yields a fixed oil, an excellent sample of which was sent by the
Manila pharmacist D. A. del Rosario to the Paris Exposition of
1889. "It is an oil very similar to oil of almond and owing to its
physical properties may be used as a substitute for the latter for
all the requirements of pharmacy. The only inconvenience connected
with its use is the slight one that it solidifies at 3° C. It could
furthermore be very advantageously used in the manufacture of fine
grades of soap." (D. A. del Rosario.)
The incised trunk exudes a gum-resin called _brea blanca_ (white
pitch) in the Philippines and _elemi_ in Europe. Until recently it
was not known in Europe what tree yielded the gum elemi, some authors
stating that according to Blanco it was the resin of the _Icica abilo_,
Blanco (_Garuga floribunda_, Decsne); it is not true, however, that
Padre Blanco ever attributed such origin to that product or named his
Icica the "pitch-tree." On the contrary in speaking of the Canarium,
Blanco states that it yields a resin called "pili-pitch." I do not
know the reason for this confusion of terms, but presume it to be
due to imperfect knowledge of Spanish on the part of those who thus
quote Blanco.
Pili-pitch, or elemi, as they call it in Manila, is a substance
existing in soft masses, slightly yellowish or gray, resembling old
honey in appearance. Its odor is strong and agreeable, somewhat like
that of lemon and turpentine. Its taste is acrid and bitter.
The French pharmacist Meaujean demonstrated in 1820 that elemi contains
two resins, one soluble in the cold, and the other in hot spirits of
wine. Other chemists, among them Baup, Flückiger and Hanbury, have
found elemi to be composed of a resinous substance and a colorless
essential oil; the proportion of the latter Flückiger gives as 10%
and further states that it is dextrogyrous. Sainte-Claire Deville found
the essential oil levogyrous, a fact that emphasizes the probability of
there being different products in the market bearing the name of elemi.
Baup obtained several principles from it: (1) A resin, _brein_,
fusible at 187°, soluble in cold alcohol, crystallizable in oblique
rhombic prisms; (2) another crystalline substance, _bryoidin_, soluble
in 360 parts water at 10°, and melting at 13°; (3) a small amount of
_breidin_, a body soluble in 260 parts water and melting at 100°+;
(4) another resin soluble in boiling alcohol, called _amyrin_.
White pitch is used in the Philippines to make plasters which they
apply to the back and breast of patients suffering from bronchial
or pulmonary complaints; it is also applied to indolent ulcers. We
believe that elemi possesses the same properties as copaiba, and that
its indications for internal use are the same.
Botanical Description.--A tree 30-40 meters high, with leaves
alternate, odd-pinnate; leaflets opposite, coriaceous. Flowers
yellowish-white in axillary, compound panicles, hermaphrodite. Calyx
3-toothed. Corolla, 3 oblong, concave petals. Stamens 6, inserted
on the base of the disc. Ovary free, of 3 lobules each containing 2
ovules. Style simple. Stigma, 3 lobules. Drupe oblong, size of large
prune, fleshy, containing a hard, 3-sided pit.
Habitat.--Very common in all Philippine woods especially in Camarines.
MELIACEÆ.
Melia Family.
_Melia Azedarach_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Paraiso_ (_Paradise_), Sp.-Fil.; _Pride of India_,
_China Tree_, Eng.
Uses.--The root was official in the U. S. P., 1880, as an anthelmintic;
it is administered in the following form:
Fresh root bark 120 grams.
Water 1 liter.
Boil till reduced one half.
Dose.--For a child 1 soup-spoonful every 15 minutes till nausea
is produced.
In view of the narcotic effects produced by this drug, the foregoing
method of administration seems to us imprudent; we prefer to give 30-70
grams of the decoction and follow with a purgative such as castor oil.
This drug is also tonic, febrifuge and astringent, and a decoction
of its leaves and flowers is used as a wash for ulcers. Some believe
that the leaves and fruit contain toxic principles, which may well be
true considering the effects of large doses of their preparations. It
has also been observed that the bark collected in March and April may
cause dilatation of the pupil, stupor, etc.; this may be explained
by the fact that at this season the sap is rising in the tree and
the bark contains an increased amount of active ingredients.
