Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1884. 
Brazilian  Drugs. 
621 
less  as  good  an  application  to  wounds  as  a  people  unversed  in  antiseptic 
applications  and  ignorant  of  the  existence  of  bacteria  could  devise. 
The  use  of  a  Lobelia  as  an  emetic  and  of  Iris  versicolor  as  a  cholagogue 
and  purgative  approaches  closely  to  the  practice  of  more  civilized 
nations.  The  simple  device  of  bleeding  from  an  artery  by  piercing  it 
with  a  sharp  flint  and  stopping  it  by  pressure  with  a  button  of  wood 
and  a  bandage  shows  a  respectable  knowledge  of  surgery. — Pharm. 
Journ.  and  Trans.,  October  18,  1884,  p.  302. 
BRAZILIAN  DRUGS  AT  THE  VIENNA  EXHIBITION. 
The  Zeitschrift  des  Allgemeinen  osterreichischen  Apotheker-  Vereines  now 
enables  us  to  quote  a  series  of  notes  upon  the  uses,  etc.,  of  these  drugs. 
Very  little  is  known  about  some  of  them  in  this  country,  and  as  South 
American  drugs  are  frequently  sent  over  to  England,  some  of  the 
information  which  has  been  furnished  to  the  above  may  at  a  future 
time  be  found  useful  for  reference.  These  notes  are  furnished  to  the 
above  journal  by  Gustave  Peckolt,  apothecary  at  Rio  Janeiro,  son  of 
the  well-known  botanist,  Dr.  Theodor  Peckolt. 
Carquega  Amargosa. — The  leaves  of  Baccharis  genistelloides,  Pers. 
(Compositce). — The  powerfully  bitter  leaves  serve  as  a  substitute  for 
wormwood.  A  tea  prepared  from  these  leaves  is  much  used  for 
indigestion  and  diarrhoea,  12  grams  of  the  leaves  being  infused  in  600 
grams  of  water  and  taken  in  doses  of  a  wineglassful.  An  aqueous 
extract  is  used  in  conjunction  with  salts  of  iron  for  debility  and  anaemia; 
a  spirituous  extract  in  doses  of  2  grams  for  liver  disease,  and  the 
bitter  resin  every  two  hours  in  intermittent  fever  between  the  attacks. 
The  fresh  leaves  analysed  by  Dr.  Theodor  Peckolt  were  found  to 
contain  in  1,000  parts  1*347  per  cent,  of  a  volatile  oil  and  17*948  of 
a  dark  green  soft  resin  soluble  in  ether,  11*218  of  a  dark  green  hard 
acid  resin  insoluble  in  ether,  3*236  of  a  brown  bitter  resin,  8*413  of  a 
tannin  giving  a  green  precipitate  with  iron  salts ;  also  wax,  fat,  etc. 
The  fresh  leaves  afforded  10  per  cent,  of  watery  extract  and  9  per 
cent,  of  a  spirituous  one. 
The  leaves  are  said  to  be  exported  in  considerable  quantity  to 
France  for  preparing  a  secret  remedy  or  some  other  purpose.  The 
idea  seems  to  suggest  itself  that  this  may  be  used  as  an  ingredient  of 
absinthe. 
