Chapter 10

The fluid juice or the aqueous solution of the milky exudate is precipitated by the addition of ten times the volume of alcohol. The precipitate, after treating again with concentrated alcohol, is dissolved in water and the addition of sub-acetate of lead eliminates the albuminoids and peptones but does not precipitate the papain. The liquid is filtered and the lead salts separated by means of a current of hydrogen sulphide. It is filtered again and alcohol added gradually, which process first precipitates whatever sulphate of lead may have passed through the filter, and then the papain.

Papain is an amorphous substance, perfectly white, soluble in water, insipid, odorless. An aqueous solution, if shaken violently, foams like a solution of soap. Boiling makes it turbid and when concentrated it has a slightly astringent taste. It is precipitated by hydrochloric, nitric, picric and the metaphosphoric acids. Trommer's test gives it a beautiful blue violet color which, on boiling, changes to a red violet.

It is an extremely active digestive ferment, comparable with pepsin, but superior to the latter because it does not require an acid medium, as its digestive action takes place even in the presence of an alkaline medium and of antiseptic substances such as boric acid, phenol, etc. It is given in doses of 10-40 centigrams in different vehicles such as water, wine, etc. It should be given after meals carefully and properly diluted, in order that its action may not be exerted upon the gastric mucous membrane itself. Its use is contraindicated in gastric ulcer.

A watery solution prepared by macerating the green fruit has been used effectively to remove blemishes from the face, leaving the skin clean and smooth. The natives use little pieces of the green fruit to remove freckles (which they call _pecas_). The ripe fruit is edible and its taste quite agreeable; in some of the Malay Islands it is given for dysentery, but it must be remembered that the ripe fruit does not contain papain.

The pure exudate is given to children as an anthelmintic in doses of 2-6 grams with a little molasses, but it is not so harmless that it may be used with impunity in this form, Moncorvo and others having reported cases of peritonitis with symptoms suggestive of cholera following its use. It is drastic and digestive in addition to its anthelmintic action, but according to Rabuteau, boiling destroys the first property without affecting the others. Dr. Lemarchand of the island of Mauritius gives the following anthelmintic prescription:

Juice of papaya and molasses aa 1 tablespoon.

Add gradually while shaking the mixture.

Boiling water 4 tablespoons.

Cool and administer in one dose followed immediately by 30 grams of castor oil. For a child, one-half dose.

This treatment frequently causes colic, for the relief of which the author advises an injection of sweetened water. Sir O'Shaughnessy's prescription is preferable:

20-60 drops of the exudate in a little sweetened water.

This dose cannot cause any untoward symptoms and is efficient in expelling both lumbricoids and tæniæ.

The triturated seeds may be given internally in doses of 1-2 grams with milk or molasses to expel lumbricoids. Analysis has revealed in the seeds the presence of a resinous oil, an oleaginous material of disagreeable odor and taste called by Peckolt _caricin_, a fatty acid, papayic acid and a resin. In India the seeds are considered emmenagogue. In some countries they wrap meat in papaya leaves for several hours before eating in order to soften it. For the same purpose they sometimes boil the meat in water containing a few leaves or pieces of the green fruit; some even go to the length of saying that it is only necessary to hang a piece of meat in a papaya tree for a time in order to soften it.

The decoction of the green fruit is given internally for indigestion, a treatment common in the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga. The milky juice is used to remove corns and Dr. Daruty offers the following prescription for eczema and psoriasis:

Exudate of papaya 1.00 grams. Borax (powdered) 0.60 grams. Water 16.00 grams.

Mix.

Paint the affected part with feather or brush, 2-3 times a day. The same solution may be used for softening corns.

