somewhat winged towards the ends. Leaves opposite, oblong, obtuse,
downy, aromatic in odor. Petiole very short. Flowers axillary,
solitary, white and fragrant. Calyx adherent, the border breaking in 3,
4 or more unequal parts when the flower expands. Corolla, 5-6 petals,
inserted on the calyx, curved downward. Stamens numerous, inserted
in the calyx, as long as the corolla. Style same length as stamens,
awl-shaped. Fruit somewhat pear-shaped, with 4 or 5 ribs that disappear
at maturity, 4 or more cells each with many small, hard, irregular
seeds. In the Philippines the fruit grows to the size of a small pear.
_Eugenia Jambolana_, Lam. (_Calyptranthes Jambolana_, Willd. and
Blanco; _Syzygium Jambolanum_, DC. and Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Lomboy_, _Duhat_, _Duat_, Tag., Pam., Vis.; _Jambul_
or _Black Plum_, Indo-Eng.
Uses.--The ripe fruit, so dark a purple in color that it seems black,
is edible and very popular in the Philippines, though not considered
choice. Some suppose it to be harmful, but it is in reality very easy
of digestion.
The syrup of the fruit juice, and the decoction of the trunk bark
are both very efficacious in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery.
Syrup of Jambul.--
Juice of ripe fruit 500 grams.
White sugar 950 grams.
Dissolve in a covered water-bath, strain through woolen cloth and
put aside.
Dose.--60-200 grams a day.
The juice of the leaves is also used to treat diarrhoea. A Hindoo
physician, Bhavaprakasa, advises the following receipt:
Juice of leaves of lomboy }
Juice of leaves of manga } aa 4 grams.
Pulp of _Terminalia chebula_ }
Give in one dose in a little goat's milk and honey.
A sort of wine of very agreeable taste is made from the fruit
juice. Lately the powdered seed has been recommended in the treatment
of glycosuria or at least it has been stated that its internal use
lessens and finally abolishes the glucose from the urine of the
patient. It has even been affirmed that while under this treatment
the patient may eat glucose-forming foods without fear of glycosuria
supervening.
The chemical composition of the seeds are as follows:
Essential oil Traces.
Chlorophyl and fatty matters 0.37
Resin soluble in alcohol and ether 0.30
Gallic acid 1.65
Albumin 1.25
Pigment soluble in water 2.70
Water 10.00
Insoluble residuum 83.73
------
100.00
Dujardin-Beaumetz has tested the therapeutic value of these seeds in
diabetes but with negative results. Scott has maintained that by adding
the powdered seed to a mixture of malt and starch, fermentation is
impeded; but Dr. Villy in the laboratory of Dujardin-Beaumetz has
demonstrated that such is not the case. Contrary to the opinions
of those physicians who stated that "jambul" was capable of causing
the glucose to disappear from the urine of diabetic patients without
concurrent diabetic regimen, Dujardin-Beaumetz observed in his trials
of the drug that the slightest relaxation of the regimen was followed
by an increase of glucose. Under the influence of the medicine in doses
of 2-10 grams daily, at the same time maintaining a strict diabetic
diet, the Parisian therapeutist noted that the glucose disappears
from the third to the fifth day; but this occurred only in cases of
medium intensity, whereas in severe cases the medication produced no
effect. Upon stopping the treatment the sugar reappeared.
Botanical Description.--A tree, 15-20° high, with leaves opposite,
acute, entire, ovate, lustrous, very smooth. Flowers in racemose
panicles with peduncles opposite. Calyx superior, with 5 small
teeth and a deciduous cover composed of many orbicular pieces joined
below. Corolla none. Stamens numerous, inserted on the edge of the
calyx. Stigma pointed. Fruit black, oval, crowned with the calyx;
one long cylindrical seed with membranaceous epidermis.
Habitat.--Common all over the Archipelago. Blooms in February.
MELASTOMACEÆ.
