24 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[July 8,1871. 
THE MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF THE 
COCOA-NUT. 
BY JOHN R. JACKSON, A.L.S., 
Curator of the Museums, Royal Gardens , Keio. 
Tlie cocoa-nut (Cocos nucifera , L.) is a well-known 
economic plant, and is extensively cultivated in tro¬ 
pical countries. It is estimated that in Travancore 
alone there are ten million of these trees growing. 
The fruits are a most important article of food in 
the countries where they grow, while the oil and the 
fibre of the husk—known as coir—are valuable 
articles in British commerce. 
The cocoa-nut is not a recognized medicinal plant 
in European practice, though the oleine obtained by 
pressure from the crude oil and refined, has been 
used as a substitute for cod-liver oil, experiments 
having shown that its effect in increasing the weight 
of the body is almost equal to that of the latter, but 
that its continued use is apt to disturb the digestive 
organs and produce diarrhoea. The crude oil, as 
brought into England, is obtained by boiling and 
pressing the white kernel or albumen. While in a 
fresh state, and in a liquid form, this oil is of a pale 
yellow colour, and almost without smell; it is much 
used in cookery by the natives, but becomes partially 
solid and turns rancid before it arrives in this conn- 
try, where, for the purposes of the candle-maker, the 
stearine or solid fat is separated from the fluid. 
Cocoa-nut oil is said to be useful in strengthening 
the growth of the hair. 
The milk of the cocoa-nut is more important to 
the natives in a medicinal point of view than the oil; 
in India they use it as a purifier of the blood, and 
we have heard from many an English resident in 
our eastern possessions, that it is not only an excel¬ 
lent medicine for the purpose, but that nothing can 
possibly be more refreshing to a thirsty traveller 
under a tropical sun than a good draught of fresh 
cocoa-nut milk. As we obtain it in this country, it 
has not only lost its freshness and fine flavour, but 
has also lost its medicinal properties. When quite 
fresh it has been employed successfully by English 
doctors hi India in cases of debility and incipient 
phthisis, and it also forms an excellent substitute 
for, if indeed it is not preferable to, cow’s milk for 
tea and coffee. In large doses, however, it is said 
to act as a purgative, and on this account has been 
recommended in lieu of castor oil for those who can¬ 
not overcome the nausea arising from the latter. In 
the Fiji islands the milk is very extensively used, 
but it has been supposed, with how much truth we 
are not able to say, that the continued use of it pre¬ 
disposes to the dropsical complaints which are said 
to prevail in those islands. 
The toddy or wine which is obtained from the 
flower-spikes is described as being very refreshing 
and delicious, taken before sunrise; it is given by 
the native doctors in cases of consumption, and if 
taken regularly is said to be an excellent medicine 
for delicate persons suffering from habitual consti¬ 
pation. 
FLUID EXTRACTS AND THEIR MENSTRUA. 
BY EDWARD R. SQUIBB, M.D. 
[Continued from page 6.) 
The following table, embracing- the substances of nine 
officinal fluid extracts, and one other, is limited in extent 
by the size of the page, but is large enough to illustrate 
these xioints. These percolations, excepting ergot and 
lupulin, were all made with fine powders, moistened with 
more menstruum than is directed by the Pharmacopoeia, 
TABLE OF PERCOLATIONS. 
Portion 
of the 
Percolate. 
Aconite 
Boot. 
Buchu 
Leaf. 
Cin¬ 
chona 
Bark. 
Ergot. 
Lupulin. 
Wild 
Cherry 
Bark. 
Sarsa¬ 
parilla 
Boot. 
Senna 
Leaf. 
Dande¬ 
lion 
Boot. 
Uva 
Ur si 
Leaf. 
Grains. 
Grains. 
Grains. 
Grains. 
Grains. 
Grains. 
Grains. 
Grains. 
Grains. 
Grains. 
