Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-28
MEDICINAL. PLANTS.
An Interesting Talk by Dr. George
Massey, the Botanist.

An interesting Talk by Or. George
Massey. the Rotanist.
The last lecture In the course under the auspices
OF the Amateur Botanical Society was given at the
National Museum Saturiay evening. The subject,
important Medicinal Plants was Introduced by
MAJ. j. W. Powell, chief OF the Geological survey,
puph OF the speaker Or. yasey. thirty-nve years
ago IN liltno : and afterward his fellow explorer
Ia the ROCKY Mountains Following Is an abstract
OF the lecture.
Inc Opium Poppy f. a native OF Asia ana the
south OF Europe, and Is still found Wild IA the
countries bordering the Mediterranean sea II Is
an annual plant, two to three feet In height or
higher under favorable circumstances The pro
cess OF procuring the opium as practiced by the
present inhabitants OF India and Persia IL said 70
De very nearly the same as that Described BY d.
esccrldes nearly two thousand years ago. A few
s sI.e ~ tne ial OF the flower men and women
ivceea 70 Tue neld where the plants cultivated,
sna. Win suitable knife. make several horizontal
incisons IN the capsules, taking care not pene-
trlte Tue cavity. white juice flows from the In
cision and collects the form OF tears 90 tie sur.
lace The held is lett IN this state for twenty -four
n1urs atter which the thickened juice Is strapped
Oh WIN oiunt knives Each poppy head yields
opium out once. The Juice, when removed Is In
the state OF an adhesive era Jelly. IL Is placed
IA stnaIi earthen vessels. where it Is beatea ana
slstence IL Is made into masses OF variable SIZE
wrapped In poppy leaves. and placed In the shade
earliest accounts gives Asia Minor as the seat OF
the cultivation OF the plant II then spreaa east
ward into Persia and India and eventaaliy into
China and Japan Prior 10 the eiyh;eenth ~ injury
the Snlnese used opium almost exclusively as a
retnedy Ior dysentery. 10 lbs the opium habit
was beginning 10 produce haleful effects among
the people, and the Chinese government then ue-
gan TO protest against the import OF the drug
lhe trsnc continu-d, however, unIl $500 when
an edict was issued by the emperor forbid ding any
vessel having opium on board 10 enter the Canton
hiver In ls:Ss the use OF opium was made q capt.
tsl crime, aud the government confscated and de-
stroyed So 900 worth OF the drug belonging TO
the British merchants OF Canton. Hostdtles be-
tween the British and the Chinese governments In
regard TO the trade eliminated IN the opluln war
which terminated in a treaty by wnicn the In.
gllsh obtained indemnity for the opium destroyed
and certain ports We're opened TO the British trade
In 1855 opium was admitted a. a legal article OF
commerce.
About seventy years ago chemical investigations
OF opium led to the discovery OF morphine, and
subsequently, OF several other alkaods and Of late
YEARS morphine has become the principal form In
winch tais important medicine is employed The
only obstacle TO the profitable Guilty alton or he
labor.
crycuoxA
Nothing was known Of this drug prior 70 about
the year 1880 At about this time it stated that
the bark OF the cinchona tree was administered by
an Indian for Intermittent fever 10 q spanish on
cial wing near Loxa, In Peru Eight years later
! or Peru was cured OF the same disease by this
remedy. She then caused large quantities VI the
bark 10 be prepared ana distributed 70 the sick,
and IL was soon afterward introduced into Europe.
The rapid increase Ia the use OF cinchona nnally
thr -atened 10 exhaust the supply, so that about
began the cultSation 81 The tree. ana It has since
been introduced into other parts OF the world It's
culture has been so successful that tue supply OF
the BARK Is now greater than ever before and the
| price greatly re uced. No section OF the United
| states Is adapted 10 it.
sTRYcHNos Nux voNIcA,
the tree from which strychnine Is obtained, f. a
| naive Of India aud adjoining countries. The
| horny nuts, whiea are the part employed In medi-
cine, are fat about an inch ia diameter and
covered with short vevety hairs. The use or these
nuts Is said to be very ancient They were GER
tainly known in Germany In the sixteenth Gen.
tury. London apothecary In 1910 remarked
thai their CHIEF use was for poisoning dogs cats
Gro and ravens, anu that they were rarely gwen
| as medicine The alkaioid strychniDe which Is
the active principle OF this nut. was obtained by
Peliteur and Caventau, two French chemists. In
| 1915.
In small repeated doses nux vom.ca, or strych-
| nine, acts as tonic. la larSer doses it causes
weakness and trembling or the limbs, then
rigidity, spasms and death Its marked action
| upon the muscular system led 10 its use as
! remedy for paralysis and muscular debility, In
| which II Is very successful.
BELLADoSSA.
Atropa Belladonna is a perennial berbaceous
plant, native 10 Central and South America, the
| Caucasus and Asia Minor IL belongs TO the
| nightshade or potato family. The name belladon.
ma, which is Il allan for beautiful LADY, gnatei
! from the practice OF using the distilled water OF
rne plant sci as All PARTS Of The plant
| employed is the neshy root, VIII ch Is foot OF
more In length and an inch or Two In thickness IL
| is generally gathered from the plant growing 10
| its wild state, though in lew places In Europe
| AMI this country the plant Is cultivated The
chief use or beadonna AZ the present tune Is In the
treatment Of nervous Diseases as sedative aad Tor
| the purpose OF producing dllation OF the pupil ia
certain diseases OF the eye, and an surgical opera
prepared from the plant an aikaloid called Astro-
pine, and IL is la this form that the drug is now
| generally used.
| RHUBaHs.
The root called rhubarb Is one the oldest known
medicines. and much Investigation has been made
| by naturalists TO determine the plant which pro-
| duces It, but It can hardly be said that we yet
| know definitely what Is the botanical species
There IS reason to believe that Il Is the root not
| one, but OF several species or the genius Rheum
| found growing In Russian nd Chinese Tartary.
| The common rhubarp OF the gardens is thought
| by some botanists TO be hybrid between two OF
| these, Rheum pulmatum and r. Rhaponticum.
From a very early periot raubarb was brought
overland by trading caravans from Central Asia
| and taken TO Turkish ports whence Il came 70 be
| known as Turkish rhubarb" In 1887 the Rus.
sian government obtained full control o. the Trade
| and appointed inspectors to see that none but
| genuine and weli-prepared roots were imported
The overland trade TO Russi was finally destroy ed
by the opening OF the northern ports OF Caina TO
| foreign traif1c. Since that time these ports have
been the chief source OF supply. The root when
grown in England has not proved 70 be OF satsrac-
! tory quality.
| COCOA
This drug, obtained from the plant known as
erythroxylon cocoa, has hardly yet found fixed
| place in our moterid medica. There Is great hope
| however, OF its future usefulness. The plant is a
small shrub, o4feet nigh somewhat resembling
the tea The leaves are somewhat aromatic and
bitter. II is native OF the mountains OF Peru and
Mexico, and has been used by the natives o. those
countries from time inmem rial. for a purpose
SIN lar to that OF tea eo1ee Large quaint ties
Of the leaves are now exported 70 Europe and the
| United states for medicinal purposes. Probably
It's most i'm porIanL use when future Improvements
shall be made will be producing local anRsthesia
In cases OF sur -ical operations II &c can also be
piled successfully In capital operations &c VIII
prove to be one OF the most important contrfbu-
tons TO the aQelioration OF human suffering.
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TALKING OF BURGLARS.