STIPES DULCAiMARJ^. 451 



calcium, not of a well-defined outline, and minute starch granules are 

 deposited. 



Chemical Composition— The taste of bitter-sweet appears due, 

 according to Schoonbroodt (18G7), to a bitter principle yielding by de- 

 composition, sugar and Solanine, — the latter in very small amount. 

 Solanine is an alkaloid; it was first prepared in 1820 by Desfossos, a 

 pharmacien at Besan9on, from the berries of Solanum nigrum L., and 

 was subsequently detected by the same chemist in the leaves and stalks 

 of S. Dulcamara, and by Peschier in the berries. Wincklcr (1841) 

 observed that the alkaloid of dulcamara stems can be obtained only in 

 an amorphous state, and that it behaves to platinic and mercuric 

 chlorides differently from the solanine of potatoes. Moitessier (18r)C) 

 confirmed this observation, and obtained only amorphous salts of the 

 solanine of bitter-sweet. 



Zwenger and Kind on the one hand, and 0. Gmelin on the other 

 (1859 and 18.58), found that solanine, C'^H'^'NO^'' (or C^'ff'NO", accord- 

 ing to Ililger, 1879), is a conjugated compound of sugar and a peculiar 

 crystallizable alkaloid, Solanidine, C'^^ff^NO (or C^'H^'N O'"' ?). The 

 latter, under the influence of strong hydrochloric acid, gives up water, 



^nd is converted into the amorphous and likewise basic compound, 

 Siila/nicine. 



4 



^ Wittstein (1852) stated another alkaloid, dulcamarine, to be present 

 ui the stems of bitter-sweet. But Geissler (1875) proved that this 

 substance, when perfectly pure, contains no nitrogen, and is not an 

 alkaloid. Geissler obtained his D idco.marin by warming an aqueous 

 decoction of the drug with charcoal, which he dried and exhausted with 

 boding alcohoL This on evaporation afforded a yellowish amorphous 

 "tatter, which was dissolved in water and mixed with a very little 

 ammonia; a substance containing nitrogen then separated. The liquid 

 was_ evaporated, the residue again dissolved in alcohol, and the alcohol 

 distdled. Dulcamarin thus obtained is a yellowish powder of at first 

 oifcter and subsequently permanently sweet taste. It dissolves in water 

 or alcohol, not in ether, chloroform, bisulphide of carbon, By boiling 

 tiuleamarin with dilute acids it splits up according to the following 



equation : 



Dulc 



water or ether. 



Bulcamaiiu. Sugar. Dulcamaretin. 



, dark-brown, tasteless mass, is soluble in a. 



Uses— Dulcamara is occasionally given in the form of decoction, m 

 racumatic or cutaneous affections; but its real action, accordmg to 

 ^arrod, is unknown. This physician remarks' that it does not ddate 

 ^e pupil or produce dryness of the throat like belladonna, henbane or 

 •stramomum. He has given to a patient 3 pints of the decoction p^r 



athout any marked action, and has also administered as much as 

 ^lair a pound of the fresh berries with no ill effect. 



L 



ramonuiiii. 

 dieni \\ 



Medka 



