174 The Philippine Journal of Science 1917 



A slight separation of the less liquid components is observed 

 when the oil has stood for several months. Ten cubic centimeters 

 of the oil produced purging in an adult person without the 

 hiccoughing, which is produced by taking a number of the whole 

 kernels. The oil failed to show anthelminthic properties when 

 given to children. 



An alcoholic extract of the residue, after petroleum ether and 

 ether extractions, gives by vacuum evaporation a fragrant, pleas- 

 ant-tasting substance readily soluble in water and precipitated 

 from alcoholic solution by ether. When dry, it is white and 

 vitreous. It strongly reduces Fehling's solution. It is probably 

 a sugar. The yield is about 1.5 per cent. No apparent physio- 

 logical action is noticed from the administration of it to adult 

 persons or to guinea pigs. The original plant kernel after the 

 above extraction was macerated with water. Much mucilaginous 

 substance was obtained. This substance swells in water, forming 

 a translucent solution. It is precipitated in a flocculent white 

 state by alcohol. Boiled with dilute hydrochloric acid, it is con- 

 verted into reducing sugars. The substance is believed to be 

 vegetable mucilage or a gum, which is fairly soluble in water. 

 A solution of this gum forms precipitates with most of the 

 group reagents for alkaloids. It may possibly be due to this 

 fact that some investigators report the presence of alkaloids in 

 Quisqualis indica.™ 



After the removal of the gums from solution and evaporating 

 and cooling of the filtrate, crystals of potassium sulphate formed, 

 giving a yield of 3.87 per cent of purified compound. It may be 

 that these two latter products are accountable for the medicinal 

 properties attributed to the plant. It was not thought advisable 

 with the small amount of material at hand (it being the end of 

 the bearing season for sound fruit) to attempt to perform phy- 

 siological tests of a conclusive nature. 



An oil was extracted from the seeds that has purgative prop- 

 erties, a physiologically inactive substance resembling a sugar 

 was isolated by alcohol extraction, a gum which gave many of 

 the reactions of an alkaloid was extracted from the seeds by 

 water, and 3.87 per cent of potassium sulphate were found. 



TYLOPHORA BREVIPES (TURCZ.) F.-VILL. (ASCLEPIdACE^E) 



Saruncad, sarungcar (II. in Zambales), pasuca (T. in Zam- 

 bales), sayoncal and dail (Pang, in Pangasinan). 



" Hartwich, Carl, Neue Arzneidrogen. Julius Springer, Berlin (1897), 

 282. 



