becoming solid; it is a sort of camphor (C_20_H_16_6HO, Raybaud)
and crystallizes in 4-faced prisms.
All the plants are used to prepare aromatic baths for cases of atrophy
and debility in children (Waitz) and for the treatment of rheumatism
and paralysis.
Botanical Description.--_O. gratissimum_ is a plant 2-3° high, stem
straight, downy. Leaves medium lanceolate, finely serrate from the
middle upwards, with short hairs and transparent dots. Flowers in
long terminal racemes. Calyx, upper lip horizontal, round; lower lip
3 pointed parts, the middle one subdivided in two. Corolla yellowish,
inverted, one lip cleft in 4 obtuse lobes; the other longer, narrow,
serrate. Stamens didynamous, 2 shorter. Anthers semilunar. Stigma
bifid. Seeds 4.
The _O. Americanum_ has leaves lanceolate, ovate, acute, full of
pores, somewhat downy. It is more fragrant than the other species
and its flowers are bluish-white in racemes.
The _O. sanctum_ is the most sacred plant of the Hindoos, dedicated
to Vishnu; its branches are wavy or cauliflexuous, leaves obliquely
ovate, obtuse, serrate, nearly glabrous.
Habitat.--All species are very common and universally known.
_Coleus aromaticus_, Benth. (_C. suganda_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Orégano_, Sp.-Fil.; _Suganda_, Tag.; _Marjoram_, Eng. (The
Sp. and Eng. names are incorrect.)
Uses.--The fleshy, aromatic leaves of this plant are bruised and
applied locally for the bites of centipedes and scorpions. They
are also applied to the temples and forehead for headache, held in
place by a bandage. In Cochin China they are used in asthma, chronic
bronchitis, epilepsy and other convulsive diseases. The juice of the
leaves is a carminative and is given to children suffering with wind
colic. Dr. Wight claims to have observed occasional intoxicating
effects following its use, but Dymock states that he has never
observed such effects. The plant contains a coloring matter, _colein_
(C_10_H_10_O_3_), red, insoluble in ether, soluble in alcohol, slightly
soluble in water. On the addition of ammonia the solution changes to
purple, then violet, indigo, green, and, finally, greenish-yellow.
Another species, the _C. atropurpureus_, Benth. (_C. grandifolius_,
Blanco), well known in the Philippines by its common name _mayana_,
is used in the treatment of bruises, the bruised fleshy leaves being
the part employed; these leaves are downy and dark violet in color.
Botanical Description.--Leaves opposite, nearly sessile, cordate,
obtuse, downy and very fleshy. Flowers in a quadrangular raceme, each
group of these flowerets having a concave scale at the base. Calyx
bell-shaped, 2-lipped; the upper lip longer and entire; the lower
with 4 narrow teeth. Corolla a pale violet, 5 times longer than the
calyx. Stamens didynamous, straight, longer than the corolla. Style
bifid. Seeds 4.
Habitat.--Universally abundant.
_Rosmarinus officinalis_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Romero_, Sp.; _Rosemary_, Eng.
Uses.--This is one of the plants most valued by the Filipinos. Its
infusion is used as an eye-wash for slight catarrhal conjunctivitis,
applied 3 or 4 times a day. It is one of the aromatic plants used so
commonly to bathe women in the puerperal state, and in vapor baths
for rheumatism, paralysis and incipient catarrhs. The entire plant
is a stimulant and carminative but little used internally; in atonic
dyspepsia it has given good results taken in the same form as the
infusion of manzanilla.
It contains a large per cent. of an essential oil which gives the
plant its agreeable odor. This oil enters into the composition of
"Cologne Water"; it is said to arrest falling of the hair and is a
diffusible stimulant which may be given internally in doses of 3-5
drops. It is colorless and liquid when fresh, but in time becomes dark
and viscid. It combines freely with alcohol and its density is 0.885.
