THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE OLEO- 



RESIN OF ASPIDIUM * WITH RESPECT TO THE 



DETECTION OF ADULTERATIONS 



By A. G. DuMez 



(From the Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Surgery, 

 University of the Philippines) 



INTRODUCTION 



The ethereal extract of male fern, the so-called "oleoresin of 

 aspidium" of the United States pharmacopoeia/ since the time 

 of its preparation by Peschier in 1825,- has been the most gen- 

 erally used of the numerous taeniaf uges to be found in the materia 

 medica ; but of late it has been falling into disrepute. This fact 

 is to be attributed directly to the variable results following its ad- 

 ministration. That the extract as found upon the market varies 

 to a great extent in physiological action, v^hich is in a measure 

 proportional to its tseniafuge properties, is manifest in the fact 

 that it has caused severe symptoms of poisoning when given in 

 doses of 4 grams ; ^ while in other cases, 40 grams * have been 

 administered without the appearance of evil symptoms. The 

 lesser activity of the larger dose does not necessarily indicate 

 an adulterated or deteriorated product as it is known that the 

 activity of the extract is dependent upon a number of other fac- 

 tors as well — the locality in which the rhizomes are grown, the 

 time of harvesting, et cetera. Thus, Matzdorff ^ reports a va- 

 riation of from 0.815 to 4.145 per cent of crude filicin in rhizomes 

 gathered in different parts of Germany and Russia, the highest 

 filicin content being found in the Russian rhizomes. Berenger- 

 Feraud * found that extracts prepared from rhizomes gathered 

 in Normandy were much less active than the extracts prepared 

 from rhizomes gathered in the Vosges or in the Jura Mountains.' 



* The species Aspidium filix mas Sw. and A. spinulosum Sw. do not 

 properly belong in the genus Aspidium, but are now referred by botanists 

 to the genus Dryopferis, as D. filix inas Schott and D. spinulosa 0. Kuntze, 

 respectively. As the name Asjndium is in general use in pharmacological 

 literature to designate these plants, it is here retained. 



' The eighth revision of the United States Pharmacopoeia directs that the 

 oleoresin of aspidium be prepared by using acetone as the exhausting men- 

 strum, which is rarely if ever done by either American or foreign manu- 

 facturers, because of the production of an inferior article. 



' Repert. d. pharm. (1827), 27, 349. 



'Therap. Monaish. (1889), 3, 90-138. 



'Deutsch. Arch. f. klin. Med. (1889), 53, 348-358. 



'Apoth. Zeitg. (1901), 16, 578. 



* Arch. d. Pharm. (1886), 224, 1034, from Bull. Gen. Therap., 110, 481. 

 'Citation from Reuter, Pharm. Zeitg. (1891), 36, 245-246. 



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