4 
Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 
The Active Principle. 
It was evident that Eucomis undulata contained some saponin body, as. 
a very persistent froth was seen when the tincture was shaken up with 
water. 
Forty grammes of the bulb were powdered and extracted with 90 per 
cent, alcohol. The extract was dried and extracted with distilled water. 
The resulting extract was dried, and weighed 2*015 grm. It was completely 
soluble in water and in 90 per cent, alcohol, but insoluble in ether. It pro- 
duced all the actions of the tincture and extract on animals and isolated 
tissues. 
On boiling with dilute hydrochloric acid a sugar was obtained. The 
other product of hydrolysis is insoluble in water and is crystalline. 
The active principle is, therefore, a glucoside. After the tests and 
animal experiments were done with it there was not enough left to determine 
whether it is a pure principle or a mixture. If a small quantity were mixed 
with water and the mixture shaken a persistent froth formed. Volatile 
and fixed oils were emulsified with a little of the glucoside, and the emulsion 
separated out only very slowly. 
Haemolytic Action. 
The glucoside is powerfully haemolytic. The following table shows its. 
haemolytic action on washed corpuscles in one hour : 
Concentration of -d , , 
glucoside. Result 
1 in 2000 . . . . . Complete haemolysis. 
1 in 4000 . . . ' . 
1 in 8000 
1 in 16,000 
1 in 32,000 ..... Partial haemolysis. 
1 in 64,000 ..... No haemolysis. 
Control ..... No haemolysis. 
Summary. 
Eucomis undulata contains a sapo-glucoside which is a powerful haemo- 
lytic agent. It does not seem to be absorbed from the alimentary tract, and 
only slowly from the subcutaneous tissues. It is toxic when injected 
intravenously, affecting the heart and the respiration. It is probably of no 
medicinal value. 