Botanical Description.--A plant from 2 to 3° high. Leaves sessile,
linear, obtuse, margins revolute, white-hoary beneath. Calyx tubular,
2-lipped. Corolla rose-violet color, gaping; the upper lip concave,
2-lobed; the lower lip longer, 3-lobed. Stamens, 2 fertile and 2
sterile. Style, same length as the stamens. Stigma simple. Fruit,
4 seeds in the depths of the calyx.
Habitat.--It is carefully cultivated throughout the Philippines.
_Anisomeles ovata_, R. Br. (_Phlomis alba_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Taligharap_, Tag.; _Jerusalem Sage_, Eng.
Uses.--The infusion of the leaves is bitter and aromatic and is
used in catarrhal inflammations of the stomach and intestines and
in intermittent fevers. Used as a vapor-bath it produces abundant
diaphoresis, and the infusion given internally has a like effect. The
leaves, when distilled, yield an oil which is used as an external
application in rheumatism.
Botanical Description.--A plant 6° or more high. Root fibrous,
trunk and branches enlarged at the joints. Leaves opposite, ovate,
obtusely serrate, soft and downy. Flowers pink, verticillate, in
opposite clusters around the stem, with several linear and hairy
involucres at the base of each cluster. Calyx, 5 sharp teeth. Corolla,
2-lipped; the lower much larger, downy within, 3-lobed, the middle
lobe larger and broader, notched at the extremity, and its borders
turned downward; the other 2 lateral lobes very small, narrow;
the upper lip much shorter and smaller, entire, enveloping the
stamens. Stamens didynamous. Style about the same length as the
stamens. Stigma bifid. Fruit, 4 small seeds.
Habitat.--Very common on the fields of Manila Province.
_Leucas aspera_, Spreng. (_Phlomis Zeylanica_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Pansipansi_, _Solasolasian_, _Karukansoli_, Tag.;
_Pansipansi_, _Paypaysi_, Vis.
Uses.--The bruised leaves are applied to the bites of serpents or
poisonous insects. In India they are similarly used. The juice of
the leaves is very useful in the treatment of certain skin diseases,
especially psoriasis.
Botanical Description.--A plant about 2° high, very well known to
the natives. Leaves sessile, lanceolate, finely serrate and covered
with short hairs. Flowers terminal, white, verticillate, with the
characteristics of the mint family.
PLANTAGINACEÆ.
Plantain Family.
_Plantago erosa_, Wall. (_P. crenata_ and _media_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Llantén_, Sp.-Fil.; _Lantín_, Tag.; _Plantain_, Eng.
Uses.--The leaves of this popular plant are the commonest remedy in
the Philippines for abscess of the gums. They are bruised and applied
with a little lard over the swollen cheek. It is emollient and,
in decoction, is used as a substitute for flaxseed.
Botanical Description.--This plant is so universally known that there
is no fear of confusing it with others. It flourishes as a common
weed in the U. S. as well as the Philippines.
NYCTAGINACEÆ.
Four-O'Clock Family.
_Mirabilis Jalapa_, L. (_M. longiflora_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Maravillas_, _Suspiros_, Sp.-Fil.; _Gilalas_, Tag.;
_Four O'Clock_, _Marvel of Peru_, Eng.
Uses.--The root is purgative and possesses the same active principles,
the same properties and is given in the same dose as jalap. According
to the experience of Shoolbred, Hunter, W. O'Shaughnessy and Ainslie,
its purgative action is weak and uncertain and therefore unworthy
of use as a substitute for jalap. The bruised leaves are used as
poultices to hasten suppuration, but according to Waring they are
capable of causing dermatitis.
Botanical Description.--The flowers open toward the end of the day and
close again at sunrise. The root is blackish and spindle-shaped. The
stem smooth, branches forked. Leaves opposite, lanceolate-cordate,
acute, somewhat downy along the borders and the upper surface. Petioles
short. Flowers fragrant, almost constantly blooming, of different
colors even in the same plant, terminal, in umbels. Pedicels very
short. Calyx persistent, 5-toothed. Corolla superior, very long, its
tube downy, funnel-form, limb 5-lobed. Stamens 5, longer than the
corolla. Style longer than the stamens. Stigma globose. Nut small,
black, globose, many-ribbed, full of a mealy substance.
