THYMOL 331 



OFFICIAL PREPARATIONS. 



Spiritus Aurantii Compositus (2.0 per 



cent.), .......................... Dose: I to 4 fl. dr. (4 to 15 mils) linalool. 



Syrupus Sennae (0.5 per cent.), ...... i fl. dr. (4 mils). 



387. ANETHUM. DILL FRUIT OR DILL SEED. The fruit of Ane'thum graveo'- 

 lens Linne', an herb of Levant and Southern Europe. Oval-oblong, usually 

 separated into the two thin mericarps; these have a smooth brown surface, 

 with five ribs, the two lateral ones expanded into a lighter colored, membran- 

 ous wing surrounding the fruit; oil-tubes six, two on the concave inner face 

 and one in each interval between the ribs; odor and taste caraway -like, de- 

 pending upon the volatile oil, the heavy portion of which is doubtless carvol. 

 Stimulant, carminative, and stomachic. Dose: 8 to 30 gr. (0.5 to 2 Gm.). 



387 a. OLEUM ANETHI. Pale yellow, with the characteristic odor of the fruit, 

 and a pungent, sweetish, acrid taste. It is official in the British Pharma- 

 copeia, where it is sometimes used to prepare dill-water. 



388. APIUM. CELERY FRUIT. From A'pium graveo'lens Linne", N.F., the com- 

 mon celery of our gardens, native to Levant and Southern Europe. Round- 

 ish-ovate, very small, brown cremocarps, generally separated into the two 

 mericarps, which have five ribs and about six oil-tubes. They contain a 

 volatile oil and a yellowish liquid principle, apiol, an pleoresinous substance, 

 but somewhat analogous to the fixed oils; this apiol is chiefly extracted for 

 medicinal use from parsley, however; it is used as an emmenagogue in doses 

 of 10 to ISTTJJ (0.6 to i mil). 



Preparation of Apiol. The simplest process for its separation is to exhaust 

 the fruit with petroleum-benzene, evaporate the solvent, and treat the residue with 

 strong alcohol. On evaporation, the apiol remains. A process resulting in a pure, 

 almost colorless apiol is published in "Pharm. Archiv," Feb., 1899. Dose: 7^2 to 

 23 gr- (o-5 to 1.5 Gm.). 



Celery is stimulant, antispasmodic, and carminative. Dose of fl'ext. : 

 5 to 15 TIJJ (0.3 to i mil). 



389. AJOWAN. The fruit of Ca'rum ajow'an Bentham and Hooker. Habitat: 

 Southern Asia and Egypt. Ovate, somewhat compressed laterally, about 

 2 mm. (J^2 i n -) l n g> with a, rough, grayish-brown surface; mericarps usually 

 separated, containing six oil-tubes. The large fruits much resemble those 

 of common parsley, but are readily distinguished from them and other small 

 umbelliferae by their odor and very rough surface. Odor thyme-like; taste 

 pungent and aromatic, due to a volatile oil, 5 to 6 per cent., which consists of 

 a terpene, cymene, and the stearopten, thymol. Ajowan is one of the commer- 

 cial sources of this stearopten. Oil of ajpwan, when freshly distilled, is color- 

 less, but soon acquires a slightly yellow tinge. It has an acrid, burning taste. 

 Carminative, stomachic, having the same properties as thymol (see below). 

 Dose: 10 to 30 gr. (0.6 to 0.2 Gm.). 



390. THYMOL 

 THYMOL 



A phenol, CioHuOH, obtained by fractional distillation of oils from Thymus vul- 

 garis, Carum ajowan, and Monarda punctata. That portion coming over at 

 392 F. 26oC.) is separately collected and subjected to freezing, when thymol 

 crystallizes out; or by distilling off a greater part of the light oils or hydro- 

 carbons and obtaining the thymol from the remaining heavier liquid by the 

 use of caustic soda and HC1. 



DESCRIPTION. Small, colorless scales or large, translucent crystals of the 

 hexagonal system having a thyme-like odor and pungent taste, 

 somewhat caustic to the lips. It melts at about 5oC. (i22F.), but 



