Am.  Jour.^pharm.,)    Materia  Medica  of  the  Mexican  Pharmacopoeia.  601 
MATERIA  MEDICA  OF  THE  NEW  MEXICAN  PHARMA- 
COPGEIA. 
By  the  Editor. 
(Continued  from  page  556.) 
GenciaDa.  Although  Gentiana  calyculata,  G.  mexicana,  G.  Hart- 
'v\egi  and  other  species  of  this  genus  are  indigenous  to  Mexico,  and 
several  of  them  are  abundant,  they  are  not  employed  medicinally,  but 
the  root  of  G.  lutea  is  used.  The  first  named  species  is  known  as 
Flor  de  Santo  Domingo,  or  Flor  de  nieve  (snowflower). 
Gobernadora  de  Mexico,  Zygophyllum  Fabago,  Lin.;  Zygophylla- 
<ie8e;  grows  in  Mexico,  but  is  indigenous  to  the  Orient.  The  leaves 
are  popularly  used  in  baths  and  fomentations  for  relieving  rheumatic 
pains,  and  the  fruit  preserved  in  vinegar  like  capers,  hence  the  com- 
mon name  falsa  alcaparra,  and  in  English  bean  caper. 
Gobernadora  de  Puebla,  Eupatorium  veronicsefolium,  Kunth;  Com- 
positse ;  in  the  neighborhood  of  Puebla.  The  leaves  are  used  like  the 
preceding. 
Goma  de  Sonora  is  an  exudation  of  Mimosa  laccifera,  produced  by 
the  hemipterous  insect,  Carteria  mexicana,  Comstock.  It  resembles 
grain-lac,  from  which  it  differs  in  being  less  deeply  red,  in  having  a 
taste  resembling  that  of  succinic  acid,  and  in  becoming  elastic  when 
heated  ;  it  is  used  against  metro rrhagies. 
Goma  mangle;  from  Rhizophora  Mangle,  Xin. ;  Rhizophorace?e ; 
in  Tampico  and  other  coast  districts.  It  forms  rather  voluminous 
masses  or  separate  tears,  5  Cm.  or  more  thick,  is  reddish-brown  exter- 
nally, dark  red  internally,  hard,  breaks  with  a  conchoidal  and  opaque 
fracture,  and  has  a  sweetish  mucilaginous  taste  and  a  peculiar  odor. 
It  dissolves  in  water  without  leaving  any  residue  except  the  impuri- 
ties, forming  a  mucilage  of  less  consistency  than  that  of  gum  mezquite. 
Another  variety  of  goma  mangle,  obtained  from  Rhizophora  Can- 
del,  Lin.,  is  in  distinct  slightly  adhering  tears,  externally  scaly,  glossy, 
transparent,  of  little  hardness,  breaking  with  an  uneven  shining  frac- 
ture, inodorous,  of  a  mucilaginous  taste,  and  dissolves  less  freely  in 
water,  but  swells  up  and  forms  a  thinner  mucilage. 
The  gum  is  used  in  the  Philippine  Islands  as  a  febrifuge,  and  in 
Mexico  for  relieving  cough.  The  fruit  is  edible.  The  bark  and  also 
the  fruit  are  used  for  tanning. 
Goma  de  nopal.    See  page  450. 
