314. Curcas.—Purging Nuts.

314. CURCAS.—PURGING NUTS. The seeds of Cur'cas pur'gans Adanson. Habitat: Brazil, West Indies, and Africa. They resemble croton seeds, but have a dull black, fissured surface and are somewhat milder in action. The purgative principle is ricinoleic acid; they also contain about 40 per cent. of an acrid, colorless fixed oil.

A Manual of Organic Materia Medica and Pharmacognosy, 1917, was written by Lucius E. Sayre, B.S. Ph. M.