N. O. ACANTHACE7E. 
1)77 
to dr. i, reported that in 10 out of 24 cases of chronic and subacute bronchitis 
and bronchial catarrh, it was found efficacious and successful. It failed in 3 
cases of phthisis that he triod. In 2 outof 3 cases of asthma it acted well. The 
full dose of dr. i causes nausea and griping, and, therefore, had to be reduced 
to m. xx. which was found sufficient.” 
The analysis of the leaves reveals certain principles resembling those 
found in tobacco, as, for instance, an odorous volatile principle, an alkaloid. 
but not volatile like nicotino, one or more organic acids, sugar, mucilage, 
and a large percentage of mineral salts. 
The chemical analyses have revealed the presence of an alkaloid vasicine 
as the active principle, and this result has been confirmed by the physiological 
as well as chemical tests of Dr. Boorsroa of Java. A tartrate of vasicine is 
now an article of commerce on tho Continent and future possibilities may be 
expeetod of it in medical scionce. 
Tho various portions of tho plant available in tho Office of Reporter on 
Economic Products wore analysed by Mr. Hooper, with tho following results : - 
Moisture. 
Ash. 
Spt. ext. 
Vasicine. 
Leaves 
7-9 
200 
13-3 
•30 
Lark 
10-2 
140 
14 4 
•35 
Root 
6-7 
4-6 
34 
traces. 
Root- bark ... 
5'8 
12 4 
11 '2 
■68 
Tho alkaloidal content of the bark is hero soen to approach very closely to 
that of the leaves. The question of cost in collecting these two products 
would liavo to be considered, and it is evident that the separation of tho bark 
from the stems would entail more labour than the simplo method of gathering 
the leaves from the shrub. In other medicinal shrubs, such as Buchu and 
Senna, when the loaves are officinal, it is not customary to use tho bark of the 
plants in addition to tho leaves. 
Tho following results were obtained from quantitative experiments on the 
powdered barks : — 
From 
Young Plants, 
From 
Old Plants. 
Moisture 
Spirit extract 
Soluble in water 
Resins 
Total Ash 
Sand 
Pure Ash 
It will bo seen that the 
121 
15 
7-2 
7-8 
7 0 
2-8 
4-2 
10 2 
16 2 
7'5 
8'7 
122 
7'2 
5'0 
root-bark from th< o'der plants has a higher per- 
centage of acrid and bitter resinous matters than that from the younger 
plants. In this connection attention should be drawn to the remark made some 
years ago by Moodcn Sheriff of Madras. In the Supplements to tho Pharma- 
copoeia of India, page 364, he reports that he found that the older the plant, 
the more active is the bark in its effects. 
936 . Rhmacanthus communis, Necs., ji.f.b.i.,' 
iv. 541 . 
Syn .: — Justieia Nasuta, Linn., Roxl) 40. 
Snug. : — Gutluka-parni. 
123 
