Origin. - The dried leaves and flowering tops of Grindelia robusta Nutt., and of Grindelia squarrosa Dunal, herbaceous or suffrulicose perennials, indigenous in the western part of North America and Mexico.

Description and Properties. - Leaves about 2 inches (5 Cm.) long, varying from broadly spatulate or oblong to lanceolate, sessile or clasping, obtuse, more or less sharply serrate, often spinous-toothed or even laciniate-pinnatifid, pale-green, smooth, finely dotted, thickish, brittle; heads many-flowered, subglobular or somewhat conical, the involucre hemispherical, about 3/8 inch (10 Mm.) broad, composed of numerous imbricated, squarrose-tipped, or spreading scales; ray-florets yellow, ligulate, pistillate; disk-florets yellow, tubular, perfect; pappus consisting of two or three awns of the length of the disk-florets; odor balsamic; taste pungently aromatic and bitter.

The principal constituent is probably a resinous substance. It also contains an alkaloid principle, grindeline, and a volatile and a fixed oil.

Dose. - 10-60 grains (0.6-4.0 Gm.) [30 grains (2 Gm.), U. S. P.].

Official Preparation

Fluidextractum Grindelia - Fluidextracti Grindeliae - Fluidextract of Grindelia. - Dose, 10-60 minims (0.6-3.7 Cc.) [30 minims (2 Cc), U. S. P.].

Antagonists and Incompatibles. - Aqueous preparations, the caustic alkalies, and mineral salts are incompatible.

Synergists. - The motor depressants.

Physiological Action. - Externally and Locally. - The drug is sedative and mildly astringent.

Internally. - Digestive System. - When ingested it excites a sense of warmth in the epigastrium, and in moderate doses increases the secretion of the gastric juice, stimulating the appetite and improving digestion.

Circulatory System. - The heart is slowed by medicinal doses through stimulation of the inhibitory center. The blood-pressure, however, is raised and maintained by stimulation of the vasomotor center.

Nervous System. - Grindelia possesses considerable power as a depressant. Its effect upon the motor mechanism is to cause a pronounced muscular weakness affecting first the lower extremities. The sensory nerves are first depressed, there being quite marked cutaneous anesthesia. The drug depresses the reflex mechanism in the spinal cord, so that the reflex movements are greatly lessened.

Respiratory System. - Small doses have little effect upon the respiratory movements; large doses retard the breathing; while toxic doses may produce death through paralysis of the respiratory muscles.

The drug slightly increases the secretion from the pulmonary mucous membrane and relaxes the circular fibers of the bronchial muscles. The ends of the sensory nerves distributed to the pulmonary mucous membrane are also depressed.

Absorption and Elimination. - Grindelia is readily absorbed, and is eliminated chiefly by the kidneys, increasing the urinary flow, the lungs sharing in the excretory process.

Temperature is unaffected.

Eye. - Large doses cause dilatation of the pupil.

Uterus. - No effect has been noticed.

Untoward Action. - Excepting drowsiness, reduction of cutaneous sensibility, slight gastric disturbance, and a feeling of weakness, no symptoms have been recorded.

Poisoning. - The drug is feebly toxic; excessive doses, however, act as a gastro-intestinal irritant. The patient is sleepy and complains of muscular weakness; there is a numb or anesthetic condition of the skin, while the pupils are dilated and the pulse and respiratory movements slow and feeble. Should death occur, it will be from paralysis of the muscles of respiration.

Treatment of Poisoning. - The same as in poisoning from conium - diffusible stimulants, strychnine, etc.

Therapeutics. - Externally and Locally. - Grindelia is a very efficient application to the skin in rhus-poisoning. Indeed, it serves as a soothing lotion in many acute inflammations of the skin, such as eczema, etc. The fluidextract used should be well diluted and applied on cloths.

Internally. - Grindelia has acquired an enviable reputation as a remedy for spasmodic asthma, its action upon the bronchial muscles rendering it singularly beneficial in this disorder. It acts to relax the spasm of the muscles. The drug has no influence, however, in preventing a recurrence of the paroxysms.

