Dr. P. Gopal, of Bombay, has found the infusion or tincture of the drug to act as stimulant emmenagogue, producing
slight intoxication like Cannabis Indica. He gave the tincture in ½ drachm doses to a female suffering from amenorrhœa, and it had the effect of producing a free menstrual discharge ; he further says that it is sometimes used by the native mid wives to procure abortion. He believes that it has properties in common with ergot, savine and rue. (DYMOCK p. 125.)
According to Moodeen Sheriff the seeds are narcotic, antipasmodic, hypnotic, anodyne, nauseant, emetic and emmenagogue. He recommends their employment in cases of asthma, hiccough, hysteria, rheumatism, impaction of calculus in the ureter, and of gallstone in the gall duct, colic, jaundice, dysmenorrhœa and neuralgia; in all of which they relieve pain and procure sleep. The relief afforded by this drug in simple cough and a few other pectoral affections is generally satisfactory. It is also a good nauseant and depressant emetic in its largest medicinal doses ( 3 i ss. to 3 ii) ; but it cannot be employed as such in general practice, because its use in so large a quantity is always accompanied by its narcotic and hypnotic actions. " No Hospital should be, in my humble opinion," wrote the late Dr. Moodeen Sheriff, without a drug so cheap and with so many good qualities as Hurmal."
According to J. A. Gunn (Royal Society, Edinburgh, 22, November 1909)) harmaline belongs to the group of protoplasmic poisons of which the best known alkaloid is quinine, and the actions of harmaline and quinine are practically the same, so that it is possible that harmaline may come to be used as a substitute for quinine.
Harmaline has been shown to be dihydroharmine ; both it and harmine are optically inactive in acetic acid solution. The oxidation of harmaline, C13H14N2O, to harmine, C13H12N2O, is best effected with potassium per-manganate in dilute sulphuric acid solution. Methylharmine melts at 209° ; its hydrochloride and flesh-coloured platinochloride, (C13H11Me N2O)2, H2Pt Cl6+2H2O, were prepared ; it unites with more methylic iodide, yielding a quaternary iodide, C13 H11MeN2O, Mel, which reacts with silver nitrate, forming the crystalline nitrate ; the platinochloride, and anrochloride of this quaternary base were also prepared. Acetylharmaline, C13H13AcN2O, can be prepared by dissolving harmaline and fused sodium acetate in acetic anhydride, heating
