February 8, 1373.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
623 
powdered leaves with butter, and also as a conserve 
with honey, to which opium is added. 
? 
Mahout Zarbe. —Used as an application to wounds. 
Fruits and Seeds. 
Umbelliferte. 
Carwia. — Garum Carui , L.—Caraway seed. It 
is grown largely in the neighbourhood of Laraclie, 
and is shipped at Tangier in sugar casks and serons, 
but chiefly in bags, to England and America, It is 
also produced round Morocco city. At Mogador, 
where it is rarely shipped, it is called Fez caraway 
seed. One cannot help being surprised at finding 
this cold climate plant a product of Morocco, 
Cumin. — Cuminum cyminum , L. —Cumin seed. 
This is produced in quantity in the interior pro¬ 
vinces of Hamer and Raliamna. The Jews mix 
it in their bread. It is exported to America, and 
also to the Canary Islands, where it is used in pre¬ 
serving tunny fish. 
Nafea. — Fceniculum clulce , C. Bauh, jun.—Fennel 
seed. This is used as a substitute for aniseed for 
flavouring mahaya, a spirit extensively used, which 
is made chiefly from the water in which the combs 
are boiled in preparing beeswax. This water 
being impregnated with honey is allowed to fer¬ 
ment, and is then distilled. 
Euphorbiacece. 
Elgasto (trans. Castor oil).— Ricinus communis, 
L.—Castor oil seeds. Castor oil is not made in 
Morocco, although the soil and climate seem well 
suited to the plant. About Saffi, I saw it of the 
dimensions of a small tree, and abundant. It was 
introduced there only some years ago. 
Habtmilk. — Groton tiglium, W.— Croton oil 
seeds. The Moors use the seeds as a strong pur¬ 
gative, and I found that they are well known in the 
interior of the country. But I was not able to 
satisfy myself that Groton tiglium grows in Morocco. 
The seeds were stated by the Moor who gave them 
to me to be Romi, i.e., European. 
Sapotacece. 
Argan. — Argania Sideroxylon , Haem. et. Sell.— 
Seeds. The oil expressed from the nuts is in general 
use for cooking. Fowls and other articles of diet 
are served up soaked in this oil, which is preferred 
by some Europeans to olive oil. But such greasy 
food is very distasteful to most stomachs. It is 
customary to allow it to simmer over a fire with a 
piece of bread in it to remove its pungent taste, and 
this process is also believed to obviate a supposed 
tendency to cause leprosy. 
Goats, sheep and cows eat the fleshy part of the 
argan fruit freely, and the nuts are then laboriously 
broken with stones in order to extract the kernels. 
These are first partially roasted and then ground in 
a liandmill. The oil is extracted from the meal by 
working it with the hands, and water is added to the 
mass as seems necessary. The argan, like many 
other trees in Morocco, has a local distribution. 
It is only found to the south of the River Tensift, 
and at no very great distance farther south again 
disappears. In the Province of Halia there are 
large forests of it, and a tree exists a few miles 
south of Mogador, which is the largest known. It 
is of great age and has a circumference of 72 yards. 
The trunk, which is very rugged and unequal, mea¬ 
sures 20 feet close to the ground, and soon branches 
out. The branches extend more or less horizontally, 
and then droop so as to rest on the ground, while at 
the same time other branches are sent upwards^ 
This gives the appearance of several trees in a group 
(as seen in the photograph I took) instead of being 
merely branches. The highest part of this vener¬ 
able tree does not exceed twenty feet.* 
Rhamnacece. 
Nabu. — Zizyphus orthocanthus, DC. — Jujube 
berries. The fruit of the sidra-tree. This tree 
varies in size from that of a small tree to a small 
shrub, depending upon the soil in which it is found. 
It is widely diffused. The berries are eaten and 
are commonly sold in the markets of Morocco. The 
oil of the kernel is used as a perfume. 
Cucurbitacece. 
Elhedja. — Gucumis Colocynthis, L.—Fruit. I ob¬ 
tained this pepo the size of a large orange in the city 
of Morocco. It differs from the ordinary Mogador 
kind in being, instead of a yellow colour, of a bright 
green with numerous yellow streaks, made up of. 
more or less broken and irregular patches, which 
mark it into segments. It is probably only a variety. 
The Moors introduce colocyntli pulp into the rec¬ 
tum as a purgative. 
Zingiber acece. 
Gooza Sehraweea. — Amomum Melagueta, Ros- 
coe.—Grains of Paradise. This drug appears to be 
an importation from Europe. It is mixed in 
bread and is used as a sexual stimulant. 
Rutcicece. 
Harmel. — Peganum Harniala, L.—Seed. Used’ 
in fumigation as a disinfectant, and also against the 
effects of the “ evil eye.” 
9 
Sanous. —?—Seed. Used as a diaphoretic. This 
seed resembles the preceding (harmel) in size and 
appearance, except in colour, which is perfectly 
black, whereas harmel is brown. 
Plantaginacece. 
Zerktouna. — Plantago Psyllium, L. — Seeds. 
Used as a demulcent in fevers and in colds. 
Ranunculacecc. 
Habras. — Delphinium Stapliisagria, L.—Seeds.. 
Used to destroy vermin. 
Leguminosce. 
Elhelba. — Trigonella Fccnum-Grcecum, L.—Fe¬ 
nugreek. Employed by women to induce fatness, 
and it is also given with barley to horses. When 
first taken it purges. 
Barks. 
Juglandacece. 
Sumac (trans. a stain).— Juglans regia, L.—Used 
by the Moorish women for staining the lips black. 
? 
Edro.—B ark used in fumigation and also for 
tanning. 
Roots. 
Leguminosce. 
Arksus. — Glycyrrhiza glabra, L. ? — Licorice. 
Given for coughs and chest affections. Produced 
in the southern province of Suse. 
* The best account of the argan tree is contained in 
Hooker’s ‘ Journal of Botany,’ vol. 6, p. 97. 
