UNCARIA GAMBIR. Roxb. Terra Japonica.
Tiau t'ang, . . . CHIN. I TJnkoodoo, . . . TEL.
Gambir, . . . MALAY. I One of a genus of plants belonging to the natural order Rubiacem, a native of Penang, Sumatra, Malacca, and Ceylon. The extract from the leaves is called gambier, and is manufactured in Siak, Malacca, and Bitang. A gambler planta tion has much the appearance of brushwood of three years' growth, with srnall, smooth leaves of a dark-green colour. The leaves are collected three or four times a year, and boiled in a caldron, from which a strong decoction is poured into square boxea, which, when cool, hardens, and is cut into small cubes of about inches. As brought to the market, it resembles in appearance and consistency little square blocks of yellow mud, hence one of its names, Japan earth. The plants at Singapore are 6 feet asunder. The cropping of the leaves may commence when about eighteen months old, but the plant is at its full growth when two years old, and its leaves and young branches may then be cropped once in two months. The crop pings are thrown into a large caldron of hot water, and boiled for six or seven hours, till all the extmct be inspissated into a thick pasty fluid. This is now poured into shallow tfoughs a little more than an lich deep, and allowed to cool and dry, when it is cut up into little inch blocks, and is then ready for the market of Siam, Cochin China, China, and the Archipelago, where, along with betel-nut, in a leaf of the piper betel (Siri), it is largely chewed as P. mastie.atory, as natives of
India use the betel-nut of the Areca eatechu. The average size of the Singapore plantations are of thirty acres, and when in full bearing employ eight men. A plantation becomes exhausted and worn out in 15 years from its commencement.
As a preservative for timber, dissolve three parts of gambler in twelve of clammier oil over a slow fire. Then stir in one part of lime, sprinkling over the top, to prevent its coagulating and settling in a mass at the bottom. It must be well and quickly stirred. It should then be taken out of the caldron and ground down like paint on a mailer till it is smooth, and afterwards re turned to the pot and heated. A little oil should be added to make it tractable, and the composi tion can then be laid over the material with a common brush. As a protection against the teredo, black varnish or tar are substituted for dammer oil, omitting the grinding down, which would not answer with tar. Gambier is largely imported into Britain, and it is used in tanning. From 1846 to 1850, the average quantity entered was 1200 tons, priced at 113 to the ton. It is duty free. Roxburgh (i. p. 517) describes also U. acida, U.eirrhiflora, U. ferrugiuea, U. hevigata, U. ovalifolia, U. pedicillata, U. pilosa, U. sessili folia, U. sessilifructus, and a selerophylea.— Thus En. Pl. Zeyl. p. 133 ; Ainslie ; O'Sh. p. 398 ; Craufurd ; Ind. Arch.; Poole.