Synonym: Ipecacuanha, Ipecac

Biological source: It consists of the dried roots, or the rhizomes and roots of Cephaelis ipecacuanha Rio or Brazilian or Cephaelis acuminate Panama, or Cartagena

Family:. Rubiaceae

Geographical source: Brazil, India, Myanmar, and Malaysia

Cultivation, Collection and Preparation:

Propagation : Seeds in mid January to mid February

Temperature and Rainfall: 23 to 38°C, 300 cm

The two months old seedlings are transplanted at a spacing of 10 x 10 cm.

Macroscopic characters Brazilian ipecacuanha Roots:

Colour: Dark brick red to dark brown

Odour: Faint

Taste: Bitter

Shape: Roots are found in tortuous pieces

Fracture: Annulated externally, ridges rounded and completely encircling roots with short fracture

Rhizomes

Colour: Dark brown to brick red

Size : 2mm in diameter and short

Shape: cylindrical shaped with wrinkled longitudinally

Macroscopic characters Panama ipecacuanha Roots:

Colour: Greyish brown to reddish brown

Odour: Faint

Taste: Bitter

Shape: Cylindrical large in size almost 8 to 9 mm thickness absence of annulation and some of transverse ridges

Chemical Tests

Powder drug + 20 ml HCL + 5ml of Water ===è Filtrate + 0.5 g Potassium chlorate===è yellow change to red colour due to emetine.

Drug + sulphuric acid + Sodium molybdate (Frohde’s reagent) ====è bright green colour

Uses:

Expectorant in small doses and emetic in higher doses.

Emetine hydrochloride is used as anti-protozoal, as it is highly toxic to amoeba i.e. Entamoeba

histolytica even in very low concentrations like 1 in 6 millions.

Ipecacuanha is used for isolation of emetine and cephaeline.

Allied Plants

Alangium, Hillia, Manettia Psych atria, Borteris, Remijia and Ferdinandusa.