cian ties some bingga fern leaves over which he
has pronounced a spell. Having performed this
seremony he will say: Now we will not die.“
The leaves of Crinum spp. are used to treat
cracks, wounds and burns also in other parts of
the Papua New Guinea Highlands (STOPP
1963:20; HIDE 1979:13), as well as of Melanesia
 (STERLY 1970:110f.). Similar uses are
made of C. asiaticum in Polynesia (ZEPER-NICK
 1972:51f.). In Malaysia, Indonesia and
the Philippines it is used externally to cure sores,
burns, witlows and other inflammations, yaws,
earache, sprains, swollen legs and hands, lumdago
 and fevers (HEYNE 1927:446; BURKILL
1966:178). According to Rumphius’ notes from
Amboina it was used in Indonesia as an antidote
against injuries by arrows poisoned with the
latex of the upas-tree, Antiaris toxicaria
(HEYNE 1927:446 BURKILL 1966:178).

Pharmacology
Pharmacological investigation shows that Cri-Aum
 spp. like other Amaryllidaceae contain a
large number of effective alcaloids such as 1ycorine,
 1ycorenine, galanthamine, crinine, crinamine,
 criwelline and acetylcaranine, besides
astringent tannin and other chemical components
 (DOPKE 1962; HAUTH und STAUF-FACHER
 1964:185; cf. HARTLEY 1973:305).
S. RANGASWAMI (University of Delhi, India)
reports on some of them: „The galanthamine and
crinine group which have a superficial structural
similarity to morphine showed narcotic activity.
Galanthine has been found to lower blood pressure
 in experimental animals and galanthamine
showed anti-choline-esterase activity.“ (Phytochimie
 1966:89).

NOTES
1) Copyright by Joachim Sterly, article „Pap‘“ of the
second chapter „Plants Used by the People. Dictionary of
„Simbu Plant-Lore‘““ forthcoming for 1991.
2) Name of tribe and year of collecting the vernacular
names.
3) Names of informants: S. Koglia, F, Yakegla, Au Nime,
A. Korumba and years of obtaining informations.

Fo

STERLY

LITERATURE
AUFENANGER H. 1961. The Cordyline Plant in the
Central Highlands of New Guinea, Anthropos 56:393-—
408.
BURKILLL.H. 1966. A Dictionary of Economic Products
of the Malay Peninsula. 2 Vols., London 1935, Reprint
Kuala Lumpur 1966.
CLARKE W.C. 1971. Place and People. An Ecology of a
New Guinean Community. Canberra,
CLERCOQ F.S.A. de 1909, Nieuw Plantkundig Woordenboek
 voor Nederlandsch Indie. Amsterdam.
DOPKE W. 1962. Arch f. Pharm. 1962, No. 12:295, 867,
GIMLETTE J.D. and H.W. THOMSON 1971. A Dictionary
 of Malayan Medicine. London,
HARTLEY T.G. et al, 1973. A Survey of New Guinea
Plants for Alcaloids. Lloydia 36,3:217-319.
HAUTH HH. und D.STAUFFACHER 1964. Die Alkaloide
von Crinum macrantherum Engl., Helv. Cim. Acta47:185.
HEYNE K. 1927. De Nuttige Planten van Nederlandsch
Indie. 3 Vols., 2e druk, Buitenzorg.
HIDE. R. L. 1979. A Checklist of Some Plants in the
Territory of the Sinasina Nimai (Simbu Province, Papua
New Guinea), with Notes on their Uses. Working Paper
in Anthropology etc. No. 54, Dept. of Anthropoloy, University
 of Auckland.
PANMANS K. (ed.) 1976. New Guinea Vegetation. Canberra,

PHYTOCHIMIE 1966. Phytochimie et Plantes Medicinales
 des Terres du Pacifique. Colloque Internationaux du
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique No. 144,
Noum6a, Nouvelle Cal&donie, 28 avril — 5 mai 1964,
Paris.
ZJUISUMBING E. 1978, Medicinal Plants of the Philippines.
 Quezon City.
RAPPAPORT R.A, 1968. Pigs for the Ancestors. Ritual
in the Ecology of a New Guinea People. New Haven,
Conn.
SCHUMANN K. und K. LAUTERBACH 1901. Die Flora
 der Deutschen Schutzgebiete in der Südsee. Leipzig.
STERLY J. 1970. Heilpflanzen der Einwohner Melanesiens.
 Beiträge zur Ethnobotanik des südwestlichen Pazifik,
 Hamburg.
STERLY J. 1973, Krankheiten und Krankenbehandlung
bei den Chimbu im Zentralen Hochland von Neu-Guinea,
3eiträge zur Ethnomedizin, Ethnobotanik und Ethnozooogie
 II, Hamburg.
STERLY J. 1979. Bugla kirai, Schweinemedizin vom
beren Chimbu, Papua New Guinea, Ethnomedizin V
3-4):385—406.
STERLY J, 1987. Kumo, Hexer und Hexen in Neu-Guirea.
 München.
STOPP K, 1963. Medicinal Plants of the Mt. Hagen
People (Mbowamb) in New Guinea. Ec, Botany
XVIDH: 16-22,
ZEPERNICK B. 1972. Arzneipflanzen der Polynesier,
Baessler-Archiv N.F., Beiheft 8, Berlin.