320 
Churrus. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Phar». 
1     July  1,187a. 
CHURRUS. 
By  John  R.  Jackson,  A.LlS., 
Curator  of  the  Museums,  Royal  Gardens,  Ktu\ 
Three  well  known  products  of  the  hemp  plant  (Cannabis  sativa)  are 
known  in  India  as  Gunja,  Bhang,  and  Churrus  ;  the  first  being  the 
dried  flower  branches  pressed  together  while  in  a  fresh  state,  and 
used  for  smoking  like  tobacco  ;  the  second,  the  leaves  and  capsules^ 
from  which  an  infusion  or  intoxicating  drink  is  made;  and  the  third, 
a  kind  of  an  earthy  resin,  which  is  always  described  as  the  most  pow- 
erful of  all.  Churrus  varies,  however,  in  quality,  three  or  more  kinds 
being  known  ;  the  first  or  highest  quality  occurring  in  large  irregular 
lumps,  the  second  in  smaller  lumps,  and  the  third  in  finely  broken 
pieces,  with  a  large  proportion  of  dust.  All  these  have  a  more  or 
less  earthy  fracture,  but  there  are  two  small  samples  in  the  Kew  Mu- 
seum which  have  been  apparently  moulded  by  pressure  into  hard  and 
compact  masses,  each  about  two  inches  long,  and  about  half  as  thick 
again  as  a  man's  thumb,  rounded  at  each  end,  and  which  have  a  some- 
what greenish  fracture,  and  a  perceptible  odor  of  musk.  Whether 
this  has  been  imparted  to  them  in  the  course  of  preparation,  or  by 
contact  with  other  articles,  I  am  not  able  to  say.  The  specimens 
formed  part  of  the  collection  of  the  Medico-Botanical  Society  of  Lon- 
don, and  were  obtained  for  the  Kew  Museum  in  1853,  since  which 
time  they  have  been  kept  in  a  glass  jar,  separate  from  other  speci- 
mens, sufficient  time,  one  would  think,  for  them  to  lose  any  perfume 
not  actually  incorporated  into  their  substance.  Churrus  is  said  to  be 
seldom  or  never  the  pure  resin  as  it  exudes  from  the  leaves,  stems, 
and  flowers  of  the  hemp  plant,  so  that  it  is  not  improbable  that  musk 
may  sometimes  be  mixed  up  with  it.  And,  as  a  further  proof  of  the 
system  of  adulteration,  the  following  fact  may  also  be  stated: — 
Amongst  some  fruits,  seeds,  and  other  botanical  specimens  recently 
received  at  the  Kew  Museum  from  Yarkand,  were  some  of  the  mealy 
fruits  of  the  Trebizonde  date  (Elceagnus  hortensis).  The  information 
which  accompanied  them  was  to  the  effect  that  the  tree  was  cultivated 
for  the  sake  of  the  fruits,  which  were  largely  consumed  as  food,  and 
were  carried  in  quantities  in  caravan  journeys.  The  wild  fruits,  how- 
ever, are  not  eaten,  but  the  meal  obtained  from  them  is  used  entirely 
to  adulterate  churrus.  In  India  the  hemp  is  an  officinal  plant,  its 
principal  use  being  in  tetanus,  hydrophobia,  and  neuralgia,  in  its  va- 
rious forms;  but  it  has  also  been  used,  it'is  said,  with  success  in  such 
