26 
Contributions  from  Tokio. 
Am.  Jour.  yPharm. 
Jan.,  1879. 
Scopolia  japonica,  also  called  Japanese  belladonna,  belongs  to 
the  nat.  ord.  of  Solanaceae.  The  root  is  used  by  Japanese  physicians 
like  belladonna,  is,  however,  inferior  in  its  narcotic  action.  It  contains 
no  atropia  but  solania,  which  G.  Martin  obtained  in  crystals.  A 
peculiar  characteristic  of  the  plant  is  its  extraordinarily  great  fluor- 
escence. 
Evodia  glauca,  N.  O.  Rutaceae.— -The  bark  is  light  yellow,  slightly 
greenish,  covered  with  a  corky  layer,  very  fragile  and  soft  and  is  readily1 
divided  into  thin  lamellae.  It  possesses  "  a  strongly  bitter  taste,  and 
becomes  very  mucilaginous  when  chewed.  G.  Martin  obtained  from 
it  a  considerable  quantity  of  berberina.  The  bark  is  used  by  the 
natives  for  medical  purposes  and  for  dyeing. 
Japanese  cinnamon. — The  cinnamon  examined  by  G.  Martin 
came  from  the  island  of  Sikok,  and  was  probably  obtained  from  Cin- 
namomum  Loureiri.  The  volatile  oil  obtained  from  it  has  a  wine- 
yellow  color,  is  lighter  than  water  and  has  a  very  agreeable  odor,  some- 
what recalling  that  of  camphor  and  cinnamon.  Concentrated  sulphuric 
acid  imparts  to  the  oil  a  violet-red  color,  which  changes  to  indigo-blue,, 
afterwards  to  beautiful  green  and  finally  to  brown.  With  concentrated 
nitric  acid  the  oil  forms  a  waxy  mass,  which  readily  melts  to  an  oily 
liquid  on  being  warmed.  The  oil  rotates  polarized  light  somewhat  to 
the  right ;  treated  with  caustic  soda  it  loses  its  cinnamon  odor  and  the 
odor  of  camphor  becomes  more  apparent.  A  distinct  odor  of  bitter 
almond  is  observed  on  acting  upon  the  oil  with  an  aqueous  solution  of 
potassium  permanganate. 
Ligustrum  Ibotu. — The  seeds  are  about  2  mm.  long,  1  mm.  broad, 
convex  on  the  back,  irregularly  grooved,  pointed  at  both  ends,  and  the 
points  united  on  the  inner  side  by  a  furrow.  G.  Martin  isolated  from, 
the  seeds  a  resinous  white  glucoside,  which  is  colored  red  by  concen- 
trated H2S04,  and  for  which  the  author  proposes  the  name  lbotin.  The 
seeds  also  contain  sugar  and  about  20  per  cent,  of  fatty  oil,  resembling 
olive-oil  and  solidifying  when  cold — cafFeina,  the  presence  of  which 
was  repotted  by  some  investigators,  could  not  be  obtained.  The  ash 
amounts  to  3.422  per  cent. — Archiv  d.  Pharm.,  Oct.  1878,  p.  334-339- 
