84 THE MEDICINAL PLANTS OF THE PHILIPPINES 



the burning leaves for inhalation. They also use the gum made 

 by evaporating the juice of the ripe fruit, as a confection and 

 an antiscorbutic. Dr. Linguist recommends the bark as a local 

 astringent in uterine, intestinal and pulmonary hemorrhage and 

 employs the following : 



Fluid Extract. 



Fluid extract of manga bark 10 grams. 



Water 120 " 



Mix. Dose, 1 teaspoonful every 1 or 2 hours. 



BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION. A noble tree, 30 to 40 high, 

 dome-like or rotund in outline. Leaves dark green, lustrous, 

 alternate, lanceolate, entire ; short petioles. Flowers racemose, 

 in verticillate panicles. Calyx, 4, 5 or 6 sepals. Corolla 

 white, fragrant, 4, 5 or 6 petals. Stamens 5, of which per- 

 haps 1, 2 or 3 are fertile. Style on one side of the ovary. 

 Stigma simple. Fruit large, reniform, fleshy, yellow when ripe ; 

 contains a large, flattened, reniform pit. Blooms from Janu- 

 ary even till June. The natives force the fruit by building 

 fires under the trees when but little air is stirring. 



HABITAT. Common throughout the islands. 



Anacardium occidentale, L. (Cassuvium reniforme, Blanco.) 

 NOM. VULG. Kasuy, Tag.; Caskew Nut, Eng. 

 USES. The pericarp of the nut contains an essential oil 

 which is very irritant and used by the Hindoos as a vesicant ; 

 it severely blisters the lips and tongues of imprudent persons 

 who break the nut without taking the precaution of cleansing 

 it of the oil before opening it. In addition to the oil called 

 cardolj the pericarp contains an especial acid anacardic, a little 

 tannin and ammonia. Cardol (C 21 H 31 O 2 ) is an oleaginous, yel- 

 low liquid very unstable, neutral, soluble in alcohol and ether, 

 insoluble in water, volatile, and vesicant if applied to the skin. 

 " Anacardic " acid is white, crystalline, odorless, with a burn- 

 ing, aromatic taste. It melts at 26 and decomposes at 200 