Botanical Description.--Trees 15° in height, trunk covered with large leaf scars, wood soft and brittle, the long-petioled, palmately-lobed leaves growing in a crown and giving the tree the general appearance of a palm. Flowers dioecious. Staminate tree: Flowers loosely clustered on long, hanging stems. Calyx, 5-6 teeth. Corolla tubular, 1' long, limb divided into 5 oval parts. Stamens 10, inserted in the throat. Style short, awl-shaped. Pistillate tree: Flowers much larger, sessile, in axils of leaves. Calyx 5-toothed. Corolla large, 5 lanceolate petals curved outward, fleshy. Stigmas 5, fringed. Fruit about size of child's head or smaller, somewhat pear-shaped, juicy, pulp melon-like, 1 compartment with numerous seeds, each in a mucilaginous aril.

CUCURBITACEÆ.

Gourd Family.

_Trichosanthes palmata_, Roxb. (_T. tricuspis_, Mig.; _T. lucioniana_, Bares.)

Nom. Vulg.--(?).

Uses.--Roxburgh states that the fruit is toxic and sometimes used to kill crows. Dymock states that the leaf is smoked in Bombay as a remedy for asthma.

The extremely bitter taste of the fruit and rind induced Sir W. O'Shaughnessy to examine it for tonic and purgative properties; doses as high as 0.20 gram 3 times a day failed to exert a purgative effect. The root is used in veterinary medicine particularly for pneumonia. Mixed with equal parts of colocynth it is applied to carbuncles. In combination with equal parts of _Terminalia chebula_ and ginger it is made into a sweetened infusion for internal use in gonorrhoea.

Botanical Description.--A climber with broad, heart-shaped, serrate, 7-lobulate leaves. Flowers monoecious; staminate white and racemose; pistillate solitary, growing at the base of the staminate racemes. Staminate receptacle tubular, calyx inserted on the border of the receptacle, 5 sepals. Corolla, 5 petals. Stamens 5, of which 4 are in pairs. Pistillate: the receptacle dilates in its lower part in form of a globose vase and encloses the unilocular pluriovulate ovary. Fruit ovoid or pyriform, scarlet when fresh, orange-yellow when dry. Seeds of irregular form, somewhat triangular. Kernel oily.

Habitat.--Luzon.

_T. anguina_, L. (_T. amara_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Salagsalag_, _Pakupis_, _Salimpokot_, _Kukubitan_, _Halahala_, _Buyokbuyok_, Tag.; _Tabobog_, _Kukubitan_, _Pukopukot_, _Kuragda_, Vis., Pam.

_T. cucumerina_, L.

Nom. Vulg.--Probably the same as _T. anguina_.

Uses.--The fruit of _T. anguina_ is purgative, emetic and anthelmintic. The natives use an infusion of the filamentous, reticulate portion surrounding the seeds, in doses of 0.50-0.60 gm., according to P. Blanco.

The second species, _T. cucumerina_, has a wider use. In India it is regarded as a febrifuge and laxative and is commonly given with some aromatic. Ainslie notes that the leaves, as well as the fruit, are bitter and purgative and that the Tamuls use them for their laxative and stomachic effect. Drury states that on the Malabar coast the seeds have a considerable reputation as a remedy for functional disorders of the stomach. Although the green fruit is very bitter the natives of that region use it as a condiment. The tender stems and the dry capsules, both bitter and purgative, are given in infusion and in a sweetened solution, as an aid to digestion. The seeds are febrifuge and anthelmintic. The juice of the leaves is emetic and that of the roots purgative. The decoction of the stem is expectorant.

In Bombay the plant is considered febrifuge, and is given in decoction with ginger, _Swertia chirata_, and sugar. The Mohammedan authors say that the _T. cucumerina_ is effective in expelling lumbricoids and one of them mentions the following as a cure for stubborn fevers:

Seeds of _T. cucumerina_ No. 180. Seeds of coriander or cumin No. 180. Boiling water 200 grams.

Let stand over night, filter, add a little sugar, administer in 2 doses morning and evening.

In Concan they use the juice of the leaves as a liniment in remittent fevers, rubbing the hepatic region and in fact the entire body.

