166 THE MEDICINAL PLANTS OF THE PHILIPPINES 



an important part in therapeutics. Dr. Pouloux has made a 

 study of the hydro-alcoholic extract of oleander and reports 

 that it exerts a marked effect on the heart of frogs and rabbits, 

 arresting them in systole. Where there is asystolia, such as 

 we encounter in Bright' s disease, without compensation, it 

 stimulates the heart and increases the urine in the same manner 

 as digitalis. No contraindications to its use are as yet known. 

 It occasions no disagreeable symptoms and may be used many 

 days consecutively provided that the daily dose does not exceed 

 10-15 centigrams. 



The poisonous properties of the plant reside in two alkaloids 

 isolated by Lukowsky from the leaves : oleandrine, extremely 

 toxic and pseudo-curarine, as its name indicates, resembling 

 curare in its action. Oleandrin is yellow, semicrystalline, sol- 

 uble in water, alcohol, ether, chloroform and olive oil ; fusible 

 at 70-75 and changing to a greenish oil. With HC1 it forms 

 a crystalline salt. It is a violent irritant of the mucous mem- 

 branes and given internally it causes emesis, diarrhoea, tetanic 

 convulsions and death. It arrests the cardiac movements in 

 doses of 25 milligrams. 



Loiseleur-Deslongchamps experimented with the drug on his 

 own person, using a solution of 30 grams of the extract in 120 

 grams of wine. He began by taking three drops of this prepara- 

 tion four times a day, adding a drop to each dose every day, so 

 that at the end of 12 days he was taking 48 drops between 6 a. 

 m. and 9 p. m. He reached a maximum of 64 drops a day but 

 was forced to abandon his experiment at that point on account 

 of the unpleasant symptoms induced loss of appetite, great 

 weakness and muscular pains. His deduction was that the 

 plant contained a " destructive and irritant principle." The 

 experiment is of interest as demonstrating the maximum dose 

 of the drug. 



The active principles of the plant reside principally in the 

 leaves and bark, but that they are abundantly present in other 



