Materia Medica of the New Mexican Pharmacopoeia. Part 7.

Related entries: M. Ph. Materia Medica: part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8 -
Related entries: M. Ph. Pharmaceutical preparations part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4.
Other tomes: King's (mat.med.) - King's (preparations)

BY THE EDITOR.

Chile (Chili). The different species of Capsicum, growing wild or cultivated in Mexico, and used medicinally or for condiment, are the following: pasilla, C. longum, De Cand.; ancho, C. cordiforme, Mill.; mulato, and in the unripe state poblano, probably a variety of the preceding; valenciano, C. dulce, Hort.; tzincuayo, C. violaceum, H. B. K.; quanchilli, C. frutescens?; chiltipiquin de Papantla, C. annuum, Lin., and chilticpin de Jalisco, C. microcarpum, DeCand.

Chilillo, Polygonum Hydropiper, Lin., is used in baths against rheumatism, and internally in the form of infusion, as a diuretic. Pol. aviculare, hydropiperoides and other species are said to be frequently substituted for the former.

Chirimoyo, Anona Cherimolia, Miller; Anonaceae; in warm and damp regions. The fruit is nutritious. The seeds, slightly roasted, are violently emeto-cathartic in doses of one to twelve, and are too dangerous for medicinal use; externally they are insecticide. Garza Cortina of Mexico (1872) found the seeds to contain sugar, gum, albumin, extractive, salts, fixed oil and an acrid resin soluble in alcohol, ether and chloroform and representing the active principle.

Chochos, Lupinus albus, Lin.; Leguminosae; cultivated. The seeds were formerly used as an aphrodisiac and vermifuge; the decoction is employed in the form of injection in external otitis; also as a discutient.

Damar (dammar), Datil (dates), D'ctamo blanco (Dictamnus albus), D'ctamo de Creta (Origanum Dictamnus), Digital, Duboisia, Dulcamara, Eléboro blanco (Veratrum album), Eléboro negro (Helleborus niger), Eléboro verde (Hell. viridis), Encina de mar (Fucus vesiculosus), Enebro comun (Juniper berries), Eneldo (dill), Enula (elecampane), Escamonéa (scammony), Escila (squill), Escordio (Teucrium Scordium), Espárrago (asparagus roots and shoots), Esperma (spermaceti), Esponja (sponge), Estafisagra (stavesacre), and Eucalipto (Eucalyptus globulus), are foreign drugs admitted into the Mexican Pharmacopoeia. The eucalyptus, asparagus, dill and a few others are cultivated in Mexico.

Damiana, Aplopappus discoideus, ff. B. K.; Compositae; in the valley of Mexico, etc. Used in baths against rheumatism. The plant does not possess any aphrodisiac properties which have been claimed for it.

Díctamo real, Passiflora Dictamus, Fl. Mex. ined. and P. mexicana, Jussieu; Passifloraceae; in the State of Morelos and other hot districts. The former species has simple two-lobed leaves, the lobes oblong and three-nerved, the base subemarginate, the peduncles oneflowered and the tendrils simple. The second species has the base of the leaves rounded, their lower side glandular and the petioles shorter. The leaves and stems are used in decoction in bronchial and pulmonary affections. The leaves of the "granadita de China," Pass. caerulea, Lin. probably have similar properties; the fruit is used for food, and the root is said to be emetic. Marrubium Pseudodictamnus Lin. is also known in Mexico by the name of díctamo.

Diente de leon, Taraxacum mexicanum, De Cand.; Compositae.; in Mexico. The root and leaves contain a milk juice, without particular odor, bitter, somewhat sweet and slightly acid. The root is blackish externally and white internally. The leaves are radical, rosulate, and irregularly and triangularly lobulate. The constituents are probably analogous to those of Taraxacum officinalis. The root is employed as a substitute for chicory.

Doradilla, Lycopodium nidiforme, Nor. Mex. ined., Lycopodiaceae; in the valley of Mexico. The decoction is employed in biliar lithiasis, and as a sedative in hepatic colics.

Durazno, Persica vulgaris De Cand.; Rosaceae; cultivated in Mexico. A syrup is prepared from the flowers, which, like the leaves contain hydrocyanic acid, the latter being sometimes used as a substitute for cherry laurel leaves. The seeds are incorrectly called bitter almonds. The fermented pulp of the fruit produces an agreeable alcohol.

Ecapatli, Cassia occidentalis, Lin.; Leguminosae; in the State of Mexico. The leaves are believed to have the properties of senna leaves.

Encina, Quercus polymorpha, Schlechtendal, Q. barbinervis, Bentham, Q. tomentosa, Willdenow, and other species are used, the bark being astringent; the fruit, called bellota, is roasted like coffee.

Epazote, Chenopodium ambrosioïdes, Lin.; indigenous. The entire plant is used as a condiment, and medicinally as an anthelmintic, emmenagogue and in chorea; an infusion is made of 20 Gm. to the liter.

