Nom. Vulg.--_Kamias_, _Kalamias_, Tag.; _Kilingiwa_, Vis.; _Pias_,
Iloc.
Uses.--The small fruit of the camia springing from the branches
and trunks of the trees is widely known in the Philippines, where
they eat it green, pickled, and in salad; and when ripe fresh and
preserved. Its qualities and therapeutic applications are the same
as those of the following species.
Botanical Description.--A tree 4-5 meters high with
odd-pinnate leaves. Leaflets 12 pairs, ovate, linear, acute,
soft and downy. Flowers small, pinkish or purplish, on trunk and
branches. Stamens 10, five alternately longer. Pistils divergent. Fruit
oblong, obtuse at the end, with five broad ribs.
Habitat.--Very common throughout the islands.
_Averrhoa Carambola_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Bilimbin_, _Balimbin_, Tag.
Uses.--The common name of this tree, whose fruit is so common, causes
it to be confused with the name which Linnæus gives to the former
species. Balimbin is a fruit of an acid taste, agreeable when ripe,
serving the same uses for food as the camia. Its acidity is due to
the presence of oxalic acid, which makes the green fruit useful for
removing ink and rust stains from clothes. The juice of the fruit is
refreshing and is given internally mixed with water and sugar as a
refreshing drink in fevers and as an antiscorbutic. For the latter
the ripe fruit is eaten uncooked.
In Mauritius the juice is used to treat dysentery and hepatitis. Padre
Blanco says that the natives use a decoction of camias and unthreshed
rice in diarrhoea and bilious colic. In connection with the subject
of camias and balimbins we should mention the fruit treatment of the
bilious diarrhoea of the tropics, spoken of by the French physicians
of Cochin China. Dr. Van der Burg of the Dutch Indies also strongly
recommends the treatment of diarrhoea by fruits; in temperate regions
using fruits like peaches, pears, etc., and in the tropics, lychies,
mangosteens, etc. In regard to the mangosteens we must not forget that,
while the bark is given because of the amount of tannin it contains,
the composition of the pulp is very different. The fruit acids seem
to exercise great influence in the cure of this obstinate disease
and I do not hesitate to recommend for this purpose the camia and
the ripe balimbin.
Botanical Description.--A tree much like the former. Leaves
odd-pinnate. Leaflets, 3-4 pairs, obliquely ovate, acute, the terminal
leaflet nearly lanceolate. Flowers on the trunk, branches and in the
axils of the leaves. Fruit oblong, with 5 very prominent acute-angled
ribs.
Habitat.--It grows, like the former plant, in all parts of the islands.
RUTACEÆ.
Rue Family.
_Ruta graveolens, L._ (_L. angustifolia_, Pers.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Rudu_, Sp.; _Rue_, Eng.
Uses.--The rue of the European, American and Indian pharmacopoeias
is emmenagogue, antispasmodic, anthelmintic, excitant, diaphoretic,
antiseptic and abortive. It contains an essential oil, and rutinic
acid (C_25_H_28_O_15_, Borntrager), starch, gum, etc. The essential
oil is greenish-yellow, thick, acrid and bitter; specific gravity
0.911. It boils at 228°, is slightly soluble in water, and soluble
in absolute alcohol. It is promptly oxidized by nitric acid, and is
converted into pelargonic acid and other fatty acids.
Rutin (or rutinic acid), according to Weiss, is a glucoside which
exists in the form of fine needles, bright yellow in color. It is
slightly soluble in cold water and more so in boiling water. It melts
at 190°, and solidifies at freezing point, forming a resinous mass. Its
physiological properties are as yet unknown. The part of the plant
employed is the leaves, which owe their property, apparently, to the
essential oil they contain, from which they also derive their strong
and disagreeable odor and their bitter, acrid and nauseous taste.
It is used principally as a uterine stimulant or emmenagogue, for which
purpose it is given in doses of 0.10-0.15 centigrams of the freshly
powdered leaf and 0.05-0.10 centigrams of the fresh leaves infused in a
liter of water. The dry powder of the leaf should not be used because
the essential oil volatilizes and a large proportion of it is lost,
which is the most active principle of the drug. It is an agent which
should be prescribed with the greatest prudence for large doses are
poisonous even to the point of causing death. The symptoms following
such doses are colic, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and tenesmus.
It is also used as an antihemorrhagic after childbirth, but its action
is slow, not being felt for several hours after the administration of
the drug; for this reason it cannot take the place of ergot, though
it seems to be superior to the latter in passive hemorrhages. The
essential oil is given internally in doses of 2-6 drops on a piece
of sugar. It is sometimes used as an antispasmodic in hysteria,
epilepsy and chorea.
