[NatureNS] more on buckthorn

From: "A.Franklin/M.Britton" <mican@nb.sympatico.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <20060920160107.90671.qmail@web36203.mail.mud.yahoo.com> <4513302C.2060100@glinx.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 10:43:20 -0300
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Mrs. Grieve's 'A Modern Herbal ' (1931)  a great source of all sorts of
detail -describes the medicinal use of the bark  and  berries of Rhamnus
species.   The barks had to be dried and stored for at least one year before
being prepared for medicinal use, to reduce their potency. Fresh bark acts
as an emetic.
Common buckthorn - distinguished by toothed leaves, a 4 part calyx, thorns
and 4 seeded berries - was losing favour by the end of the 19th century and
was used mostly in veterinary practice. The berries were the part used
medicinally.She claims that goats, sheep and horses will browse it but not
cows, and that the flesh of birds eating the berries is stated to be
purgative.
On the other hand the juice of the berries of Alder buckthorn - entire
leaves, 5 part calyx , no thorns , and berries with 2 or sometimes 3
seeds -is aperient without being irritating. A fluid extract of the aged
bark is ' tonic, laxative, cathartic ' - all a matter of dosage.

My OLD pharmacy textbooks list  glycoside content as emodin, aloe-emodin,
frangulin, rhamnicoside etc . These break down into anthraquinones on
absorption from the gut. Senna is another anthraquinone laxative.

The British Pharmaceutical Codex (B.P.C.)1934 - even before my time -had a
formula for Buckthorn syrup - " an active cathartic prone to cause severe
griping ". Syrupus Rhamni : Evaporate 50ml of expressed juice of buckthorn
to 30ml and set aside for 12hrs; dissolve in it sucrose 65g with the aid of
heat, then strain and cool; add strong ginger tincture 0.52ml and pimento
oil 0.01ml mixed with alcohol(90%) 3.12ml and adjust to 100g with water.
Dose: 2 to 4 ml.

Cheers Anne.


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