4 r> 4 



ASCLEPIAS CURASSAVICA 



/ / r Ud I peeacuanha. 



This plan! probably introduced from South America is not at all 

 a rare weed in the peninsula. It is a herb usually three or four feet 

 tall, with narrow lanceolate leaves and a terminal head of very 

 showy scarlet flowers with a bright yellow mass of stamens, (sta- 

 mina! coron i) in the form of a crown in the centre. The fruit is 

 an ovoid lanceolate pod, which splits and emits a quantity of flat 

 seed with large silky plumes by which they drift about in the wind. 

 Being one of the asclepiadeac^ the whole plant is full of latex, 

 which exudes wherever it is broken. The plants is a very pretty 

 one and worth cultivating as an ornamental plant. It is known to 

 the Malays as Bunga Mas ; Malukut Paya, and Hunga Sabusuk. 

 They do not seem however to make any use of it. 



Dr. WATTS (Dictionary of Economic Products of India) says 

 that besides the emetic properties of the root, the expressed juice 

 of the leaves is a successful anthelmintic", and also is a sudorific. 

 The juice of the flowers is said to be a goo 1 stypt'c, the root is also 

 a purgative and after an astringent, thus it is used for dysentery in 

 Jamaica and the juice of the plant is useful in hoemorrhages and 

 obstinate gonorrhea. 



It has also been stated that ii a dog be brushed down with a 

 bunch of the plant it will be quite cleared o! fleas. 



The plant is quite common on open sandy country in Singapore 

 and Malacca and elsewhere. 



" Wild Ipecac 



The unusually large arrival of 35 bales of a root known as wild 

 " Ipecac " has taken place from Pernambuco, and although not 

 offered at to-day's drug- auctions it was to be seen at the Crutched 

 Friars drug- warehouse on Wednesday, when a certain amount of 

 interest was shown in it. The root is identical in appearance with a 

 sample in the warehouse museum, which is known as Trinidad ipecac, 

 and came from that island. The late Mr. P. L. Simmons, in his 

 work on drugs, states that the root (Asclepitis curassavica) comes 

 from the West Indies and Tropieal America. It is known as wild 

 or bastard ipecac, and is used by the negroes as an emetic and pur- 

 gative, from another source we learn that it abounds in the islands 

 of St. Kitts and Nevis, W. I., where it is largely used as a medicine. 

 Both the root and the expressed juice are emetic. Dr. GRAIN has 

 found in the Aschpins curassavica a glucoside, asclepiadin^ which he 

 believe-; to be a pure form of dsclepiadin. of Harnack and the ascle- 

 pin of Feneulle, and closely to resemble emetine in its physiological 

 action, but to be so unstable as to be of no practical value. Wild 

 ipecac similar in character to the present consignment has occasion- 

 allv been offered in auction, and ha=> usually been sold as "roots" 

 at a few pence, per lb., as nobody appears to have gone to the ex- 

 pense of having it analysed. That this wild ipecac is abundant 

 needs no proof but on account of its pale colour it is not so readilv 