The Chinese make extensive use of this drug and it is one of their
principal abortives. In Hindostan the dried leaves are burnt and the
smoke inhaled as a cure for catarrh in children. They are careful
not to administer it to pregnant women.
Botanical Description.--A plant, 1 meter high, with leaves alternate,
compound, the inferior ones 2-3-cleft; leaflets narrow, oblong,
slightly fleshy. Flowers greenish-yellow, hermaphrodite, arranged in
corymbose terminal cymes. Corolla, 4-5 free, concave petals. Calyx
deeply divided, persistent. Stamens 8-10, free, in two whorls, inserted
beneath a thick disc. Ovaries 5, unilocular, many-ovuled. Styles 5,
first free, then united, forming a column terminating in a small
stigma. Follicles 5, united at the base, 1 centimeter long, free
superiorly, hard, rounded, rugose, opening on top. Seeds ovoid,
angular, blackish, albuminous.
Habitat.--Common everywhere in the Philippines.
_Xanthoxylum oxyphyllum_, Edgew. (_X. violaceum_, Wall.; _Fagara
piperita_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Kayutana_, Tag.; _Salay_, _Saladay_, Vis.
Uses.--The trunk bark is stimulant and is used as a sudorific in the
treatment of fevers. The fresh bark is quite irritating, for which
reason it is best to use bark taken from the more mature parts of
the trunk, powdered and desiccated. The dose is 1/2-2 grams 2-3
times a day. Its stimulating properties render it useful in colic
and in India it is used as a stomachic and digestive. Is seems also
to possess diuretic properties.
Botanical Description.--A tree 30-35° high, with trunk thickly set
with large spines. Leaves odd-pinnate. Leaflets ovate, acute, obtusely
serrate, small transparent vesicles on the surface, spines on the
midrib and common petiole. Calyx very small, monophyllous. Corolla
twice as large as the calyx, 4 petals. Stamens 4, inserted on the
receptacle, the same length as the petals. Ovary superior, 4-angled. No
style. Stigmas 2.
Habitat.--Batangas, Morong, Manila.
_Murraya exotica_, L. (_M. paniculata_, Jack.; _Connarus foetens_,
and _C. santaloides_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Kamuning_, Tag.
Uses.--The leaves are stimulant and astringent, and are used
in infusion (15 grams, to water one liter) to treat diarrhea and
dysentery. The root and trunk barks are used for the same treatment
and they as well as the leaves owe their properties to an essential
oil and a bitter principle present in all parts of the plant. Vry has
demonstrated the presence of a glucoside which he has named _murrayin_
(C_18_H_22_O_10_); it crystallizes in small, white needles, is slightly
bitter, soluble in hot water and alcohol, insoluble in ether, slightly
soluble in cold water. It melts at 170°, and dissolves in alkaline
solutions coloring them green. Boiled in dilute acids it splits into
_murrayetin_ and glucose. _Murrayetin_ (C_12_H_12_O_10_) crystallizes
in white needles, inodorous, tasteless, slightly soluble in cold water
and in ether, soluble in hot water and alcohol. Heat destroys its
green color in solutions; alkalies, in the presence of cold, increase
it. The leaves and the bark of the plant contain an essential oil.
The foregoing description of this species applies equally well to
the following species.
Botanical Description.--A small tree 12° high with leaves alternate,
odd-pinnate. Leaflets lanceolate, almost entire, rigid with small
dots on each surface. Flowers in axillary, very short, compound
racemes. Calyx very small, monophyllous, 5 lanceolate lobules. Corolla
much longer than the calyx, 5 lanceolate petals. Stamens 10, joined,
but not entirely united at the base; 5 alternate stamens longer than
the others. Anthers sessile, regular. Ovary superior, compressed and
borne on a disc. Style 1, same length as the stamens. Stigma thick,
depressed, apparently 4-angled. Fruit fleshy, ovoid, acute and somewhat
curved at the end enclosing a seed with coriaceous, downy testa.
_Murraya Koenigi_, Spreng. (_Bergera Koenigi_, L.; _Connarus_ sp.,
Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--(?)
Botanical Description.--Leaves alternate, odd-pinnate. Leaflets
obliquely ovate, acute, entire and glabrous. The testa of the seed
bears no down, and may be divided into two parts. The decoction of
the leaves of this species as well as the former is used to allay
toothache.
_Citrus acida_, F. (_C. notissima_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Limón_, Sp.; _Dayap_, Tag.; _Lemon_, Eng.
