Piscidia
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Piscidia erythrina is a plant of the legume family used in the 1930s as a sedative, cough suppressant for pulmonary tuberculosis, pain reliever, and sleeping aid, derived from its bark. Locally, the bark was also used to stun fish, and its active ingredient was identified as a curare-like alkaloid.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
PISCIDIA (Piscidia erythrina L.), a plant of the family Papilionaceae, growing on the islands adjacent to the West Indies and South America; it is used in the form of a liquid extract from the bark in doses of 1/2 to 1 teaspoon as a sedative, particularly for easing cough in pulmonary tuberculosis, for reducing toothache, and as a hypnotic. In its places of origin, the bark is used to stun fish. The active ingredient is a curare-like alkaloid.
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Cite this page
“Piscidia.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/piscidia/