13 JATEORHIZA CALUMBA 



but have preferred to keep the former specific name to the latter ; 

 the two being of the same date. 



Oliver, PI. Trop. Africa, i, p. 42 ; Miers, Contrib. Bot., iii, p. 27 ; 

 Roxb., Fl. Indica, iii, p. 807 ; Hook., in Bot. Mag., t. 2970-1 ; 

 Lindl., Fl. Med., p. 369; Pluck. & Hanb., Pharmacog, p. 22. 



Official Part and Names. CALUMBA KADIX ; the root, cut trans- 

 versely and dried, of Jateorhiza Calumba, Miers, and J. Miersii, 

 Oliver (B. P.). The root (Calumba Radix) of the above plants 

 (I. P.). CALUMBA; the root of Jateorhiza palmata, Miers (Cocculus 

 palmatus, De Candolle) ; and of Jateorhiza Calumba, Miers (Coc- 

 culus palmatus, Wallich, Catal. non DC.) (U. S. P.). 



Collection, Preparation, and Commerce. We have no recent 

 information in reference to the collection and preparation of this 

 drug for the market, the only notice on these points we possess 

 being derived from Dr. Berry's ' Asiatic Researches/ dated as far 

 back as 1808. From these it appears that the roots are dug up 

 from wild plants in the hot and dry season (March), the fleshy 

 tubercules are then separated from the short main root, and cut 

 transversely into slices ; these are dried in the shade, and con- 

 stitute the Calumba root, Calumba, or Columbo of commerce. 

 Calumba root is either shipped directly to Europe and the United 

 States from Zanzibar, or it is obtained indirectly from Bombay and 

 other Indian ports. It was formerly supposed from its name to 

 be derived from Colombo, the capital of Ceylon ; but, as already 

 noticed, the English name is derived from Kalumb, the native 

 African name for the root. 



General Characters and Composition. Calumba root or Columbo, 

 as commonly met with in commerce, consists of irregular, flattish, 

 circular or somewhat oval pieces, from one to two or more inches 

 in diameter, and from J to ^ an inch or more in thickness. 

 Cylindrical pieces from one to two inches long are also occasionally 

 met with. The cortical part, which is separated from the central 

 woody portion by a fine dark-coloured line, is thick, somewhat 

 corky in texture, yellowish or dull greenish-yellow in colour, and 

 is covered by a brownish-yellow, wrinkled, outer coat. The central 

 or woody portion is of a greyish-yellow colour, more or less concave 