Uses.--The essence (essential oil) and juice of the fruit are the parts
of the plant used in therapeutics. The essence extracted from the rind
is yellow, fragrant, slightly bitter; density, 0.856; boiling point
165°. The juice which is turbid and pale yellow in color contains 9%
citric acid, 3-5% gum and sugar and 2-8/10% inorganic salts. The
essence is used to flavor certain pharmaceutical preparations, and
is a diffusible stimulant which may be given internally in doses of
3-6 drops on a little sugar. The bitter rind is occasionally used in
infusion as a stomachic and stimulant. The juice is most commonly
used in lemonade, a cooling drink which, used intemperately in the
Philippines, is apt to cause gastro-intestinal trouble, so commonly
attributed to "irritation," but really the result of a general atony
of the digestive organs. Lemon juice is also used with very good
results as a local cleansing application for sore throat, as well as
externally on fetid ulcers. In some forms of malarial fever it seems
to have given satisfactory results, administered internally.
In many navies lemon juice forms a part of the sea ration as a
preventive of scurvy, upon which it exercises a real and noteworthy
action. The Danish navy adopted it for this purpose in 1770, the
English navy followed, then the French and possibly others. The English
call it lime-juice, and its preventive dose is 30-40 grams a day. Its
curative dose is 100-150 grams a day. To preserve the lime-juice it
was bottled with a layer of oil, which, floating on the surface kept it
from contact with the air; but this process gave it a bad taste as did
also the addition of sulphate of calcium, and at present the English
add, to each liter of juice, 60 grams of alcohol, which preserves it
perfectly. Fonssagrives says that the antiscorbutic action of lemon
juice is due rather to the vegetable juice itself than to the citric
acid which it contains.
Botanical Description.--A most familiar tree 11° or more high,
trunk with solitary thorns. Leaves ovate, obtuse, acute-toothed, the
petiole bearing serrate wings. Calyx 4-6-toothed. Corolla, 4 thick
petals. Filaments 10-25 on the receptacle, some joined and bearing
2-3 anthers. Fruit thin-skinned, globular, about 1' in diameter;
the rind adheres closely to the pulp.
(This fruit closely resembles, if it is not identical with the lime
fruit, _C. Limetta_, or _C. Bergamia_, Risso, though Gray states that
the leaf of the latter has a wingless petiole.--J. B. T.)
Habitat.--Common to all parts of the islands.
_Citrus Bigaradia_, Hook. f. (_C. vulgaris_, Risso; _C. aurantium_,
Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Naranjas del país_, Sp.; _Kahel_, _Kahil_, Tag.; _Native
Orange_, Eng.
Uses.--The rind of the _cagel_ is the so-called bitter orange peel,
the best of which comes from Curaçao and Barbadoes. It is tonic and is
used in decoction and in syrup. The infusion of the leaves, 5-10 grams
to the liter, is useful as a sedative and diaphoretic in hysterical and
nervous attacks; the infusion of the flowers is similarly used. When
distilled the flowers yield a very sweet essential oil called _neroli_,
which is used as a perfume only.
Botanical Description.--A tree 15-20° high, trunk bearing solitary
spines. Leaves medium lanceolate, serrate, the apex notched, petioles
winged. Flowers usually solitary. Calyx 4-5-toothed. Corolla 4-5
petals. Filaments joined or separate. Anthers about 20. The fruit,
a small orange 2' or more in diameter, the peel closely adherent.
The _C. aurantium verum_ or _C. reticulata_ (Blanco) has a yellow
pulp and the rind is readily separated from it, a thin net of fibers
intervening.
_Citrus decumana_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Suha_, _Lukban_, Tag.; _Toronjas_ Penins.; _Naranjas_,
Sp.-Fil.
Uses.--The fruit, which is handsome and large, and the leaves and
flowers, are used for the same purposes as those of _C. bigaradia_.
Habitat.--The above species are cultivated in all parts of the islands,
and, like the variety _C. aurantium verum_, H. f. (_C. reticulata_,
Blanco), commonly called _naranjita_, are among the most abundant of
native fruits.
_Ægle decandra_, Naves. (_Feronia ternata_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Malakabuyaw_, Tag.; _Tabog_, Pam., Tag. (A species of
Bael-Fruit Tree.)
Uses.--We do not know the medicinal use of this plant in the
Philippines. Probably it has none, but we may give those of the
species. _R. marmelos_, Cor., the fruit of which is almost identical
with that of our species and is called _Bela_ or _Bael_ in India. The
fruit of the Malakabuyaw is ovoid and full of a mucilaginous pulp,
aromatic and acid, the same as that of the Bael. The uses of the latter
are the following: The pulp acts as an astringent, but it would be
more correctly called a tonic of the intestinal mucosa, for it has
been experimentally proved that, although it checks diarrhoea, it also
acts as a laxative in chronic constipation. In both conditions it seems
to operate by toning and regulating the functions of the intestine.
