45 



CHINESE ANTI-OPIUM DRUGS. 



The sentiment against the habit of Opium smoking having 

 attained considerable proportions, there has been no small interest 

 aroused in drugs stated to be very effective in curing the opium- 

 craving in constant users of the drug. Specimens of two plants have 

 been lately submitted to me for identification which plants are said 

 to be of the greatest value in combatting the opium craving. As is 

 commonly the case when amateurs send specimens for identification 

 the samples were extremely poor and of the Kuala Lumpur one I 

 received five or six examples of fragments of sticks or roots and 

 more or less damaged leaves, no flowers or fruits or even a complete 

 spray of leaves, nor any information as to the appearance of the 

 habits of the plants. It gives but little extra trouble to send really 

 identifiable specimens, but it may as it did on the present occasion 

 take many hours to identify scraps even if they are possible for any 

 man to identify them. 



However, Mr. J. B. CARRUTHERS, has since identified this species 

 and his note is appended to this. 



The first plant received is a herb from China belonging to the 

 order Composite, about two or three feet tall with rather narrow 

 lobed leaves and yellow flowers and the general appearance of a 

 sow thistle. It is apparently a species of Gynura, and I cannot 

 distinguish it from Gynura ovalis, Dec. the G. pseudo-china of the 

 Flora of Hongkong. 



There are a number of species of this set of Gynuras described 

 from the east, and all are very closely allied if indeed they are 

 distinct. One of these G. pseudo-china, possesses tuberous roots which 

 are said to be used medicinally. This is a native of Madras and 

 said to grow too in Canton. It seems to differ fr >m the plant sent 

 from China in the stem being scapigerous with tadical leaves. The 

 Chinese plant which I take to be G. oralis, is ver\ cl-.sely allied to a 

 common weed here which has been identified in the Materials tor a 

 Flora of the Malay peninsula as G. bicolor, though it does not 

 resemble the plant figured in the Botanical Register figure 1 10. 

 The chief difference between the Chinese o,.ium-antidote and the 

 common weed h^re is that in the former the achenes are more 

 distinctly hairy. No plant of the common weed here that I have 

 seen has bulbous roots and the Chinese one is said to have thick 



the Chinese. 



The Kuala Lumpur plant or plants have, it appears, 

 higher reputation. According to the Malay Mail rr 

 Chinese there have been seen going into the jungles \ 

 sticks to collect the leaves. The price of the leaves wet 

 d °llars a pikul, and tied up in bundles, dried, they ha^ 

 Ported to China whence a bundle has been received frorr 



