POISONS FROM JUNGLE PLANTS 177 



arsenic*. These particulars are taken from the tables 

 given in Skeat and Blagden*s " Pagan Races/* VoL L, 

 p, 602 : it appears from them that many Malay poisons 

 came into use from knowledge obtained from the wild 

 tribes ; but the latter must have learnt the use of 

 arsenic from their Malay overlords. Other plants, such 

 as Coscinium fenestratum, Coleb., Menispermace^ ; 

 Medinilla, sp., Melastomaceie {asam lokan jpuieh) ; and 

 Arahdium pinnatifidum, Miq. (selubat), are also said to 

 be put into arrow poisons by Malays. 



Upas arrow and dart poison is generally a sticky 

 stuff, sometiiing like black treacle in consistency and 

 colour when freshly made. The basis is the inspissated 

 sap of Antiaris toxicaria {pokok ipoh) with powerful 

 adjuvants, such as Stryclmos tieut6 (akar if oh), 

 Dioscorea triphylla (gadong), and Derris elhptica (tuba) ; 

 the other ingredients appear to resemble the correctives 

 and vehicles which used to obtain in a model medical 

 prescription. The employment of multifarious ingre- 

 dients m the various arrow poisons suggests the habits 

 of old-time medical practitioners, who used to prescribe 

 a multitude of substances with a heroic disregard of 

 compatibility, whether chemical, physical, or thera- 

 peutical, in the hope that some one of them would hit 

 the mark. 



Newbold (18S9) describes the process of concocting 

 a BSnua arrow poison : *' The roots are carefully 

 selected and cut at a particular age of the moon ; 

 probably about the fall. The woody fibre is thrown 

 away and nothing but the succulent bark used. This is 

 put into a kualli (a sort of earthen pipkin) with as much 

 soft water as will cover the mass, and kneaded well 

 together. Tliis done, more water is added, and the 

 whole is submitted to a slow heat over a charcoal lire 

 until half the water has evaporated. The decoction 



M,P. 12 



