AxoVJemberPhi89rsm"}    Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  575 
CAUCASIAN  SARSAPARILLA. 
In  the  South  of  Europe  occurs  a  sarsaparilla  called  "  Italian," 
which  is  yielded  by  Smilax  asp  era,  and  is  used  by  the  people  as  a 
medicine,  though  it  does  not  contain  any  parallin.  Ed.  Lehmann 
calls  attention  (Farmaz  Westnik,  1898,  p.  1)  to  the  Caucasian  Sarsa- 
parilla (the  origin  of  which  is  5.  excelsd),  which  somewhat  resem- 
bles the  American  sarsaparilla,  and  may  be  employed  as  an 
efficient  substitute.  Chemically,  it  appears  that  the  Caucasian 
sarsaparilla  contains  parallin,  or  at  least  a  principle  resembling  the 
same. —  Chem.  Zeit.,  1898,  p.  120. 
CARDIOGYNE  AFRICANA,  BUREAU. 
A  new  dyewood  is  recorded  by  A.  Engler  as  being  yielded  by 
Cardiogyne  Africana  (N.  O.  Moracese)  from  the  east  coast  of  Africa. 
The  thorny  bush  occurs  in  abundance.  The  outer  portion  of  the 
bark  is  marked  by  deep,  longitudinal  fissures ;  the  inner  bark  and 
the  white  splint  wood  are  rich  in  a  yellowish  milk  juice  ;  the  heart- 
wood  (which  may  have  a  diameter  over  10  centimeters)  is  heavy 
and  more  or  less  red-colored.  Linen  is  dyed  of  a  beautiful  light 
yellow  color  by  means  of  alum  and  the  heart-wood,  and  the  article 
is  not  affected  by  soap. —  Chem.  Zeit.,  1898,  120,  from  Notizbl.  bot. 
Gart.  u.  Mils.,  1898,  II,  54. 
VANILLIN  IN  OATS. 
According  to  Olivier  de  Rawton  (Compt.  Rend.,  T.  127,  p.  197) 
there  occur  three  crystallizable  principles  in  oats,  one  of  which  yields 
upon  oxidation,  vanillin.  Olivier  believes  this  to  be  the  stimulating 
principle  of  oats,  inasmuch  as  horses  fed  with  oats  deprived  of  the 
pericarp  do  not  respond  as  those  fed  otherwise,  and  the  black  oats  of 
Bretagne,  which  are  the  most  highly  prized,  yield  more  vanillin. 
In  Normandy,  horse  dealers  feed  their  spirited  horses  on  the  rhizome 
of  couch  grass.  According  to  Olivier  it  is  to  the  vanillin  that  triti- 
cum  owes  its  stimulating  properties,  although  there  is  here  another 
glucoside  which,  upon  oxidation,  yields  an  aldehyde  having  the 
odor  of  Rosa  gallica. — Pharm.  Zeit.,  1898,  304. 