Martin, an English physician, was the first to call attention to the
properties of Bael, and according to Dr. Green one dose of the pulp
of the ripe fruit, prepared with sugar and given every morning, is
an efficient remedy in the treatment of the dyspepsia of Europeans
in India, especially in the form characterized by constipation and
flatulence. The green fruit is a powerful astringent used by the
Hindoos for diarrhoea. In cholera epidemics Dr. Bose advises the daily
use of an ice made from the pulp of the ripe fruit, the object being
the regulation of the functions of the intestine.
The Pharmacopoeia of India contains the following preparations:
_Mixture._--Pulp of the ripe fruit 60 grams.
Water 120 grams.
Sugar 60 grams.
Mix, and if desired add chopped ice. This forms a very agreeable
drink which has the aroma of the fruit itself, and may be repeated
2-3 times a day. When the fruit is ripe, this preparation is not only
astringent in cases of diarrhoea, but possesses the additional property
of increasing the appetite. If the patient's stomach is very weak,
the preparation may produce vomiting in which event it is necessary
to give it in small doses or to employ the extract.
_Extract of Bael._--Pulp of the ripe fruit is placed in a vessel and
sufficient water added to cover it. It is then heated and evaporated
to the consistency of a soft extract. The dose is 2-4 grams, 2,
3 or 4 times a day.
_Fluid Extract of Bael._--
Pulp of Bael 500 grams.
Water 3 liters.
Rectified alcohol 60 grams.
The Bael is macerated in a third of the water and at the end of 12
hours the liquid is decanted and another third of water is added;
the maceration is repeated and the same process followed till the
last third of water is used. Express the residuum, put all the liquid
into one vessel, filter and evaporate till reduced to 800 grams,
then cool and add the alcohol. Dose, 4-8 grams.
The fluid extract is less active than the freshly prepared solid
extract.
According to Dr. G. Bidie, the fruit of the _Feronia elephantum_,
Correa (the species that grows in the Philippines), possesses the
same properties as Bael. Its leaves are astringent, aromatic and
carminative, and the gum with which the trunk of the tree is covered
is a good substitute for gum arabic.
Botanical Description.--A tree 7-8 meters high, the trunk covered with
large, solitary spines. Leaves alternate, ternate. Leaflets lanceolate,
scalloped and glabrous, the middle one larger than the others. Calyx
5-toothed. Corolla, 5 thick petals, linear, much longer than the
calyx. Stamens 10. Ovary cylindrical. Style and stigma thick. Fruit
oblong, more than 3' long and 2' thick, with a surface irregular with
prominences and grooves; 10 or more compartments, each containing
several ovoid, compressed seeds, ending with a woolly tuft.
Habitat.--San Mateo, Montalbán (Manila); Arayat (La Pampanga).
_Feronia elephantum_, Correa. (_Murraya adorata_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Panoan_, _Pamunoan_, Vis.; _Wood-apple_, Eng.
Uses.--The pulp of the ripe fruit has an agreeable odor and
is edible. In India the green fruit is used as an astringent in
diarrhoea and dysentery; the ripe fruit is given in diseases of the
gums and as a gargle. Mir Muhammad Husain states that the ripe fruit
is a refrigerant, astringent, cardiac and general tonic, and is very
efficacious in the treatment of salivation and ulcers of the throat,
strengthening the gums and operating as an astringent. A sorbet made
of the ripe fruit whets the appetite and the pulp is used locally
for bites of venomous animals. In the latter case the pulverized bark
may be used if the fruit cannot be obtained.
The fruit of Ferona is a substitute for Bael (_Ægle Marmelos_), and is
used as such by the English physicians in the hospitals of India. The
tender leaves have an agreeable aroma similar to that of anise and
are used internally in decoction as a stomachic and carminative.
The incised trunk exudes a gum which is used in India as a substitute
for gum arabic and there is an active trade in this gum in the bazars
of Bombay and Calcutta. According to Pereira, it was at one time
imported into England from the east of India under the name of gum
arabic. It exists in the form of irregular, semitransparent pieces, of
a brownish-red color. With water it forms a mucilage as adhesive as gum
arabic, and this solution reddens litmus paper. It is dextrogyrous and
is precipitated by the neutral acetate of lead and by caustic baryta.
