368 
Jamhul. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharra. 
July.  1888. 
size  to  be  planted  out  into  pits  dug  for  their  reception  in  the  shade 
of  the  forest,  suitably  prepared  by  trenching  and  the  thorough 
extirpation  of  root  and  branch  of  the  brush-wood  occupying  the  sur- 
face. The  process  cardamoms  are  put  through,  called  "  bleaching/'  is 
a  tedious  one  and,  if  left  to  agents,  particularly  costly.  It  is  done  by 
exposing  them  to  the  fumes  of  sulphur  in  closed  receptacles,  a  process 
which  has  the  effect  of  transforming  their  dingy  grey  into  a  delicate, 
pale  straw  color.  This  may  be  called  one  of  the  tricks  of  the  trade^ 
which,  while  perhaps  it  may  not  appreciably  deteriorate  or  detract 
from  the  quality  or  flavor  of  the  grains,  captivates  the  public  eye  and 
secures  a  better  price. 
JAMBUL. 
By  William  Elborne,  F.  L.  S. 
Assistant  Lecturer  in  Materia  Medica  and  Pharmacy  in  the  Owens  College. 
The  term  "  jambul,''  as  now  usually  accepted,  is  understood  to  ap- 
ply to  the  seeds  of  Eugenia  Jamholana,  Lam.  (Syzygium  Jamholanumy 
DC),  a  tree  attaining  a  height  of  from  70  to  80  feet,  belonging  to  the 
natural  order  Myrtaceae,  and,  like  others  of  the  genus  Eugenia,  is  for 
the  most  part  a  native  of  tropical  America,  the  West  Indies  and  of 
the  East.  In  India  the  bark,  leaves  and  fruit  of  this  tree  are  used  in 
medicine ;  the  seeds  in  the  form  of  powder  are  at  present  being  rec- 
ommended in  this  country  as  a  remedy  in  diabetes. 
The  bark  when  fresh  is  of  a  gray  or  pale  brown  color,  with  a  some- 
what fissured  and  scabrous  surface.  Its  section  is  pale  white,  soft, 
brittle  and  full  of  starch-like  granules.  Its  juice  is  rather  sticky, 
with  an  acidulous  and  astringent  taste  and  acidulous  smell.  Accord- 
ing to  Dymock,  a  description  apparently  applying  to  the  bark  in  the 
dried  state,  the  bark  is  gray  and  fissured  externally  ;  internally  it 
is  red  and  fibrous  ;  its  minute  structure  is  remarkable  in  having  sev- 
eral rows  of  very  large  pitted  oblong  oval  cells,  which  can  easily  be 
seen  with  the  naked  eye.  The  odor  is  like  that  of  oak  bark,  and  the 
taste  very  astringent."  It  is  used  in  the  preparation  of  astringent  de- 
coctions, gargles  and  washes. 
The  leaves  differ  from  those  of  other  myrtles  in  not  being  pellucid 
punctate  ;  they  are  shortly  petiolate,  3  or  4  inches  long,  smooth,  leath- 
