VERATRIA. 361 



From Sabadilla is made : 



Veratria. C^HgjNgOg. An alkaloid obtained from Ceva- 

 dilla ; not quite pure. 



Source. Obtained from Cevadilla by (1) making and con- 

 centrating a tincture of the seeds ; (2) pouring into 

 water to precipitate the albumen, and filtering; 

 (3) precipitating crude veratria from the filtrate 

 by NH 4 0, and washing ; (4) purifying by solution 

 in HC1, digestion with charcoal, reprecipitation with 

 NH 4 0, filtration, washing, and drying. 



Characters. Pale grey, amorphous, odourless, but very 

 irritant to nostrils ; strongly and persistently bitter, 

 and acrid ; insoluble in water, soluble in spirit. 



Dose, 7^ to ^ gr., carefully divided in pill. 



Preparation. 



TJnguentum YeratriaB. 8 gr. to 1 oz. Lard, with Olive 

 Oil fl.dr. 



ACTION AND USES. 

 1. LOCAL ACTION AND USES. 



Externally, green hellebore and veratria are first power- 

 fully irritant and then depressant to the nerves and vessels, 

 causing pricking, burning sensations, and redness of the skin, 

 followed by loss of sensibility and vesication. TJnguen- 

 tum Veratriae is therefore applied to relieve neuralgic and 

 rheumatic pains, but the alkaloid is absorbed by the unbroken 

 skin, and may produce its powerful specific effects. 



Inhaled or sniffed into the nose, these substances cause 

 violent sneezing and cough, manifestly from irritation of the 

 nerves. No use is made of this property. 



Internally, reflex salivation, dysphagia, epigastric heat and 

 pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea, indicate the irritant effect of 

 veratrum viride and veratria on the alimentary canal. They 

 are never given as emetics. 



2. ACTION ON THE BLOOD. 



Veratria enters the blood rapidly from the skin or mucous 

 surfaces. Leucocytes (out of the body) are paralysed or killed 

 by dilute solutions of the alkaloid. 



3. SPECIFIC ACTION. 



Veratria may be found in the various organs after admin- 

 istration. Full doses produce, in addition to the painful 

 vomiting of local origin, great muscular prostration, faintness, 



