CARDAMOMUM. 353 



Characters. Seeds obtusely angular, corrugated, reddish- 

 brown, internally white, with a warm aromatic agreeable taste 

 and odour, contained in ovate-oblong triangular pale-brown 

 coriaceous ribbed pericarps. 



Composition. The active principle of cardamoms is an 

 aromatic oil, C 10 H 16 , isomeric with turpentine. 



Preparation. 



Tinctura Cardamom! Composita. 1 in 80, coloured with 

 Cochineal. Dose, % to 2 fl.dr. 



Tinctura Cardamomi Composita is contained in Decoctum 

 Aloes Compositum ; Mistura Ferri Aromatica ; Mistura Sennae 

 Composita ; and Tinctura Chloroformi Composita. 



Cardamoms are also contained in many preparations as a 

 flavouring agent. 



ACTION AND USES. 



Cardamoms serve as a highly agreeable, slightly stimu- 

 lant, flavouring and carminative agent allied to the peppers. 



IRIDACE^E. 



Crocus SAFFRON. The dried stigma, and part 

 of the style, of Crocus sativus. Imported from Spain, 

 France, and Italy. 



Characters. Thread-like styles, each terminated by three 

 long orange-brown stigmas, broadest at the summit. Has a 

 powerful aromatic odour. Rubbed on the wet finger it leaves 

 an intense orange-yellow tint. When pressed between folds of 

 white filtering paper it leaves no oily stain. 



Composition. Saffron contains saffranin or polychroite, an 

 orange-red glucoside, which yields a red colouring matter, 

 crocin ; and a volatile oil allied to turpentine. 



Impurities. Marigold and sunflower petals. 



Preparation. 



Tinctura CrocL 1 in 20. Dose, \ to 2 fl.dr. 

 Saffron is also extensively used as a colouring agent. 



ACTION AND USES. 



Crocus is used only to colour officinal preparations. 

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