THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
FEBRUARY,  1886. 
FABIAN  A  IMBRICATA;  OR  PICHI. 
By  A.  B.  Lyons,  M.  D. 
In  the  December  issue  of  the  Therapeutic  Gazette  there  appeared  an 
article  by  Dr.  Rusby  with  reference  to  a  new  drug  which,  under  the 
name  of  pichi  (pronounced  pee'chee),  has  acquired  considerable  repu- 
tation in  Chili  in  the  treatment  of  urinary  affections.  Specimens  of 
the  drug  have  been  sent  to  Europe  and  to  the  United  States,  and  its  vir- 
tues will  no  doubt  be  speedily  put  to  the  test  of  clinical  experiment. 
Meanwhile,  opportunity  is  afforded  to  make  acquaintance  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  botanist  and  of  the  chemist  with  the  new  drug; 
and  I  take  pleasure  in  presenting  here  some  preliminary  notes  on  its 
natural  history. 
The  drug  is  the  product  of  a  solanaceous  plant — Fabiana  im- 
bricata,  Ruiz  et  Pavon;  subtribe  Fabianese,  Miers — a  shrub  or  small 
tree,  growing  on  rocky,  sterile  hill-tops  in  Chili.  As  imported,  it 
consists  of  the  branches  and  leafy  branchlets  of  the  shrub,  and  these 
bear  a  close  resemblance  in  general  aspect  to  those  of  a  cedar.  The 
highly  resinous  character  of  the  drug  and  its  aromatic  odor  and  taste, 
recall  the  familiar  arbor  vitse,  although  the  foliage  bears  a  closer 
resemblance  to  that  of  the  red  cedar.  In  absence  of  flowers  and 
fruits,  even  an  accomplished  botanist  would  scarcely  recognize  under 
such  a  disguise  a  member  of  the  natural  order  solanacese. 
The  accompanying  illustrations  render  minute  description  of  the 
drug  superfluous.  The  larger  stems,  1  to  2  cm.  in  diameter, 
are  covered  with  a  thin,  rather  smooth  bark,  obscurely  wrinkled 
longitudinally,  the  surface  more  or  less  distinctly  tuberculate,  color 
brownish  gray,  with  darker  or  lighter  patches.  The  bark  is  firmly 
adherent  over  a  yellowish- white,  tough,  compact  wood.  The  smaller 
twigs,  2  to  5  mm.  in  diameter,  are  of  a  darker  color,  and  show 
(when  stripped)  at  regular  intervals  scars  indicating  the  points  of  in- 
sertion of  the  minute  leaf-sprays.  The  leaves  are  minute  scales, 
about  1  mm.  in  length,  closely  imbricated  on  these  numerous  sprays. 
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