_Melastoma malabatrichum_, L. (_M. obvolutum_, Jack.; _M. aspera_
and _obvoluta_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Granatis_, Tag.
Uses.--A decoction of the leaves is of use as an astringent in
diarrhoea and dysentery. A decoction of the bark is used as a gargle
for aphthæ and catarrhal sore throat, and as a wash for ulcers and
the itch.
The fruit is edible, resembling slightly the currant; it has doubtless
received the name "granatis" on account of its many seeds.
Botanical Description.--Small tree, with opposite branches, their ends
covered with hairs. Leaves opposite, 3-nerved, 1' long, very rough
with short hairs. Flowers carmine, in terminal panicles. Stamens
10. Filaments alternating violet and straw-color.
Habitat.--Mountains of Angat and San Mateo.
LYTHRACEÆ.
Loosestrife Family.
_Ammannia vesicatoria,_ Roxb. (_A. baccifera_, L.; _A. Indica_, Lam.;
_A. debilis_ and _Celosia mana_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Bias pogo_, Tag.; _Blistering Ammannia_, Indo-Eng.
Uses.--The leaves contain an irritant and acrid principle that
renders them vesicant when applied to the skin. The Pharmacopoeia of
India quotes Sir W. O'Shaughnessy to the effect that plasters made
of the bruised leaves even when renewed every half hour require 24
hours to raise a blister and at the same time cause severe pain. He
found it much more painful than cantharides and much less prompt to
act. Dr. Dymock has prepared an ethereal tincture of the leaves and
obtained with it results very different from those just mentioned;
this is not surprising in view of the fact that the tincture holds
in solution in a small quantity of ether, a considerable amount
of the vesicant principle. This tincture has the same color as the
"epispastic" of the English Pharmacopoeia, causes less pain and rapidly
raises a good blister, facts of which I have convinced myself by the
use of a small quantity sent me from Bombay in 1891.
Dr. Bholanauth Bose recommends the internal use of the juice of the
leaves as a remedy for chronic diseases of the spleen; this treatment,
however, has caused severe pain and is absolutely uncertain in effect.
In Concan the juice of the leaves is given mixed with food to animals
in heat, for its anaphrodisiac action. The fresh or dried plant is
given in decoction mixed with ginger in intermittent fevers.
If the ethereal tincture be evaporated a resinous residue remains that
has not been studied, but appears to be the vesicant principle. This
tincture should be made from the dried leaves to avoid hydration of
the ether.
Botanical Description.--A small plant with stem red, straight,
quadrate, ramose. Leaves opposite, lanceolate, and fringed with
hairs. Flowers axillary, small, red, solitary. Peduncles short. Calyx
inferior, bell-shaped, with 8-toothed border, the 4 alternate teeth
larger. Corolla none. Nectary bell-shaped, surrounding the ovary,
shorter than the calyx, with 4 toothlets which lengthening form the
filaments of as many stamens. Anthers 4-celled. Ovary of 4 pluriovulate
locules. Style almost wanting. Stigma fluted. Seed vessel glabrous,
horizontally dehiscent, containing 15 or more angular seeds joined
to a common axis.
Habitat.--It grows in the marshes of Mandaloyon.
_Lawsonia alba_, Lam. (_L. spinosa_, L.; _L. inermis_, Roxb.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Cinamomo del país_ (_native cinnamon_), Sp.-Fil.; _Henna_,
_Camphire_, _Samphire_, Indo-Eng.
Uses.--This is a very popular plant in the Orient, for many races use
its leaves to impart a reddish-yellow stain to the nails, finger tips
and palms of the hands. There is a tradition among the Mohammedans
that the Prophet once called this plant "the best of all herbs." The
leaf in form of a dry powder is sold in the bazars of India under
the name of "henna"; mixed with water it gives it a yellow color,
and when boiled the tone of the liquid becomes darker; the addition of
an alkali turns it brown. In Persia they add indigo to this solution
and use it as a hair dye.
