Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/31

Rh II. Polychroic solution (orange-yellow-violet-blue) in concentrated sulphuric acid. III. A quickening, emphasising, and sometimes a characteristic modifying, of colour reaction II, when to the sulphuric acid are added small quantities of (a) phenols (thymol, a-naphthol, cresol, or glycocholic acid), or (b) aldehydes (furfuraldehyde, cane-sugar, vanillin, heliotropin, &c.). Reaction III (a) seems to indicate that cerebrin is a glucoside, III. (b) that it is a phenol. As a matter of fact, cerebrin is hydrolysed when heated with alcoholic sulphuric acid for two hours, and yields a small quantity of sugar, probably glucose, and 62 per cent, of cerberetin C19H26O4 (?), a lemon-yellow, amorphous powder, which melts at 85.5° (corr.), is optically inactive, and is precipitated from its solution in alcohol by the addition of water ; the alcoholic solution has, even when diluted to 1 : 5000, a perceptible yellow color. Like cerebrin, it is a poison. Observations of the physiological action of cerberin agree with those of Zotos (Dissertation Dorpat, 1892); it has the advantages, without the disadvantages, of digitalin. J. Ch. S. 1893 A.T. p. 487.

The seeds are very poisonous, and were found by Plugge in 1893 to contain cerberin, a heart poison. The seeds yield 55 per cent, of a bland fixed oil, of a pale yellow colour, which is used for burning and for anointing the head. The specific gravity at 15.5 is 0.919 ; it affords 955 per cent, of fatty acids,melting at 34°. (Hooper.)

750. Rhazya strieta, Decaisne, h.f.b.i., hi. 640.

Vern. : — Sunwar (H.) ; Wena ; Gandera (Pb.) ; Sehar, Seewur (Sind.); Wargalion ; Vargalum (Pushtu) ; Ishawarg (Mushree).

Habitat :— Sind, Salt-range and Peshawar.

A small, glabrous, very stout, erect, sparingly branched, leafy shrub, gregarious. Leaves alternate, lanceolate or oblanceolate acute, coriaceous, 2-4in., by ½-¾in., yellowish when dry, sessile. Flowers in short, axillary, stoutly branched cymes, shortly and stoutly pedicelled ; white ; tube ⅓in., upper half inflated ; lobes ovate, mucronate, short. Ovary of two distinct carpels. Style filiform, top broad, thickened; stigma sometimes furnished with a reflexed membrane. Ovules numerous, 2-seriate in each carpel. Fruit of 2 erect follicles, 2-3 by ¼in., thinly coriaceous, slightly compressed ; seeds numerous, flat, with short membranous wings at two ends, ⅓in. long Embryo straight, in a fleshy albumen.

Uses : — The juice of the leaves is given with milk to children for eruptions, and an infusion of them is very useful for sorethroat, low fevers and general debility. The leaves, which are very bitter, are sold in the bazars in Sind, the natives using