Botanical Description.--_T. anguina_, L., is a vine with 5-angled stem, bearing tendrils and spattered with white dots. Leaves heart-shaped, with 5 acute lobules, spiny-toothed. Petioles with a bifid swelling at their bases. Flowers white, monoecious. Staminate: calyx 5-toothed with dotted borders; corolla, 5 fringed petals; stamens 3; anthers 3, entirely united and forming a cylinder. Pistillate: 3 glandules in the corolla tube; style long; stigmas 3. Fruit ribbed, long, the compartments formed by reticular partitions; contains many irregular seeds, one border sharp, the other obtuse, covered by a very thin aril.

The _T. cucumerina_, L., is less common, bears a spindle-shaped or obovate fruit, is hairy and lacks ribs. Its seeds are ovoid, very smooth, encircled by a narrow wing. The reticulum within the fruit is similar to that of the foregoing species.

Habitat.--Common in all parts of the islands. Blooms in October.

_Lagenaria vulgaris_, Ser.

Nom. Vulg.--_Common Gourd_, _Bottle Gourd_, _Calabash_, Eng.

Var. _Lagenaria Gourda_, Ser. (_Cucurbita lagenaria oblonga_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Calabaza de peregrino_, Sp.; _Pilgrim's Gourd_, Eng.

Var. _L. courgourda_, Ser.

Nom. Vulg.--_Tabayag_, Tag.

Var. _L. clavata_, Ser. (_C. lagenaria villosa_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Calabaza blanca_, Sp.; _Opo_, Tag.; _White Gourd_, Eng.

Uses.--The three above-mentioned varieties of _L. vulgaris_, Ser., are commonly grouped under the name calabaza (gourd). All have the same action and hence the same therapeutic application. The green portion of the rind is bitter and possesses purgative and emetic properties. The decoction of the tender shoots is expectorant; in addition it appears to possess purgative properties and in India is used in jaundice.

The part of the plant most generally used is the seeds, the tænifuge properties of which are well known. Its action, however, is not always certain, which may be as truly said of all other known tænifuges. The seeds have the advantage of lacking the disgusting taste characteristic of other remedies of the same class; the taste is almost neutral and a little sugar conceals it completely. The dose is unlimited; some take 15 grams, others as high as 100, and no unpleasant symptoms of any kind have been reported. The only precaution to be observed is to give the patient a purgative 1-2 hours after his dose.

Heckel has analyzed the seeds and found a resin which he calls _pepo-resina_; it exists in the greenish pellicle that envelopes the embryo and appears to be the active principle of the seeds. Its dose is 0.80-1.00 gram (Dujardin-Beaumetz), the product of 250 grams of the seeds. The dose of 100 grams of the seeds mentioned above is very small, if the pepo-resin represents the entire active principle, for 100 grams of the seeds would only contain about 40 centigrams.

Botanical Description.--A very familiar vine, clammy, pubescent and musk-scented; large leaves, long-stalked flowers, white petals, greenish veiny fruit usually club-shaped or enlarged at the apex, the hard rind used for vessels, dippers, and so forth. It is noteworthy that none of the tænifuge varieties mentioned bears yellow fruit.

_Luffa Ægyptiaca_, Mill. (_L. pentandra_, Roxb.; _L. petola_, Ser.; _Momordica operculata_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--Probably bears the same names as the _Trichosanthes_.

Uses.--The root is a hydragogue cathartic even in minute doses. The fruit is emollient by virtue of the large quantity of mucilage it contains, but it is more interesting for other properties. When cut in two, deprived of epidermis and seeds, and washed until none of the mucilage remains, there is left a fibrous skeleton, a sort of skein of interwoven nets that constitutes the so-called vegetable sponge. It serves the same purpose as a sponge and has the advantages that its fibers do not rot and that they are easily kept clean. In view of its cheapness and plentifulness in the Philippines the above advantages should suffice to bring it into universal use for the toilet, for surgical purposes and for cleaning in general.