The Hindoos apply the bruised leaves to the soles of the feet of
small-pox patients, their purpose being to prevent the spread of the
eruption to the eyes. They also use it locally in a disease known
among them as "burning of the feet." Grierson and Waring obtained
good results in this disease by making a paste of the bruised leaves
and vinegar; cases that resisted such treatment yielded completely
to a brisk rubbing of the feet with a simple paste of the leaf. The
decoction and the bruised leaves are also used locally for contusions.
The bark has been given in jaundice, hypertrophy of the spleen,
calculi of various sorts, leprosy and stubborn skin diseases, as an
alterative. In decoction it is applied to burns.
An English physician, Dr. Newton, made an extract of the leaves and
flowers with which he pretended to cure leprosy; it was but one more
useless drug in the long list used to combat that terrible disease. The
dose of the extract is a teaspoonful daily, given in 2 doses.
The juice of the leaves is given in sweetened water in some countries
as a remedy for spermatorrhoea.
The flowers are given in decoction for headache and the fruit is
emmenagogue.
Botanical Description.--A small tree, about 12° high. Leaves opposite,
lanceolate, broad, entire, glabrous and tough, the edges turned
downwards. Flowers yellowish-white, terminal in racemose panicles
with opposite peduncles. Calyx inferior, bell-shaped, 4 acute
sepals. Corolla, 4 petals, longer than the calyx. Stamens 8, inserted
by pairs on the segments of the calyx, alternating with and longer
than the petals. Anther kidney-shaped. Ovary at the bottom of the
calyx. Styles of the same length as the stamens. Stigma obtuse. Seed
vessel a little larger than a pea, globose, 4 chambers, many seeds.
Habitat.--Common all over the Archipelago. Blooms in July.
_Punica Granatum_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Granada_, Sp. and Fil. dialects; _Pomegranate_, Eng.
Uses.--The decoction of the tender leaves is used as a gargle and
wash in angina, aphthæ, and wounds within the buccal cavity.
The peel of the fruit is highly astringent and in decoction is a
useful agent in treating chronic diarrhoea, and locally in injections
of lotions for leucorrhoea and inflamed hæmorrhoids. It should not
be given when rectal tenesmus exists. The Pharmacopoeia of India
contains the following formula for preparing the decoction of the peel:
Pulp of the fruit, mashed 60 grams.
Water 600 grams.
Boil for 15 minutes in a covered vessel, cool, filter and add water
enough to make a liter. Dose, 30-50 grams per diem.
This preparation is also used in astringent gargles and injections. For
internal use the decoction is rendered more active by adding a small
quantity of cloves or cinnamon. This mixture with the addition of
opium gives excellent results in the treatment of diarrhoea among
the natives of India and is highly recommended by Dr. Kirkpatrick.
The most important part of the pomegranate, however, is its root,
the bark of which is a very efficient tænifuge and the most astringent
portion of the plant. It should be used fresh, as drying destroys its
activity and gives negative results. Many failures to expel the tænia
are probably due to this fact. According to Béranger-Féraud the root
gives 25% to 40% of cures, whereas pumpkin seeds give but 5% to 10%.
Decoction.--(French Codex.)
Fresh bark of pomegranate root 60 grams.
Water 750 grams.
Macerate 6 hours, boil over slow fire till reduced to 500
grams. Strain. Administer fasting, in 3 doses half an hour apart. The
evening before the patient should eat a light meal and take a cathartic
in order that the intestinal canal may contain the smallest possible
quantity of fæcal matter. After taking the third dose of the decoction
the patient should take a mild purgative such as 30 grams of castor oil
to expel the tænia. This preparation has a most disagreeable taste. It
is better to give the "tannate of pelletierine," a compound of tannin
and one of the alkaloids that Tanret discovered in pomegranate root. A
sufficient dose of tannate of pelletierine is 30-40 centigrams in
wafer form, followed by a purge and with the other precautions and
preparatory measures mentioned above. It causes toxic symptoms similar
to those produced by curare, according to the experimental studies
of Dujardin-Beaumetz and Rochenière. Its action is upon the ends
of the motor nerves. A dose of 40 centigrams may cause in man such
symptoms of intoxication as vertigo, inverted vision and muscular
paralysis. Pelletierine should not be administered to children, but
Béranger-Féraud states that the tannate may be safely given them,
as follows:
Tannate of pelletierine 0.30 grams.
