30 KRAMEKIA TEIANDRA 



from South America, and was .official in the Dublin Pharma- 

 copoeia, but nothing definite is known about it, and it is not now 

 to be met with, at least in Great Britain. It is interesting 

 from the fact of Wittstein having discovered in it a crystalline 

 body, which he regarded as identical with tyrosine ; but 

 other chemists, as Stadeler and Ruge, have described it under the 

 name of Ratanhin, as according to them, it has a different 

 composition to tyrosine. 



Medical Properties and Uses. The properties and uses of 

 rhatany are similar to those of catechu; it is a powerful 

 astringent, and like other agents of this class, tonic also. It has 

 been found useful for internal administration in chronic diarrhoea, 

 dysentery, menorrhagia, hsematuria, and passive haemorrhage 

 from the bowels, &c. ; as a gargle in relaxed sore throat ; as an 

 injection in leucorrhosa, and in fissures of the anus; and as an 

 astringent wash to the mucous membrane of the eyes, nose, 

 gums, &c. 



The powder is also used as a dentifrice when mixed with equal 

 parts of orris rhizome and charcoal, or with prepared chalk and 

 myrrh. 



The extract of rhatany as imported from South America, was 

 formerly employed as an adulterant of port wine ; and a strong 

 tincture of the root in brandy is called wine colouring, and is 

 said to be used in Portugal to give roughness to port wine. 



Per. Mat. Med., vol. ii, pt. 2, p. 569 ; Christison's Disp., 2nd ed., 

 p. 581; Pharmacographia, p. 74; U. S. Disp., by W. & B., 

 pp. 514 and 1143; Gmelin's Chem., vol. xiii, p. 358; Journ. de 

 Pharm. et de Chim., Jan., 1868, p. 73; Chem. Centralblatt, 

 1864, p. 1054. 



DESCEIPTION OP PLATE. 



Drawn from a specimen in the British Museum collected in Peru by Pavon. 

 The root added from a pharmaceutical specimen. 1. A branch with flowers 

 and fruit. 2. Front view of a flower. 3. Yertical section of a flower. 4. One 

 of the anterior petals, 5. Fruit. 6. Section of the same. 7. One of the 

 barbed spines. 8. Portion of the root. (2-4 and 7 enlarged.) 



