Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1890. 
The  Kola  Nut  of  Africa. 
597 
ago,  about  750,000  pounds  of  kola  nuts  were  imported  there,  and 
600,000  pounds  to  the  Gambia. 
The  unerring  instinct  of  man,  even  in  uncivilized  countries,  has 
led  him  to  select,  from  the  many  thousands  of  plants  presented  to 
him  in  Nature,  just  four  or  five,  which,  from  their  alkaloid  active 
principle,  theine,  seem  to  be  a  necessary  rather  than  a  luxury  of  life. 
These  nuts  contain  more  theine  (viz  ,  2-34)  than  most  of  the  other 
dietetic  products  in  use.  The  properties  of  the  nut  are  said  to  be 
two-fold.  In  the  first  place,  it  enhances  to  many  palates  the  flavor 
of  food  eaten  afterwards  ;  secondly,  it  possesses  the  more  important 
function  of  staying  the  cravings  of  hunger,  and  enabling  those 
indulging  in  it  to  endure  prolonged  labor  without  fatigue.  Being 
bitter,  they  are  used  as  a  stomachic  and  a  tonic. 
It  is  beneficial  in  periodical  and  chronic  headaches,  in  heart  com- 
plaints and  diarrhoea ;  and,  mixed  with  cocoa,  it  has  been  found  a 
sustaining  and  stimulating  adjunct  in  exhaustive  and  wasting  dis- 
eases. It  is  said  to  clarify  beer  and  spirits,  and,  like  the  clearing 
nut  (Strychnos  potatorum),  to  render  drinkable  foul  water.  It  is 
even  spoken  of  as  a  cure  for  drunkenness,  from  the  amount  of  theine 
it  contains.  Probably  other  species  of  kola  or  sterculia  may  furnish 
seeds  equally  used  if  they  contain  caffeine. 
The  false  kola  nut  has  been  named  Garcinia  Kola  by  Dr.  Heckel, 
but  is  not  yet  well  defined,  although  it  resembles  the  Eastern  Gar- 
cinia Morella.  These  seeds  are  employed  like  the  true  kola  nuts, 
although  they  have  not  the  same  properties,  being  destitute  of  the 
alkaloid.  They  aje  contained  in  a  large  berry,  like  an  apple,  to  the 
number  of  three  or  four;  oval,  cuneiform.  They  are  chewed  gen- 
erally on  the  West  Coast,  and  have  a  bitter  flavor,  like  green  coffee. 
They  are  said  to  be  an  effectual  remedy  for  cold  in  the  head,  a  few 
seeds  being  chewed  in  the  course  of  the  day. 
Elder  Bark  as  a  diuretic. — G.  Lemoine  of  Lille  recommends  the  inner 
white  bark  of  the  European  elder,  Sambncus  nigra,  as  a  valuable  diuretic,  a 
handful  of  the  fresh  material  being  boiled  in  a  liter  of  water,  and  the  decoction 
administered  during  the  day  ;  it  has  also  a  laxative  action. 
Mites  in  flaxseed  meal  and  ground  mustard  multiply  rapidly,  and 
render  the  meal  unfit  for  use.  H.  David  {Bulletin  Commerce  recommends  the 
seeds  of  both,  flax  and  mustard,  to  be  ground  fresh  for  use.  The  mite  is  a 
species  of  acaridce,  and  is  known  as  Tyroglyphus  siro.  It  is  also  met  with  upon 
cheese  in  company  with  another  species. 
