Euonymus. - Synonyms. - Wahoo. Spindle Tree. The bark of the root of Euonymus atropurpureus Jacquin (nat. ord. Celastrineae).

Habitat

United States, southward to Florida, and westward to Wisconsin, in shady woods.

Characters

In quilled or curved pieces, from 2 to 8 mm. thick, outer surface, ash-gray, with blackish patches, detached in thin and small scales; inner surface whitish or slightly tawny, smooth; fracture smooth, whitish, the inner layers of a laminated appearance; nearly inodorous; taste sweetish, somewhat bitter and acrid.

Composition

The chief constituents are - (1) Euonymin an amorphous resin, very bitter. (2) Atroptirpurin, a crystalline glucoside. (3) Citric, Tartaric and Malic Acids.

Dose, 1 to 2 dr.; 4. to 8. gm.

Preparation

Extractum Euonymi. Extract Of Euonymus. Euonymin

Synonym. - Euonymin. By maceration and percolation with Alcohol and Water, distillation of the Alcohol, and evaporation.

Dose, 1 to 5 gr.; .06 to .30 gm.

Action And Therapeutics Of Euonymus

In small doses euonymin stimulates the appetite and flow of gastric juice; in larger, it is irritant to the intestine and is cathartic. An ordinary dose increases the amount of bile excreted into the intestine, but does not gripe or cause much intestinal secretion. It has slight diuretic and expectorant effects; but its only use is as a purgative for those cases of constipation in which the liver is disordered, and for which it is particularly efficacious. It is usually combined with other cholagogues as iridin and calomel.