and without good engravings it is not easy to 

 point out characters by which its genuineness can be made certain. In 

 fact to ensure its recognition, some pharmacopoeias required that it 

 should be supplied with leaves attached. 



The roots with which it is chiefly liable to be confounded are the 

 following : — 



1. Helleborus viridis L, — Although a careful comparison of authen- 

 ticated specimens reveals certain small differences between the roots 

 and rhizomes of this species and of H. niger, there are no striking 

 characters by which they can be discriminated. The root of H. viridis 

 is far more bitter and acrid than that of //. niger, and it exhibits more 

 numerous drops of fatty oil. In German trade the two drugs are sup- 

 plied separately, both being in use ; but as H. viridis is apparently the 

 rarer plant and its root is valued at 3 to 5 times the price of that of -ff. 

 niger, it is not likely to be used for sophisticating the latter. 



2. Actcva spicoia L. — In this plant the rhizome is much thicker; 

 the rootlets broken transversely display a cross or star, as figured in 

 Fliickiger's " Grundlagen " (see p. vii.), fig. 64, p. 76. The drug has but 

 little odour ; as it contains tannin its infusion is blackened by a 

 persalt of iron, which is not the case with an infusion of Black 

 Hellebore. 



RHIZOMA COPTIDIS. 



Rcidix Coptidis ; Goptis Root, Mishmi Bitter, Mishmi Tita. 



Botanical Origin — Coptis Teeta Wallich, a small herbaceous plant, 

 still but imperfectly known, indigenous to the Mishmi mountains, east- 

 ward of Assam. It was first described in 1836 by Wallich.^ 



History — This drug under the name of Mahmira is used in Sind 

 for inflammation of the eyes, a circumstance which enabled Pereira^ to 

 identify it with a substance bearing a nearly similar designation, men- 

 tioned by the earty writers on medicine, and previously regarded as the 

 root of Chelidoniwni nuijus L. 



Thus we find that Paulus iEgineta in the 7th century was ac- 

 quainted with a knotty root named Ma/mipag.^ Rhazes, who according to 



1 Trans, of Med. and Phys. Soc. of Cal- ^Fharm. Journ. xi. (1852) 204; also 



cutta, viii. (1836) 85. Reprinted in Per- Mat. Med. I.e. 



eira's Materia Medica, vol. ii. part 2 (1857), ^ See also Meyer, Oeschtchte der Botanik, 



699. ii. (1855) 419. 



