APPENDIX. © 118 
irregularly-disposed transverse markings of a lighter colour are 
observed on the surface, The transverse section of the root exhibits 
a central hard woody centre of a yellowish colour, and several similar 
but smaller bundles are scattered throughout the waxy-looking 
parenchyma of the cortical portion. In the bazars the drug is sold 
in the shape of circular discs like calumba root, having been sliced 
transversely in a fresh state and allowed to dry in the sun. Sections 
of the root examined by the microscope exhibited no starch or crys- 
talline matters in the cells, but yellow granular matter and oil 
globules were present. The central woody column and woody 
bundles in the cortical portion were made up of large lignified cells. 
The taste is sweet and mawkish, and there is no distinctive odour as 
there is in liquorice root, 
Chemical composition.—The finely powdered root lost 11:26 per 
cent. of moisture, and left 6°6 per cent. of mineral matter when 
ignited, The ether extract amounted to 4°22 per cent., and consisted 
of fatty acids of a brownish colour and fluid consistence. After 
standing a few days, white crystals formed, which were collected and 
pressed between folds of blotting paper, and recrystallised from boil- 
ing alcohol, This insoluble portion had the melting point (62° C 
and properties of palmitic acid, Oleic acid was present in the fluid 
portion of the extract. 
' The alcoholic extract contained a large quantity of crystalline 
saccharine matter, which reduced Fehling’s solution to a very slight 
extent. A small quantity of an organic acid was removed from solu 
tion by plumbic acetate, but no substance similar to glycyrrhizin 
could be detected. The absence of an alkaloidal principle was proved 
after the application of the usual reagents. 
The aqueous extract contained an additional quantity of sugar, 
and when heated to the boiling point threw out an abundance of white 
flocks of albumin. A larger quantity of the root was exhausted 
directly with water, the extract heated to separate the insoluble 
albumin, and filtered. The syrup was then boiled in an inverted 
condenser with 1 per cent, sulphuric acid for three hours. The 
sulphuric acid was removed with barium hydrate solution, and the 
sugar in the syrup estimated with Fehling’s test indicated the 
presence of 41:2 per cent. of invert sugar, This sugar showed 
no disposition to crystallise, and when examined in a Laurent’s 
Sa it had no action on polarised light. 
