The Seven Sisters of Sleep / Popular History of the Seven Prevailing Narcotics of the World

by M. C. Cooke

Professor Johnston’s estimate of the number of persons indulging in the Seven principal Narcotics of the world.

Tobacco	800,000,000
Opium	400,000,000
Hemp	200,000,000 to 300,000,000
Betel	100,000,000
Coca	10,000,000
Thorn-Apple (no estimate)	Less than Coca.
Amanita (no estimate)	Less than Coca.

TABLE XIX.
SYNOPSIS OF NARCOTICS, WITH THEIR SUBSTITUTES.

I.——Tobacco.
Vulgar Name.	Botanical Name.	Where used or cultivated.	How used.
Virginian tobacco	Nicotiana tabacum	U. States	Smoked & chewed
Orinoko”	”macrophylla	...	”
European”	”rustica	Europe	”
Javanese”	”” var	Java	Smoked.
Billah”	”” var Asiatica	Malwa	”
Guzerat”	”” var	Guzerat	”
Chinese”	”” var Chinensis	China	”
Thibetian”	”” var	Thibet	”
Persian”	”Persica	Persia	”
Latakia”	”” var	Syria	”
Djiddar”	”crispa	”	”
Indian”	”quadrivalvis	N. America	”
Indian”	”multivalvis	”	”
Indian”	”nana	Rocky Mts.	”
Cuban”	”repanda	Cuba	”
Columbian”	”loxensis	America	”
Brazilian”	”glauca	Brazil	”
Peruvian”	”andicola	Andes	”
Coltsfoot leaves	Tussilago farfar	Europe	Smok’d for tobacco
Yarrow”	Achillœa millefolium	”	”
Rhubarb”	Rheum emodi, &c.	Himalayas	”
Bogbean”	Menyanthes trifoliata	Britain	”
Sage”	Salvia officinalis	Europe	”
Mountain tobacco	Arnica montana	Switzerland	”
Black holly	Ilex vomitoria	N. America	”
Stag’s horn sumach	Rhus typhina	Mississippi	”
Copal sumach	Rhus copallina	”	”
Water lily leaves	Nelumbium speciosum	China	Mix’d with tobacco
Pucha-pat	Marrubium odoratissimum	India	Mix’d with tobacco
Tombeki	Lobelia sp.	E. Asia	Smoked as tobacco
Indian tobacco	Lobelia inflata	N. America	”
Maize husks	Zea Mays	U. States	Patented for cigars
Birch bark	Betula excelsa	N. Brunswck	Mix’d with tobacco
Willow leaves	Salix sp.	N. America	Smoked as tobacco
Bearberry leaves	Arctostasphylus uva-ursi	Chenook Ind.	Mix’d with tobacco
Pimento berries	Eugenia pimento	W. Indies	Smoked
Cascarilla bark	Croton eleuteria	”	Mix’d with tobacco
Polygonum leaves	Polygonum hispida	S. America	Smoked
Camphor leaves	Tarchonanthus camphoratus	Cape	”
Wild dagga	Leonotis leonurus	”	”
...	Leonotis ovata	”	”
Culen	Psoralea glandulosa	Mauritius	”
Purphiok	Tupistra sp.	Sikkim	Mix’d with tobacco
Camomile flowers	Anthemis nobilis	Britain	”
Beet leaves	Beta vulgaris	France	{Recommended as substitute
Akel	...	Algeria	Mix’d with tobacco
Trouna	...	”	”
Kauw goed	Mesembryanthemum tortuosum	Cape	Chewed
Angelica root	Archangelica officinalis	Lapland	”
Monkey bread leaves	Adansonia digitata	W. Africa	Snuffed.
Rhododendron leaves	Rhododendron campanulatum	India	Snuffed.
Brown dust of}	Kalmia sp.	}N. America	”
petioles of}	Rhododendron sp.	}
Asarabacca	Asarum Europœum	Europe	”
Grimstone’s eye snuff	Various plants	Britain	”
Various indigenous plants	Erzegebirge	”
