122 APPENDIX. 



afforded a mixture. It was our inteution to liave determfhod the 

 ultimate composition of the saponin in combination witli lead, to 

 which we have referred as a *' viscid yellow compound," and to 

 have examined the product yielded by the hydrolysis of the saponin, 

 but we were unable to complete our research. 



The results of the proximate analysis of the false Bikhma may be 

 stated thus ; 



Moisture ,.. 6*23 



Petroleum ether extract.,, ... 1'173 



Acid ether extract ... ,.. •123 



Alkaline ether extract ... ... '048 



Chloroform extract ... ... '06 i 



Amylic alcohol extract ... ... 1'58 



We also append the results of an analysis of the specimen of 

 A. palmatum referred to above. Our 100 parts afforded the follow- 

 ing results when examined by Dragondorff' s method: 



Petroleum ether extract -040 



Ether extract -048 



Absolute alcohol extract , -150 



Water extract ., 2'40 



An alcoholic extract affords the following percentages: 



Petroleum ether extract -946 



Acid ether extract 

 Alkaline ether extract 

 Amylic alcohol extract 



,.. '310 



• • « 



• • « 



371 



•976 



The compositions of these extracts we were also unable to examine. 



We may summarise our results by stating that tbe most important 

 constituents of false Bikhma are saponin, and as bearing on the 

 identification of the plant which fields the drug, we would refer to 

 Aitchison's "Notes on Products of Afghanistan and Persia," in 

 which it is stated that the name Bekh is technically applied to the 



root-stocks of Acatithophyllum macrodon and Gypsophila paniculata^ 



These are both used as soaps, and possibly false Bikhma may be 



dei-ived from one of these plants. (C. /. H. Warden and Assistant 



Surgeon Chuni Lai Bote W Fharm. J ourn.;' October 15M, 1892, 

 ^. 302.) 



