N. 0. LEGUMINoSiE. 501 



Kathbol is a mixture of catechu and myrrh, given to women 

 after confinement as a tonic, and to promote the secretion of 

 milk (Dymock). 



Catechu is officinal in both Indian and British Pharmacopoeias. 



The extract known as Catechu or Catch is used medicinally 



as an astringent in fevers and other maladies. It is peculiarly 



useful in diarrhoea, with pyrosis, depending upon a relaxed 



state of the intestinal mucous membrane. Locally, it has also 



been used with much advantage in sponginess of the gums, 



relaxation of the uvula, hypertrophy of the tonsil, and as an 



astringent injection in the treatment of leucorrhoea and a tonic in 



monorrhagia (Ph. Ind). 



This contains Catechin which does not appear to be present in Areca 

 Ca techu. 



The following formulse have been assigned to catechin : C 15 H 12 6 , air- 

 dried (Svanberg, Ann. Pharm., 1837, 24, 215). G 18 H 10 8 , at 100° (Zwenger, 

 Ann. Chem. Pharm., 1841, 37, 320). C 16 H 8 8 +2H 2 O, air-dried (Hagen, ibid,, 

 336). C 16 H l8 8 4-H 2 O, dried in a vacuum over sulphuric acid (Dellfs, Pharm. 

 Centr., 1846, 604). C 17 H 12 O 10 , air-dried (Neubauer, Ann. Chem. Pliarm., 1855, 

 96, 337). C 12 H 12 5 , at 100° (Kraut and Delden, ibid., 1863, 128, 285). C 19 H J3 8 

 (Hlasiwetz, ibid., 1865, 134, 118). 19 H 18 8 dried at 90° (Etti, Annulen, 1887, 

 186, 327). C 22 H 22 9 (Schiitzenberger and Back, Bull. Soc. Claim., 1865, [ii], 

 4, 5). C 15 H 14 7 , at 100° (Lowe, Zeit. anal. Chem., 1874, 13, 113) 21 H 20 Q + 

 5H 2 O, air-dried (Lieberniann and Tauchert, Ber., 1880, 13, 964). C 18 H 18 8 , 

 dried over sulphuric acid (Etti, Monatsh., 1880, 2, 547). In regard to percent- 

 age of carbon, the formulae C 15 H 12 -, C 18 H 10 8 , C 12 H 12 5 , C 10 H 18 O a , 

 C 22 H 22 9 . and C 21 H 20 9 are in fairly close agreement, but it seems likely 

 that the remainder represent analyses of substances not completely devoid 

 of water of crystallisation. 



With the majority of workers, it appears to have been taken for granted 

 that but one catechin exists, but this is not so according to others. 



The most important decomposition products have been obtained from 

 catechin by means of dry distillation and by fusion with alkali. By the 

 former method, Wackenroder detected catechol, and A. Miller acetic acid, 

 catechol, and phenol ; whereas by the second Hlasiwetz, and also Etti, isolated 

 phloroglucinol and protocatechuic acid, and Gautier the same products 

 together with formic acid. From his results, Etti considered the following 

 constitution for catechin as probable. 



C - H 7 (OH) 2 . CO. O. 6 H 3 (OH). O. C 6 H 3 (OH) 2 . 



Nieubaner found that catechin was not a glucoside, and considered that 

 this substance and catechutannic acid were related to one another, similarly 

 as gallic acid is to ordinary gallotannin. 



According to recent researches the molecular composition of catechin is 

 represented by C 2l H 20 9 .— J. Ch. S. 1902 J. 1160-1162. 



