Peppermint (FR., Menthe-poivrie ; GEM., Pfefferminze).—Am aqueous or spirituous solution of the essential oil of Mentha piperita is a grateful stimulant, frequently added to other medicines. (See Oils.) oleo-resin obtained from Myroxylon (Myrospermum) Pereira is occa sionally used in ointments, and, internally, in asthma and chronic coughs. (See Resinous Substances.) Podophyllum (FR., Podophyllee ; GER., Entenfuss, Fussblatt).—The rhizome and rootlets of Podophyllum peltatum are used for the preparation of podophyllin, now largely employed as a purga tive and cholagogne. The herb grows in moist, shady places along the E. side of N. America, from Hudson's Bay to New Orleans and Florida. As imported, the drug consists of flattened pieces, 1-4 in. long, and having a heavy, unpleasant, narcotic odour, and bitter-acrid, nauseous flavour. The active principle lies in the resin. It is prepared by exhausting the powdered drug with alcohol, caused to percolate through successive quantities ; the tincture is then poured into much water, acidulated with hydrochloric acid (1 measure in 70), and the precipitated resin is dried at 32° (89° F.) max. The colour of the podophyllin is lighter in proportion as the quantity of water used is greater. It is largely produced at Cincinnati, and other towns of America, and in England. The virtues of this plant have been long known to the Indians. The leaves contain the same principle as the roots ; the yellow, pulpy fruit, called May-apple, is occasionally eaten. The approximate value of podophyllin is Is. a lb.
Poppy (FR., Pavot ; GER., Mohn).—The heads of Papaver somniferum are in common use, in the forms of syrup and extract, as a sedative ; and, in hot decoction, are sometimes applied as an anodyne. The familiar plant is cultivated on a small scale in England, for medicinal purposes. To ensure a pale colour, and retain the form of the capsules, the stalks of the nearly ripe fruits are bent, so as to make the capsules hang down ; they are then allowed to dry on the plant. In Eastern countries, poppies are much more extensively grown, for the preparation of opium. (See Narcotics—Opium.) Quassia, or (FR., Quassia, Bois amer ; GER., Quassia).—The raspings and shavings of the timber afforded by Picrcena (Quassia, Simaruba, Picrasma) excelsa, and other species, are tonic and stomachic. The principal supply is now furnished by the tree named above, the Bitter-wood or Bitter-ash of the W. Indies. In France and Germany, use is made of the wood of Quassia amara, or Surinam bitter-wood, a native of Panama, Venezuela, the Guiana; and N. Brazil. A third substitute is the bark of Q. Simaruba (Simaruba amara [officinalis]), indigenous to Cayenne, Guiana, and Jamaica, and called Mountain-damson, bitter-damson, or stave-wood. The bark of
Samadera indica, of Ceylon, contains apparently the same principle. (See Timber.) Quince (FR., Coing ; GER., Quitte).—The seeds or pips of the fruit of Pirus Cydonia (Cydonia vulgaris) are used in decoction, as a demulcent application in cutaneous diseases; occasionally, in eye-lotions ; generally, by the natives of India, as a tonic and restorative ; and by Europeans, in dysentery ; but especially to make bandoline for the hair ; and in the arts, for marbling books. The tree flourishes in W. Asia, from Caucasia to the Hindu gush; in the Mediterranean basin; and in temperate Europe ; but it will not ripen in Scotland, Christiania, and St. Petersburg. It also grows at the Cape. The seeds have a mahogany-brown colour, and, when broken, the odour and flavour of bitter almonds. They are imported to England from Hamburg (often quoted as 0 Russian"), S. France, and the Cape. India imports them largely from the Persian Gulf, and vitt, Afghanistan. The approximate market value of quince seed is Is. a lb.
Rhatany (FR. and GER., .Ratanhia).—The root of Krameria triandra is a valuable astringent, though not largely used in Britain. The shrub grows luxuriantly in the sands of the Cordillera of the Andes at altitudes of 3000-8000 ft. Its roots are collected principally in the districts lying to the N., N.-E., and E. of Lima, as Caxatambo, Huanuco, Tarma, Janja, Huarochiri, and Canto.; also near Lake Titicaca, and in N. Peru. The roots now found in commerce are much smaller and more fragmentary than formerly ; a dried extract, resembling kino, once imported from S. America, has disappeared. Several of the 20-25 other species of Krameria, natives of the W. hemisphere, possess astringent roots, which are also found in English commerce ; they are chiefly "Para," " Brazilian," or " Ceara," furnished by K. argentea, of N.-E. Brazil, gathered in the dry parts of Minas Geraes and Bahia ; (2) The root of K. cistoidea, of Chiii ; (3) " Savanilla," or " New Granada," derived from K. tomentosa (Ixina, grandifolia), a shrub found on arid lands in the Jiron valley, at Socorro, and near Santa Marta and Rio 'dacha, in Colombia ; also iu British Guiana, and in Pernambuco and Goyaz. This root is less common iu British commerce than " Pard." ; but is probably superior in medicinal qualities ; (4) A root ascribed to K. secundiflora, of Arkansas, Texas, and Mexico, is unknown in the market. The wholesale value of the ordinary drug is about 2-5d. a lb. The root of K. triandra has a rough surface and splintery fracture ; that of Para, a smooth surface with numerous transverse cracks, and short fracture ; that of Savanilla is similar to the last, but paler. The roots of K. cistoidea and K. secundiflora do not occur in commerce in this country.