Woodruff	Asperula odorata	Britain	Mixed with snuff.
Amadou ashes	Polyporus igniarius	Kamtschatka	Snuffed.
II.——Opium.
Smyrna opium	Papaver somniferum.	Levant	Smoked, &c.
Constantinople do.	”	Turkey	”
Egyptian do.	”	Egypt	”
Trebizond do.	”	Persia	”
Bengal do.	”	India	”
Garden Patna do.	”	”	”
Malwa do.	”	”	”
Cutch do.	”	”	”
Kandeish do.	”	”	”
English do.	”	England	”
French do.	”	France	”
German do.	”	Germany	”
Lactucarium	Lactuca sativa	Britain	Subs. for opium.
”	”virosa	”	”
”	”scariola	”	”
”	”altissima	”	”
”	”sylvestris	”	”
”	”elongata	”	”
”	”taraxacifolia	Guiana	”
Dutchman’s laudanum	Murucuja ocellata	Jamaica	”
Ditto	”orbiculata	Barbadoes	”
Syrian rue seeds	Peganum harmala	Turkey	To produce intoxication.
Seeds of	Sterculia alata	Silhet	Subs. for opium.
Seeds of	Scopolia mutica	Arabia	To produce intoxication.
Juice of	Chondrilla juncea	Lemnos	Subs. for opium.
III.——Hemp.
Gunjah and Bang	Cannabis indica	India, Africa	Smoked, &c.
Churrus (resin)	”	Nepaul, &c.	”
Powdered dacca and aloes	”	S. W. Africa.	Snuffed.
IV.——Betel.
Betel nuts	Areca catechu	Malay Penin.	Chewed.
”	Areca laxa	Andaman Is.	”
”	Areca Nagonsis	E. Bengal	”
”	Areca Dicksoni	Malabar	”
Kassu (extract)	Areca catechu	India	”
Cowry (extract)	Areca catechu	Mysore	”
Kutt or catechu	Acacia catechu	India	”
Gambir	Uncaria gambir	Singapore &c.	Chewed.
”	Uncaria sp.	”	”
Betel pepper leaves	Chavica betle	Malay Penin.	Chewed with betel leaves
”	Chavica siraboa	”	”
Blk. pepper leaves	Piper nigrum	Singapore	”
Ava pepper	Macropiper methysticum	S. Seas	”
Roots of	Derris pinnata	”	Subs. for betel
Roots of	Cocos nucifera	Ceylon	”
Guayabo bark	Psidium guayaba	Phillippines	”
Antipolo bark	”	”	”
V.——Coca.
Coca leaves	Erythroxylon coca	Peru	Masticatory
VI.——Thorn-Apple.
Florispondio seeds	Datura sanguinea	N. Granada.	Drank in infusion.
”	”stramonium	Europe	Smoked.
”seeds	”arborea	Peru	”
”	”fatuosa	Egypt	”
”	”ferox	China	”
”	”tatula	Asia	{By the Delphic oracle.
”	”metel	W. Asia	As an opiate.
Belladonna leaves	Atropa belladonna	Europe	Smoked.
Henbane leaves	Hyoscyamus niger	India	Mixed with haschish.
Leaves of	Rhododendron chrysanthum	Siberia	Chewed.
Flowers of	Rhododendron arboreum	India	”
Foxglove leaves	Digitalis purpurea	”	Mixed with haschisch.
VII.——Amanita.
Fly agaric	Amanita muscaria	Siberia	Swallowed.

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M’CORQUODALE & CO., PRINTERS, LONDON—WORKS, NEWTON.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The learned in the lore of ancient Rome may charge us, if they will, with a grievous wrong in considering Sleep as one of the softer sex, inasmuch as Somnus was one of the elder of the “lords of the creation.” We confess to an inclination towards the “ladies of the creation;” and in this matter especially

“We have a vision of our own,

And why should we undo it?”