Gelsemium, a study

Abstract

PHARMACOGNOSY Gelsemium sempervirens, Gelsemium nitidum, yellow jasmine, false jasmine, Caro]ina jasmine, is one of the most beautiful native plants of North America. I t is found growing in rich moist soils, by the side of streams, along the seacoast from Virginia to the south of Florida, and extending into Mexico. Despite its local names the plant is not in any way related to the true jasmines, but belongs to the Loganiace~e, a family which also includes Curare, Ignatia, Nux vomica and Spigelia. The plant is a woody climber, manifesting a need for support---sometlfing to hold onto or be held up by. Its twining purplish stem often attains great heights as it ascends lofty trees and festoons from one tree to another. The plant contains a milky juice, and bears opposite, shiny, evergreen lanceshaped leaves. The flowers form axillary clusters of from one to five large, funnel-shaped, very fragrant yellow blossoms. The fruit is composed of two separable jointed pods enclosing numerous fiat-winged seeds. The stem often runs underground for a considerable distance, and it is from the bark of this rhizome together with fresh roots the size of a goose-quill that the mother tincture is prepared. The plant has a bitter taste and is highly poisonous. The taste derives from alkaloids present mostly in the bark. There are two main alkaloids. Gelseminine is amorphous, yellow in co]our, bitter and poisonous, readily soluble in ether and in alcohol. Gelsemine is colourless, odourless, intensely bitter and forms crystalline salts. I t is sparingly soluble in water, but readily forms a hydrochloride which is completely soluble. A further alkaloid, gelsemicine, has a depressant effect on motor neurons and is highly toxic.