A text-book of organic materia medica; comprising a description of the vegetable and animal drugs of the British pharmacopoeia with other non-official medicines ...

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1887 Excerpt: ...of earth with the enclosed roots in an almost unbroken state. The earth is then shaken from the roots, which are subsequently carefully dried by exposure to sunshine; and then broken up into pieces a few inches in length; and finally packed in bales for exportation. Ipecacuanha is principally imported from Brazil, but also, to some extent, from Carthagena. General Characters.--Ipecacuanha is in more or less twisted and commonly unbranched pieces, which are usually from about two to four inches in length, and about the thickness of a small writing quill, or about one-fifth of an inch in diameter, but smaller pieces may frequently be found. It consists of a thin central whitish woody axis destitute of pith, and nearly inert; and a thick cortical or active portion, which is brownish, greyish-brown, or blackish-or reddish-brown, and marked with irregular circular fissures, which give the roots the appearance of a number of closely-arranged rings strung upon a cord, and hence the name annulated ipecacuanha which is applied to this root, and by which it may be more especially distinguished from other kinds of ipecacuanha. The bark has a resinous fracture, and the fractured surface has a semi-transparent somewhat waxy appearance. The taste is bitter and somewhat acrid; and the odour faint and peculiar, but it affects some persons to such an extent, that they cannot remain in the same house where it is being powdered. The powder has a pale brown colour. Besides the ipecacuanha to which the above characters more particularly apply, another variety imported from Carthagena, and known as Carthagena or New Granada Ipecacuanha, is sometimes imported. It is known by its larger size, less annulated appearance, and by the radiated character of its woody axis in consequence...