N. O. GUTTIFER,£. 145 



According to Rumphius, the bark and young leaves are 

 employed by the Macassars in diarrhoea, dysentery and affections 

 of the geni to-urinary tracts, and also as a wash for aphthae of 

 the mouth. 



Tn exhibiting before the Melbourne Medical Congress of 

 January 1889, a powder and a liquid extract of mangosteen from 

 the fruit-rind prepared by the late Mr. M. C. Periera of the Bom- 

 bay Medical Stores, Surgeon Major Kirtikar said thus : — " The 

 value of these preparations lies in the yellow resin which the rind 

 of the fruit contains a character of the fruits of the Guttifers. 

 The resin acts like all other resins as a stimulant to the intes- 

 tinal canal. I am not sure whether the crystallisable substance, 

 mangostine, which Schmidt has obtained from the rind, has any 

 particular therapeutic property. It is worthy of a trial, as the 

 preparations are largely used by the Natives of Western India 

 in chronic cases of the intestinal canal. Waitz recommends a 

 decoction of the powdered rind as an external astringent appli- 

 cation. I have no doubt that the resin adds to the value of this 

 local remedy, by mechanically constricting the parts gently — an 

 effect very often produced by uniform light bandaging." (Con- 

 gress Proceedings, p. 948). 



A strong decoction has also been recommended as an exter- 

 nal astringent application (Watt.) 



The fruit is said to have come into use of late years in 

 European medicine as a substitute for Beel (Watt.) 



Mangostin (A) occurs in all parts of the Mangosteen tree. The dried 

 fruit-skins contain about h°'o each of a crystalline resin (A) and non-crystal 

 resin. (A) was first isolated by Schmidt, who assigned the formula C 20 H 22 5 . 

 (A) has the typical resin properties, burning with a smoky, luminous flame, 

 causing friction and vibration when rubbed between the fingers, and dissol- 

 ving in alkalis, ale, Et 2 0, and many other solvents. (A) was obtained by 

 concg. the alk. ext, of the dried skins in vacuo, shaking the syrupy residue 

 with H 2 0, and dissolving the dried insol. portion in warm PhH containing a 

 little Et 2 0. Recrystd. repeatedly from ale. containing a little H 2 0, it forms 

 flat, pale yellow needles, m. 181-2°. The analyses and mol. wt. detns. in PhO H 

 and (C0 2 Me) 2 gave results agreeing with C 23 H 24 6 . (A) is insol. in carbo- 

 nates, dissolves in alkalies with a red color, and is repptd. by C0 2 and acids 

 and gives a greenish brown color with FeCl 3 . It contains 1 MeO and 2 

 phenolic OH, the latter being shown by titration and by the action of Me 2 S0 4 

 and dil. aq. KOH, which yield dimethyl-mavgostin, C 25 H 28 -, faintly yellow, 



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