CANNABIS INDICA SEU SATIVA.— Indian, European, and American hemp are one and the same, except as modified by locality, climate, soil, and culture. The plant attains its highest medicinal virtues when grown in the tropics or subtropics, inasmuch as here it develops a larger amount of resin (churrus). The dried flowering tops of the female plant are the parts employed medicinally, and it is essential to medicinal virtue that the resin be not removed; these tops in their crude condition are known as gunjah. The Arabian hasheesh, Hindoo bhang, and Mohammedan majoon are practically identical, being aromatic con fections into which not only cannabis Indica, but the powdered seeds of stra monium, enter. Hasheesh is not, as has been stated, "the broken stalks of the hemp made up into fruits." The chemistry of hemp is not well un derstood. The resin, or churrus, accord ing to Egasse, is the active principle, and has received the name of "canna bin"; but Helbing gives this title to a supposed alkaloid of syrup-like con sistency and brownish- or greenish- black hue, scarcely at all soluble in water, but freely so in ether and alcohol. Jahns insists that the only alkaloid is choline. and all ether supposed principles are impure choline. Inasmuch as this same name obtains to a base found in plants and animals. formerly known as "sinha line" and "bitineurine," and described chemically as oxy-ethyl-trimethyl-am monium„ its applicability is questionable.
Cannabindon is another derivative of hemp, and appears in the form of a dark, cherry-red syrup.
The cannabine alkaloid of Merck is had in fine needles, but its relations to the entire drug are not yet fully deter mined: it is not even known that it is a true alkaloid. So, too, there is found in market another "alkaloid" bearing the same title, and which is a translu cent, brown, syrupy liquid, with the hemp odor.
Cannabine tannate is a yellowish brown powder with a tannin-like taste, not unpleasant smell, insoluble in pure water and ether, soluble in alcohol, and freely so in water made alkaline; it is said to be free from the two acrid and volatile oils peculiar to hemp and which are generally held to be rapidly-acting irritant poisons. Cannabinine is a yel
lowish-brown, syrupy liquid with an odor very similar to that of nicotine. Cannabindon is a purified churrus of dark-brown color, the consistency of treacle, and a most disagreeable taste; it is insoluble in water.
In the Orient churrus is smoked, and also manufactured into an intoxicating drink. A butter is also employed in the Hindoostani peninsula.
Preparations and Doses.—As a whole, cannabis is one of the most valuable of drugs, but is sadly handicapped by the uncertainty that attends all pharma eopceial preparations. Attempts to pre pare by methods of assay have not been attended with any marked degree of suc cess, owing to the fact that such have necessarily been based on the amount of the extractive. Too little is known re garding the so-called active principles to place any reliance on them as guides; consequently the sole dependence of the prescriber is the character of the manu facturer, and the ability of the latter to judge of the crude drug employed. For such reasons cannabis requires to be employed with judgment and caution. Tt has been noted, too, that larger doses are required in temperate climes than in the tropics and subtropics to produce a definite effect; but the real truth, doubt less, lies in the fact that the drug de teriorates with age and by transporta tion; perhaps loses some undetermined volatile constituent. The same precise preparation may prove active to-day; but, given to the same patient under equally favorable conditions a few weeks later, may prove practically inert. Honi berger observed that a resinous extract prepared for him in Calcutta was very much less energetic when he reached London.
Cannabis Tndica abstract, to 4 grains.