Botanical Description.--A vine with square, glabrous stem. Leaves alternate, cordate, 3-5-lobulate, dentate, rough, 5-7-nerved. Petioles short. Flowers monoecious. Staminate in axillary panicles; calyx bell-shaped; corolla yellow, 5 oval petals, borders entire; stamens 3; filaments short; two thick ones divide high up in 2 parts, thus giving the appearance of 5 stamens in all. Pistillate axillary, calyx adherent, 5 pointed sepals; corolla, 5 nearly triangular petals, finely dentate; style thick, short, the base encircled by 3 glandules; stigma cordate. Ovary, 3 pseudo-locules formed by the central union of the placentas; pluriovulate. Fruit oblong, terminating at the apex in a deciduous lid or cover, marked with 8 or 10 black longitudinal lines; the interior reticulate, 3 compartments with many seeds, oval, black, flat with thin borders. The natives do not distinguish between this specimen and the _Trichosanthes_, but it is to be noted that the corolla of the former is not ravelled or fringed.

Habitat.--Common in Luzon and Panay. Blooms in January.

_Momordica balsamina_, L.

Nom. Vulg.--_Ampalaya_, _Ampalea_, Tag.; _Amargoso_, Sp.-Fil.; _Paria_, Iloc.; _Apalia_, Pam.; _Balsamina_, Sp.; _Balsam Apple_, Eng.

_M. charanta_, L. (_M. muricata_, Willd.; _M. cylindrica_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--The same as of _M. balsamina_.

Uses.--The fruit of both varieties is edible, though a bitter principle gives it such an intensely bitter taste that it is intolerable to the unaccustomed palate. It is eaten raw as a salad, or cooked with meat or fish. The juice of the leaves is prescribed internally as a purgative and anthelmintic. In Concan it is given alone or combined with aromatics, in bilious disorders as an emetic and purgative; externally they use it as an ointment for the itch and other skin diseases; in India it is mixed with cinnamon, pepper, rice and oil of _Hydnocarpus inebrians_, Vahl.

The fruit and leaves are used internally for worms and externally for leprosy. Some Hindoo writers state that the fruit is tonic and stomachic, and that it is useful in rheumatism, gout, diseases of the liver and spleen.

Botanical Description.--The first variety, _M. balsamina_, more common than the second, is a vine with angular stem and simple tendrils. Leaves, many serrate lobules with white dots on the ends. Flowers yellow, monoecious. Staminate solitary, peduncles very long, involucre cordate; calyx 5-lobed; corolla 5 petals; filaments simple, one separate, 2 approximated; anthers joined at their bases. Pistillate solitary; ovary, 3 locules and numerous ovules; stigma, 3 bifid divisions; fruit globose, narrowing at the ends, covered with tubercles; seeds numerous, lacking albumen, having red aril.

The second variety, _M. cylindrica_, has a downy stem, 5-angled with simple tendrils. The leaves are 5-lobuled, cordate, serrate, with short hairs on under surface. Melon hollow, glabrous, very long, cylindrical, tapering at the ends, covered with tubercles, some elevated in longitudinal lines, others depressed; seeds in 3 rows, enveloped in pulpy arils, white, long quadrangular, truncate above, encircled by 2 rows of obtuse toothlets.

Habitat.--Both grow in all parts and are well known.

_Citrullus Colocynthis_, Schard. (_Cucumis Colocynthis_, L.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Coloquíntida_, Sp.; _Colocynth_, _Bitter Apple_, Eng.

Uses.--The part employed is the fruit pulp, official in all the pharmacopoeias as a very energetic hydragogue cathartic. It is seldom given alone, but in combination with other drugs to modify its energy and its action.

In large doses it causes vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and a series of nervous phenomena that may end in death. Six to ten grams constitute a toxic dose. It operates with most force upon the large intestines and sympathetically upon the uterus.

