&2 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



this country by the Portugese, who appear to have adopted it in 

 Brazil as a substitute for the Argemone of the Greeks and 

 Romans which was used for a similar purpose (Dymock). 



" The yellow juice mixed with Ghi is given internally in 

 gonorrhoea (D. R. Thompson, M.D., CLE.)" 



"I found the juice very useful in scabies. Asst.-Surgeon 

 Qowry Coomar Mukerji found the powdered root in drachm 

 doses useful in tapeworm (R. L. Dutt, M.D.)" — Watt's Dictionary. 



The smoke of the seeds is used in Delhi to relieve tooth-ache. 

 It is also said to be useful in caries of the teeth. 



The seeds are used as a purgative in syphilis. 



In leprosy it is used as follows : — 



One tola of the juice, early in the morning, taken on empty 

 stomach. 



It is said to cure leprosy in 40 days. 



" The juice is useful in malarious fevers of a low chronic 

 type. How it acts I am not sure, bat I believe it has some specific 

 effect (germicidal) on the malarial parasites and, secondly, it acts 

 probably as a purgative. 



"I have only tried this juice in a few cases— about six or seven 

 cases — and it only acted well in one or two cases ; so I cannot 

 speak with confidence. 



cc I believe the oil is abetter preparation than the juice, which 

 is an unstable compound. 



"lam certain also the oil is a powerful alterative in syphilis 

 and leprosy, the same as Neem oil, but I have not used it yet 

 for this purpose. 



" This drug has only lately come to my notice, and I believe 

 there is a great future before it (Major D. B. Spencer, I. M. S.) 



Chemistry. — 



Charbonnier claimed to have isolated morphine, and his statement was 

 confirmed by Ortega. Peckolt, however, concluded that the plant contained 

 a new alkaloid, argemonine, and not morphine. 



To determine this question, Mr. J. O. Schlotterbeck exhausted a large 

 quantity of the dried plant, with chloroform, and obtained a large yield of 

 berberine, whilst a second alkaloid, identified as protopine, was extracted 

 with ether from the filtrate. 



In Schlotterbeck's opinion, protopine was the substance regarded as 

 morphine by Charbonnier. and as a new alkaloid by Peckolt. 



