N. O. LEGUM1N0S.®. 
501 
Kathbol is a mixture of catechu and myrrh, given to women 
after con6nement as a tonic, and to promote the secretion of 
milk (Dymock). 
Catechu is officinal in both Indian and British Pharmacopoeias. 
The extract known as Catechu or Cutch is used medicinally 
as an astringent- in fevers and other maladies. It is peculiarly 
useful in diarrhoea, with pyrosis, depending upon a relaxed 
state of the intestinal mucous membrane. Locally, it has also 
been used with much advantage in sponginess of the gums, 
relaxation of the uvula, hypertrophy of the tonsil, and as an 
astringent injection in the treatment of leucorrhoea and a tonic in 
menorrhagia (Pli. Inch. 
This contains Catechin which does not appear to be present in Ai-ecu 
Gu techu. 
The following formulae have been assigned to catechin: C 15 H 12 0,„ air- 
dried (Svanberg, Ann. Pharm., 1837, 24, 215). C 18 H 10 O a , at 100° (Zwenger, 
Ann. Ohem. Pharm., 1841, 37, 320). 0 JO - H a O a +2H 2 O, air-dried (Hagen, ibid., 
336). C 16 H ia O a -f H 2 O, dried in a vacuum over sulphuric acid (Dellfs, Pharm. 
Oentr., 1846, 604). C 17 H 12 O 10 , air-dried (Neubauer, Ann. Chrm. Pharm., 1855, 
96, 337). C 12 H, 2 0 5r at 100° (Kraut and Delden, ibid., 1863, 128, 285). C 19 H ]8 0 8 
(Hlasiwetz, ibid., 1865, 134, 118). C l9 H 18 O s dried at 90° (Etti, Annul en, 1887, 
186, 327). C 22 H 22 0 9 (Schiitzenberger and Back, Bull. Hoc. Chim., 1865, [ii], 
4, 5). C 15 H 14 0 7 , at 100° 'Lowe, Zeit. anal. Chem., 1874, 13, 113) C 21 H 20 0 9 -f 
5H 2 O, air-dried (Liebermann and Tauchert, Her., 1880, 13, 964). C 18 H 18 O a , 
dried over sulphuric acid (Etti, Monatsh., 1880, 2, 547). In regard to percent- 
age of carbon, the formulae C l5 H I2 O s , C 18 H 10 O a , C 12 H 12 O s , C 19 H, a O a , 
C 22 II 22 0 9 . and C 21 H 20 0 9 are in fairly close agreement, but it seems likely 
that the remainder represent analyses of substances not completely devoid 
of water of crystallisation. 
With the majority of workers, it appears to have been taken for granted 
that but one catechin exists, but this is not so according to others. 
The most important decomposition products have been obtained from 
catechin by means of dry distillation and by fusion with alkali. By the 
former method, Wackenroder detected catechol, and A. Miller acetic acid, 
catechol, and phenol; whereas by the second Hlasiwetz, and also Etti, isolated 
phloroglucinol and protocatechuic acid, and Gautier the same products 
together with formic acid. From his results, Etti considered the following 
constitution for catechin as probable. 
C 6 H 7 (OH) 2 . CO. O. C 6 H 3 (OH). O. C 0 - H 3 (OH) 2 . 
Nieubaner found that catechin was not a glucoside, and considered that 
this substance and catechutannic acid were related to one another, similarly 
as gallic acid is to ordinary gallotannin. 
According to recent researches the molecular composition of catechin ; is 
represented by C 21 H 20 0 9 .— J. Ch. 8. 1902 J. 1160-1162. 
