THE AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY. 
39 
BELLADONNA LEAVES. 
Dr. Squibb, in an interesting article on belladonna leaves, printed in the 
Epliemeris for September, says that when the prevailing colour of the leaves is 
fairly uniform and fairly green — not brown — when they are free from mustiness, 
without signs of dampness and fermentation, when there is no admixture of 
dissimilar leaves, and when seed capsules with ripe seeds are found, the parcel 
may be accepted as of fair quality. If, he says, the leaves appear to have been 
all very large, are very green, and no capsules are to be found, the indications 
are that they were gathered from cultivated plants, harvested when the leaves 
were most succulent, but not most active. Though very attractive, such leaves 
are less active than those from the wild plants taken at their maturity. Owing 
to the difficulty of recognising adulteration, particularly in powdered samples, Dr. 
Squibb regards an assay process as very desirable. He suggests such a process 
based on the solubility of the free alkaloid atropine in chloroform and its 
insolubility in water, and the solubility of its salts in water and their insolubility 
in chloroform. Fifty grammes of the powdered sample are exhausted by perco- 
lation with about 300 c. c. of alcohol (s. g. 0'820), acidulated with about three 
drops of sulphuric acid. The percolate is evaporated until the odour of alcohol is 
not perceptible, and 25 c. c. of acidulated water added and thoroughly incorporated 
with the liquid extract. The whole is transferred to a separator. While acid, 
the colouring matter is removed by repeated shakings with several portions of 
chloroform, each of which is drawn off as it settles. The colouring matter 
having thus been removed, 20 c. c. of fresh chloroform is added, and the 
whole rendered alkaline by the gradual addition of 6 grammes (or q. s.) of 
crystallised sodium carbonate. The whole is thoroughly agitated and allowed 
to separate, when the chloroform holds in solution practically all the atropine 
as free alkaloid. This is drawn off, and the alkaline water shaken with 10 
c. c. or more of chloroform to ensure complete extraction of alkaloid. The 
chloroform is allowed to evaporate in a tared beaker (a container with upright 
sides should be used, to prevent a creeping of the liquid). When dry, the 
beaker is weighed and the tare subtracted, the remainder being accepted as 
atropine. To prove that the residue is atropine, about 5 c. c. of water and 1 
drop of sulphuric acid are added, the alkaloid being dissolved as sulphate. 
The amount of sulphate, based on the supposition that the residue was entirely 
atropine, is found by the proportion : 85 : 100 : : weight of alkaloidal residue : 
x — x representing the weight of atropine sulphate. A solution is prepared 
representing 2 grains of this supposed atropine sulphate to the fluid ounce. 
One drop of this 2-grain solution is added to 40 of water, and one drop of the 
latter dilution to 10 of water, making a strength of 1 to 400. A single drop 
of this dilute solution is introduced into a person’s eye, the lids being held 
from winking for perhaps 15 or 20 seconds, to prevent them, says the Doctor, 
from closing and “forcing too much of the drop down the Eustachian tube.” 
[The latter term is doubtless a “ lapsus pennse” for nasal duct.] If the whole 
product of the assay has been atropine, the pupil will be seen to have enlarged 
in about 35 minutes to an hour, and will generally in about hour be 
nearly double the size of the other. From this maximum it will gradually 
return to the normal in about 6 hours. Before doubting that the residue was 
atropine, the solution should be tried on other persons, or stronger solutions 
made and tried, until one which gives the amount of dilution is reached. 
In six assays of powdered leaves of good quality the yield of alkaloid 
ranged from 0‘26 to 0’34 per cent. The conclusion is, therefore, that good 
powdered belladonna leaves should yield to the above assay process about 3 
per cent, of alkaloid. 
