ANGOSTURA BARK. 1207

°' ves ' ts acrid, aromatic taste (PfafF, op. supra c it. Bd. ii. 61 and 69; Bd. vi.

Angosturin; Cusparin, Saladin ; Bitter Extractive, PfafF; Peculiar Bitter Prin-f ” e -—A neutral principle obtained b}' Saladin ( Journ. de Chim. Med. ix. 388) in the'vit? te t ra h e dral crystals, by submitting the alcoholic tincture of the bark (prepared0 j. ."°ut heat) to spontaneous evaporation. When heated it fuses, loses 23 09 per cent.Vol >‘* weight, and subsequently inflames, without giving any evidence of its beings ji a . l, J e ° r nitrogenous. It is insoluble in the volatile oils and in ether ; but dissolvesfei t ?" water , more so in alcohol. Alkaline solutions also dissolve it. Nitric acidc - ' ers it greenish-yellow; sulphuric acid reddish-brown. Tincture of nutgalls pre-3 3 i> S '* * rom U s aqueous and alcoholic solutions,eth ’

Resin. —The hard resin brown, hitter, soluble in potash, alcohol, and acetic

» r * ’ ^ ut insoluble in sulphuric ether and oil of turpentine. The soft resin is acrid,iii^.i' 11 , 1 .'Vellow, soluble in alcohol, ether, oii of turpentine, and almond oil; bute in a solution of potash. It is coloured red by nitric acid (PfafF, op. supra cit.

191).

/ Hy siological Effects. —A powerful aromatic or stimulant tonicPro ^ IC e ^ ccls °f the aromatic bitters, p. 80). Its aromatic or stimulant(e P er ties depend on the volatile oil and resin ; its tonic operation on theer Principle. In its tonic and febrifuge powers it approximates toth(, C i ° na bark, but is devoid of astringency. It is less likely to irritatethe ^ 0lnac h or to cause constipation than cinchona ; but usually keepsPur • ve ^ s gently open. In lull doses it is capable of nauseating anddj tPng- Dr. Hancock says the warm infusion causes sweating anda lli e ) S1S ‘ In Its combination of tonic and aromatic properties, it is mostto cascarilla. In its stomachic qualities it approaches calumba.

Co SEs -—Angostura bark is but little employed by practitioners of thisMi' We may fairly ascribe this in part to the serious consequencest( lg have resulted from the use of the false angostura, and in part toefjj be hef that we have other remedies of equal, if not of superior,b e , Cac y to it. In some of the continental states, its employment hashte Inhibited (see p. 907). It may be administered as a febrifuge inand remittents, especially in the worst forms' of the biliousA, * te »ts of tropical climates. Dr. Williams [Land. Med. and Phys.'Vim part ii. p. 158), Wilkinson [Ibid. 1790, part iv. p. 331),

Ij a er hottom [Med. Facts and Obs. vol. vii. p. 41), and, more recently, Dr.tl lese c ° c h, hav e spoken in the highest terms of its efficacy. In some ofjq 0re Ca ses it is said to have proved greatly superior to cinchona. It sitslqtt ei , leac hly on the stomach, and does not cause constipation like theess,, b hut keeps the bowels gently open. In adynamic continued facer ,(iq ai • a *V when complicated with great disorder of the digestive organsMl,. es t e d by vomiting or purging), it has been used with good effect (Win-4$ ; also Lettsom, Mem. of the Med. Soc. ofLond. vol. iv. p. 191).

delin ar °inatic tonic and stomachic, in general relaxation and musculary.' aiJ d in atonic conditions of the stomach and intestinal tube (asSu Cc ° ruis of dyspepsia, anorexia, &c.), it has been employed with greatc h(i r(/ S- It has also been administered to check profuse mucous dis-^Mlf* I hus in the latter stages and chronic forms of dysentery and$ec re j® a ’ ail d in chronic bronchial affections attended with excessivePUrp 0s 011 ,°I mucus. In fine, angostura is applicable to any of thea Kd •' es I°r which other vegetable tonics (especially cascarilla. calumba,c hona) are commonly employed.

t° ^Tstration.—I t may be given in powder in doses of from grs. x.

Hut the infusion and tincture are more elegant preparations.