47 
With the specimens received came some other leaves of different 
plants including those of a Ficus, these were either mixed accident- 
ally in gathering or intentionally to adulterate the bundle. 
The plant sent from Hongkong as having been imported from 
Singapore was quite a different plant. It is apparently the seed- 
lings of some tree, about a foot tall with solid stem and elliptic or 
obovate leaves alternate and narrowed at the base cuspidate at the tip 
6 inches long and three inches across with a petiole half an inch 
long thinly coriacious and glabrous, nerves ten pairs. The specimens 
are far too incomplete to furnish any idea as to what the plant 
can be, but it is not the Combretum. It is presumably collected for 
export only, but is perhaps as valuable as the genuine Combretym 
plant. 
H. N. R. 
PLANT USED AS OPIUM HABIT CURE. 
About two months ago a Chinese„Towkay sent to the Rev. W. E. 
HORLEV in Kuala Lumpur a concoction made from the leaves of a 
shrub growing about Seremban which he claimed was valuable for 
the purpoSe of destroying in opium smokers the desire for the drug. 
At the same time anti-opium meetings were being held in 
Kuala Lumpur owing to a visit of a zealous anti-opium preacher, 
Mr. Alexander, and large numbers of Chinamen applied for the 
concoction. Big vats for its preparation were erected in Kuala 
Lumpur and immense quantities of the “ Mddicine ’ were distributed 
amounting on some days to over 3,000 bottles. 
The plant is Combretum Sundaidum, I^iq^ a plant native to the 
Malayan Peninsula and Archipelago. -> 
If has not been previously credited with any medicinal characters 
but some species of Terminalicij neighbouring genus, are used in 
India and Ceylon for medicinal purposes. Chemical analyses was 
made by Mr. B. J. Eaton the Government Chemist, Federated 
Malay States, and no medicinal substances except tannin were 
found. 
Some plants which to some extent resembled in their foliage 
Combretum Sundaicum , were, when the demand .for material to 
manufacture the concoction was great pressed into the service but the 
chief ingredient of infusion was the extract from the species of 
Combretum. 
The method of administering the drug is ingenious. To each 
dose of the concoction is added a proportion of half- burnt opium 
from the patient's pipe, the adding of this opium seems to be 1 left 
to the patient and there is no control over the amount added if the 
patient does not wish to reduce the amount of opium he is 
consuming. 
Pi 1 
bi\ 
