16 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
" Dulcamara possesses narcotic properties, with the power of 
increasing the secretions, particularly that of the kidneys and 
skin. Its narcotic effects do not become obvious unless when 
it is taken in large quantities. In over doses it produces nau- 
sea, vomiting, faintness, vertigo and convulsive muscular 
movements. It has been recommended in various diseases, 
but is now nearly confined to the treatment of cutaneous erup- 
tions, particularly those of a scaly character, as lepra, herpes, 
&c. &c. It is said to be beneficially employed in chronic 
rheumatism." 
MM. Brault and Poggiale, of Germany, from some late 
experiments they have made on hyoscyamus and digitalis, 
have come to the conclusion that many of the vegetable alka- 
loids, as hyoscyamia, conia, digitalia, atropia, &c. are no- 
thing more than salts of the alkaline earths, and that the 
virtues and effects which have been attributed to them 
have been owing to more or less of the active principles of the 
plant being mixed or combined with them, as is the case with 
piperine, the activity of which is generally acknowledged to 
depend upon the quantity of oil of pepper combined with it. 
The experiments which I have made on the article, under 
consideration, would seem to lead to similar conclusions. 
Experiment, No. 1. §viij. of the bruised twigs of the dul- 
camara were boiled in six pints of water down to three pints. 
To the filtered decoction were added (while hot) 3iij. of mag- 
nesia. It was then set aside with occasional agitation for 
twenty-four hours, filtered, and the precipitate collected and 
submitted to the action of boiling alcohol fort, for five minutes, 
filtered; removed the colouring matter by animal charcoal; 
filtered and set it aside for deposition, but none took place. 
On evaporating the supernatant liquor there was left a few 
grains of a yellowish resinous mass, which had very little of 
the properties of the plant. The liquor filtered from the 
magnesia was evaporated to the consistence of an extract, 
which evidently contained most of the virtues of dulcamara, 
as on taking a small quantity of it, nausea and headache were 
produced; in this solution there was no alkaline reaction on 
test paper. 
