Ill 
The Addendum to the Austrian Pharmacopoeia VIII 45 has a 
Pulvis Guaranae Compositus of the following composition:— Pulv. 
Guaranae 5, Sodii Salicyl. 3, Ouininae Sulph. 2, in capsules each to 
contain a gramme. 
The United States Pharmacopoeia 46 has a standardised prepara¬ 
tion, Fluidextractum Guaranae, containing 3’5 per cent, alkaloid 
made by percolation with diluted alcohol. The average dose is half 
a drachm. 
Allied Plants 
The natural order Sapindaceae, and particularly its sub-order 
Sapindeae, includes many interesting plants having medicinal action. 
Em. de Maout and J. Decaisne 4 ' state that Serjania and 
Paullinia, American genera, are poisonous ; the Brazilians use their 
juice to stupefy fish. 
Paullinia cururu. The juice of this plant is used by the natives 
of Guiana to poison their arrows. 
P. pinnata , L. A poison is prepared from the root and seeds, and 
the expressed juice of its leaves furnishes the Brazilian Indians with 
a powerful vulnerary.’ 47 , Creteur 48 says that P. pinnata , L., is a 
powerful climber, the seeds of which are used as a stupefacient in the 
Antilles and Brazil, and act upon fish in the same way as the Coque du 
Levant (1 Cocculus indicus). The leaves, called ‘ cururu ape,’ are 
vulnerary. P. pinnata , L., is also one of the drugs called Timbo, 
which is the name given in Brazil to several plants, such as Serjania 
mpidaia , 5 . lethalis , of the order Sapindaceae, and Tephrosia 
toxicaria , and Physalis heterophylla of the order Leguminosac, all of 
which are used for the purpose of stupefying fish. A decoction oi 
the root is preferred, as affording the more powerful poison. 
Planchon and Collin 49 state that the bark usually used for fish 
poisoning in Brazil is that of Ser jania curassavica , Radk. (P. Senegal 
e *»s, Jus, P. africana, Don.), and give Martius as authority for the 
statement. This plant grows in Brazil, Mexico, Guiana, the Antilles 
and West Africa. P. pinnata is also reported as growing in West 
^nca. 56 P. costata, Schl, is used in Mexico to kill fish J 
P ; mexicana, L, or quarhmetcatl of the Mexicans, possesses the 
virtues of sarsaparilla in the treatment of rheumatism and s> pin is. 
Greshoff 53 gives a very complete list of Indo-Malay poisons, 
amongst them are Serjania , Cupania and Paullinia. 
