146
REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94.
[APP.
properties of the drug, the antidotes applied in case of overdose, and the actions and uses
thereof extracted from standard medical works. I have given at the end of this paper,
under head VII, the results of two special experiments made, under my personal supervision,
with the native drug and that obtained from the chemist, prepared according to the Phar-
macopœia.
* Analysis.—(a) Cannabin, a resin on which its properties depend and developed only
in a warm country, a small quantity of volatile oil, extractive, &c. The resin is of a dark green
colour, has a fragrant odour, a warm, acrid, and bitter taste, and is soluble in alcohol and in
ether and in the fixed volatile oils.
† (b) Extractum Cannabis Indicœ.-Indian hemp in coarse powder, 1; rectified spirit,
5: macerate seven days, press out the tincture, distill off the spirit, and evaporate to a soft
extract.
6 of Indian hemp yield 1 of alcoholic extract.
Dose—1/4 to 1 grain in pill.
† In delirium tremens, 2 grains of extract of Indian hemp given every hour for four times
gave relief. L. M. R. '81, 192.
† Extract of Indian hemp varies considerably in strength, consequently the dose
should always be small to commence with; toxic symptoms have been produced with 1
grain.
† (c) Tinctura Cannabis Indicæ.—Extract of Indian hemp, 1; rectified spirit, 20: dis-
solve = (1 in 20).
22 minims contain 1 grain of extract.
Dose—5 to 20 minims with one dram of mucilage, adding 1 oz. of water.
In prescribing the tincture it should be previously triturated with the mucilage, or the
resin will be precipitated by the water.
† (d) Cannabinœ Tannas.—(Not official).—An amorphous yellowish powder, sparingly
soluble in water, alcohol, and ether. Soluble in acidulated alcohol.
Dose.—1 to 8 grains mixed with sugar and taken as a powder was introduced as a
hypnotic, but its effects are very uncertain.—T. G. '85, 329, 379.
† (e).—Cannabinon.—(Not official).—A soft resinous substance, generally found as a
10 p. c. trituration with sugar of milk, also introduced as a hypnotic, but the dose (11/2
grains) was followed by excitement, collapse, and cramps.—T. G. '85, 286; L. M. R. '86,
434.
† Medicinal Properties.—Sedative, anodyne, and hypnotic, has been used with success
in megrim and delirium, also in menorrhagia and dysmenorrhœa.
It is combined with
belladona in whooping cough, in tetanus, and hydrophobia. It does not produce constipa-
tion or loss of appetite, on the contrary it restores the appetite which has been lost by chronic
opium and chloral drinking.—L. '89, i, 625.
† Antidotes.—In case of over-dose, hot brandy and water may be given, vegetable acids,
such as lemon-juice, vinegar, and the like, and the patient be allowed to sleep.
A blister to
the nape of the neck is recommended to control its violent action.
Extract half a grain to a grain cau-
tiously increased to 4 or 5 grains ac-
cording to the purity of the drug and
the condition of the patient. Of the
tincture ten minims cautiorsly increas-
ed to a fluid draehm, repeated at short
intervals until the desired effects are
produced. When administered in an
aqueous vehicle, it requires mucilage
to suspend it. The effects must be
carefully watched lest the patient
should injure himself whilst mentally
incapacitated by it, as sometimes hap-
pens. Antimonials, salines, a blister to
the nape of the neck, &c., may be em-
ployed to control its violent action.
† Actions and uses.—Narcotic, antispasmodic, intoxicant. Like alcohol it produces a varie-
ty of effects on different individuals: in one a dull heavy state of pleasant reverie, with a rapid
succession of unconnected ideas; in another a cheerful activity with giddiness.
Taken as an
intoxicant in large doses Dr. Angus MacDonald says: "it quickens the circulation and exhila-
rates the spirits, producing a kind of mirthful or extravagant delirium, during which its victim
alternately laughs, cries, sings, dances, or craves for food, all the while believing himself to be
in a normal state of mind. Sometimes, however, it makes its victim ill-tempered, violent, and
pugnacious. It usually produces an inordinate appetite for food, and acts powerfully as an
aphrodisiac. In medicinal doses it acts upon the cerebro-spinal system, causing, in moderate
doses, exhilaration of spirits, a kind of inebriation and
hallucination followed by confusion of
intellect and
tendency to sleep; in large doses it causes stupor. After the
primary effects of a full dose have passed off, the patient is said
to be left in a state of catalepsy." Dr. Milne adds that, it alle-
viates pain and subdues spasm, and for this purpose it has been
given, but with extremely variable results (it may be owing
to inert specimens of it) in neuralgia, chronic rheumatism,
painful menstruation, infantile convulsions, hydrophobia,
and tetanus.
In the latter disease a few striking cures
have been achieved, but in other cases it has failed. Spasm
and spasmodic coughs are frequently relieved by it; and some
obtain sleep from it who are debarred the more certain soporific
opium, owing to its evil effects. "It differs from opium in its
* From Dr. Angus Mac Donald's "Note Book of Materia Medica," pages 522 and 523.
† Companion to the British Pharmacopœia, Fifteenth Edition, 1890, by Peter Squire.