558  GUARANA. 
of  perfume  are  said  not  to  produce  ozone.  The  professor,  there- 
fore, recommends  the  cultivation  of  herbs  and  odorous  flowers  in 
marshy  districts  and  in  places  infected  with  animal  emanations- 
"  The  destruction  of  the  demon  Malaria,  by  a  spirit  begotten 
by  sunlight  out  of  flowers — if  it  be  confirmed  by  subsequent  ob- 
servation— not  only  explains  the  good  eff'ects  of  what  might  seem 
to  have  been  merely  speculative  or  empirical  advice,  but  also 
affords  a  beautiful  confirmation  of  an  ancient  myth  by  modern 
science.  When  Apollo  the  Healer,  by  his  life-inspiring  and 
health-restoring  rays,  penetrates  the  loveliest  objects  in  creation, 
and  draws  forth  from  them  a  mysterious  purifier — a  mighty  but 
invisible  disinfectant, — the  god  of  medicine  may  be  said  to  ad- 
minister to  a  plague-stricken  people  a  most  potent  remedy  con- 
cealed in  the  most  grateful  and  attractive  forms." — Pharm. 
Journ.,  Lond.,  Sept.  3,  1870. 
Q\JAB,K^A—PAULLINIA  SORBILIS,  MART. 
By  M.  0.  CooEE,  M.A. 
The  remarkable  product  called  Guarana  has  not  been  many 
years  known  in  Europe.  The  tree  whence  it  is  obtained  belongs 
to  the  Order  Sapindacece^  and  is  abundant  in  the  province  of 
Amazonas,  along  the  banks  of  the  Tapajos,  Rio  Negro,  etc.,  as 
well  as  in  Guiana  and  Venezuela.  The  fruit,  scarcely  as  large 
as  a  walnut,  contains  five  or  six  seeds,  which  are  roasted,  then 
mixed  with  water,  and  moulded  into  a  cylindrical  form  resemb- 
ling a  large  sausage,  then  finally  dried  in  an  oven  and  offered 
for  sale.  Guarana  is  used  extensively  in  Brazil,  Guatemala, 
Costa  Rica,  and  other  parts  of  South  America,  as  a  nervous 
stimulant  and  restorative. 
Besides  its  medicinal  properties,  this  substance  has  a  reputa- 
tion for  affording  a  refreshing  beverage  similar  in  its  effects  to 
tea  and  coffee.  It  is  grated  into  a  powder,  very  like  powdered 
cacao  in  appearance.  Two  spoonfuls  of  this  powder  are  mixed 
in  a  tumbler  of  water,  and  this  drink'is  regarded  as  a  stimulant 
to  the  nerves,  and,  like  strong  tea  or  coffee,  is  said  to  take  away 
the  disposition  to  sleep. 
The  active  chemical  principle  is  an  alkaloid  first  discovered. 
