0Q9 



WooiL] ^'-'■^ [Xov. 19, 1S69. 



The U. S. Pharmacopeia apparently recognizes the fact of the variance 

 of the hemp extracts of commerce and directs a purified extract. The pro- 

 cess of preparation given, consists simply of dissolving the crude extract in 

 alcohol and evaporating. Unfortunately this does not meet the difficulty, 

 since the solubility of the extract in alcohol is no certain measure of its 

 activity. There are many inert matters existing in the plant which are 

 soluble in alcohol, so that a fair amount of extract may be yielded by a 

 specimen which contains almost no resin. This may occur to a certain ex- 

 tent even if India hemp plant be the subject of the trial and is very cer- 

 tainly the case when plants from other localities are employed. 



In order to throw some light on this subject the following experiment 

 was made : 100 grains of a fine looking extract made from India plants 

 wholly soluble in alcohol, were rubbed up with a solution of potash, dis- 

 solved in alcohol, passed through animal charcoal precipitated by a 

 strongly alkaline solution, filtered, and the resin carefully washed and 

 dried. The resultant weighed 58 grains. Even if we allow as much as 

 12 per cent, for waste, there Avas, therefore, i^resent in the original extract 

 30 per cent, of inert matters, which corresponds very closely with the 

 amount of inert matter contained in the extract prepared by myself from 

 the American plant. That the matters removed by potash are inert I 

 proved in regard, at least to the American extract, by taking them in 

 considerable amount without any perceptible effects being induced. In 

 view of the above mentioned facts, it would seem advisable to replace in 

 the U. S. Pharmacopeia for 1870, the present Extracium cannabis 2^'>J'i">'fi- 

 caium by a preparation to be called Resina, Cannabis, and to be made by 

 precipitating the concentrated tincture, by water rendered strongly alka- 

 line by the presence of soda or potash. 



Such a mode of j)reparing is essentially that originally published by the 

 Messrs. Smith of Edinburg. The resin, as obtained by himself in this 

 way, coiTCsponds pretty closely with that described by the latter gentle- 

 men in their original paper. It is fawn colored, in very thin layers, but 

 when in mass, is blackish. It is neutral to test paper, and is apparently, a 

 simple, active princii^le ; at least I have not been able to separate any or- 

 ganic principle from it. At one time, I strongly suspected the presence 

 in it of an alkaloid, because its action on myself was so similar to that of 

 the mydriatics. 



In order to determine this point, a concentrated tincture was treated 

 with water acidulated with acetic acid, filtered, and to the clear solution th us 

 obtained an alkali was added, but no precipitate was afforded — neither did 

 tannic acid produce any. This experiment was repeated, suli:)huric acid 

 being substitiited for the acetic. The same negative result was obtained. 

 Again, a concentrated tincture was treated with fi-eshly precipitated ox- 

 ide of lead, filtered, the lead removed by the hydro-sulphate of ammo- 

 nia and the water acidulated with sulphuric acid, was added. Upon 

 again filtering, the clear solution obtained, did not respond to any of the 

 tests for an alkaloid : dilute water of ammonia, filtered through the 

 lead, gave no precipitate with muriatic acid, showing the absence of an 

 insoluble organic acid. 



