CINCHONACEjE. 

 Common Names. — Undulated Ipecacuanha ; White Ipecacuanha. 



Fig. 167. 



355 



R. scabra. 



Description. — Stem decumbent, pilose, much branched. Leaves ovate or ovate-lanceo- 

 late, with their margins scabrous, and furnished with short, setaceous stipules. The 

 flowers are in capituli at the ends of the branches. The lobes of 

 the calyx are triangular, and those of the corolla are pilose at 

 their apex. 



It is found in many parts of Brazil, in sandy, dry 

 situations, flowering during nearly the whole year. The 

 root is from four to eight inches long, annulated, or sub- 

 annulated by transverse depressions, and having longi- 

 tudinal furrows or striae. Epidermis in the recent root 

 whitish; in the dry, grayish, or pale-fulvous, smooth. 

 Cortical portion soft, white, farinaceous, friable, with an 

 acrid, and somewhat nauseous taste and smell. Ligne- 

 ous part pale-yellow, inodorous, and insipid. An analy- 

 sis of it, by Pelletier, shows it to contain only about six 

 per cent, of emetine. It was for some time supposed 

 that the white ipecacuanha was the product of a Viola, 

 until Dr. Gomez proved that it was derived from one or 

 more species of the present genus. M. Guibourt has pro- 

 posed to call it undulated Ipecacuanha, as it is rather 

 undulated than annulated ; or, in other words, the de- 

 pression on one side of the root corresponds to the eleva- 

 tion on the other. 



Medical Properties. — It is a very mild emetic, of the 

 same character as Ipecacuanha, and is much esteemed in 

 Brazil, but is not used in Europe or this country. From 

 the experiments made with it by Dr. Gomez, he found 

 that it required from one to two drachms of the powder 

 to produce its full effects. 



Two or three other species are also used, one of which, 

 the R. rosea, or, as it is called by the natives, Poayo do 

 campo, closely resembles the true Ipecacuanha both in Roots of Bfchardsania. 

 appearance, sensible properties, and doses, and is said to J; 5" JSetica ? 



be the best substitute for it. 



