RADIX INULiE. 381 



of the Welsh Physicians^ of the 13th century and was generally well 

 known during the middle ages. Not only was its root much employed 

 as a medicine, but it was also candied and eaten as a sweetmeat. 



Description — For pharmaceutical use, the root is taken from plants 

 two or three years old ; when more advanced, it becomes too woody. 

 The principle mass of the root is a very thick short crown, dividing 

 below into several fleshy branches of which the larger are an inch or 

 two in diameter, covered with a pale yellow bark, internally whitish, 

 and juicy. The smaller roots are dried entire; the larger are variously 

 sliced, which occasions them to curl up irregularly. When dried, they 

 are of a light grey, brittle, horny, smooth-fractured. Cut transversely 

 the young root exhibits an indistinct radiate structure, with a somewhat 

 darker cambial zone sepai-ating the thick bark from the woody nucleus. 

 The pith is not sharply defined, and is often porous and hollow. In the 

 older roots the bark is relatively much thinner, and the internal sub- 

 stance is nearly uniform. Elecampane root has a weak aromatic odour 

 suggestive of orris and camphor, and a slightly bitter, not unpleasant, 

 aromatic taste. 



Microscopic Structure — The medullary rays, both of the woody 

 column and the inner part of the bark (endophlceum), exhibit large 

 balsam-ducts. In the fresh root they contain an aromatic liquid, which 

 as it dries deposits crystals of helenin, probably derived from the essential 

 oiL The parenchymatous cells of the drug are loaded with inulin in 

 the form of splinter-like fragments, devoid of any peculiar structure. 



Chemical Composition — It was observed by Le Febvre, as early 

 as 1660, that when the root of elecampane is subjected to distillation 

 with water a crystallizable substance collects in the head of the receiver 

 from which it speedily passes on as the operation proceeds. Similar 

 crystals may also be observed after carefully heating a thin slice of the 

 root, and are even found as a natural efflorescence on the surface of root 

 that has been long kept. They can be extracted from the root by 

 means of alcohol and precipitated with water. KaUen (1874, 1876) 

 showed that the crystals chiefly consist of the anhydride, C^^H^O^ of 

 alantic acid, melting at 66° C. The anhydride, which is very little 

 aromatic, can easily be sublimed, although it begins to boil only at 275°, 

 yet not without decomposition. Alantic anhydride dissolves in caustic 

 lye, but on saturating the solution with an acid, alantic acid, C^*H'~0^ 

 separates. It is not present in the root. 



The anhydride is accompanied by a small quantity of Helenin, 

 C^H^O, and Alantcamphoi^ (i.e. Elecampane-camphor). The crystals 

 of helenin have a slightly (?) bitterish taste, but no odoui', and melt at 110°. 

 The camphor, occurring in but very small amount, has not yet been 

 analyzed ; it agrees probably with the formula C?°H"0 ; it melts at 

 64° C, and in taste and smell is suggestive of peppermint. It is very 

 difficult entirely to remove helenin from alantcamphor, these substances 

 being soluble to nearly the same extent in alcohol or ether. By distil- 

 ling the second of them with pentasulphide of phosphorus, Cymene, 

 (yW*, was obtained. 



By distilling the root under notice with water, the alantic anhydride 

 is chiefly obtained, but impregnated with Alantol, (J^W^O (probably). 



» Meddygon Myddfai, p. 61. 284. 31 1 (see Appendix). 



