208 MALAY POISONS AND CHABM CURES 



cannot be protruded ; this is followed by unconscious- 

 ness. It is prepared by taking the fresh ripe benies 

 and grinding them carefully (so as to avoid irritation 

 of the compounder's skin) with the juice of the tubers. 



The genus Rauwolfia contains several known 

 poisonous plants, of which R. serpentina, Benth. — 

 Apocynaceaej is perhaps the most familiar. It contains 

 an alkaloid allied to brucine, which acts on the heart ; 

 this shi'ub is known to be poisonous to cattle in Ceylon. 

 Rauwolfia sinensis, Hemsl., R. verticillata, Baill., and 

 R. vomitoria, AfzeL, all belong to the same order 

 (Apocynaceae) and are poisonous. This natui^al order 

 also contains Acocanthera and Strophanthus (wiiich 

 have glucosides as the active principle, and are used by 

 African natives as arrow poisons), many other poisonous 

 plants, and the Oleander, of which the pink or " true " 

 Oleander {hunga aniSy Japun; Nerium oleander, 

 Linn.) has been introduced into Kelantan by the Chinese. 

 The yellow Oleander, Thevetia nerifolia, is also 

 naturalised in Malaya and cultivated ; it contains a 

 poisonous glucoside, thevetin : the trees thrive well, 

 but the poisonous properties of their roots do not seem 

 to be known to Kelantan Malays. 



TUBA 



The word tnha is used generically by natives in 

 Malaya for several poisonous plants which are used by 

 them for catching fish. Among those found in the 

 Malay Peninsula, Derris elHptica, Benth. — Legumi- 

 nos8&, is the most important. 



Derris elliptica, Benth. — This plant is thus 

 described botanically 'by the Director of the Royal 

 Botanic Gardens, Kew : " A large climbing shrub, the 

 younger parts rusty-pubescent. Leaves impari-pinnate, 

 6 in* to 1 f(5ot long ; leaflets in 4 — 5 pairs, oblong to 



