COCCUS CACTI. 



not only much larger, but yields a richer color, and is conse- 

 quently most esteemed, is known in the language of the 

 Spanish merchants by the name " grana fina" The wild is 

 one half the 'size only of the other, covered with white down 

 or powder, and is denominated "grana silvestra" But both 

 kinds are often mixed together. They are imported in bags, 

 each containing about two hundredweight, and have the ap- 

 pearance of small, dry, shrivelled, rugose berries or seeds, of 

 a deep brown-purple or mulberry color, with a white matter 

 between the wrinkles. In this state they suffer no change 

 from length of keeping. Dr. Bancroft directs that cochineal, 

 to be chosen as the best, should be " large, plump, dry, and 

 of a silver-white color on the surface." 



CHEMICAL AND MEDICAL PROPERTIES AND USES. 



Cochineal has a faint, heavy odor, and a bitter, austere taste. 

 It is easily pulverized, affording a powder of a purplish-red 

 hue, which has been found to be composed chiefly of carmine, 

 a peculiar animal matter, a fatty matter, phosphate and car- 

 bonate of lime, and muriate and phosphate of potassa ; the 

 coloring matter is taken up by water, alcohol, and solutions 

 of the pure alkalies. The watery infusion is of a violet crim- 

 son, the alcoholic of a deep crimson, and the alkaline of a 

 deep purple or rather violet hue. The color of the watery 

 infusion is brightened by all the acids, except the oxymuriatic 

 (chlorine), by which it is destroyed. It is brightened also by 

 supertartrate of potassa and alum, and at the same time is 

 partly precipitated. It is also precipitated by sulphate of 

 iron of a brownish-violet color, the liquid remaining a pale 

 yellowish-brown, and by sulphate of zinc and acetate of 

 lead of a purple-violet, the liquid being perfectly colorless. 

 Hence cochineal is incompatible as a coloring matter with 

 these metallic salts. According to the analysis of Pelletier 

 and Caventon, it contains carmine (cochinaline) , a fatty mat- 

 ter, phosphate and carbonate of lime, muriate and phosphate 

 of potassa, and potassa united to an animal acid. 



Antispasmodic and anodyne properties have been assigned 

 to cochineal. A mixture with carbonate of potash has been 

 at various times extolled as a remedy for whooping-cough. 

 Its only real value, however, is as a coloring matter, and as 

 such it is used both in powder and solution. 



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