20 BULLETIN 947, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



(b.) Two hundred twenty-five grams of dried blossoms and seeds 

 of Hdenium hoopesii were ground to No. 20 powder and were ex- 

 tracted with chloroform in a Soxhlet. The chloroform was distilled 

 off on a steam bath. The residue weighed 28.95 grams (12.86 per 

 cent) and was brownish, fatty, and fluid. It was heated on a steam 

 bath with successive portions of water for several hours and filtered. 

 The filtrate was bitter; it was evaporated to dryness on the steam 

 bath. The residue was a yellowish resin. This was extracted with 

 benzene. The white insoluble residue was very bitter and contained 

 dugaldin. The benzene soluble matter was not bitter and was 

 nontoxic. 



(c.) A second extraction with chloroform of 400 grams of dried 

 blossoms and seeds yielded 12.62 per cent extract, in which no helenic 

 acid could be found. 



A tabular statement of pharmacological experiments will be found 

 in Table 2 on page 23. 



8. ^Yater-soluble constituents. — Fifteen kilograms of air-dried basal 

 leaves ground to about a No. 12 powder were extracted with water 

 by percolation. This did not remove all the bitterness from the 

 leaves. The percolate was brown and bitter. It was concentrated 

 to a small volume. During this process a light-brown precipitate 

 appeared, which consisted of albuminoids and calcium salts. This 

 was collected, washed, and tested for toxicity to sheep. Sheep 409 

 received daily doses of 5 grams of this precipitate from Sep- 

 tember 4 to September 16, inclusive, receiving two doses on Sep- 

 tember 10, 11, 12, and 16 — a total of 80 grams — without effect. 

 Fifty grams were fed to Sheep 425 on September 10 without produc- 

 ing any effect. The concentrated aqueous solution was divided into 

 two portions. One portion was boiled over a free flame for several 

 hours, when a further quantity of the brown, nontoxic precipitate 

 separated and the solution lost its bitterness, due to hydrolysis of 

 the glucosid. During a period of four days Sheep 450 received 

 2,400 mils of this orally in five doses, but beyond some abdominal dis- 

 turbance showed no effect. The other portion of the concentrated per- 

 colate was treated with lead acetate, and the precipitate was filtered 

 off ; the filtrate was neutralized with ammonia and precipitated with 

 basic lead acetate. This precipitate was filtered off, and the lead 

 removed from the filtrate with hydrogen sulphid. The lead- 

 acetate precipitate was washed, suspended in water, and decomposed 

 with hydrogen sulphid. The solution was bitter and contained part 

 of the glucosid. It was very toxic. The basic lead-acetate precipi- 

 tate, freed from lead with hydrogen sulphid in the same way, was 

 not bitter, contained no glucosid, and was nontoxic. The filtrate 

 from the lead precipitations was bitter, contained a portion of the 

 glucosid, and was very toxic. 



