The origin of this drug, long ago admitted into the Pharmacopoeias of Europe, was unknown, till Mr. Park sent a specimen of the plant from which the negroes collect it, which proves to be a species of pterocarpus not yet described by any botanical writer.
"The Journal Of A Mission To The Interior Of Africa, In The Year 1805"
Mungo Park
It is a pterocarpus; that is, a vegetable with membranes resembling the wing of a bird.
"Adventures of a Young Naturalist"
Lucien Biart