Habitat.--Common in gardens.
AMARANTHACEÆ.
Amaranth Family.
_Amaranthus spinosus_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Kilitis_, _Orayi_, Tag.; _Ayantoto_, Pam.; _Kalitis_,
_Tilites_, _Bayang-bayang_, Vis.; _Kuanton_, Iloc.; _Thorny Amaranth_,
Eng.
Uses.--The entire plant is emollient and its principal use is as a
poultice for inflammations, bruises, etc. The decoction of the root is
diuretic and antiphlogistic and is used in Mauritius (30 grams root to
750 cc. water) as an internal remedy for gonorrhoea; indeed it is there
regarded as a specific for that disease, checking the discharge and
the "ardor urinæ." It should be continued till the cure is complete.
The bruised leaves are used locally for eczema.
Botanical Description.--A plant 2-3° high of a reddish color. Leaves
alternate, lanceolate, broad, notched at the apex, wavy,
glabrous. Petioles with a pair of spines in their axils. Flowers
small, yellow-green, in round axillary clusters and in long
terminal spikes. The pistillate flowers are sometimes separated from
the staminate, sometimes mixed with them in the lower part of the
spike. Staminate: No corolla, calyx 2-5 parts, stamens 4-5. Pistillate:
Style and stigma 2 or 3, otherwise the same as the staminate. Seed
vessel with 1 seed.
Habitat.--Common in all parts. Blooms in October.
_Achyranthes obtusifolia_, Lam. (_A. aspera_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Hangor_, _Hangot_, _Dokotdekot_, _Libay_, Tag.; _Angod_,
Pam.
Uses.--The plant has astringent and diuretic properties; the latter
were observed by Dr. Cornish, who communicated the facts to Waring,
calling special attention to the good service the drug had afforded him
in dropsy. Other physicians in India have confirmed these observations
of Cornish. The decoction is made of 60 grams of the entire plant
to 750 cc. water, boiled till reduced one-half and strained under
pressure. Dose, 60 cc. every 2 hours till diuresis is induced.
The ashes of this plant, like those of the _Amaranthus spinosus_,
L., contain a large quantity of potassa, and are used for washing
clothes; on this account it has received its Sanscrit name _Apamarga_
(the washer). The ashes are also mixed in an infusion of ginger and
given internally in dropsy.
The flowers are bruised and applied to the bites of snakes and other
poisonous animals. In India there is a superstition that carrying
these flowers about the person will keep off scorpions.
Botanical Description.--A plant about 3° high, the stem angular and
downy. Leaves opposite, downy, clasping the stem, lanceolate, very
obtuse and wavy. Flowers bent downward in a long spike bearing many
flowerets. Calyx, 5 tough scales. Corolla wanting. Nectary much smaller
than the calyx, monophyllous, 5-lobed. Stamens 5. Ovary top-shaped,
upper part somewhat concave. Style same length as stamens. Stigma
coarse, bifid. Fruit, a seed covered with 2 membranes, one enveloping
it completely, the outer one adherent in only one part.
Habitat.--Common in Luzon. Blooms in November.
CHENOPODIACÆ.
Goosefoot Family.
_Chenopodium ambrosioides_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Alpasotes_, Sp.-Fil.; _Pasotis_, _Apasotis_, Tag.;
_American Worm-seed_, _Mexican Tea_, Eng.
