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2388. Mescal rum or brandy.—Distilled from the preceding. 
2388.1. Manioca. Cassava. Yuca.—The root of Manthot palmata (Vell.) Muell. 
Arg. (Euphorbiaceae—Spurge Family). Native of tropical America and 
cultivated. 
2388.2. Liquor de Manioca.—A liquor distilled from the preceding. 
2389. David’s root—The root of Chiococca alba (L.) A. Hitche. (Rubtaceae— 
Madder Family). Native of tropical America. Used by the West Indian 
natives in the preparation of a beverage. Acquired in Jamaica by J. A. 
Shafer. 
2390. Mavi.—An undetermined bark used in Porto Rico in the preparation of a 
beverage. Acquired by L. M. Underwood. 
2391. Caapi root and leafy branch. 
2392. Caapi.—A non-alcoholic beverage prepared by soaking in water the root of 
Banisteriopsis Caapi (Spruce). (Malpighiaceae—Malpighia Family.) 
Nature of northwestern Brazil and cultivated. It produces a profound 
narcotic effect, with great and agreeable hallucinations. A slightly excessive 
dose may cause stupor and death. 
2393. Kava. Kawa.—The rootstock and root of Macropiper latifolium (L.f.) Miq. 
(Piperaceae—Pepper Family). Native of Polynesia and cultivated. 
The source of a beverage much used in the Pacific Islands. 
Proximate Principles or Plant Constituents 
Proximate principles are substances of definite chemical 
composition existing naturally in the living body, such as 
sugar, starch, quinine and oxalic acid. It is in their proxi- 
mate principles that the toxic, medicinal, nutritive and 
other physiological properties of plants reside. In many 
cases, these principles are extracted in the pure state, for 
human use. In others, the plant body, or part of it, con- 
tains the useful principle employed. In such cases, it is 
often desirable to know the percentage of proximate prin- 
ciple that the substance contains, the process of determining 
it being called assaying. Chemical analysis is in large part 
the determination of the proximate principles and their 
amounts. In the use of many medicines and some foods, 
the statutes require that when sold under their legally 
recognized title, they must contain not less than a named 
percentage of useful constituent. Such articles are called 
standardized, and their number is being steadily increased. 
The method is applicable to a very large portion of the 
products in common use and nothing else constitutes such 
