Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/193

Rh soaked in a pint of boiling water for 24 hours and the liquid poured off, divided into 2 parts, 1 part being taken internally during the 24 hours, and the other used as a fomentation. An apparent recovery from a presumably malignant growth of the mouth resulted.

An examination of the leaves of the common violet (viola odorata) in the Lancet laboratory (L. '05, i, 1085) showed the presence of two crystalline bodies, one glucosidal and the other alkaloidal in character, and also a dark green oil. Alcohol was found a much more effective solvent than an aqueous menstruum; in view of the employment of an aqueous infusion, the latter point is of interest.

The alkaloid isolated behaved, chemically, much in the same way as Emetine, the principal alkaloid of Ipecacuanha. It has been stated (Y. B P. '05, 467; C. D. '05, ii. 977; P. J. '05, ii. 869) that any activity which violet leaves possess is due either to the glucoside, the product of its decomposition, or a natural ferment associated with it. Reckoned as viola quercitrin, the glucoside from Princess of Wales violet leaves amounted to 5 p. c. of the weight of the fresh leaves. A fresh infusion was found to extract nine-tenths of the glucoside present in the leaves. No volatile constituent was isolated, no alkaloid could be detected, no salicylic acid was found. The presence of a glucoside was proved, but the glucoside was not isolated. Objection has been taken to the evidence of the uses of violet leaves having been unfortunately collected chiefly by unskilled persons, and that it has therefore been lacking in definiteness, and consequently in value. After the definite expression of the opinions mentioned in the above reference, it is disappointing to find in a paper read before the Therapeutical Society, October 30th, 1906, and reported in the Lancet, '06, ii. 1318, that all attempts to isolate and identify a glucoside from violet leaves have failed; similarly, there was no evidence of a ferment being present; the only positive facts resulting from the experiments being that the leaves and their preparations yield under certain conditions glucose. It has been pointed out that the reputation of Violets for