186 The Philippine Journal of Science iei7 



is called by the former camunin or guayacan, as a sudorific and 

 purgative. 



m Having in mind the opinion of these three authors about 

 guicos guicos and the scant information about camagsa, which 

 is more commonly known as palo santo, it is easily understood 

 how the Filipinos of to-day have mistaken the two species — con- 

 fusing R. erecta and R. volubilis and making use of the former 

 instead of the latter. It is possible that the three observers 

 were misinformed about the botanical origin of the medicinal 

 species or it is possible that both plants have the same properties, 

 though the latter supposition seems untenable. 



CHEMICAL EXAMINATION OF ROUREA ERECTA 



The roots and fruit are the parts used. 



Extractions from the roots show a high percentage of plant 

 wax, no alkaloids, glucosidal bodies, or any active principles. 

 After the extraction with ether, extraction with ethyl alcohol (92 

 per cent) gave a thick mass that amounted to 24 per cent of the 

 original plants when evaporated under 600 millimeters vacuum. 

 This mass consisted of tannin substances, not alkaloidal in 

 character (phlobaphene), and other coloring matter. The color- 

 ing matter is a bright magenta. It is red in acid solution and 

 gives a dark green precipitate in alkaline solution. The red color 

 is soluble in water and easily washed free from the other solid 

 extracted matter. It is also easily decomposed by concentrated 

 hydrochloric acid. 



Water extractions of the roots gave no decided symptoms when 

 administered to a dog or injected into a guinea pig. 



The berries were analyzed both in the fresh and dried state. 

 The toxicity of the ground, fresh berries was not greater than 

 that of old specimens. In fact, the highest toxic effect was 

 obtained from a residual worm-eaten specimen that had had 

 all opportunity to ferment and undergo decomposition. Robert 34 

 has made the statement that the active principle of Rourea 

 oblongifolia is destroyed when the plant dries. This is not true 

 in the case of R. erecta. - Experiments were made on healthy dogs 

 using the ground berries and the numerous products of extrac- 

 tion. Taking the freshly picked, finely ground berry and admin- 

 istering it in meat to a dog, no effect was noticeable until the 

 third day, when slight weakness was apparent. These symptoms 

 were manifested after the consumption of 20 grams of the 

 berry in a period of seventy-two hours. Only slight, increasing 



31 Robert, R., Centralbl. f. klin. Med. (1893), 14, 930. 



