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PHARMACOGNOSY. 
characteristic of the fermented wood. The drug also 
contains volatile oil, resin, tannin and calcium oxalate. 
SMTALUM RUBRUM (Red Saunders). 
The heartwood of Pterocarpus santalinus (Fam. Legu- 
minosse), a tree indigenous to the southern part of the 
Indian Peninsula, and cultivated in the Southern 
Philippines, Ceylon and Southern India, the chief sup- 
plies coming from Madras. 
Description, — Usually in small chips or coarse pow- 
der, red or brownish red, in transverse section slightly 
radiate, with numerous alternate lighter and darker 
concentric rings, medullary rays one cell wide; fracture 
hard, fibrous ; inodorous; taste slight. 
Constituents. — A red crystalline coloring principle 
santalin (santalic acid), which is soluble in alcohol but 
not in water, and several colorless crystalline principles. 
SASSAFRAS MEDULLA (Sassafras Pith). 
The pith of young stems and branches of Sassafras 
officinale (Fam. Lauraceie), a tree indigenous to Eastern 
North America. The pith is collected late in autumn, 
after frost, and dried. 
Description. — Cylindrical, cut longitudinally into 
pieces 2 to 10 cm. long, about 5 to 7 mm. in diameter, 
or in irregular somewhat curved or angled pieces ; very 
light; externally whitish or light brown, occasionally 
with small fragments of wood adhering ; consisting 
for the most part of parenchyma cells with thin walls 
having numerous simple pores and swelling percep- 
tibly in water; fracture short; slight odor of sassafras ; 
taste mucilaginous. 
The mucilage obtained from sassafras is not precipi- 
table by alcohol. 
Constituents. — The principal constituent is the mu- 
cilage; it also contains a trace of volatile oil. 
