Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/548

squill, but that, as it grows larger, it becomes useless. The outer coats are always quite inert. It is also possible, as suggested by O'Shaughnessy, that the medicinal virtues may vary with the season and locality of collection. The officinal squill is well-known to be thus affected. On the Spanish coast, it has been found quite inert in one locality, while as active as usual at the distance of a few miles. A sufficient proof of its value, if collected and stored judiciously, is found in the fact that, for many years, it has been used as a substitute for the officinal squill at the Government Medical Store Depot in Bombay. The dried bulb met with in bazars sells at from 1 to 2 annas per lb. according to quality. (Dymock.)

" There are several other species of Ur inea met with in India, and these are doubtless used in some cases as inferior grades. The most general substitutes or adulterants for the above are Crinum asiaticum and latifolium, Dipcadi unicolor, Pancratium triflorum." — Watt's Commercial Products, p. 1049.

In the Indian Forester for February, 1917, Mr. G. 0. Coombs, Extra-deputy Conservator of Forests, writes —

The Director of Industries writes to say that there is no starch in the bulbs, but that, so far as his investigations have gone, they provide a valuable sizing agent, and he has hopes that the size may be taken up by the Cotton Mills. He further states that the bulbs furnish a substitute for gum tragacanth, and as such should have a commercial value, and he has reason to believe that they may have medicinal value as squills.

Chemical composition.— The sample dried at 100°C. was examined by Dragendorff's method, with the following results :—

The petroleum ether extract was a greasy white residue and non-crystalline. The ether extract contained no alkaloidal principle ; under the microscope a few imperfect four-side plates were visible.

The alcoholic extract from 9 grams of the anhydrous squills injected into a cat's stomach caused vomiting in 20 minutes, and the passage of a solid stool about an hour after the injection ; no blood in vomit or stool ; the cat was not otherwise affected in any way. The aqueous extract consisted chiefly of gum.

The fresh squill in slices distilled with water afforded a distillate possessing an aromatic odour, but in which no appreciable amount of oil was visible. The distillate was agitated with ether ; on spontaneous evaporation of the