388 NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



a small scale the appearance of a seed of the horse-chestnut, and used 

 in Brazil to prepare the paste called Guarana} With the coarsely 

 pulverised seeds and water a paste is made, having the colour of 

 chocolate, and formed into cylindrical cakes. Travellers often carry 

 these cakes to dilute with water and make an antifebrile refreshing 

 drink, of a slightly astringent taste, and whose properties are, it 

 appears, very nearly the same as those- of coffee.'^ The seed of 

 the horse-chestnut^ (fig. 404-408) contains a very large fleshy 

 embryo, and it has been long regretted that the immense amount of its 

 fecula was not used as an aliment. Animals with some rare excep- 

 tions do not eat it easily. It is, however, easy to extract a pure fecula 

 from these seeds, by treating the embryo, reduced to a pulp, with 

 alcalinised or ordinary water, and it can also be transformed into 

 sugar, and then into alcohol. Besides these substances, the horse- 

 chestnut contains an oil extracted from it for medical purposes, 

 and recommended outwardly for rheumatic and gouty affections. It 

 has, like many other SapindaceoB^ the property of rendering water 

 frothy and soapy, consequent, it is said, on its containing saponine. 

 Esculine has also been extracted from it, to which febrifuge and anti- 

 periodic properties have been assigned, similar to those of Quin- 

 quina.'^ The fruit of JEsculus macrostachys ^ is eaten cooked in 

 Carolina, and the seed of several species of the section Pavia ^ has 

 properties analogous to those of jEsculus Hippocastanum. The seeds 

 of Staphylia trifoliata '^ contain a sweet oil ; they are sometimes eaten 

 like Pistachios. 



' GuiB. op. cit. iii. 592. — Foukn. Journ, febrifuge. It has 'been used for dressing ulcers 



Fharm. et Chim. ser. 3, xxxix. 291. of bad appearance. The roots are considered 



2 It is said that the Guarana contains to he poisonous in America {Poison root.) 



cafeine. ^ Michx, Fl. Bor.-Amer. i. 220. — ^. pani- 



' JEsculus Sippocastanum L. Spec. 488. — DC. flora Wait. Carol. 128. — Pavia macrontachya 



Prodr. i. 597. — Gken. et Gooii. Fl. de Fr. i. DC. Prodr. i. 698, n. 1.—P. edulia PoiT. Arbr. 



324. — MiR. et Del. Diet. Mat. MM. i. 87. — Frziit. t. 88. — Macrothyrsus discolor Spaoh, Ann. 



Nees, pi. Med. t. 375.— Lindl. Fl. Med. 124 ; Sc. Nat. ser. 2, ii. 61. 



Veg. Kingd. 384. — Endl. Fnchirid. 565. — Gtjib. « Especially the ^. glabraW. discolor FviiSK, 



op. cit. iii. 593. — Eosenth. ojo. crt. 783. — B.e\.FI. ruhicunda Jjodv. californica 'Sutt. (Rosenth. 



Med. du XIX' Steele ii. 296. — Sippoeastamum op. cit. 784.) 



vulgare T. Inst. 612, t. 382.— Gjektn. Fmct. ii. 7 L. Spec. 386.— Schm. (Estr. Baum. ii. t. 81. 

 t. 111. — Castanea equinaVaD.Pempt.ili. This — TlC. Prodr. n. 2. — "EisxiL. Finchirid. 6^Z. S. 

 plant was brought from Constantinople to pinnata (fig. 336, 339-341) has the same pro- 

 Paris in 1616. perties (Tolg. Nez coupg, Patenotier). Its root 



* The flower of ^snilus has been employed yields a red dye. Triceros japoniea (p. 343, 



as a cosmetic ; it has been introduced into note 1, fig. 336-338) has a bitter and astringent 



stearine candles. The bark of the tree, in bark, used in Japan for treating dysentery and 



powder or in decoction, has been particularly re- chronic diarrhoea (Gonxoni of the Japanese), 

 commended as tonic, detersive, antiseptic, and 