Uses.--This plant is a native of Mexico. It has a peculiar, somewhat
offensive odor and an acrid, aromatic taste due to an essential oil
resembling peppermint (?). According to Padre Mercado, "When the seeds
are taken with wine, sensation is so dulled that the drinker may be
whipped without feeling the lashes, and even if put to the torment,
does not feel it." These properties, if true, make this plant one of
the most useful in the Philippines. The entire plant is stimulant. The
infusion, given internally, causes sweating, excites the circulation,
is diuretic, tonic, stomachic, and useful as well as an antispasmodic
in nervous troubles. The leaves are employed in making the infusion, 8
grams to 200 of boiling water. It is widely used in bronchial catarrhs
and in asthma on account of its sudorific and expectorant action. It
seems also to possess emmenagogue properties. The seeds yield on
distillation a yellow essential oil with a strong and disagreeable
odor, density 0.908. Both seeds and flowers are vermifuge, and are
used as such in Brazil in doses of 8 grams in infusion or with an
equal dose of castor oil. The anthelmintic dose of the essential oil
is 5-15 drops with powdered sugar.
Rilliet and Barthez recommend the following potion for infantile
chorea:
Leaves of chenopodium 4 grams.
Water 500 grams.
Make an infusion and add syrup of orange flowers 50 grams. Dose,
several tablespoonfuls a day.
Botanical Description.--A plant 2° high; stem beset with
hairs, many-angled. Leaves lanceolate, varying from entire
to cut-pinnatifid. Flowers green, sessile, axillary, in small
clusters. Calyx 5-parted. Corolla wanting. Stamens 5. Filaments
flattened, inserted near the center of the flowers opposite the parts
of the calyx. Anthers in 2 globose parts. Ovary superior, globose,
depressed, unilocular, uniovulate. Style none. Stigmas, 2, 3 or 4,
short, divergent. Fruit a lenticular seed covered by the membrane of
the ovary.
Habitat.--Common in gardens and fields. Blooms in May.
ARISTOLOCHIACEÆ.
Birthwort Family.
_Aristolochia Indica_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Timbangan_, _Malaubi_, Tag.; _Indian Birthwort_, Eng.
Uses.--The root has a wide use in medicine in the Philippines; it
is bitter, of a nauseating odor and has the reputation of being a
powerful antidote for the bites of poisonous serpents and insects. It
has further use in the treatment of malarial fever, in dyspepsia,
and in the flatulent colic of teething children. It is regarded as
tonic and emmenagogue. In various forms of diarrhoea it appears to
be effective and Dr. Gibson states that it is useful in intestinal
disorders. In the Philippines it is not only given internally but
also externally applied over the abdomen, mixed with hot cocoanut oil
(10 grams of the powdered root to 100 oil).
The first Portuguese settlers in India called the drug "Cobra Root,"
because the natives regarded it as an antidote for the bite of the
terrible "Cobra da Capello." This reputation, however, seems not to
have been deserved, judging from the fearful mortality in India and
Ceylon due to the bite of the cobra.
Dr. Imlach, a surgeon of Singapore, states that in one season in
one collectorate, Shikapore, no less than 306 cases of snake bites
were officially reported, the mortality being 63, or about 20.58
per cent. Other reports make it safe to conclude that in the entire
province during the year no less than 300 deaths were due to this
cause alone. Dr. Waring believes that if an antidote for snake bite
exist in the vegetable kingdom it will most probably be found in the
natural order Aristolochiaceæ.
In North India this drug is used as emmenagogue and anti-arthritic, and
in Banda for intermittent fevers and intestinal disorders. The juice of
the leaves is emetic. The dose of the powdered root is 3-5 grams daily.
Botanical Description.--A twining shrub, with leaves heart-shaped,
ovate, acute, glabrous. Petioles short. Flowers dark reddish-gray, in
panicles. Calyx wanting. Corolla globose below, the tube cylindrical,
expanding at the top. Anthers 6, in pairs. Filaments, none. Styles 6,
very coarse, a membrane at the base including all. Stigmas simple. Seed
vessel inferior, 6-ribbed, 6 cells and many winged seeds. The seed
vessel after casting the seeds resembles a pair of balance scales
with its little plates or pans. Hence the Tagalo name _Timbangan_
meaning "balance."
Habitat.--In Luzon and Panay. Blooms in November.
PIPERACEÆ.
Pepper Family.
