Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
April,  1890.  J 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
177 
GLEANINGS  IN  MATERIA  MEDICA. 
By  John  M.  Maisch. 
The  oleo-resmous  exudations  of  the  different  species  of  Araucaria 
differ  from  those  of  other  coniferse  in  containing  much  gum.  Heckel 
and  Schlagdenhauffen  found  that  the  secreting  glands  at  first  contain 
oleo-resin.  Afterward  the  neighboring  cells  form  papillae,  project- 
ing into  the  glands,  and  are  converted  into  arabin  which  mixes  with 
the  oleo-resin.  The  proportion  of  gum  varies  between  29  and  93 
per  cent,  and  it  usually  contains  a  little  sugar.  The  gum-resin  of 
A.  Bidwilli  yields  to  alcohol  a  crystalline  body  apparently  identical 
with  pinit  of  Pinns  lumber  tiana.  The  oleo-resins  and  volatile  oils  are 
dextro-gyrate.  The  alcoholic  solutions  contain  no  inorganic  matter, 
but  the  water-soluble  portion  leaves  an  ash  of  calcium  chloride  with 
some  sulphates  and  carbonates,  and  little  iron  and  manganese. — 
Compt.  Rend,  cix,  382. 
Xanthoxylum  senegule?tse,  DeCandolle,  s.  Fagara  zanthoxyloides 
Lamarck,  has  been  examined  by  P.  Giacosa  and  M.  Soave,  who  found 
in  the  root  bark  three  alkaloids,  one  of  which  has  the  composition 
C21H23N04  and  is  stated  to  be  very  similar  to  berberine.  The 
authors  call  it  artariney  the  drug  being  knowTn  as  artar-root.  A 
compound  having  the  composition  of  cubebin  was  likewise  isolated. 
The  transverse  section  of  the  root  is  yellowish  with  white  dots. 
The  wood  is  hard  and  has  fine  wavy  medullary  rays. 
Xanthoxylum  Naranjillo,  DeCand.  is  used  as  a  sudorific  and 
diuretic  in  the  Argentine  Republic.  Parodi  has  found  in  it  a  volatile 
oil  and  an  alkaloid. — See  also  Amer.  Jour.  Pharmacy,  1882,  p.  134 ; 
1884,  p.  579  and  627;  1886,  p.  72. 
Digitalin,  on  being  heated  in  a  sealed  tube  with  barium  oxide  and 
water  to  1800  C.,  yielded  to  Arnaud  [Compt.  Rend.,cix,  p.  701)  a 
crystalline  compound  having  the  composition  (C31H51Ou).,Ba.  It  is 
insoluble  in  water,  but  somewhat  soluble  in  boiling  alcohol.  It  is 
the  barium  derivative  of  the  compound  C3lH5.,On,  which  is  formed 
from  digitalin,  C31H50O10,  by  the  assimilation  of  water. 
Tunghimn,  under  similar  conditions,  yields  a  barium  derivative  of 
the  compound  C27H4tO10.  2H20  having  been  assimilated,  thus  making 
the  composition  of  tanghinin  C27H40O8. 
Mandragorine,  the  alkaloid  of  mandragora  root  was  isolated  by 
F.  B.  Ahrens  (Annalen,  ccli,  p.  312).    Mandragorine  is  colorless 
