This document describes the characteristics of ipecac root and powder. It details that ipecac comes from two species of plants and contains isoquinoline alkaloids including emetine. The Brazilian variety contains more emetine and is preferred for its expectorant effects over the Cartagena variety. The powder is grayish-brown and contains starch granules, cork, and calcium oxalate raphides. Ipecac is used to induce vomiting in acute poisoning and as an expectorant in coughs.

2. Dried roots or roots and rhizomes of
Cephaelis ipecacuanha (Brazilian Ipeca), or
C. acuminate (Panama Ipeca) Fam.
Rubiaceae.
Contains not less than 2% of total alkaloids,
cal. as emetine.

3. 1. Brazilian Ipecacuanha:
The root: shape: cylindrical, slightly tortuous pieces.
Color: dark brown
surface: smooth, annulated, with thickened, rounded,
almost complete rings, with transverse deep cracks.
The rhizome: short pieces attached to roots, finely
longitudinally wrinkled but without annulations.
2. Panama Ipecacuanha:
 It differs from Rio Ipecacuanha in being larger (longer and
thicker), greyish-brown or reddish-brown, with transverse
ridges at intervals of 1-3 mm.

4. Powder
color: greyish-brown
odor: faint, characteristic,
irritating and sternutatory
taste: bitter acrid.

5.  cork.
 bundles of raphides of calcium oxalate.
 Few fragments of wood showing tracheids,
tracheidal vessels and substitute fibers with starch
granules.
 Numerous starch granules, mostly compound,
individual granules are oval, rounded or muller-
shaped, up to 15 microns in diameter in Rio variety
and up to 22 microns in diameter in the Cartagena
variety.

6. 1- Isoquinoline Alkaloids emetine, cephaeline and
psychotrine.
 Rio drug contains 2-2.4% alkaloids, (60-75% emetine).
Panama drug yields 2-3.5% alkaloids, (30-50% emetine).
Emetine has a more expectorant and less emetic action
than cephaeline, so the Brazilian ipeca is preferred to
the Cartagena variety.
2- Crystalline glucosidal tannin (Ipecacuanhin).
(for emetine):
Extract with water acidified with HCl -------- filtrate +
potassium chlorate --------- yellow color appears,
gradually changing to red on standing for one hour.

7. Emesis Induction in Acute Poisoning.
expectorant (subemetic dose) in productive cough in doses of
up to about 1.4 mg of total alkaloids.
Emetine is a tissue amoebicide acting principally in the
bowel wall(amoebic dysentery) and in the liver (Hepatic
amoebiasis).
antitumor properties (alkaloids)
Undulated ‫المموجه‬ Ipecacuanha: Richardsonia scabra (Rubiaceae)
Lesser Striated Ipecacuanha: Manaettia ignita (Rubiaceae)
Greater Striated Ipecacuanha: Psychotria emetica ( Rubiaceae)
same family and no emetine

9.  Dried roots and root-stocks of Polygala
senega (Fam. Polygalaceae).
odor: a slight characteristic, similar to
that of oil of wintergreen (methyl
salicylate)
 taste: sweet, which becomes acrid and
irritant to the throat

10. large, knotty tortuous crown or root-stocks,
bearing numerous, purplish, short stem bases
and buds, and of a long tapering root, which is
slender, conical, twisted and brownish-grey in
color.
it is transversely wrinkled, sometimes
annulated especially on the convex side in the
upper part. It is also longitudinally wrinkled
with a longitudinal ridge (The keel) runs spirally
and is prominent on the concave side.

11. 1. The Cork
2. The Cortex
3. The Phloem
4. The Cambium
5. The Xylem

12.  color: grey
 odor: sternutatory, wintergreen like .
 taste: sweet, rapidly becomes acrid and irritant to
the mouth.
 Microscopically
cork (2).
 tracheids (13).
oil globules, free or in cells (3).
Fragments of aerial stems, showing long non-
lignified fibers(4) and fragments of scale leaves,
with Anomocytic and unicellular, warty, simple
hairs(5).


13.  Triterpenoid saponins (senegin A, B, C and D).
 Sorbitol and its anhydride polygalitol.
 Minor constituents e.g. sterols, fats and traces of
methyl salicylate.

14.  Test for saponins: Shake the aqueous decoction of Senega; a
persistent froth is formed.
 Ether extract acidified with dilute HCl. Divide into two portions:
Test for salicylic acid: Add one portion of the extract to 20 mL of
warm water in an evaporating dish and then add one drop of
FeCl3 T.S.; a reddish-violet color is produced.
Test for phytosterol: Evaporate the other portion to dryness and
dissolve the residue in 2 mL of chloroform. Transfer to a test tube
and add few drops of sulfuric acid carefully on the side of the
tube; a deep reddish-brown ring is formed between the two
layers and the sulfuric acid layer shows a faint greenish
fluorescence within 24 hours.

