126 
Berries  of  the  Horse  Nettle. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t.      March.  1891. 
gested  are  :  Gentian,  8  parts ;  bitter  orange  peel,  4  parts ;  carda- 
mom, 2  parts;  water,  21,  and  alcohol  65  parts. 
Glycerin,  of  which  eight  different  samples  were  examined  by 
Edwin  A.  Prior,  was  found  to  be  practically  pure.  A  sample  of 
so-called  mineral  glycerin  was  found  to  have  a  density  of  o-866,  and 
judging  from  its  behavior  with  alkalies,  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform, 
benzin  and  benzol,  was  simply  a  handsome  paraffin  oil. 
A  PROXIMATE  ANALYSIS  OF  THE  BERRIES  OF  HORSE 
NETTLE. 
(Solanum  carolinense  L.,  order  Solanacece.) 
By  Harry  Kahn. 
Growing  in  sandy  places,  in  pastures  and  sometimes  in  cultivated 
grounds  in  Virginia,  the  Carolinas,  as  far  north  as  Pennsylvania  and 
west  as  far  as  Iowa,  horse  nettle  may  be  found.  The  root  is  peren- 
nial, while  the  hollow,  erect,  armed  stem  is  annual,  growing  to  a 
height  of  from  one  to  two  feet.  Its  leaves  are  from  four  to  six 
inches  long,  ovate  oblong,  acute,  sinuated-toothed  or  angled,  have 
a  roughish  white  stellate  pubescence,  and  are  prickly  along  the  mid- 
rib (Gray,  Manual  of  Botany,  jjp).  Petioles  from  y  to  I  y2  inches 
long.  Racemes  lateral,  opposite  and  often  larger  than  the  leaves. 
The  flowers  which  appear  in  June,  July  and  August  have  a  pale 
blue  or  white  corolla  and  a  five-parted  aculeate  calyx. 
The  berries  ripen  in  October;  are  two-celled;  from  y  to  y  inch 
in  diameter;  of  a  lemon  yellow  or  greenish  yellow  color  (Darling- 
ton, American  Weeds  and  Useful  Plants,  1859,  254).  When  fresh 
they  have  a  rank  wild  odor,  but  when  dried  this  is  changed  to  a 
pleasant  aromatic ;  they  have  a  slightly  bitter  taste,  with  a  tingling 
aftertaste. 
According  to  Porcher  (quoted  by  Maisch  in  American  Journal 
of  Pharmacy,  61,  552)>  these  berries  have  some  reputation  among 
the  negroes  of  South  Carolina  as  an  aphrodisiac.  Valentine  obtained 
good  results  from  the  juice  in  tetanus.  A  tincture  of  the  same  has 
recently  been  used  with  much  success  by  J.  L.  Napier  {Virginia 
Medical  Monthly,  Sept.,  1889.  Smead  :  Notes  on  New  Remedies, 
351),  as  a  remedy  for  epilepsy.  Hare  in  his  "Epilepsy:  its  pathology 
and  treatment"  also  recommends  the  use  of  horse  nettle  berries. 
The  analysis  of  the  drug  is  not  as  complete  as  might  be  wished^ 