Sweetened water 40.00 grams.
A coffee-spoonful of this solution contains 0.03 gram of the tannate,
and this quantity may be given to a child, in a little milk. If no
symptoms supervene within one-half hour give another similar dose and
so on up to 3 or 4 doses or .12 gm. in all. After the last dose give
the purgative as a routine. It is certainly imprudent to trust the
administration of such a drug to any one incapable of recognizing the
symptoms of intoxication, and as no one but a physician can judge the
effects of the alkaloid he himself should remain with the patient until
the efficient dose has been absorbed. This is manifestly impractical
and we therefore maintain that the alkaloid is not suited for the
treatment of children.
An analysis of the root bark made by the French chemist Tanret
revealed the presence of four alkaloids: pelletierine, isopelletierine
(C_8_H_15_NO), pseudo-pelletierine (C_9_H_15_NO), and methylpeletierine
(C_9_H_17_NO).
Botanical Description.--A shrub 6-9° high with branches terminating
in thorns; some of the branches abort and form thorns. Leaves simple,
oval, oblong, without stipules, with short petioles. Flowers axillary,
solitary or in pauciflorous cymes. Calyx, 4-8 sepals, persistent,
fleshy, yellow or red. Corolla, 4-8 petals, imbricated. Stamens
numerous, free. Style 1. Stigma thick. Fruit with leathery rind,
about size of small apple, packed with seeds, each imbedded in a
small amount of crisp, juicy pulp.
ONAGRACEÆ.
Evening Primrose Family.
_Jussiæa suffruticosa_, L. (_J. villosa_, Lam.; _J. erecta_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Malapoko_, Tag.
Uses.--The entire plant reduced to a pulp and mixed with milk is
used in India to treat dysentery. Ainslie states that the decoction
is employed as a vermifuge and purgative.
Botanical Description.--An herb with square stem, leaves alternate,
lanceolate, nearly entire, glabrous. Flowers axillary, yellow,
solitary. Calyx of 4-5 lobules. Corolla, 4 lanceolate petals
inserted between the divisions of the calyx. Stamens 8, of these 4
alternate being shorter. Ovary very long, inferior, with 4 many-ovuled
locules. Style the same length as the stamens. Stigma 4-lobuled. Seed
vessels very long, with faint longitudinal ridges, crowned by the
remains of the calyx, 4 pluriovulate locules.
Habitat.--In the arable fields and along the banks of rivers. Blooms
in January and March.
PASSIFLORACEÆ.
Passion Flower Family.
_Carica Papaya_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Papaya_, in many Phil. dialects; _Papaya_, _Papaw_, Eng.
Uses.--The decoction of the leaves is used locally in sores and atonic
ulcers, followed by a poultice of the boiled and mashed leaves. The
natives use the cold infusion of the leaves to wash clothes spotted
with blood and the spots disappear rapidly by virtue of the ferment
papain which digests the fibrin. The infusion is also very useful as
a wash for sores and gangrenous ulcers, modifying their appearance
very rapidly.
