The bark of the root of Melia Azedarach.

Characters. - In curved pieces or quills varying in size and thickness; outer surface red-brown, with irregular, blackish, longitudinal ridges; inner surface whitish or brownish, longitudinally striate; fracture more or less fibrous; upon transverse section tangentially striate, with yellowish bast-fibres; almost inodorous, sweetish, afterward bitter and nauseous.

If collected from old roots, the bark should be freed from the thick, rust-brown, nearly tasteless, corky layer.

Action. - It produces vomiting and purging and symptoms of narcotic poisoning.

Use. - It is used as an anthelmintic, to destroy the ascaris lumbricoides, in the form of a decoction (2 oz. of the herb to a pint of water, boiled down to 1/2 a pint). This is given in doses of a tablespoonful every two or three hours until the bowels are freely opened.