GELSEMIUM SEMPERVIRENS

Syn. Gelsemium nitridum , Gelsemium sempervirens , Gelsemium lucidum , Anonym us sempervirens , Bignonia sempervirens ; Lisanthus sempervirens . The Yellow jasmine , or WOODBINE . The Carolina jasmine . Different botanists have placed the plant in different natural orders. De Candolle a igns it to the Loganiaceæ ; Decaisne to the Apocynaceæ ; Chapman to the Rubiaceæ . The root, which is the only part of this plant employed in medicine, and of which a fluid extract has been introduced into the United States Pharma copœia, as met with in English commerce occurs in two states; either in packets prepared by the shakers of New Lebanon, which contain the root in small pieces, formed into a compact ma by hydraulic pre ure, and in which state it is difficult to powder; or it is simply sold cut up into pieces varying from two to eight inches in length, and one-third to three fourths of an inch in diameter. It is frequently mixed with about half its bulk of long, wiry, pale-brown rootlets. The so-called gelsemium root consists chiefly of subterranean stem with a small proportion of true root, occasionally a slender piece of the aërial stem may be found intermixed, and is readily distinguished by its purplish colour and hollow centre, and by the silky and tow-like fibre, rendered visible when the epidermis is peeled off (fig. 1 e ). The true root is hard and woody, slightly undulated in outline, very sparingly branched, except in the slender pieces, externally of a pale brown colour, nearly smooth, and furnished with a thin scurfy cuticle, which is slightly cracked longitudinally. When a transverse section is examined with a lens, the bark of the root is seen to be very thin, and to consist of two layers, the inner one being usually almost as pale as the woody portion, and of somewhat soft texture, the outer one is darker and more compact (fig. 1 b , c ). The meditullium, or woody portion of the root occupies nearly its whole diameter, is of a pale yellowish bright colour, the yellow tint becoming much more distinct when the root is wetted. The medullary rays are white and very distinct, and the woody ti ue between the rays is very porous, the pores being very small, but visible to the unaided eye, especially when the root is broken instead of cut (fig. 1 d ). There is no pith or central cavity in the root. The root has a bitter taste and pleasant flavour, somewhat between those of senega and green tea; this is more readily perceived in the tincture. The subterranean stem (fig. 1 a ) is also furnished with rootlets, but is easily distinguished from the root by the presence of a small, dark coloured, central cavity representing the pith, and by the external surface being rougher, and frequently variegated with dark longitudinal lines, which are the remains of the same purplish cuticle which presents so marked a feature in the aërial stem. The bark is thicker than that of the true root, and the inner layer is usually dark brown. If the subterranean stem is broken slowly and carefully, a thin row of silky fibres projects fully a quarter of an inch from the broken edge. The fibres do not appear when the bark of the root is broken, and thus serve to distinguish the stem of this drug from the root. Experiments as to the relative value of the bark of the root and stem are wanting. The bark of the stem has the same bitter taste as that of the root, and if it be hereafter shown that it is equally active, the above character of scattered strong fibres, taken in conjunction with the flavour of the drug and its porous structure, will serve to distinguish it from all other roots and stems used in materia medic a. [330] [330] Holmes. Medicinal properties. —The American medical journals record the succe ful administration of gelsemium in a great number and variety of diseases, including intermittent, remittent, typhoid, and yellow fevers, the irritative fevers of childhood, inflammation of the lungs and pleura, dysentery, rheumatism, and other inflammatory affections, neuralgia, obstinate menstruation, delirium tremens, morbid wakefulne , St. Vitus’ dance, hysteria, epilepsy, spasmodic stricture of the urethra, and gonorrhœa. Dr Hurd, an American physician, reports very favorably of the drug as a cardiac sedative, and considers it more efficient than any other remedy in the palpitation and the difficult breathing that accompany heart disease; and Dr Hill, of Maine, finds it when combined with bromide of pota ium useful in irritable bladder. IMG:596405606043057898_i801.png: Its principal