The fruit yields a fixed oil, and by fermentation and distillation
produces alcohol.
The root bark referred to is bitter and nauseous, if taken from the
superficial roots--the part usually employed; the bark of the deeper
parts is astringent by virtue of the contained tannin.
Jacobs analyzed the bark and isolated an amorphous resin of yellowish
color and very bitter taste. It is soluble in alcohol, ether and
chloroform, slightly soluble in sulphuret of carbon, insoluble in
turpentine or benzin. He believes that it is the active principle of
the root, and produces the anthelmintic action already mentioned:
the proper dose is 0.20 centigrams to a child of 4 years, followed
by a purge of calomel.
Botanical Description.--A tree, 30-40° high, with leaves alternate,
compound, odd-pinnate; leaflets opposite, ovate, pointed,
dentate. Flowers in large axillary compound panicles. Calyx,
5 sepals. Corolla, 5 petals, rose-colored within, lilac-colored
without. Stamens 10, united into a cylindrical tube, expanded at both
ends, the mouth 15-toothed. Anthers inserted near the apex of the
tube, short, fleshy, bilocular. Ovary free, of 5 biovuled cells. Style
of equal length with the tube. Stigma button-shaped. Fruit a drupe,
about the size of a small olive, yellow when ripe, with a dark brown
pit of 5 one-seeded cells.
Habitat.--Native of China; is cultivated in most gardens in the
Philippines.
_Dysoxylum Blancoi_, Vidal. (_D. salutare_, F. Villar; _Turroca
virens_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Igiw_, _Agiw_, _Taliatan_, Tag.; _Ananangtang_, _Bakugan_,
_Makasili_, Vis.; _Malabangaw_, Pam.; _Basiloag_, Iloc.
Uses.--The bark of the trunk, dry and finely powdered, is used in
doses of 1 1/2-2 1/2 grams as an emetic, and, according to Padre
Blanco, its effect is very certain.
It is also a febrifuge, and Padre Mercado states that it cures "all
forms of asthma, suffocative affections of the chest, and griping
pains of the belly." He also states that it yields marvelous results
in malarial fevers, given during the cold stage in doses of 4-8
grams in water or wine in which it has macerated 12 hours. He also
recommends its use before breakfast as an anthelmintic in lumbricoids,
and finally attributes to it virtues as an emmenagogue.
Padre Blanco calls attention to the species _D. schizochitoides_,
Turcz. (_Turroea octandra_, Blanco), _Himamaw_, Tag., as a substitute
for _D. Blancoi_.
The Tagalo "herb-doctors" pretend that the part of the bark near the
earth is doubly efficacious, for which reason they administer only
that portion which is within one meter of the ground, giving it in
the doses already mentioned.
Botanical Description.--Tree 16-20 meters high. Leaves
glabrous, odd-pinnate, petioles very long; leaflets entire,
opposite, short-petiolate, acute, oblique at the base. Flowers in
axillary panicles. Calyx, 5 imbricated sepals. Corolla, 5 linear,
lanceolate petals united at the base. Staminal tube, 10-toothed and
10-anthered. Ovary 5-celled, each cell containing two ovules. Style
somewhat longer than the stamens. Stigma thick and depressed. Seed
vessel globose, depressed, somewhat downy, 5-angled; with 5
compartments each containing 2 seeds.
Habitat.--Batangas and Laguna.
_Sandoricum Indicum_, Cav.
Nom. Vulg.--_Santol_, Tag.
Uses.--The santol is doubtless one of the best known fruits in
Manila. The most savory portion is the center, which consists of seeds
covered with a white pulp of a delicious flavor in the ripe fruit
of good quality. The fleshy covering is edible only in the center
of the fruit and only a very thin layer of that, the rest having
very little flavor. The whole fruit is used in making a confection
often prescribed as an astringent. Padre Mercado compares it very
appropriately to the quince. The root of the santol is aromatic,
stomachic and astringent, by virtue of which latter property it is
used in Java in the treatment of leucorrhoea.
