This section is from the book "Recent Materia Medica: Notes On Their Origin And Therapeutics", by F. Harwood Lescher. Also available from Amazon: Recent materia medica.
Tropical Africa. N. 0. Apocynaceæ.
A woody forest climber; the Kombe arrow-poison of Africa.
It has been investigated by Prof. Fraser, of Edinburgh, from 1870, and reported on by him in British Medical Journal, vol. ii, 1885, page 904. Six sorts have reached Europe: Strophanthus Kombe, from Central and East Africa; hairy, glistening, greenish; truncated or rounded at base; this is the seed imported into England.
S. hispidus; Guinea; brown, velvety; acuminate below.
S. of the Niger; larger, brown, pubescent; rounded base.
S. of Zambesi; having a thick woolly coat of white hairs.
S. of Sourabaya; this and the next sort are unknown in commerce.
S. of Gaboon; thin, yellow, and quite smooth.
The pod-like follicles, 8 to 10 inches long, contain the seeds, each having a long feathery awn; intensely bitter, and greenish yellow in colour.
"The mature ripe seeds of Strophanthus hispidus, DC, var. Kombe, Oliver, freed from the awns.
Characteristics. Flat and oval, about three-fifths of an inch long and one-sixth of an inch broad, the base blunt, the apex tapering, greenish sawn, covered with silky hairs; one side with a longitudinal ridge. Kernel white and oily, taste very bitter.
Preparation. Tinctura Strophanthi, 1 part in 20 fluid parts." - 1890 Add. to B. P.
Therapeutics. A true muscle-poison - one of the digitalis group. It increases the contractile power of all striped muscles, and therefore of the heart (in excess it causes the rigidity of contraction to pass into the rigor of death). It does not produce as much tension in the blood vessels as digitalis, but equally with it, diuresis and reduction of temperature. A heart tonic, and a valuable diuretic. Dose: Of the tincture, of the B. P. (1890 Add. 1 part of seeds in 20 of rectified spirit) 2 to 10 minims every two or three hours; or 5 to 10 minims three or four times a day.
"It controls rigors after instrumentation on the urethra, in doses of 5 minims." - Dr. Fenwick, Lancet, Sept. 24th, 1887.
 
Continue to: