920 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



henbane, in fact it is nearly ten times as strong. .Specimens of Indian henbane 

 have been known to contain as much as 128 per cent, of alkaloid and unlike 

 the English variety Hyoscyamus nigev which contains the alkaloids hyoscyamine 

 hyoscine, and scopolamine the Indian variety muticus is said to contain 

 only hyoscyamine. As a source of this important alkaloid hyoscyamine 

 Indian Hyoscyamus should receive the attention of the manufacturer of fine 

 chemicals and drugs. 



For the information of those readers of the Journal who are interested in 

 the chemistry of this subject or the manufature of hyoscyamine, below are 

 given the details of the method of assay used, which is a modification of that 

 devised by Rupp. Pharm. Zeit. 1908, 738 ; Ohem. Zeit. Rep. 1908, 32. 529 ; 

 Pharm. J. Russ 1911, 138; J. Phirm. Chem. 1911, 3,551). The method can be 

 used for assaying extracts of belladonna also. 



Twenty-five grams of the powdered leaf are extracted with 300 cc. hot 

 alcohol Sp. Gr. 0829 in a Soxhlet tube (4 times was found sufficient to exhaust 

 the leaves and obtain a washing free from alkaloids). The alcoholic extract 

 is evaporated until a sticky brown mass is obtained. This is weighed and the 

 weight noted. Six grams of the extract so obtained is weighed into a stop- 

 pered flask. About 5 cc. of water, 90 grams of ether and one gram of ammonium 

 hydrate are then added and the mixture shaken for 15 minutes. After separa- 

 tion 60 grams of the clear ethereal layer is filtered off and the solvent 

 evaporated. The residue is then treated with 5 grams of ether and again 

 evaporated to dryness. This is repeated three times, each time with 5 grams 

 ether. The residue is then dissolved in 5 grams of alcohol 70 per cent, and 

 the solution transferred to a graduated 100 cc. flask. 



The first flask is washed out with another 5 cc. of alcohol 70 per cent, and 

 then with water. To the bulked washings is added 20 grams of sodium 

 chloride and 20 cc. of N/100 HCL are added with sufficient water to bring the 

 whole contents up to 100 cc. After thorough agitation the solution is filtered. 

 50 cc. of the filtrate is transferred to a stoppered flask. 30 cc. of ether and 

 5 drops of Iodeosine indicator are added. The excess of hydrochloric acid is 

 then determined by titration with N/100 KOH in the usual manner. 



In the meantime a blank experiment with the same reagents but without 

 any extract of the leaves, is performed to obtain the correcting factor for 

 reagent impurities, and this is deducted from the above titration figure. This 

 precaution is absolutely necessary as a correction r»f upwards of 2 cc. of N/100 

 HCL is frequently found. 



Each cc. of N/100 HCL used by the alkaloids = 0*00289 of mixed alkaloids 

 as hyoscyamine. 



This is not the first time that Indian Hyoscyamus has been examined, for 

 Dunstan and Brown examined a specimen (J. C. S. 1899, 75,72), but only 01 

 per cent, of alkaloid was then recorded. It is possible that more than one 

 variety of Hyoscyamus exist and that the alkaloidal contents of the varieties 

 differ considerably. It is also more than likely that the amount of active 

 principle present will depend upon the age and condition of the plant, for 

 Godamer (Arch. Pharm. 1898. 28), has shown that in Hyoscyamus muticus the 



