288 BARKS 



are seen to be surrounded by lignified parenchyma. Contains a bitter, amorphous 

 resin, a crystalline, bitter alkaloid (margosine), margosia acid, a crystalline 

 substance and tannin. Used in India as a bitter tonic. 



NOTE. The seeds yield margosa oil ; the pulp of the fruit is used in India 

 as an ingredient in curries. 



Piscidia (Jamaica Dogwood). The root-bark of Piscidia Erythrina, Linne 

 (N.O. Leguminosce), a West Indian and South American shrub. Quills or 

 curved pieces, 5 to 15 cm. long, 4 to 6 mm. thick. Externally orange brown 

 to dark reddish brown, with thin longitudinal and transverse ridges, somewhat 

 fissured. Inner surface brown, smooth or fibrous. Fracture tough, fibrous, 

 showing greenish patches. Odour characteristic, taste bitter, acrid. Contains 

 crystalline, piscidin, bitter glucoside, resin. Used as a sedative in neuraglia, 

 irritant coughs ; also for dysmenorrhcea and nervous debility. Used in Jamaica 

 as a fish poison. 



Calotropis (Mudar Bark). The dried root-bark of Calotropis procera, Robert 

 Brown (N.O. Asdepiadece), a tree indigenous to India and Ceylon. Short quilled 

 pieces, 2 to 5 mm. thick, 2 to 4 cm. wide, occasionally with rootlets attached. 

 Cork soft, pale buff, longitudinally furrowed, wrinkled ; inner surface pale yellow, 

 granular. Section exhibits a thick buff coloured cork and white inner portion. 

 Cortex and bast contain abundant laticiferous vessels. Starch very charac- 

 teristic; simple grains 3/x to 10/A long, with distinct hilum and conspicuous 

 striations; compound grains with two component grains. Taste bitter and acrid. 

 Contains a yellow bitter resin ; black acid resin ; crystalline colourless madaralbin ; 

 yellow madarfluavil. Used as a diaphoretic and expectorant ; as a substitute 

 for ipecacuanha. 



Condurango. The bark of Gonolobus Condurango, Triana (N.O. Asdepiadece), 

 a climbing plant indigenous to Ecuador. Quilled or curved pieces, 5 to 10 cm. 

 long, 0*5 to 2 cm. wide and 2 to 6 mm. thick. Cork thin, greyish brown, often 

 warty, sometimes scaly; inner surface paler, coarsely striated. Section pale, 

 exhibiting scattered groups of sclerenchymatous cells. Almost odourless ; 

 taste bitter, rather acrid. Contains numerous laticiferous vessels, groups of 

 sclerenchymatous cells and bast fibres, and abundant cluster-crystals of calcium 

 oxalate. Constituents imperfectly known ; one or more toxic glucosides and 

 a toxic resin. Condurangin is the name applied to a mixture of glucosides ; 

 soluble in cold water, precipitated by boiling, re-dissolved on cooling. Used 

 as a cure for cancer, but is useless. 



Elm Bark. The inner branch and trunk bark of Ulmus campestris, Linne 

 (N.O. Urticacece). Flattened pieces, 10 to 12 cm. long, 3 to 5 cm. wide and 

 about 5 mm. thick. Outer surface yellowish or brownish, often with dark 

 brown patches of the outer portion ; fracture short, somewhat fibrous ; section 

 shows numerous dark, usually oblique, medullary rays and tangentially 

 elongated, whitish groups of bast fibres. Inodorous ; tastes lightly astringent, 

 mucilaginous. Contains tannin, mucilage and starch. Formerly used as an 

 astringent. 



Larch Bark. The bark of Larix europcea, de Candolle (N.O. Coniferce), 

 central and southern Europe. Flat, curved, or channelled pieces ; seldom 

 in quills. Outer portion dark brownish red, often several centimetres thick, 

 laminated ; tissue between the laminae often rose pink ; inner portion nearly 

 white. Odour terebinthinate ; taste astringent and terebinthinate. Contains 

 tannin and crystalline larixin, C 10 H 10 O 5 , allied to pyrogallol. Formerly used 

 as an astringent, stimulant and expectorant ; now seldom employed. 