_Piper Betle_, L. (_Chavica Betle_ and _C. auriculata_, Miq.; _Piper
Betel_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--_Hojas de buyo_, Sp.-Fil.; _Itmó_, Tag.; _Mamin_, Bic.;
_Buyo_, _Mamón_, Vis.; _Samat_, Pam.; _Betel Pepper_, Eng.
Uses.--A masticatory, used all over the extreme Orient, is composed
of the leaves of this plant, a little slaked oyster-shell lime
and a rounded slice of the bonga or areca nut; the Filipinos call
this combination _bayo_, though the name is not of native origin;
the Tagalos call it _hitsú_. The use of buyo by careless persons is
decidedly repugnant, for the mixture of the lime and the pigment of the
bonga imparts a blood-red or rather brick-red color to the saliva which
they spit in mouthfuls into the streets and other public places with
no thought of the feelings of others. Unless the mouth is carefully
cleaned the teeth become encrusted with a sort of black enamel and
the breath assumes a detestable odor. When used in small quantities
and with proper toilet of the mouth, and this is the common practice
among the Filipinos, buyo seems to be a very useful preservative
of the teeth and a gingival and stomachic tonic. These properties
are readily understood when we consider that the lime is antacid,
the bonga astringent and tonic and the betel aromatic and stimulant.
The buyo leaf plays a very important part in the therapeutics of the
infant of the Philippines: in its indigestions, colics and diarrhoeas
the heated leaves are applied to the abdomen previously anointed
with hot cocoanut oil. In bronchitis and laryngitis the heated
leaves are applied over the chest or neck after rubbing the parts
with oil. It undoubtedly produces good effects and the physicians of
India recommend it in the same cases and in the same form as in the
Philippines. Applied to the breasts of parturient women it dries up
the milk and in the same way tends to reduce any glandular enlargement.
Dr. Kleinstück of Java recommends the essence of the leaves in
all sorts of catarrhs and as an antiseptic in doses of one drop
to 140 of the vehicle. This essence is obtained by distillation;
it is dark in color, has an acrid taste and an odor resembling that
of tea. Its density is 1.020. The dried leaves contain one-half per
cent. of the essence and it is probable that the fresh ones contain
a greater proportion.
Botanical Description.--A plant with yellow flowers and scandent stem,
climbing straight up trees or artificial supports. Leaves cleft at
the base, acute, entire, glabrous, dark green. According to Blanco
it is cultivated best in somewhat sandy soil. Pasay, near Manila,
and Bauang, in Batangas, furnish a leaf most highly appreciated.
_Piper nigrum_, L.
Nom. Vulg.--_Pimienta_, Sp.; _Paminta_, _Malisa_, Tag.; _Black
Pepper_, Eng.
Uses.--The berry-like fruit of the pepper is more extensively used
as a condiment in cooking than in the treatment of disease. Used in
moderation, however, it is of considerable value as a convenient
stomachic and aid to digestion in tropical countries where the
digestive functions readily become sluggish. Its abuse may lead to
serious consequences, such as inflammation of the gastro-intestinal
mucous membrane, of the portal system and the liver itself.
Pepper is used as a febrifuge in the various forms of malarial fevers,
in the form of granules of 8 or 10 berries in a cup of brandy and anise
(Spanish); this is taken by the patient in one dose at the beginning of
the cold stage and followed by large quantities of water to relieve the
thirst caused by the pepper. This treatment causes the cold stage to
rapidly subside and more rapidly induces and intensifies the sweating
stage. It is said that no further attack of fever follows.
Piperin (C_17_H_19_NO_3_) is febrifuge and is given in pill form
internally in doses of 30-60 centigrams; the action of the crude drug
is evidently due to this neutral principle.
Botanical Description.--The plant is a perennial, climbing
shrub. Leaves oval, tapering at both extremities, 7-nerved. Flowers
yellow, in a spike. Stigmas 2, bifid. Fruit globose, with one seed.
Habitat.--The dried fruit of the pepper is universally familiar. It was
at one time cultivated in the Philippines, especially in Batangas,
and Gen. Basco promulgated a series of orders to encourage its
cultivation. Padre Gainza, afterward Bishop of Nueva Cáceres, wrote a
report about its cultivation, but since then the subject has entirely
disappeared from notice.
