COLOCYNTH

n. Ko"l'o-sisnth. Gr.. Ko\oKvv9it. Lat., colocynth is. Fr., coloquinte [Fr. Cod.]. Ger., Kolo quinte on, Coloquintenapfel. It., colloquintida. Sp., coloquintida. Malay, peycommutte. Beng., makal. Syn.: bttter apple, bitter cucumber. The Citrullus colocynth is, an annual plant of the order Cucurbitacece, a native of Turkey, but growing in various parts of Asia and Africa. It is cultivated in Spain. The stems are herbaceous, hairy, and trail on the ground or attach themselves to neighboring plants by their tendrils. The leaves are many-cleft, sinuated, obtuse, and hairy, green above and pale beneath. The flowers are yellow and axillary. The fruit is a globular pepo of the size of a small orange, yellow and smooth, and contains a white, spongy, medullary matter inclosing numerous ovate, compre ed seeds. The seeds are bitter, but not active. The pulp alone (the colocynth i dis pulp a of the Br. Ph., the colocynth is of the U. S. Ph.) is employed medicinally. Its bitter principle is colocynth in, of which it contains 14 per cent., besides extractive, oil, resin, gum, pictin, etc. C. is a powerful drastic purgative and hydragogue. It is also thought to be diuretic. It enters largely into the composition of various pills and extracts, and, when modified by other ingredients, forms a very efficient and mild purgative. See CITRULLUS colocynth is. C. pulp [Br. Ph.]. Lat., colocynth i dis pulp a. See COLOCYNTH IS. Compound extract of c. See Extractum COLOCYNTH I DIS compos i tum. Compound pill of c. See Pilula COLOCYNTH I DIS compos it a. Extract of c. See Extractum COLOCYNTH I DIS. False c. The Cucumis trigon is of Roxburgh. [B, 18, 172, 275 (a, 24).] Hill-c. The Citrullus Hard wick i i of Royle. [B, 18 (a, 24).j Him a lay an c. The Citrullus (Cucumis) pseudo-colocynth is. [B, 19 (a, 24).] Pill of c. and hyoscyamus. See Pilula COLOCYNTH I DIS et hyoscyami. [s. 351]