Rl^BIAPE^.. 



163 



C. Ipecacuanha, Kiclianl. (Ij)e('ac.) Stem pubescent at top, 18 to 24 inches 

 high; root 4 to ♦) inches long, about the size of a g(j(jse-(|uill. Leaves, about 

 6 in number, opposite, petioled, obhjng-obovate, acute, entire, 4 to 6 inches 

 long, 1 to 2 wide, rougli above, downy and veined beneath; stipules clasj)ing. 

 membranous at l)ase, split above into numerous bristle-like divisions, falling. 

 Flowers, 8 to 10, small, white, each with a green Ijract, forming a little head 

 on an axillary foot-stalk, and indoseil by a 1-leaved involucre, cut into 4 or G 

 segments. Fruit, an ovate, purple berry, becoming black ; seeds small, ]>lano- 

 convex, 2 in number. 



Geography. — The cephaelis is a tropical and subtropical plant, and flourishes 

 in rich, damp woods. 



Eti/niologi/. — Cephaelis is from KecpaXri, Greek for " head," alluding to the 

 form of inflorescence. Ipecacuanha is from the Brazilian ipecaayuen, road- 

 side, sick-making plant, 



Historij. — This drug is said to 

 have been introduced into the ma- 

 teria medica by .John Helvetius, 

 a Dutch physician practicing in 

 Paris. He fir.«t used it as a secret 

 remedy in dysentery, and was in- 

 duced by Louis XI Y. to reveal his 

 secret, for which the sum of 2r),0(U) 

 francs was aAvarded him. Tlie 

 home of the Cephaelis is the damj), 

 rich woods of the valley of the 

 Amazon. It is found in Bolivia 

 and Colombia, has been intro- 

 duced into the "West Indies and 

 Hindustan, and is under success- 

 ful cultivation in India. 



The American ipecacuanha is 

 the root of the Ku])liorbia Ipecac- 

 uanha; it has a local reputation as 

 an emetic, and is occasionally used 

 as a substitute for the South American drug. 



Cliemistrj/. — The active principle of i])ecac is emetine, of which it contains 

 less than 1 per cent. Pelletier discovered, or rather isolated, it in 1817, and 

 found it to bo an alkaloid. 



Use. — The medical jjvoperties are astringent, dia])horctic, expectorant, and 

 emetic. The active principle is largely in the bark of the root, though the 

 woody part of the root also possesses it. 



It forms, in combination with oj)ium, the wel]-km)wn Dover's j)owders. It 

 is an important medicine in dysentery, and is an ingredient in most cough 

 medicines. 



Cephaelis Ipkcacuanha (Ipecac 



RUBIA, Toiirn. (Mndder.) Cal^-x-tubp eg^-shap^d, ;>-toothe(l ; corolla 

 rotate, .Vpart.^l ; stamens 5, sliort, 2 .styles, united at tlie ha.se. Fruit in 

 twos, berry-like, sinootli and subglobular. Perennial, herbaceous, does 

 not flower until the third year. 



1. R. tinctorum, 

 turned })ackwar(ls. 



L. Stem weak, 4-angled, angles armed with prickles 

 .r downwards, trailing or climbing. Leaves in whorls of 



