September, 1908.] 



225 



Drugs and Medicinal Plants t 



plant flowers in February and March so 

 that by pulling up plants at that time 

 of the year reproduction by seed is pre- 

 vented. " I have been recently informed 

 by Mr. P. Ransom that the percentage of 

 alkaloid in Selangor Ipecacuanha is now 

 less than when the drug was first import- 

 ed. This may of course be due to im- 

 poverishment of the soil or to collection 

 at a different period of the year or more 

 probably from plants of different age, 

 hut Mr. Ransom's conclusion does not 

 appear to be shared by other chemists 

 who have examined the root : so that 

 different samples probably vary in 

 quali ty and activity. [I would suggest 

 that if Mr. Ransom's conclusion is correct 

 another cause may be constant propa- 

 gation from cuttings. Plants propagated 

 continuously from cuttings for a large 

 number of years are very apt to deter- 

 iorate. H. N. R.] — Agricultural Bulletin 

 of the Straits and Federated Malm/ 

 States, No. i, April 1908, Vol., VI. 



COMBRETUM SUNDAICUM. 



In the same nximber of the Pharma- 

 ceutical Journal is an article by Mr. E. P. 

 Harrison on the constituents of Conibre- 

 tum sundaicum, the much talked of 

 Chinese anti-opium drug. Mr. Harrison 

 has submitted both the raw and roasted 

 drug as prepared by the Chinese to 

 elaborate chemical analysis. The treat- 

 ment showed the existence of no al- 

 kaloid. A green resin was obtained and 

 tannin was also found, as has been done 

 by other chemists. 



The story of this drug has already 

 been detailed in the Bulletin. There 

 seems no reason to suppose it has any 

 special properties, but several chemists 

 are still at work investigating it 

 thoroughly. — Agricultural Bulletin of 

 the Straits and Federated Malay States, 

 No 4, April 1908, Vol. VI. 



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