AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



STRAITS 



AND 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



No. 2.] FEBRUARY, 1908. [Vol. VII. 



An Opium Substitute. 



An article on the Biak, Mitragyne speciosa Korth, the leaves of 

 which are used as a substitute for opium by the Malays in the North 

 of the Peninsula, is published by Mr. Wray in the Journal of the 

 Federated Malay States Museums, December 1907, p. 53. The tree, 

 which is also called Keton in Patani, seems to be widely distributed 

 over the Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago. It is a Rubiacious 

 tree with large leaves and balls of greenish-white flowers, occurring wild 

 in the jungle and planted near villages. The leaves are picked and 

 dried in the sun and then rubbed to powder by hand. The fibrous 

 parts removed and the powder resulting is mixed with cold water, 

 or infused in hot water, and the decoction drunk. The dose is 136 

 grains. 



Another method is to dry the leaves and boil them to form an 

 infusion which is strained, and the filtrate evaporated to a syrupy 

 consistency. It is then either drunk with hot water or smoked much 

 as opium is smoked. It is said to produce effects like those of opium 

 and considered to be more deleterious. However, Mr. E. M. Holmes 

 of the Pharmaceutical Society, failed to find any alkaloid in the leaves. 



A Malay Varnish. 



In the Journal of the Federated Malay States Museums , December 

 1907, p. 49. In May gives an account of a varnish known as Getah 

 Luli obtained by the Malays from a jungle tree, Garcinia Merguensis 

 Wight. The resin is collected by making small horizontal notches in 

 the bark, by which wedge-shaped portions are removed. This is done 

 at 5 p.m., and the resin is collected next morning early, before the 

 little bees known as Kelueut (Trigona) can come to secure the resin 

 to build their nests. The latex is creamy, and pale yellow. It is 

 collected in a bamboo, then poured into a piece of cloth and 



