1 5 8  The  A pocynacece  in  Materia  Medica.   { AVAr; imTm' 
poison,  and  employed  it  in  some  toxic  paralyses,  and  likewise  in 
intestinal  atony  and  in  incontinence  of  urine,  but  the  symptoms 
indicated  the  danger  of  toxicity. 
The  Seed  of  Cerbera  Manghas. — The  Cerbera  Manghas  L.  is  a 
tree  found  in  India  and  nearly  all  of  Oceanica.  In  the  various 
islands  we  find  numerous  varieties  based  on  details  of  the  flowers.  The 
fruit  is  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg.  In  the  fresh  state  it  is  fleshy,  with 
a  fibrous  stone,  coriacious  and  black  at  maturity,  and  confining  a 
large  oily  kernel.  According  to  Horsfield  the  pulp  is  employed  in 
Java  as  a  cataplasm  in  some  cutaneous  maladies. 
The  seeds  and  leaves  are  considered  as  very  dangerous,  and  are 
stated  to  be  drastic  purgative  and  emetic,  and  too  violent  for  use. 
The  kernels  are  said  to  be  narcotic,  and  produce  effects  comparable 
with  those  of  Datura.  M.  Jeanneney,  by  expression,  first  cold  and 
then  with  heat,  obtained  from  the  kernels  72  per  cent,  of  a  limpid 
golden  yellow-colored  oil,  which  burns  with  a  clear  flame  and  an 
odor  resembling  that  of  cocoanut  oil.  It  is  very  acrid  to  the  taste, 
producing  a  sensation  of  burning  in  the  stomach,  vertigo,  nausea 
and  violent  purgation  and  colic. 
The  Seeds  of  Cerbera  Odallam. — The  Cerbera  Odallam 
Gaertn.  [Odallam  Rheede ;  Cerbera  Manghu  Lin.;  Manghas  Sims 
not  L. ;  Tanghinia  Odallam  G.  Don.)  is  a  shrub  or  tree  inhabiting 
the  western  coast  regions  of  India.  Plugge  describes  the  fruit  as  a 
red  drupe,  spherical  or  ovoid,  the  size  of  an  apple,  with  a  stone  in 
the  centre  surrounded  by  a  mesocarp.  The  fruit  contains  generally 
two  hemispherical  seeds  with  a  tough,  horny,  granular  envelope. 
The  kernel  is  rounded  on  the  outside,  flattened  or  depressed  about 
the  centre  on  the  internal  side.  It  is  formed  of  two  unequal  cotyle- 
dons, the  external  surrounding  the  internal  and  a  short  ascending 
radicle.  The  seeds  of  Cerbera  Odallum  contain  a  colorless  crystal- 
lizable  glucoside  Cerberine  isolated  by  De  Vrij.  It  is  distinct  from 
the  Tanghinine  of  Arnaud,  of  which  it  is  probably  an  isomer.  It 
yields  with  dilute  acids  Cerberetine  equally  toxic  and  of  a  handsome 
yellow  color. 
The  seeds  contain  77  per  cent,  of  fixed  oil.  Cerberine  is  very 
toxic,  and  acts  by  arresting  heart  action.  It  presents  some  of  the 
advantages  of  Digitalis,  and  merits  clinical  study.  The  seeds  are 
employed  as  an  emeto-cathartic,  the  bark,  the  latex  (rich  in  caout- 
chouc) and  the  leaves  as  purgatives,  but  all  are  dangerous. 