Before proceeding further it is desirable to give a description of
papain, a digestive ferment which exists throughout the whole plant,
fruit, trunk, leaves and petioles; it is contained in the milky juice
which exudes from all these parts when cut. This juice was studied
simultaneously by Wurtz in France and Peckolt in Brazil. The best
method of collecting it is to make several superficial, longitudinal
incisions in the green fruit without removing it from the tree;
immediately an abundance of juice appears in the incisions and
coagulates rapidly. The best time to do this is the early morning. The
fruit does not suffer by this process but continues developing and
ripens perhaps more rapidly, at the same time improving in flavor,
becoming sweeter; the seeds, however, atrophy and lose their power
of germination. Peckolt gives the following as the composition of
the juice:
A substance analogous to caoutchouc 4.525
Awa 2.424
Soft resin 0.110
Brown resin 2.776
Albuminoids 0.006
Papayotin (Papain of Wurtz) 1.059
Extractive matter 5.303
Malic acid 0.443
Peptic material and salts 7.100
Water 74.971
The milky juice is neutral and coagulates rapidly, separating in
two parts: a kind of insoluble pulp and a limpid colorless serum. If
combined with fibrin, raw meat, white of egg or gluten it gradually
softens them and completely dissolves them in 3 or 4 hours _in vitro_
at 40° C. Combined with milk it coagulates it and soon precipitates
the casein which is also dissolved a little later. It digests
lumbricoids and tape-worms and the false membrane of croup, in a few
hours. According to Wurtz and Bouchut papain is prepared as follows:
The fluid juice or the aqueous solution of the milky exudate is
precipitated by the addition of ten times the volume of alcohol. The
precipitate, after treating again with concentrated alcohol, is
dissolved in water and the addition of sub-acetate of lead eliminates
the albuminoids and peptones but does not precipitate the papain. The
liquid is filtered and the lead salts separated by means of a current
of hydrogen sulphide. It is filtered again and alcohol added gradually,
which process first precipitates whatever sulphate of lead may have
passed through the filter, and then the papain.
Papain is an amorphous substance, perfectly white, soluble in water,
insipid, odorless. An aqueous solution, if shaken violently, foams like
a solution of soap. Boiling makes it turbid and when concentrated it
has a slightly astringent taste. It is precipitated by hydrochloric,
nitric, picric and the metaphosphoric acids. Trommer's test gives it a
beautiful blue violet color which, on boiling, changes to a red violet.
It is an extremely active digestive ferment, comparable with pepsin,
but superior to the latter because it does not require an acid medium,
as its digestive action takes place even in the presence of an alkaline
medium and of antiseptic substances such as boric acid, phenol, etc. It
is given in doses of 10-40 centigrams in different vehicles such as
water, wine, etc. It should be given after meals carefully and properly
diluted, in order that its action may not be exerted upon the gastric
mucous membrane itself. Its use is contraindicated in gastric ulcer.
A watery solution prepared by macerating the green fruit has been
used effectively to remove blemishes from the face, leaving the skin
clean and smooth. The natives use little pieces of the green fruit to
remove freckles (which they call _pecas_). The ripe fruit is edible
and its taste quite agreeable; in some of the Malay Islands it is
given for dysentery, but it must be remembered that the ripe fruit
does not contain papain.
The pure exudate is given to children as an anthelmintic in doses of
2-6 grams with a little molasses, but it is not so harmless that it
may be used with impunity in this form, Moncorvo and others having
reported cases of peritonitis with symptoms suggestive of cholera
following its use. It is drastic and digestive in addition to its
anthelmintic action, but according to Rabuteau, boiling destroys the
first property without affecting the others. Dr. Lemarchand of the
island of Mauritius gives the following anthelmintic prescription:
Juice of papaya and molasses aa 1 tablespoon.
Add gradually while shaking the mixture.
Boiling water 4 tablespoons.
Cool and administer in one dose followed immediately by 30 grams of
castor oil. For a child, one-half dose.
This treatment frequently causes colic, for the relief of which the
author advises an injection of sweetened water. Sir O'Shaughnessy's
prescription is preferable:
20-60 drops of the exudate in a little sweetened water.
This dose cannot cause any untoward symptoms and is efficient in
expelling both lumbricoids and tæniæ.
