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Materia Medica.

PART II.

flowers are white, sessile, and accompanied with minute, ovatebractes. The caJyx is tubular, five-toothed, and one half de-ciduous j the petals are roundish, and concave; and the bun-dles of the filaments, which are long, filiform, and bearingsmall ovate anthers, are fixed within the tube of the calyx.The germen is inferior, roundish, crowned with a simple slen-der style longer than the filaments; and becomes a three-celledcapsule, containing many small, oblong, angular seeds.'

To prepare the oil, the leaves are collected in a hot dry day,and put into thoroughly dry bags; in which nevertheless theysoon spontaneously heat and become moist, as if macerated inwater. They are then cut in pieces, infused in water, and leftto ferment for a night; after which they are distilled. Thequantity of oil they yield is very small, scarcely more thanthree fluid drachms being obtained from two bags of leaves.*When newly drawn it is very limpid, pellucid, and volatile;and, Rumphius says, smells strongly of cardamoms, but is morepleasant. It is generally imported in copper flasks or ca-nisters ; but lately some has been brought to us in quart glassbottles. On account of the high price of real Cajuputi oil, it issaid to be often adulterated with oil of turpentine, and colouredwith resin of milfoil.

Qualities. — The odour of this oil, as it is brought to us, isat first powerful, and similar to that of a mixture of oil of tur-pentine and camphor, but it soon becomes extremely fragrantand agreeable: the taste is pungent, and resembles very muchthat of camphor. It is limpid, transparent, and generally of ablueish green colour, which is said to be partly derived from thecopper of the flasks. When dropped on the surface of purewater, it diffuses itself over it, and very soon completely evapo-rates, which is a good test of its purity; and it burns rapidly,without leaving any residuum. Like other volatile oils, it is so-luble in alcohol, and partially in water.

Medical properties and uses. —Cajuputi oil is a highly dif-fusible stimulant, antispasmodic, and diaphoretic. 3 Whentaken into the stomach, it produces a sensation of heat, fillsand quickens the pulse; and soon afterwards a copious sweatbreaks out. It is efficaciously given in dropsy, chronic rheu-matism, palsy, hysteria, flatulent colic, and other spasmodic andnervous affections. As a local and external stimulant, it is em-ployed diluted with olive oil, as an embrocation to allay the pain

i The natives of the Moluccas macerate the leaves and flowers in fresh oil, and after-wards impregnate it with the smoke of benzoin. This preparation they call MinjacMoney, or odoratedoil, and use it as an unguent for the head. RvmpMus Herl: Amloin.1. c. 2 Rumphius.

3 " Hujus olei binse guttae cum cerevisia vel vino propinatoe sudores excitant vehe-mentes, cui fini apta medicamema India exhibet perpauca." Rumphius.