546 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



(4) It helps diapedesis of red blood corpuscles. 



(5) It slighty increases the excretion in the amount of phosphates and 

 uric acid, but the increase is not very material to be taken into practical 

 account. 



Regarding its Therapeutic action, he says : — 



The drug is a very valuable remedy in heart diseases, specially where a 

 combined tonic and stimulant action is necessary. Thus in mitral disease, 

 specially in later stages when the heart is feeble and flaccid, blood pressure 

 low and the heart dilated, the drug may be administered with admirable effect. 

 In aortic diseases the drug has one defect, namely, it increases the blood 

 pressure, and the diastole is rather prolonged, but the force of contraction 

 and the manner is which the aortic valves meet together may be utilised in 

 these forms of aortic regurgitation that are caused merely by dilatation of the 

 aorta, or in which the valves, although healthy, do not come in firm opposition, 

 or in which the regurgitation is caused by weakness of the heart. 



In exhausting diseases weakening the heart and increasing the frequency 

 of the pulse the drug is invaluable, for, it does not exert the poisonous 

 action of digitalis if long continued. 



The drug may be used as a good local haemostatic, but generally its use 

 as a haemostatic is doubtful on account of the rise of the blood pressure. In 

 inflammations locally and generally it may be used by causing the contraction 

 of the peripheral arterioles, and increasing the diapedesis, and at the same 

 time improving the general circulation, the drug will relieve the inflammatory 

 condition of the part. For this reason Chukradutta recommended it for all 

 sorts of inflammatory conditions, and he goes so far as to say that it heals 

 fractures, etc. For this reason it may be commended in pneumonic inflamma- 

 tions of lung, but directly it has no action on respiratory organs. 



We have seen that for local inflammations the drug is very efficacious as 

 in the experiments performed on inflamed eyes. There the inflammation 

 soothed in one day although the eases were mild ones. The drug has been 

 suggested to be lethontryptic, but except increasing slight amount of phos- 

 phatic and uric acid excretion this action of the drug is doubtful. 

 Chemical composition : — 

 An extract from the bark was prepared by heating 500 grms. of pulverised 

 bark with 2 litres of water until only 500 c. c. of the fluid remained ; the 

 whole thing was then pressed through a fine muslin and the fluid part was 

 again filtered through filter when a clear dark-reddish extract was obtained. 

 The extract is sweetish to the taste, reduces Fehling's solution and assumes 

 a dark black colour on treatment with ferric chloride and is acid to litmus. 

 Part of it was treated with benzene in equal parts (being acidulated first 

 with H 2 S0 4 ) and a deposit separated out in the immiscible layer; the im- 

 miscible layer was then separated by means of separating funnel and benzene 

 was allowed to evaporate. The residue left after evaporation was reddish- 

 brown in colour and amorphous powder ; it was insolube in dilute HC1. but 

 partly soluble in alcohol and ether. It does not give any reaction with Iodine, 

 nor does it reduce Fehling's solution, but when heated with dilute HC1, it 

 reduced Fehling's solution also gave ppt, with Phosphotungstic acid. 