15.  It is a stimulant expectorant in chronic bronchitis alone
 also prescribed with other expectorants e.g. Ipecacuanha.
White Senega:
 The roots and rootstocks of Polygala alba. It is lighter in color,
has no keel. It has a normal woody taste and is less active.
Indian Senega:
 The roots and root-stocks of Polygala chinensis. It resembles
official Senega, but the cells of the cortex contain amorphous
brown contents, producing oily drops by addition of KOH

16.  Dried fermented roots and
rhizomes of Gentiana lutea (Fam.
Gentianaceae).
 Gentian contains not more than 2%
of foreign organic matters.

17. shape: cylindrical pieces
odor: characteristic
taste: which is sweet at first but persistently bitter
afterwards
color: yellowish to dark brown

18.  1. The Cork
 2. The Cortex (or phelloderm in root)
 3. The Phloem
 4. The Xylem
 5. The Pith

19. color: yellowish brown
odor: characteristic.
taste: sweet at first but becomes persistently bitter
afterwards.
 Microscopically, it is characterized by:
 parenchyma, containing minute acicular crystals of
ca-ox and oily globules (2, 8).
 cork cells (1, 4).
 Occasional small starch granules (7).
 Few fragments of lignified reticulate vessels (3, 5,
6).

20.  Bitter glycosides e.g. gentiopicroside ( the main constituent,
nauseating and irritating but it is hydrolyzed during fermentation).
 Alkaloids (0.03%) (gentianine and gentialutine).
 Flavonoid (e.g. gentisin).
 Sugars (gentianose, gentiobiose and sucrose), converted to
glucose and fructose by fermentation. Over fermentation
converts sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide.

21.  Appetite loss; digestive disorders: As stomachic because it
promotes secretion of saliva secretion and gastric juice and
stimulates appetite.
 A bitter tonic
 It kills plasmodia (malaria causing organisms) and worms.
 In the preparation used for
a) Respiratory-tract disorders; sinusitis
b) Anxiety; insomnia

22.  Dried tuberous roots of Ipomea purga (Fam.
Convolvulaceae), known as Mexican Jalap.
 Jalap contains not more than 2% of foreign organic
matters and yields not less than 10% of resin.

23. odor: characteristic and a
 taste: sweetish, then acrid disagreeable
tuber shape: fusiform, irregularly ovoid
and usually tapering at the base.
Externally: reticulated, longitudinally
wrinkled, sometimes furrowed.
It is very hard (gelatinized Starch ) and
compact.

24.  1. The Cork
 2. The Phloem
 3. The Secondary Xylem
 It shows numerous abnormally formed
concentric bundles of few vessels, surrounded
by tertiary cambia.

25. color: characteristic
odor: light greyish brown
taste: starts sweet then turns to acrid and
disagreeable.
powder characterized by:
 cork(1).
 parenchyma cells, containing starch granules,
cluster crystals of calcium oxalate and occasional
resin cells(3,9).
 globules of resin(8), sclereids(6).
 Cluster crystals of ca-ox (11).
 starch granules, partly gelatinized (2).

26.  Jalap resin, (Glycosidal resin) (4-18%), and is 90% soluble in ether known as jalapin
(or convolvulin).
 Coloring matter and phytosterol.
 With Iodine T.S.: The contents of resin cells stained yellow.
 With alkanna tincture: The contents of resin cells stained red.
 It is a hydragogue cathartic, it exerts a laxative effect in small doses and a purgative
effect in large doses. An antispasmodic e.g. Belladonna is prescribed with Jalap to
decrease its griping effect.

27.  Synonyms: wolf’s bane tuber
 Dried tuberous roots of Aconitum napellus (Fam.
Ranunculaceae).
 yields not less than 0.6% of total alkaloids calculated
as aconitine.

28. color: dark brown to greyish brown
odor: very slight
taste: slight, producing a tingling sensation in
the mouth, followed by numbness.
shape: obconical in and broad at the crown.
 parent root are enlarged, each bears a bud at the
apex known as daughter roots(daughter tuber ).

29. color: dark brown to greyish brown
odor: very slight
taste: slight, producing a tingling sensation in the
mouth, followed by numbness.
powder:
 thin-walled (7) and thick-walled parenchyma (4).
 sclereid (8).
 fibers from the stem (6). They are long, with lignified
walls and oblique pits.
 starch granules (2).

30. Diterpene Alkaloids (0.3-1.2%), most important of which is
aconitine (30% of total alkaloids).
Starch and aconitic acid.
Locally (in a tincture form), In facial neuralgia, rheumatism and
toothache.
Internal use is avoided due to toxicity.
 as poison (1mg of aconitine or 5 ml of tincture) death due to
paralysis of respiratory muscles.