use, however, in American medical practice has been as a febrifuge. In periodic fevers it has been employed with great advantage, as well as in cases of intermittent fever, which having failed to yield to quinine alone, succumbed, when this latter medicine was combined with gelsemium. In England gelsemium has been succe fully employed for the relief of facial neuralgia, or of the pain caused in the face and jaws by decayed teeth; as well as in obscure nervous affections and severe headaches. It is given principally in the form of tincture; but sometimes in powder in doses of from one to two grains. The therapeutic action of gelsemium is believed to be due to the sedative effect it exercises on the nervous and arterial systems—hence its power in controlling the nervous irritability so prevalent during fever. In moderate doses it causes a sensation of agreeable langour, accompanied with muscular relaxation; in larger doses, dizzine , dilated pupil, double vision, general muscular debility and prostration; these symptoms being accompanied by a diminution in the force and frequency of the pulse as well as in the respiration. At the same time the patient becomes insensible to pain; but is free from stupor and delirium. These symptoms are said to pa off, after a time, and to be attended with no unpleasant results. The ‘Lancet’ as well as many of the American medical journals record several cases of poisoning arising from giving an overdose of this drug. The symptoms are a great prostration of nervous energy, accompanied by paralysis of sensation and motion. When death occurs it is probably owing to syncope. The antidotes are, first, an emetic, and after this has acted, stimulants, such as carbonate of ammonia with brandy, or aromatic spirits of ammonia. In cases accompanied with insensibility, recourse should be had to electricity. Kollock, in the ‘American Journal of Pharmacy’ for 1855, states that he found the root on analysis to yield volatile oil, dry acrid resin, fatty resin, fixed oil, gallic acid, starch, pectic acid, albumen, extractive matter, lignin, gum, a yellow colouring matter, mineral matter (chiefly salts of pota ium, calcium, magnesium, iron and silica), and an alkaloid, to which the name gelseminine or gelsemia has been given. Kollock also states that the leaves and flowers contain the same ingredients as the root, although in much smaller quantities. Eberle, in the ‘American Journal of Pharmacy’ for 1864, says he failed to obtain gelseminine from the root. In a paper contributed to the ‘American Journal of Pharmacy,’ for January, 1870, by Dr Wormley, the author stated that he said he not only succeeded in obtaining pure gelseminine from the root, but also a peculiar acid which he calls gelseminic, or gelsemic [331] acid; which he regards as existing in combination with the gelsemia, forming the gelsemate of gelsemia. [331] Profe or Sonneschien, having submitted the so-called Gelseminic Acid to analysis thinks there can be no doubt that it is perfectly identical with æscul in, a glucoside obtained from the bark of the horse-chesnut—the Esculus hippocastanum . Probably the alkaloid gelseminine may at some future time be introduced into medicine, since it would appear to be the chief ingredient to which the root owes its activity. It is strongly poisonous. Dr Wormley injected one eighth of a grain under the skin of a large cat, which in 40 minutes exhibited great prostration, and died in an hour and a half from the time of the injection of the poison. The properties of the gelseminic acid, the resin, the volatile oil, and other ingredients of the root, have not been fully investigated. See Tincture of gelsemium , GELSEMININE . In the ‘American Journal of Pharmacy’ for April, 1877, Dr Wormley gives the following directions for the preparations of gelseminic acid, and gelsemine:—A given volume of fluid extract, acidulated with acetic acid, is slowly added with constant stirring to about eight volumes of water; after the separated resinous matter has completely deposited, the liquid is filtered, and the filtrate concentrated on a water bath, to something le than the volume of fluid extract employed. The gelseminic acid is then extracted from the concentrated fluid by ether, after which the liquid is treated with slight exce of carbonate of sodium, and the gelsemine extracted with ether or chloroform. For the extraction of the first of these principles, it is not e ential that the liquid should be acidulated, but in the presence of a free acid the results are more satisfactory.