Botanical Description.--Tree 3-4 meters high. Leaves fragrant,
opposite, odd-pinnate. Leaflets, 2 pairs, lanceolate, entire,
and glabrous. Common petiole flattened above. Flowers terminal,
white, racemose, with 2 flattened peduncles. Calyx inferior, with
5-6 divisions. Corolla, 5-6 petals. Anthers oval. Ovary oblong,
5-lobuled. Style short, caducous. Stigma spindle-shaped. Ovules
numerous, compressed, in several series. Fruit pulpy, globose, with
woody rind, one compartment and many compressed, oblong seeds.
Habitat.--Mountains of Angat. Woods of Catugán (Iloilo).
SIMARUBACEÆ.
Quassia Family.
_Samadera Indica_, Gaertn. (_Niota tetrapela_, DC. & Blanco; _Manungala
pendula_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Manungal_, Tag., Pam., Bicol.; _Manunagl_, _Linatoganak_,
_Palagarium_, _Daraput_, Vis.
Uses.--The wood and seeds contain an intensely bitter principle. The
Filipinos make cups and vases of the wood and allow water to stand
in them 6-12 hours, thus preparing a solution of the bitter principle
of the plant which they use in various stomach disorders.
Vrij has extracted from the seeds a 33% oil of a bright yellow color,
composed, according to Oudermans, of 84 parts olein to 16 of palmitin
and stearin.
The bitter principle contained in the root, wood and bark was
discovered by Blunse who named it _samaderin_; it is a white,
crystalline, foliaceous substance, more soluble in water than
in alcohol, fusible. Nitric and hydrochloric acids color
it yellow. Sulphuric acid immediately forms a violet red
color which disappears as iridescent, feathery crystals are
precipitated. (D. Beaumentz et Egasse.)
The Filipino "herb-doctors" concoct an oil of manungal that in reality
contains none of the ingredients of the seeds; it is simply cocoanut
oil in which chips of the wood have been soaked. They use it in doses
of 30-60 grams as a purgative, externally as an application to the
abdomen in colic or indigestion and with friction in rheumatism or
contusions. In India the oil extracted from the seeds is used locally
with friction in rheumatism.
The decoction of the wood and the powdered wood are given in fevers,
in dyspepsia and as a general tonic.
Infusion.--Chips of the wood 20 grams.
Water 500 grams.
A wineglassful several times a day in cholera, fevers, diarrhoea, etc.
Botanical Description.--A small tree, trunk straight, the wood
white and very light in weight. Leaves 4-5' long, alternate, acute,
oval, entire, glabrous, coriaceous, veined. Petioles very short, no
stipules. Flowers in terminal umbels, each composed of 4-6 flowerets
with moderately long pedicels. Common peduncle, very slender, very
long, drooping. Calyx of same color as corolla, inferior, very
small, 4-lobuled. Corolla purplish, very long, 4 straight, linear
petals. Stamens 8, inserted on the receptacle. Filaments of equal
length with the petals, with 1-2 appendices at the base. Anthers
spiral. Ovary 5-lobuled, borne on small stalk. One style of equal
length with the stamens, situated above the center of the 5 lobules
of the ovary which develop into 5 future pods. Stigma simple. Fruit
5 woody pods, short, united centrally above a small base, semi-lunar
in form, medianly expanded, venate, containing a small wrinkled,
kidney-shaped seed attached by a seed-stalk to the superior suture.
Habitat.--Very common and well known everywhere in the
Philippines. Blooms in February.
BURSERACEÆ.
Myrrh Family.
_Garuga pinnata_, Roxb. (_G. Madagascarensis_, DC.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Bugo_, Tag.
Uses.--The fruit is slightly acid and edible. The trunk exudes an
abundant gum, of the odor of turpentine, translucent, greenish-yellow,
forming small masses slightly soluble in alcohol, soluble in water,
with which a mucilage is formed. The juice of the leaves is used
for asthma. The sap is used in Bombay to remove opacities of the
cornea. There is another species in the Philippines, _G. floribunda_,
Decsne (_Icica Abilo_, Blanco), _abilo_, Tag., the root of which
furnishes a decoction used for phthisis. This species also produces
a gum-resin similar to that of the _bugo_.
Botanical Description.--A tree, with leaves alternate, odd-pinnate,
without stipules, bunched on the ends of the branches, with opposite,
serrate leaflets. Flowers yellowish-white in panicles, compound,
polygamous. Calyx bell-shaped, 5-toothed. Corolla, 5 petals. Stamens
10, free, in 2 series. Ovary inferior, 5-lobuled. Fruit, a globose,
greenish-yellow drupe with numerous bony seeds.
Habitat.--Everywhere in Luzon, Panay and Balabac.
_Canarium commune_, L. (_C. album_ and _C. Luzonicum_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Pili_, Tag.; _Java Almond Tree_, _East Indian Elemi_, Eng.