Escila del pais, Pancratium illyricum, Lin.; Amaryllidaceae; cultivated in Xochimilco, etc. The bulbs are 45 to 60 Mm. thick, napiform, scaly, externally reddish-brown, internally whitish; have a slightly nauseous odor, and a sweet, afterward bitter taste, and possess diuretic and hyposthenic properties. Dose 0.10 to 0.20 Gm.

Escoba amarga, probably Milleria linearifolia, Compositae. The plant is common in the valley of Mexico and flowers in September. Stem herbaceous, almost filiform; leaves alternate, sessile, linear; involucre of 3 to 5 bracts; receptacle not chaffy; ligulate florets pistillate; tubular florets staminate; akenes smooth and compressed. Bitter, tonic; dose 4 to 8 Gm. in infusion. The different species of Milleria have opposite leaves.

Escorzonera de México, Pinaropappus roseus, Lessing; Compositae; in the valley of Mexico. An infusion of the plant is used in diarrheas.

Espinosilla, Hoitzia (Loeselia, Don) coccinea, Cavanilles; Polemoniaceae; in the valley of Mexico, etc. Dr. Oliva found the plant to contain greenish-brown resin, tannin, gallic acid, bitter extractive and salts. The infusion is diuretic and diaphoretic, and in larger doses, emetocathartic.

Esponjilla, probably Luffa purgans, Kunth; Cucurbitaceae; in the State of Guerrero. The aqueous infusion of the fruit has a very bitter taste and drastic properties.

Estafiate, Artemisia mexicana, De Cand.; Compositae; near the capital and in the valley of Toluca. Leaves on the upper side dark green, on the lower side ash colored, strongly aromatic, bitter, and of a warm taste, amplexicaul, quinque-pinnatisect, pubescent, the lobules trisected and the final divisions linear. In Oliva's Farmacolgia the plant is named Art. laciniata, which is cultivated in Guadalajara. Rio de la Loza obtained from the plant a blackish-gray extractive, bitter nitrogenated and bitter resinous principle, yellow volatile oil, starch, salts, etc. Alcohol and water take up the medicinal principles. The plant is tonic, stimulant, emmenagogue and anthelmintic. Dose 2 to 4 Gm. in powder; 4 to 15 Gm. in infusion; 1 to 4 Gm. of the extract; 1 to 6 drops of the volatile oil; the latter is generally used externally, mixed with a fixed oil.

Flor de encino de Puebla is the name given to the staminate catkins of the different species of quercus, which are reputed to possess antispasmodic properties.

Flor de noche-buena, Euphorbia pulcherrima, Willdenow; Euphorbiaceae; on the western slope of the Sierra Madre, and cultivated in. gardens. The bracts are used; they are short-petioled, lanceolate, attenuate below, penninerved, entire on the margin, fresh of a blood-red color, and dark violet-red after drying. T. Artigas (Thesis, 1880) obtained resin, yellow and red coloring matters, tartaric acid, glucose, saccharose, gum, starch and salts. The decoction, made of 8 Gm. of the bracts and 500 Gm. of water, and taken in two portions during the day, is reputed to be galactophorous; is used as a fomentation in erysipelas, and in the form of cataplasm as a resolvent. The milkjuice is used as a depilatory.

Flor de San Juan, Bouvardia longiflora, Kunth; Rubiaceae; in the southern mountains of the Mexican valley. The flowers are used in perfumery.

Flor de Santiago, Amaryllis formosissima, Lin.; Amaryllidaceae; in the State of Puebla. The bulb is emetic.

Fresno, Fraxinus viridis, Michaux; Oleaceae Central Mexico. The root is popularly used as a diuretic, and the bark as a tonic and febrifuge; the juice of the leaves is similarly employed. The tree is indigenous to the greater portion of the North American continent from Canada westward to Dakota and Arizona.

The following well-known drugs have been admitted: Fresa (strawberry root and fruit), Fumaria officinalis, Galanga, Gálbano, Gelsemio (Gels. sempervirens), Goma arábiga, Goma elástica (India rubber), Goma guta (gamboge), Goma de Mezquite, Goma quino (kino), Goma del Senegal, Goma tragacanto, Gomo-resina amoniaco, Gomo-resina de euforbio, Grama (Triticum repens), Granado (root-bark, flowers, pericarp and fruit-juice of pomegrante), Grasilla (sandarac), Guayacan (guaiacum), Haba (bean), Haba de Calabar, Haba tonca, Helecho macho (male fern), Hiel de toro (ox gall), Higos (fig), Higuerilla (seeds of Ricinus communis for extracting the oil), Hinojo (fennel), Huevo de gallina (egg) and Huitlacoche (cornsmut).

The American Journal of Pharmacy, Vol. 57, 1885, was edited by John M. Maisch.