In 1942 M. C. Nath of the University of Dacca in India reported that an Indian drug called amellin was effective orally in treating diabetes (1). From 1942-1947, seven additional papers have been published by Nath and co-workers (2) which describe the physiological effects of amellin and also clinical results on 15 patients. It is stated that oral doses of 15 to 20 mg. per day along with calcium salts over a period of several weeks to three months cause return of blood sugar to normal levels and disappearance of glycosuria and ketonuria. The only information about amellin given, was that it was obtained from a plant Scoparia dulcis (Linn) and that it was not an alkaloid. No details of extraction, isolation or composition were published. The object of the present work was to explore the possibility of obtaining physiologically active extracts of this plant
