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 
z 9 °7> P- 49* 1° May gives an account of a varnish known as Getah 
Lull 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 