The triturated seeds may be given internally in doses of 1-2 grams
with milk or molasses to expel lumbricoids. Analysis has revealed
in the seeds the presence of a resinous oil, an oleaginous material
of disagreeable odor and taste called by Peckolt _caricin_, a fatty
acid, papayic acid and a resin. In India the seeds are considered
emmenagogue. In some countries they wrap meat in papaya leaves
for several hours before eating in order to soften it. For the same
purpose they sometimes boil the meat in water containing a few leaves
or pieces of the green fruit; some even go to the length of saying
that it is only necessary to hang a piece of meat in a papaya tree
for a time in order to soften it.
The decoction of the green fruit is given internally for indigestion,
a treatment common in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga. The milky
juice is used to remove corns and Dr. Daruty offers the following
prescription for eczema and psoriasis:
Exudate of papaya 1.00 grams.
Borax (powdered) 0.60 grams.
Water 16.00 grams.
Mix.
Paint the affected part with feather or brush, 2-3 times a day. The
same solution may be used for softening corns.
Botanical Description.--Trees 15° in height, trunk covered with large
leaf scars, wood soft and brittle, the long-petioled, palmately-lobed
leaves growing in a crown and giving the tree the general appearance of
a palm. Flowers dioecious. Staminate tree: Flowers loosely clustered on
long, hanging stems. Calyx, 5-6 teeth. Corolla tubular, 1' long, limb
divided into 5 oval parts. Stamens 10, inserted in the throat. Style
short, awl-shaped. Pistillate tree: Flowers much larger, sessile,
in axils of leaves. Calyx 5-toothed. Corolla large, 5 lanceolate
petals curved outward, fleshy. Stigmas 5, fringed. Fruit about size of
child's head or smaller, somewhat pear-shaped, juicy, pulp melon-like,
1 compartment with numerous seeds, each in a mucilaginous aril.
CUCURBITACEÆ.
Gourd Family.
_Trichosanthes palmata_, Roxb. (_T. tricuspis_, Mig.; _T. lucioniana_,
Bares.)
Nom. Vulg.--(?).
Uses.--Roxburgh states that the fruit is toxic and sometimes used
to kill crows. Dymock states that the leaf is smoked in Bombay as a
remedy for asthma.
The extremely bitter taste of the fruit and rind induced Sir
W. O'Shaughnessy to examine it for tonic and purgative properties;
doses as high as 0.20 gram 3 times a day failed to exert a purgative
effect. The root is used in veterinary medicine particularly for
pneumonia. Mixed with equal parts of colocynth it is applied to
carbuncles. In combination with equal parts of _Terminalia chebula_
and ginger it is made into a sweetened infusion for internal use
in gonorrhoea.
Botanical Description.--A climber with broad, heart-shaped,
serrate, 7-lobulate leaves. Flowers monoecious; staminate white and
racemose; pistillate solitary, growing at the base of the staminate
racemes. Staminate receptacle tubular, calyx inserted on the border
of the receptacle, 5 sepals. Corolla, 5 petals. Stamens 5, of which
4 are in pairs. Pistillate: the receptacle dilates in its lower part
in form of a globose vase and encloses the unilocular pluriovulate
ovary. Fruit ovoid or pyriform, scarlet when fresh, orange-yellow
when dry. Seeds of irregular form, somewhat triangular. Kernel oily.
Habitat.--Luzon.
_T. anguina_, L. (_T. amara_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Salagsalag_, _Pakupis_, _Salimpokot_, _Kukubitan_,
_Halahala_, _Buyokbuyok_, Tag.; _Tabobog_, _Kukubitan_, _Pukopukot_,
_Kuragda_, Vis., Pam.
_T. cucumerina_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--Probably the same as _T. anguina_.
Uses.--The fruit of _T. anguina_ is purgative, emetic and
anthelmintic. The natives use an infusion of the filamentous,
reticulate portion surrounding the seeds, in doses of 0.50-0.60 gm.,
according to P. Blanco.