Am.  Jour.  Pharm,  ) 
Oet.  1, 1871.,  J 
Saponaceous  Plants. 
457 
it  in  this  country.  He  spoke  most  enthusiastically  of  its  good  prop- 
erties as  a  gentle  cathartic,  which  had  proved  very  beneficial  to  him- 
self, and  which  was  much  used  and  esteemed  by  the  medical  profes- 
sion in  Holland.  He  kindly  offered  to  procure  for  me  a  small  quan- 
tity of  the  bark.  To  my  surprise,  I  shortly  afterwards  received  a 
bale  containing  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cwt.,  accompanied  by  the  fol- 
lowing letter.  He  writes,  "  I  hope  you  will  find  it  giving  as  much 
benefit  generally  as  I  have  derived  from  it  personally.  The  prepara- 
tion of  my  Dutch  physician  was  3  or  4  drams  of  bark  to  a  pint  of 
water  boiled  down  to  half  a  pint.  Two  or  three  tablespoonfuls  occa- 
sionally night  and  morning,  as  an  aperient.  Than  this  nothing  can 
be  more  simple  or  less  injurious,  and  it  does  not  require  increase  of 
dose,  but  the  contrary." 
I  am  aware  that  this  drug  is  not  altogether  unknown  in  this  coun- 
try, though  I  believe  rarely  or  never  used.  In  the  2d  volume  of  the 
first  series  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal^  page  721,  I  find  a  letter 
signed  George  Mennie,  Plymouth,  speaking  very  favorably  of  it  as  a 
purgative  and  alterative,  and  again  in  the  9th  volume,- page  537,  there 
is  an  analysis  by  M.  Benswanger. 
I  have  repeatedly  taken  the  decoction  myself,  and  find  the  taste 
not  unpleasant,  with  a  slight  prussic  acid  flavor,  of  which  the  analysis 
shows  traces.  It  operates  gently  as  an  aperient,  without  griping,  in 
doses  of  2  or  3  tablespoonfuls.  It  appears  to  me  to  possess  proper- 
ties which  should  in  many  cases  render  it  a  valuable  substitute  for 
senna, — which  is  often  found  drastic  in  its  eff"ects,  and  is  nauseous  to 
take, — and  to  be  especially  suitable  for  children. 
In  Holland  it  must  be  very  plentiful,  as  it  was  charged  me  only  at 
the  rate  of  about  lOcZ.  per  lb.,  including  cost  of  carriage. — Pharm. 
Journ.,  Land.  J  Aug.  19,  1871. 
SAPONACEOUS  PLANTS. 
By  p.  L,  Simmonds. 
Many  plants  in  different  countries  furnish  useful  substances  for  soap 
to  the  natives,  where  there  are  no  conveniences  or  materials  for  manu- 
facturing the  ordinary  soap  of  commerce.  Prominent  among  these 
are  the  soapworts,  tropical  plants  belonging  to  the  genus  Sapindus. 
The  Hindoos  use  the  pulp  of  the  fruit  of  Sapindus  detergens  for  wash- 
ing linen.    Several  of  the  species  are  used  for  the  same  purpose 