Botanical Description.--A tree, 30-40° high, well known in the
islands. Leaves ternate; leaflets 4-5' long, half-ovate, obtuse,
entire, stiff and downy, the middle one elliptical. Flowers in
panicles. Calyx 5-toothed. Corolla much longer than the calyx, 5
greenish petals, linear and curved downwards. Nectary a cylindrical
tube attached to the corolla for half its length, mouth 10-toothed,
containing 10 sessile anthers. Style somewhat longer than the
stamens. Stigma 5-parted. Fruit about size and form of a small apple,
thick, brown, pericarp indehiscent, 5 or more one-seeded compartments.
Habitat.--Grows in all parts of the islands, commonly along the roads.
_Carapa Moluccensis_, Lam. (_Xylocarpus granatum_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Tabigi_, _Nigi_, _Kalumpang sa lati_, Tag.; _Migi_, Pam.
Uses.--The seeds contain a yellow oil, bitter and astringent, with a
characteristic odor, having a taste somewhat resembling the odor. In
decoction they are used for diarrhoea and dysentery, on account,
doubtless, of the tannin they contain. The dose is 1-2 seeds dried,
pounded and infused with 200 grams of sweetened water.
The bark, also bitter, is said to be useful in fevers.
In America they extract an oil from the species of the _C. Guianensis_,
Aubl., with which the negroes anoint themselves to keep away stinging
insects. Wood soaked in this oil is also proof against insects.
Botanical Description.--This tree, 20° high, grows in swampy
districts. Leaves opposite, abruptly pinnate. Two pairs of wedge-shaped
leaflets, entire and glabrous. Petiole very short. Calyx inferior,
4-5-toothed. Corolla, 4-5 concave petals, slightly notched at the
end. Nectary notched, ovate, 8-9-toothed. No filaments. Anthers
equal in number to the teeth of the nectary and inserted between
them. Ovary very thick, globose. Stigma shield-shaped. Drupe globose,
resembling a very large orange, 5 chambers, each containing 1, 2 or
more seeds, convex on one side and concave on the other, angular and
much crowded. Testa hard and porous.
Habitat.--Common throughout the Archipelago.
_Cedrela Toona_, Roxb. (_C. odorata_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Kalantas_, Tag., Pam.; _Lanigpa_, Vis.
Uses.--The infusion of the flowers is antispasmodic. The trunk bark
is an excellent astringent, and Dr. Waitz recommends it in extract
as a treatment for infantile diarrhoea, for which I also have found
it very useful. Blume says that it contains marked antispasmodic
virtues, and Dr. G. Kennedy confirms it. Other physicians of India,
among them Ros and Newton, have recommended the bark as a substitute
for cinchona, given dry in doses of 30 grams.
Infusion.--
Bark dry, pounded 30 grams.
Water 150 grams.
Filter and add:
Syrup of cinnamon 20 grams.
Dose.--Several dessert-spoonfuls a day.
The powdered bark is very useful as an application to indolent ulcers
which it instantly deodorizes; like powdered quinine it is used in
the treatment of superficial gangrene.
Botanical Description.--A large tree. Leaves odd-pinnate. Leaflets
oval, lanceolate, acuminate, entire, glabrous, 5-6 pairs. Flowers
yellow, in terminal panicles. Calyx 5-toothed. Corolla, 5 oblong
petals. Stamens 5, free, inserted on the apex of a disk. Ovaries
sessile, 5 many-ovuled cells. Style short. Stigma on a disk. Seed
vessel coriaceous, 5 compartments, septicidal, 5-valved. Seeds
compressed, pendulous, prolonged in a membranous wing.
Habitat.--Very common in the islands.
CELASTRACEÆ.
Staff-Tree Family.
_Celastrus paniculata_, Willd. (_C. alnifolia_, DC.; _C. Rothiana_,
Roem.; _Diosma serrata_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Bilogo_, Tag.
