248  Strophantus  Semina,  B.  P.        { AmAJP°riir' 19^9! m' 
mud  to  our  hard  seats,  and  drove  into  the  darkness  of  the  mountain 
side. 
STROPHANTHUS  SEMINA,  B.P.1 
By  E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S. 
The  commercial  history  of  the  strophanthus  seed  of  commerce 
since  its  introduction  into  medicine  in  1886,  was  given  by  me  in 
1896,2  and  it  was  then  pointed  out  that  the  seeds  met  with  in  com- 
merce were  invariably  mixed  with  the  seeds  of  other  species  in  vary- 
ing proportions,  and  that  the  seeds  of  Strophanthus  Courmontii 
and  its  varieties  were  practically  impossible  to  separate  by  the  naked 
eye,  so  that  unless  the  seeds  were  sent  in  pods  it  would  be  impossible 
to  comply  with  the  Pharmacopoeia  directions,  and  use  the  seeds  of 
S.  Kombe  only. 
But  although  these  facts  were  published  in  1906,  and  illustrations 
of  the  difference  in  the  leaves  and  flowers  and  seeds  of  vS\  Cour- 
montii were  given  with  Pharm.  Journ.,  4,  XII.,  p.  486,  the  B.P.  did 
not  in  1914  direct  that  the  seeds  should  be  kept  in  their  pericarps 
until  required  for  use,  as  is  ordered  in  the  case  of  cardamom  seeds. 
For  some  years  past  it  has  been  impossible  to  obtain  pure  seed  of 
S.  Kombe  in  commerce. 
The  objection  has  been  raised  by  drug  brokers  that  the  weight 
of  the  pods  adds  much  to  the  freight,  and  that  the  buyers  object  to 
giving  more  than  3s.  6d.  per  lb.  for  the  seeds  of  5\  Kombe,  because 
other  strophanthus  seeds  can  be  bought  at  that  price.  (But  the  first 
importation  was  entirely  of  pods,  and  was  purchased  by  Messrs. 
Burroughs  and  Wellcome  at  a  good  price.)  The  result  has  been  that 
a  large  number  of  strophanthus  seeds  of  various  species  and  of 
unknown  medicinal  properties  have  entered  into  commerce  and  have 
been  sold  as  "  strophanthus  "  seeds,  dealers  being  apparently  satisfied 
if  there  are  enough  Kombe  seed  mixed  with  them  "  to  swear  by," 
and  in  some  cases  purposely  mixing  different  lots.  The  danger  of 
this  carelessness  about  one  of  the  most  valuable  heart  remedies,  whem 
given  in  a  proper  dose,  but  which  is  also  a  dangerous  heart  poison 
in  too  large  a  dose,  is  leading  to  results  that  might  easily  prove  disas- 
1  Reprinted  from  The  Pharmaceutical  Journal  and  Pharmacist,  January, 
1919. 
2  Pharm.  Journ.,  4,  XXII,  p.  312. 