Dose.--Extract, 0.10-0.30 gram; powder, 0.30-1.00 gram.

The pulp contains a yellow, intensely bitter substance, quite soluble in water and in alcohol, discovered by Hubschmann and named by him _coloquintina_. The seeds contain 17% of an insipid oil.

Botanical Description.--An herb with long, prostrate stems covered with stiff hairs. Leaves alternate, triangular, deeply cleft in 3 lobules that subdivide. Petioles long. The color of the leaves is pale green above, whitish or gray and covered with white hairs underneath. Flowers yellow, monoecious, solitary, axillary, with long peduncles. Staminate: receptacle cup-formed, 5 sepals and 5 free, yellow petals; 5 stamens in pairs, one free. Pistillate: the receptacle globose, covering the lower part of the ovary; 3 staminodes take the place of the stamens. Ovary unilocular, uniovulate, with a short style bearing 3 lobules at its apex. Fruit globose, 6-8 centimeters in diameter, smooth, greenish, later yellow with white spots; it is full of a whitish pulp that becomes dry and pithy and that contains the obovate seeds, smooth, flattened, brown, lacking albumen.

Habitat.--Manila.

FICOIDEÆ.

_Trianthema monogyna_, L. (_T. obcordata_, Roxb.; _Portulaca toston_ and _axiflora_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Toston_, Tag.; _Alusiman_, _Ayam_, Vis.

Uses.--This plant is edible, the natives eating it boiled, fried or in salad. The root is cathartic and is used powdered.

_Botanical Description._--A plant with prostrate stems, radiating branches. Leaves ensheathing the stem, opposite, oval, red-bordered, glabrous. Petioles with 2 stipules at the base and 2 small teeth near the middle. Flowers axillary, solitary, sessile. Calyx, 2 pointed sepals. Corolla, 5 oval petals. Stamens 15-20. Style simple. Seed vessels inversely pyramidal, dehiscence horizontal. Seeds numerous.

Habitat.--Very common in the rice fields. Blooms in January.

UMBELLIFERÆ.

Parsley Family.

_Hydrocotyle Asiatica_, L.

Nom. Vulg.--_Takip kohol_, _Takip suso_, Tag.; _Rabasa_, Sp.; _Indian Pennywort_, Indo-Eng.

Uses.--Dr. Daruty, of Mauritius, has published a study of this plant, giving a résumé of its composition, therapeutic uses and physiological action. The writers of antiquity recognized the plant as a powerful alterative, tonic, diuretic, stimulant and vermifuge, especially effective in secondary syphilis and in ulcerative diseases of the skin.

Lépine and Boileau used it experimentally to treat leprosy and reported favorably; but later experience demonstrated that it did not exercise any specific effect, but benefited anæsthetic leprosy simply by improving the general condition of the patient.

The plant is official in the Pharmacopoeia of India, as alterative, tonic and stimulant. It states that the drug has been found very useful in the treatment of secondary and constitutional syphilis, when the disease attacks the skin and subcutaneous tissue.

In Bombay it is a popular remedy for the mild dysentery of children, given as a decoction of 3 or 4 leaves with a little cumin seed and sugar; the bruised leaves are then applied to the umbilical region. In the Philippines the decoction of the leaves is given as a purge.

Dr. Dervegie reports good results in the treatment of eczema, administering the powdered leaf in dozes of 0.10 gram and applying locally the powder or an ointment of the same. The most marked and constant effects of the drug are a considerable increase of the urinary secretion, elevation of the temperature of the skin and profuse diaphoresis.

Dr. Boileau, quoted above, himself contracted leprosy of which he died; he experimented on himself with "hydrocotyle" and on one occasion a dose of 3 grams nearly proved fatal; tetanic symptoms supervened with suffocation, palpitation, epistaxis and rectal hemorrhage, abating finally with profuse sweating and diuresis.