Uses.--I am not acquainted with the medicinal uses of this plant
in the Philippines. In India, by means of a primitive system of
distillation, they extract from the seeds a dark-colored oil of
empyreumatic odor, which under the name of Oleum nigrum was once
proclaimed by Dr. Herklots as the sovereign remedy for beriberi.
This oil in doses of 10-15 drops a day is a very powerful stimulant,
the action of which is manifested by profuse perspiration several
hours after its administration. Malcolmson reports that it has
given him good results in several cases of beriberi, particularly
in recent cases and those in which nervous and paralytic symptoms
predominated. In Concan, the juice of the leaves is given in doses
of 30 grams as an antidote for opium. The bruised seeds made into a
paste with cow urine are used locally in treatment of itch. They are
also used in the treatment of leprosy, gout, rheumatism, and other
diseases which according to their medical theories, are derived from
"cold humors." For these purposes they give the seeds internally,
beginning with one and increasing daily until 50 are taken. At the
same time they make external applications of the oil or of another
compound prepared in the following way:
Place in an open pot with one opening, seeds of _C. paniculata_,
cloves, benzoin, nutmeg and mace. The pot having been previously
heated, is covered with another, inverted over the opening. On the
sides of the latter a thick black oil condenses which Herklots very
appropriately named _Oleum nigrum_.
Botanical Description.--A climbing shrub, 6-9° high, without
spines. Leaves 6-7' long by 5' broad, alternate, petiolate,
entire, glabrous, half-ovate. Flowers small and paniculate. Calyx, 5
divisions. Corolla, 5 petals. Stamens 5, inserted in a disc. Anthers
oblong. Ovary 3-celled. Stigma 3-lobulate. Style short. Seed vessel
the size of a pea, globose, 3-celled, loculicidal, with pulpy seeds.
Habitat.--Tayabas, Laguna, Ilocos North, San Mateo, Albay. Flowers
in April.
RHAMNACEÆ.
Buckthorn Family.
_Zizyphus Jujuba, Lam._ (_Rhamnus Jujuba_, L. & Blanco;
_Z. Mauritania_, Wall.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Manzanitas_, Sp.-Fil.; _Jujube Fruit_, Eng.
Uses.--The small fruit known commonly as _manzanitas_ has an agreeable
taste, although ordinarily offered for sale before they are quite
ripe. They are among the most popular dainties at the fairs and
festivals in the provinces of Manila and are the only part of the plant
used in medicine. They possess emollient qualities and are official
in the codex. They enter in the composition of the so-called pectoral
remedies (composed of equal parts of figs, dates, Corinthian raisins
and manzanitas).
Botanical Description.--A shrub, with hooked thorns, leaves alternate,
petiolate, coriaceous, entire, 3-nerved, 2 thorny stipules, one
of them crooked. Flowers small, greenish, axillary. Calyx, 5 oval
divisions. Corolla, 5 petals. Stamens 5, free. Ovary bilocular,
situated on the disc. Styles 2-3, divergent; small papillary
stigmas. Drupe pulpy, globose, resembling a crab-apple in size and
taste, enclosing a hard, 2-celled seed.
Habitat.--Common in all parts of the islands.
_Rhamnus Wightii_, W. & Arn. (_Ceanothus Wightiana_, Wall.;
_R. Carolianus_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Kabatiti_, Tag.
Uses.--The dried trunk bark is the part employed in medicine. Hooper
analyzed it in 1888 and found a crystalline principle (0.47%), a
brown resin (0.85), a red resin (1.15), a bitter principle (1.23),
sugar, starch, calcium, oxalate, etc.
As the active principles exist in the resins, an alcoholic tincture
of the latter is the best preparation for administration. In India
it is used as a tonic and an astringent.
Botanical Description.--A small tree that grows near the sea
coast. Trunk 9-12° high, straight, many-branched, devoid of
thorns. Leaves alternate, ovate, acutely serrate, glabrous,
short-petioled. Flowers greenish-white, axillary, perfect. Calyx
5-toothed, inversely conical. Corolla, 5 petals, smaller than the
teeth of the calyx, oval, without claws, notched at the apex. Disc
fleshy, smooth, slightly concave. Stamens 5, hidden within
the petals. Filaments flattened. Anthers rounded. Ovary fleshy,
inserted at the bottom of the calyx tube. Style short. Stigmas 3,
divergent. Fruit oval, its base adherent to the calyx, 3 seeds.