• 
Sum Total . . . 
m 
4-4 
P 
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4-3 
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CS 
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K 
© 
© 
P 
© 
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5 
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© 
P 
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M 
w 
© 
© 
© 
£ 
3 
4-3 
© 
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p 
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4-» 
M 
p 
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© 
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© 
P 
sp 
3 
4-3 
© 
C3 
U 
K 
P 
© 
© 
P 
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p 
© 
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P 
4-3 
M 
w 
©’ 
© 
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© 
1 
P 
4-3 
© 
ci 
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P 
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© 
P 
© 
5 
4-3 
© 
ci 
*4 
4-# 
H 
p 
© 
© 
© 
*4 
.© 
ip 
s 
44> 
© 
4-> 
W 
p 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
288 
193 
118 
77 
67 
50 
36 
41 
44 
34 
81 
87 
29 
27 
2^ 
20 
512 
843 
210 
137 
101 
89 
6-1 
78 
78 
61 
55 
66 
52 
48 
32 
3( 
305 
124 
67 
44 
27 
20 
20 
19 
18 
18 
12 
9 
1 
789 
321 
173 
114 
70 
52 
52 
49 
47 
47 
31 
22 
9 
o 
398 
155 
70 
48 
53 
26 
28 
65 
95 
71 
31 
30 
26 
14 
32 
25 
38 
514 
200 
90 
62 
68 
34 
35 
84 
123 
92 
40 
39 
34 
18 
41 
32 
49 
301 
133 
49 
26 
21 
16 
13 
17 
14 
9 
i$ 
10 
748 
332 
121 
64 
52 
39 
32 
4: 
34 
22 
19 
25 
25 
705 
480 
1S7 
133 
77 
64 
39 
2G 
23 
13 
13 
2275 
1549 
604 
429 
249 
207 
126 
84 
74 
42 
42 
287 
117 
73 
66 
60 
GO 
54 
62 
55 
53 
53 
68 
57 
52 
49 
41 
344 
140 
87 
79 
72 
# 72 
65 
74 
66 
63 
63 
83 
68 
62 
59 
50 
325 
137 
53 
40 
40 
40 
40 
40 
34 
20 
12 
829 
349 
135 
102 
102 
102 
102 
102 
87 
51 
31 
563 
286 
103 
46 
47 
36 
34 
S3 
n i 
Ol 
18 
23 
q 
4 
1166 
593 
213 
95 
98 
75 
71 
68 
64 
37 
48 
4 
8 
808 
374 
1G9 
119 
53 
31 
8 
7 
1927 
892 
403 
284 
126 
74 
19 
17 
633 
213 
173 
73 
73 
35 
36 
27 
20 
16 
1344 
452 
367 
155 
155 
74 
77 
58 
42 
34 
11041964 
i 
681 
1770 
1205 1555 
i 
632 
,555 
1760 
5681 
1207 
1445 
781 1992 
1226 25401569 
1 i 
3742 1299 2758 
Quantity of powder percolated . . . 
Dried residue from percolation . . . 
Loss by percolation (solid extract) . . 
Pharmacopoeia percolates to ... . 
Maximum ext. obtained by Pharm. . 
Percentage of total ,, . 
Percolate required to get 80 per cent! 
of total extract . . . 
Extract in the pint when of 80 per cent. 
7652 
5688 
1964 
8^ pints. 
1571 
7680 
5910 
1770 
2g pints. 
1240 
70 p. e. 
4| pints. 
1416 
7680 
6125 
1555 
4 pints. 
866 
55 p. c. 
9J pints. 
1244 
7680 
6125 
1555 
of pints. 
1219 
80 p. c. 
4 pints. 
1244 
76S0 
1999 
5681 
2 pints. 
3824 
68 p. c. 
3£ pints. 
4*544 
7680 
6235 
1445 
3 pints. 
571 
40 p. c. 
11 pints. 
1156 
7680 
5688 
1992 
4 pints. 
1415 
71 p. c. 
6 pints. 
1593 
7GS0 
5140 
2540 
3 pints. 
1972 
78 p. c. 
4 pints. 
2032 
7680 
3938 
8742 
3 pints. 
3222 
86 p. c. 
2^ pints. 
2993 
7680 
4922 
2758 
3 pints. 
2163 
78 p. c. 
3^ pints. 
2206 