Dr. Lépine, a pharmacist of Pondicherry, has analyzed the plant and isolated a substance that seems to be the active principle; he has named it _vallarin_, from "vallarai," the Tamul name of the plant. "Vallarin" is a thick, pale yellow oil of a piquant and persistent taste and an odor peculiar to the plant. It changes under the influence of air, moisture or heat and volatilizes at 120°. It is soluble in alcohol. The plant contains 8/10 to 1% of this oil, a dark resin and a green resin.

The Pharmacopoeia of India gives 2 official formulæ, a powder and a cataplasm. The powdered leaf is given internally in doses of 0.30 to 1.50 grams and is applied locally to superficial ulcers.

Botanical Description.--Plant herbaceous with reniform or heart-shaped leaves, forming a sort of funnel, dotted with little hairs, dentate with white tips. Petioles very long, ensheathing each other by 2 wings at their bases. Flowers 3-4, sessile, springing directly from the root, greenish-white, growing in horizontal rows on either side of a short, common peduncle. Common involucre of 2-3 leaflets. Calyx adherent, flattened, faintly toothed. Corolla, 5 small petals, ovate. Stamens 5, equal in height, inserted on the receptacle, alternating with the petals. Filaments short. Anthers globose, cleft at the base in 2 diverging parts. Ovary inferior, cordate, much flattened. Styles 2, short. Stigmas simple. Fruit truncate, oval, downy, indehiscent, marked with furrows, with 2 compartments each containing a seed inserted on the wall.

Habitat.--Grows in shady and moist places. Blooms in July.

_Carum copticum_, Benth. (_C. ajowan_, DC.; _Ammi copticum_, L.; _A. glaucifolium_, Blanco; _Daucus opticus_, Pers.; _D. anisodorus_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Lamudio_, _Damoro_, Tag.; _Lamudio_, Vis.; _Caraway_, Eng.

Uses.--The fruit, of which both form and taste remind one of anise, is official in the Pharmacopoeia of India as a carminative, stimulant and antispasmodic. It is indicated in flatulent colic, atonic dyspepsia and diarrhoea and gives very good results. It has been used in cholera, but is of little value in that disease. In moderate doses it increases salivary and gastric secretion.

The P. of India contains the 2 following official formulæ: _Oleum_--obtained from the fruit by distillation; is colorless when fresh but soon turns yellow; possesses the odor of the fruit and an acrid, burning taste. _Aqua_--600 grams of the fruit ground and mixed with 9 liters of water; this is distilled till 4 1/2 liters have gone over, these constituting the "aqua cari."

Dose.--1-2 drops of the essential oil in emulsion or on a piece of sugar. Of the "aqua," 30-60 grams as a carminative or to disguise the taste of other drugs (such as castor oil), thus frequently preventing nausea or vomiting.

Botanical Description.--Leaves finely pinnately compound. Common petiole clasps the stem at the base. Flowers white, in flat compound umbels. The secondary peduncles 12. Flowerets of each partial umbel about 16. Calyx of flowerets superior, 5 globose sepals. Corolla, 5 equal petals, with rounded lobules. Stamens 5. Ovary tuberculate. Styles 2, very short. Seeds 2, united, furrowed and nearly glabrous at maturity.

Habitat.--Cultivated in gardens. Blooms in October.

_Foeniculum vulgare_, Gaertn. (_F. officinale_, Allion; _F. panmorium_, DC.; _Anethum foeniculum_, Blanco.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Anis_, Sp.; _Fennel_, Eng.

Coriandrum sativum, L. (_Cuminum cynimum_, Wall.)

Nom. Vulg.--_Cominos_, _Calantro_, Sp.; _Coriander_, Eng.

Uses.--The fruit of both species has the same therapeutical application being stomachic and carminative par excellence. It yields an aromatic essential oil with stimulant properties, popular because of its agreeable odor and taste.