Habitat.--Batangas. Blooms in July and October.
ANACARDIACEÆ.
Cashew Family.
_Mangifera Indica_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Manga._
Uses.--The dried and pulverized kernel of the seed is used as an
anthelmintic in doses of 1 1/2-2 grams both in India and Brazil. The
same preparation is used in the Philippines in the treatment of
dysentery and diarrhoea and its effect is doubtless due to the large
quantity of tannin it contains. It is administered as follows: The
pounded kernels of 20-25 seeds are brought to a boil in 2 bottles
(sic) of water. When the liquid has evaporated a third, it is
removed from the fire, cooled, decanted, and again placed on the
fire after adding three to four hundred grams of sugar. This time
it is allowed to boil till reduced to one bottle. The dose is 50-60
grams 2-3 times a day. Incisions in the trunk exude a brownish resin
which solidifies in the air, is slightly acrid, bitter, dissolves in
alcohol and partially in water. In Malabar it is given internally
in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery, mixing it with white
of egg and opium. But the curative value of the combination is more
likely due to the albumen and opium than to the resin. Dissolved in
lemon juice it is a useful application in the itch. The trunk bark
is astringent and is employed in decoction as a wash for ulcers and
eczema and as an injection in leucorrhoea.
The fruit is one of the most highly prized in the Philippines, and
resident Europeans are able to eat large quantities of it without ill
effects unless the fruit is over-ripe, in which case it often causes
transient diarrhoea, which should be treated with a mild purge.
In Mauritius the following compound powder is used in dysentery:
Dried slices of manga fruit 30 grams.
Dried manga kernels 60 grams.
Plantain seeds 15 grams.
Dried ginger 8 grams.
Gum arabic 15 grams.
Pulverize each ingredient separately;
add powdered candy sugar 30 grams.
Mix.
Dose.--For an adult one dessert-spoonful every 4 hours; may be given
in cauge or arrowroot.
The flowers, testa and bark are, in Hindoo therapeutics, considered
"cold," and "astringent," and are used especially in diarrhoea. In
certain throat affections the Hindoos employ the burning leaves for
inhalation. They also use the gum made by evaporating the juice of
the ripe fruit, as a confection and an antiscorbutic. Dr. Linguist
recommends the bark as a local astringent in uterine, intestinal and
pulmonary hemorrhage and employs the following:
_Fluid Extract_.--
Fluid extract of manga bark 10 grams.
Water 120 grams.
Mix. Dose, 1 teaspoonful every 1 or 2 hours.
Botanical Description.--A noble tree, 30° to 40° high, dome-like
or rotund in outline. Leaves dark green, lustrous, alternate,
lanceolate, entire; short petioles. Flowers racemose, in verticillate
panicles. Calyx, 4, 5 or 6 sepals. Corolla white, fragrant, 4, 5 or
6 petals. Stamens 5, of which perhaps 1, 2 or 3 are fertile. Style on
one side of the ovary. Stigma simple. Fruit large, reniform, fleshy,
yellow when ripe; contains a large, flattened, reniform pit. Blooms
from January even till June. The natives force the fruit by building
fires under the trees when but little air is stirring.
Habitat.--Common throughout the islands.
_Anacardium occidentale_, L. (_Cassuvium reniforme_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Kasuy_, Tag.; _Caskew Nut_, Eng.