The drug has been highly recommended in acute and chronic bronchitis, hay-fever, whooping-cough, and in spasmodic cough of whatever nature. It has even been suggested as a palliative remedy in pneumonia and in cardiac and pulmonary dyspnea.

There are no special contraindications or directions for administration, save that the fluidextract is pharmaceutically incompatible with aqueous preparations.

Aspidosperma - Aspidospermatis - Aspidosperma (unofficial).

Origin. - The bark of Aspidosperma Quebracho-bianco Schlechtendal, a large evergreen tree of exceedingly hard wood (Sp. quebar, to break, and hacha, an axe), indigenous in the Argentine Republic.

Description and Properties. - Occurring in nearly flat pieces about 1/2 to 1 1/5 inches (12.0-30.0 Mm.) thick; the outer surface yellowish-gray or brownish, deeply fissured; inner surface yellowish-brown or reddish-brown, distinctly striate; fracture displaying two sharply defined strata of about equal thickness, both marked with numerous whitish dots and striae arranged in tangential lines; the fracture of the outer lighter-colored layer rather coarsely granular, and that of the darker-colored inner layer short-splintery; inodorous; taste very bitter and slightly aromatic.

Six alkaloids have thus far been isolated from aspidosperma, the most important being aspidospcrmine and quebrachine, the former occurring in colorless prismatic crystals, insoluble in water and soluble in 48 parts of alcohol.

Dose. - 5-30 grains (0.3-2.0 Gm.).

Preparations

Fluidextractum Aspidospgrmatis - Fluidextracti Aspidospermatis - Fluid-extract of Aspidosperma. - Dose, 5-30 minims (0.3-1.8 Cc). Aspidospermine. - Dose, 1/4-1/2 grain (0.016-0.03 Gm.). Quebrachine. - Dose, 1-2 grains (0.06-0.12 Gm.).

Physiological Action. - Externally and Locally. - No important action has been noted.

Internally. - Digestive System. - It is a stomachic, having an action analogous to the vegetable bitters.

Circulatory System. - Aspidosperma depresses the heart, rendering its action slower, with reduction of arterial tension.

Nervous System. - In its action it resembles conium. It depresses the motor mechanism by its influence on the motor centers, and lessens the reflexes through its influence on the spinal cord. Excessive doses cause vertigo and headache, together with paralysis of the extremities, the lower being first affected.

Respiratory System. - Medicinal amounts of aspidosperma retard the breathing, but deepen the inspirations; aspidospermine, on the contrary, increases the respiratory movements. Toxic doses paralyze the respiratory center, death resulting apparently from asphyxia and convulsions.

Absorption and Elimination. - It readily passes into the blood, and is excreted chiefly by the urine, the saliva and sweat sharing in the process of elimination.

Temperature. - It is antipyretic, febrile temperature being reduced by full doses of the drug.

Poisoning. - Aspidospermine is an active respiratory poison, the toxic symptoms being vertigo, headache, free diaphoresis and salivation, great muscular weakness, with paralysis of the lower extremities, slow and weak heart, reduction of temperature, marked depression of the respiration, and death from respiratory failure.

Treatment of Poisoning. - The same procedure is advisable as in cases of poisoning from the other motor depressants.

Therapeutics. - Aspidosperma is not employed locally, its chief value being in the treatment of dyspnea of whatever variety, though it is fair to state that Pluzoldt considers it contraindicated in cardiac dyspnea.

The drug is equal, if not superior, to grindelia in the treatment of spasmodic disorders of the respiratory apparatus.

By some clinicians it is claimed to be an efficient remedy in pneumonia, being especially useful in relieving cyanosis.

Aspidospermine has been highly recommended as an antiperiodic in malaria, and has appeared to modify the symptoms of acute articular rheumatism.

Administration. - Both the fluidextract and the alkaloid may be given internally, although a favorite and efficient method of administering the alkaloids is by hypodermic injection.