^6 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Mediea. 
i  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      Feb.,  1888. 
GLEANINGS  IN  MATERIA  MEDIC  A. 
By  the  Editor. 
Chemistry  of  the  Nymj^hcEacecB.  By  W.  Gruniiig. — Nuphartannie 
acid  C^gHggOsy,  which  is  present  iu  the  seed  of  Nuphar  luteum,  in  con- 
siderable proportion,  is  a  light  yellow  mass,  easily  rubbed  into  powder, 
precipitates  ferric  salts  blue-black,  and  shows  the  general  reactions  of 
tannins ;  it  is  associated  with  nuphar-phlobaphene,  C^^l^^O^. 
The  rhizome  of  Nymphcea  alba  contains  tanno-nymphsein,  0551152035,. 
and  nymph teophlobaphene,  CggH^gOgg.  The  tannin  proper,  nymphsea- 
tannic  acid,  056^58038?  forms  a  brown-red  transparent  mass,  which 
readily  yields  a  pale  yelloAV  powder,  and  has  the  general  reactions  of 
the  tannins ;  when  heated  in  a  sealed  tube,  placed  in  the  water-bath,  in 
the  presence  of  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  it  is  split  into  ellagic  acid,  gallic 
acid,  and  two  substances,  one  of  which  is  easily  oxydized  in  the  air  to 
phlobaphene,  while  the  other  yields  two  bodies  resembling  viridinic 
acid.  The  nuphar  tannin  is  split  into  an  acid  resembling  ellagic  acid ; 
a  compound  precipitating  gelatin  and  precipitated  by  alcohol ;  gallic 
acid  and  a  substance  changing  by  oxidation  to  a  compound  resembling 
viridinic  acid.— Ztg.  1822,  No.  67,  from  Arch.  d.  Fhar.  [3], 
xvij,  p  78(). 
The  Tambor. — Some  twenty  years  ago.  Dr.  Dorat,  of  Sonsonate,  sent 
to  the  late  Daniel  Hanbury,  dried  specimens  of  this  tree,  accompanied 
with  the  following  note  :  "  The  fruit,  about  the  size  of  a  pear,  contains 
three  beans,  jet  black,  which,  by  pressure,  yield  a  very  fine  oil  in  large 
quantity,  rather  pleasant  to  the  taste,  and  resembling  castor  oil  in  its 
purgative  effect,  with  the  advantage  that  it  does  not  gripe.  The  leaf 
is  large  and  is  used  here  for  packing  cheese,  on  account  of  its  strength. 
Flowers  in  December,  fruit  ripe  in  February  or  March.  The  seeds 
are  covered  with  an  exceedingly  hard,  black,  thin  epidermis,  with  a 
white  soft  pulp  containing  the  oil,  which,  besides  its  purgative  quality, 
burns  well.  Seed  vessels  grow  in  large  bunches.''  W.  B.  Hemsley,. 
A.L.S.,  now  describes  this  plant  as  a  new  species,  under  the  name  of 
Omphalea  oleifera,  Hemsley. — Leaves  large  (specimen  five  inches 
in  diameter),  petiolate,  papyraceous,  somewhat  stellately  puberulate, 
with  deciduous  hairs,  suborbicular,  deeply  ordate ;  flowers  monoecious ; 
the  panicles  terminal,  broad,  paniculate,  puberulate;  bracts  small, 
petiolate,  nai*ro^w,_about  an  inch  long,  veined,  puberulate;  sepals  4,. 