Uses.--The pericarp of the nut contains an essential oil which is very
irritant and used by the Hindoos as a vesicant; it severely blisters
the lips and tongues of imprudent persons who break the nut without
taking the precaution of cleansing it of the oil before opening it. In
addition to the oil called _cardol_, the pericarp contains an especial
acid _anacardic_, a little tannin and ammonia. Cardol (C_21_H_31_O_2_)
is an oleaginous, yellow liquid very unstable, neutral, soluble
in alcohol and ether, insoluble in water, volatile, and vesicant if
applied to the skin. "Anacardic" acid is white, crystalline, odorless,
with a burning, aromatic taste. It melts at 26° and decomposes at 200°
forming a colorless oil; it is not vesicant, burns with a dark flame,
and has the odor of rancid oil. A tincture of the pericarp has been
made (1 part to 10 of alcohol) and given internally as a vermifuge
in doses of 2-10 drops. Cardol, according to some authors, does not
exercise a vesicant action in the gastro-intestinal canal, because it
is not dissolved by the gastro-intestinal juices; I am sure, however,
that I have seen a choleraic diarrhoea brought on by swallowing,
in fun, the pericarp of one nut and a half. Cardol is eliminated by
the urine.
The kernel is edible and has a very agreeable taste when roasted. By
expression it yields a sweet, yellowish oil, density 0.916.
The trunk exudes a gum resin in masses varying in color from red
to yellow.
The fleshy part, called the fruit, is edible but contains a certain
quantity of cardol not only evidenced by the odor but by the
smarting of the mouth and throat after eating. It is very juicy and
the expressed liquid is fermented in Bombay and distilled to make a
very weak alcohol which sells for the very low price of 4 annas (5
cents gold) a gallon. This alcohol is again distilled and a stronger
obtained which sells for 1 1/2 rupees a gallon. The Portuguese of
India make a sort of wine from the fermented juice of the fruit,
which, like the weak alcohol we have mentioned, is a well-known
diuretic and is used as a liniment.
The gum resin of the trunk contains 90% of anacardic acid and 10%
cardol. Wood soaked in it is preserved from the ravages of insects,
especially of white ants, for which purpose it is used by bookbinders
also. Therapeutically it is used externally in leprosy, old ulcers
and to destroy corns, but on account of its rubefacient and vesicant
qualities it is necessary to use it cautiously.
Botanical Description.--A tree, 18° high, with leaves cuneiform,
glabrous, stiff, short-petioled. Flowers polygamous in terminal
panicles. Calyx with 5 erect segments, imbricated, caducous. Corolla,
5 linear, lanceolate petals, curved and imbricated. Stamens 8-10,
all fertile. Filaments united to one another and to the disc. Ovary
heart-shaped. Style filiform and eccentric. Stigma defective. Ovule
solitary. Fruit a reniform nut enclosed in a pulpy pyriform body,
formed by the matured disc and extremity of the peduncle. Seed
reniform, testa membranous.
Habitat.--Common throughout the Archipelago. Blooms in February.
_Odina Wodier_, Roxb.
Nom. Vulg.--_Amugis_, Tag. and Vis.
Uses.--The bark is very astringent and in decoction is used for
chronic ulcers. In India Dr. Kirkpatrick has used it as a lotion in
impetigo. It has also given good results as a gargle in affections
of the pharynx and buccal cavity.
The trunk exudes a gum called in India "kanni ki gond," an article
of commerce. It is almost odorless and has a disagreeable taste. It
is only partially soluble in water, forming a viscid mucilage. It is
used in the treatment of contusions and sprains and is edible when
mixed with cocoanut milk.
Botanical Description.--A tree, with leaves bunched at the extremities
of the branches, oblong, oval, acuminate, odd-pinnate, 3-4 pairs of
opposite leaflets. Flowers greenish-white, polygamous, in terminal
panicles. Calyx gamosepalous, 4 rounded lobules. Corolla, 4 imbricated
petals. Stamens 8, free. Ovary 4-parted. Pistillate flowers; ovary
sessile, oblong, unilocular. Style 4-parted, thick. Drupe oblong,
compressed, unicellular. Testa hard, with 1 non-albuminous kernel.
Habitat.--San Mateo.
MORINGEÆ.
_Moringa pterygosperma_, Gaertn. (_M. oleifera_, Lamk.; _M. poligona_,
DC.; _Guilandina Moringa_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Malungay_, _Kamalungay_, _Kalungay_, Tag.; _Dool_,
_Malungit_, Vis. and Pam.; _Horse Radish Tree_, Indo-Eng.