CHLORANTHACEÆ.
Chloranth Family.
_Chloranthus officinalis_, Bl. (_C. Indicus_, Wight.;
_C. inconspicuus_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg.--Unknown.
Uses.--All parts of the plant are aromatic. The leaves and stems
lose this property after drying, but the roots, if properly dried,
preserve it for a long time. They have a camphoraceous odor and
bitter, aromatic taste, reminding one of that of _Aristolochia
Serpentaria_. The mountaineers of Java use an infusion of the
powdered root and the bark of the _Cinnamomum Culilowan_ to treat
puerperal eclampsia. Combined with carminatives like anise and onion,
they use it with some success in virulent small-pox of children. The
infusion seems to be efficacious in fevers accompanied by debility and
suppression of the function of the skin. It has also been prescribed
in the intermittent fevers of Java, mixed with an infusion of the
leaves of the _Cedrela Toona_. Blume states that it is one of the
most powerful stimulants known.
Botanical Description.--A plant 3-4° high. Stem quadrangular. Leaves
opposite, broad, lanceolate, serrate, with stiff-pointed teeth and
somewhat scaly beneath. Petioles very short, clasping the stem at
their base, with 2 intermediate stipules ending in two awl-shaped
points. Flowers compound in axillary spikes, which bear the flowerets
in 2 ranks, each flower with a keeled bract. The corolla (if it may
be so called) a fleshy, 3-lobed lamina. Perianth wanting. Receptacle
dome-shaped. Anthers 4, inserted on the surface of the lamina,
2-valved. Ovary 1-celled, with 1 ovule. Style short. Berry-like fruit,
globose, with 1 seed covered by a somewhat brittle membrane.
Habitat.--La Laguna and other provinces of Luzon. Blooms in September.
LAURACEÆ.
Laurel Family.
_Cinnamomum pauciflorum_, Nees. (_Laurus culilaban_, Var., Blanco.)
_C. tamala_, Nees. (_L. culilaban_, Blanco.)
Nom. Vulg. (of both).--_Kalingag_, _Makalingag_, Tag., Vis.;
_Kandaroma_, Iloc; _Cassia Lignea_ or _Cassia_, Eng.
Uses.--The bark of both species is known in pharmacy as Chinese
cassia or Chinese cinnamon (cassia cinnamon). Indeed it is very like
the cinnamon of Ceylon, comes in curled quills, has the same odor and
taste though not so delicate; but it is darker in color, with a surface
less clean and smooth. Its chemical composition is identical with that
of the latter and nowadays it forms an important article of commerce.
Cinnamon renders good service in therapeutics as a stimulant of the
digestive tract and a heart tonic. In the atonic diarrhoeas so common
in the Philippines a tincture of cinnamon in doses of 8-10 grams a
day, or the powder in cases where alcohol was contraindicated, have
given me unhoped-for results.
In Spain and the Philippines it is very popular as a condiment in the
kitchen of the confectionery and as a flavor for chocolate; in fact
in those countries it takes the place of vanilla in France. It enters
into the composition of several elixirs and compound tinctures, such
as "Botot's Water" (dentifrice), "Elixir of Garus" (tonic stimulant),
"Balsam of Fioraventi" (external stimulant), laudanum and the elixir
of the Grande Chartreuse (diffusible stimulant).
Lately it has been demonstrated that the essence is a powerful
antiseptic, in the presence of which typhoid fever bacilli cannot
develop.
Botanical Description.--A tree, 15-20° high. Leaves opposite,
lanceolate, 3-nerved, entire, glabrous. Flowers yellow, paniculate,
umbellate. Common peduncles very long, those of the flowerets
long. Calyx none. Corolla, 6 ovate, hairy petals. Stamens 9; 6
external to the rest and bearing the anthers, 4 on each filament,
2 below the others; the 3 inner stamens bear 2 anthers each.