, 1886-12-18
EAST AFRICAN DRUGS.
VEGETABLE PolsoNs USED FOR
AMOUNTING SPEARS AND ARROWS.

VEGETABLE PolsoNS USED FOR
AMOUNTING SPEARS AND ARROWS.
d, Running Plant whose Active rrin-
ciuir il similar to >tr~,ciininr-.h"
..roi.on Tr.er-Narrotic indulgence
Confined to Tobacco.
OF curative drugs the east African
manifest but little knowledge Near
Lake Tgombo n small wild aloe. when
the green skin has been peeled off. forms
m ice cold and healing application to
burns. and ia the ue~ighburhood of Oar
es-Salaam IL highly aromatic plant, with
hairy purple stalks. called arcaza
mudi. is reputed n good natiyc cure for
pains In the stomach The Sumalis oc-
casionally eat the 10 al variety Of %dragnn's
blood. a resin Of acidulous flavor obtained
from the inoli tree dDrac. o,na schizanthal.
Bet wecn Zanzibar and Oar Is Salaam &C
ours "A creepcr with bean like, hairy, 5
shaped pods having severe singing pow
rrs. it is about four inches long, Of vel
lowish brown color, and is called upupu.
The pain Yields to cowdung and wood
ashes In the same region n broad blinded
grass called mwanga mwitu enjoys some
fame as n styptic.
ARROW PoIsoNs.
Arrow poisons come much more promi-
Lently within the range Of native study,
and most tribes use some description of
vegetable poison for amounting their
spears aud MIRO IS. The most important
Is n species Of S~trophanthus, either ;.
hispidus or S. kombe. which will proha-
blv prove to be the sole source Of this class
. ....I "a. tI.. .usf.t.tt .stu.f frafu
Zanzibar to Somnli land and even far into
the interior. The plant Is II runner, bear
Ing large. rough ribbed leaves arranged
I'm clusters Of three or four together.
Each shoot consists of three branches. of
which one hears the seed aud the other
two the leaves. The flower H. yellow,
Wit curiously tailed petals. The seed
has the form cf IA huge military frog
button. with lobes nine inches long. and Is
the direct source Of the poison. This. ac-
cording to St. Vincent Erskinr. il called
umtsuli in Gnzn or southern Mozambique.
and Is 81 energetic that men wounded by
arrows IN the ueshy part of the leg have
been known To- die within thr'r hours.
and with small bucks the poison takes
effect before they ran run out of sight.
lie likens the active principle 10 sirych-
nine
hf1' 'ltAN' fF'V' 49, '' 80
scription given by r. W. Felkin and \. W.
Gerard of the poison used by the Wauika
aud Wakamha tribes, west of Momhnsia.
except that several roots are supposed 10
contribute to the deadly effect. These
authors mention mn antidotc composed ~
euuAr, rnn'a reduced to charcoal, which
however proved It failure on trial. tarc
nl Investigation 81 the uuitsuli reveals
the faci thnt it is II powerful cnrdiac
poison ~ powerful ns digitaliu aud more
powerful than V%crttrih when injected
under the skin HUI II causc- uulv
nni.en. vomiting and some weakness
when taken 10y the mouth
uIr POISON THEf
The flcsh # animals killed ly This
poison * eaten b., the black without in
encis Probably Identical with this ia
ilu. poison tree. from the roots Of which
the natives of Somnli land extract u black
nu,l pitchS iheiauc, for poisoning their
arrows. Perhaps. also. the pitch ltL"
poison obtained from the boiled dow
bark 81 a tree used ON the l.uhii rive r for
npnltntiou to arrows. luncrs aud even
bullets. and the muuvi on poisonous dc
ooction of the bark Of u tree employed in
the triui 10y ordeal OF the natives Of the
Nyl-sn nni Xmhcsi valley. is the same
nrticic under uuother sri~e
lrlulNnc in narcotics appears 10 Toe
confined 70 tobacco, which is very com
murfir ernw under cultivation. II is u
special product Of the Handel district.
whence considerable quantities Of the sun
dried lcnt. beaten iutu little round Hat
cnkc- abou, two inches in diameter. are
gent down 10 Pangani for export
The tobacco is course and strong but OF
fairly good lavor. The kiswnhili use
water pipes Ckikol made of gourds Of vuri-
Gus shapes. They swallow the fumes I'M
smoking and seem 10 enjoy the paroXysm
of coughing which results Journal
Society Of Arts