N. 0. JlUTAQKM. _M5 



Dr. P. Gopal, of Bombay, has found the infusion or tincture 

 of the drug to act as stimulant emmenagogue, producing 

 slight intoxication like Cannabis Indica. He gave the tincture 

 in | drachm doses to a female suffering from amenorrhcea, 

 and it had the effect of producing a free menstrual discharge ; 

 he further says that it is sometimes used by the native mid wives 

 to procure abortion. He believes that it has properties in 

 common with ergot, savine and rue. (Dymock p. 125.) 



According to Moodeen Sheriff the seeds are narcotic, anti- 

 pasmodic, hypnotic, anodyne, nauseant, emetic and emmen- 

 agogue. He recommends their employment in cases of asthma, 

 hiccough, hysteria, rheumatism, impaction of calculus in the 

 ureter, and of gallstone iu the gall duct, colic, jaundice, dysmen- 

 orrhea and neuralgia; in all of which they relieve pain and 

 procure sleep. The relief afforded by this drug in simple 

 cough and a few other pectoral affections is generally satis- 

 factory. It is also a good nauseant and depressant emetic 

 in its largest medicinal doses ( 5 i ss. to 3 ii) ; but it cannot be 

 employed as such in general practice, because its use in so 

 large a quantity is always accompanied by its narcotic and 

 hypnotic actions. " No Hospital should be, in my humble 

 opinion," wrote the late Dr. Moodeen Sheriff, without a drug 

 so cheap and with so many good qualities as Hurmal." 



According to J. A. Gunn (Royal Society, Edinburgh, 22, 

 November 1901)) harmaline belongs to the group of protoplas- 

 mic poisons of which the best known alkaloid is quinine, and 

 the actions of harmaline and quinine are practically the same, 

 so that it is possible that harmaline may come to be used as a 

 substitute for quinine. 



Harmaline has been shown to be dihydrohartnine ; both it and harminc 

 arc optically inactive in acetic acid solution. The oxidation of harmaline, 

 C 13 H 14 N 2 O, to harminc, C 13 H 12 N 2 O, is best effected with potassium per- 

 manganate in dilute sulphuric acid solution. Methylharmine melts at 209° ; 

 its hydrochloride and flesh-coloured platinochloride, (C l3 H u Me N 2 0) 2 , H 2 l , tCl --|- 

 211 2 0, were prepared ; it unites with more methylic iodide, yielding a quater- 

 nary iodide, C 13 H u MeN 2 0, Mel, which reacts with silver nitrate, forming 

 the crystalline nitrate ; the platinochlovide, and a uroclilor id e of this quater- 

 nary base were also prepared. Acetylharmal'uie, C 13 H l3 AcN 2 0, can be prepared 

 by dissolving harmaline and fused sodium acetate in acetic anhydride, heating 



