N. 0. R0SAOE. 515 



Officinal in both Indian and British Pharmacopoeias. 



" Bitter almonds produce analogous effects to those of hy- 

 drocyanic acid, and may therefore be medicinally used in 

 similar cases ; but their administration is not desirable, as the 

 amount of hydrocyanic acid generated is liable to great varia- 

 tion, and their effects, therefore, cannot be relied on with the 

 same degree of certainty as those of hydrocyanic acid. In 

 large quantities bitter almonds have caused serious and even 

 fatal consequences, their poisonous effects being similar to those 

 of hydrocyanic acid." (Bentley and Trimen). 



" Sweet almonds may be used for the extraction of almond 



oil, yet they are but rarely so employed (at least in England), 



on account of the inferior value of the residual cake. The only 



other use of the sweet almond in medicine, is for making the 



emulsion called Mistura Amygdalae." (Pharmacographia). 



Sweet almonds yield from 44 to 55 per cent, of oil, whereas bitter almonds, 

 on an average, give from 38 to 45 per cent. Bitter almonds are more frequently 

 used for expressing the oil, though the oil from both varieties is practically 

 identical. Almond oil does not easily turn rancid, and is largely used for 

 pharmaceutical purposes. The constants of this oil are : Specific gravity 

 at 15°, 0-914—920; saponification value, 189*5— 195*4 : iodine value, 94— 101 ; 

 Maumene test, 51*5—54 ; oleo-refructometer reading at 22°, -|8 to+ 10*5 ; 

 fatty acids, melting point 18°— 14° ; iodine value, 93*5 to 96*5. 



The German Pharmacopoeia test for pure almond oil is that the mixed fatty 

 acids should remain liquid at 15° for an indefinite length of time. 



460. P. persica, Bentl and Hook ; h.f.b.i., ii. 313. 



Syn.: — Amygdalus Persica, Linn. Eoxb. 403. 



Vern.: — Aru (H.) Tapks (Lepcha) ; Aru sunnu, fsunu, arui, 

 chamnanu, aor, bem beimi, bemhi, katharti, mundla, aru Pb.) 



Habitat : — Cultivated in the cooler parts of India. 



A middle-sized tree. Bark grey, shining, smooth, with 

 numerous horizontal corky lenticels divided in the middle. 

 Wood red, scented, hard, close-grained ; structure the same as in 

 P. amygdalus (Baillon). Foliage dark-green. Leaves lanceolate, 

 sharply serate ; petiole shorter than the greatest width of 

 leaf ; stipules subulate, fimbriate. Flowers sessile, pink, 

 generally appearing before the leaves, mostly solitary, from 



