488 
LECTURES ON THE BRITISH PHARMACOPOEIA. 
flowers should be supplied before being separated from their stalks, and hence 
they ought now to be obtained in cymes as gathered from the plant, and then the 
characters given in the Pharmacopoeia would apply. The only officinal prepara¬ 
tion now ordered is the Aqua Sarnbuci, the Unguentum having been rejected. 
Santonica.—Santoninum. —Both these articles are new as compared with 
the last published editions of the Pharmacopoeias of London, Edinburgh, and Dub¬ 
lin, but Santonica was formerly officinal in the Dublin Pharmacopoeia, but was 
discarded in that issued in 1850. Santonica has also been introduced into the Pri¬ 
mary List of the Materia Medica, and Santonin among the Preparations of the re¬ 
cently-issued United States Pharmacopoeia. In the British Pharmacopoeia Santo¬ 
nin is described as the unexpanded fiower-heads of an undetermined species of 
Artemisia , Linn. ; and is stated to be imported from Russia. The test given is as 
follows :—“ Flower-heads not round or hairy.” In commerce they are commonly 
designated as seeds ; but they are correctly stated in the British Pharmacopoeia 
to be the unexpanded flower-heads. With these flower-heads we commonly find 
in commercial santonica a variable proportion of stalks intermixed. 
Santonica has been known under several names, as Wormseed, Semen Santo- 
nici, Semen contra, Semen cynce , etc. r Phree sorts have been described by phar¬ 
macologists, under the respective names of Levant Wormseed, Barbary Worm- 
seed, and Indian or East Indian Wormseed. r Phe two latter much resemble 
each other, except in colour, and may be readily distinguished from the former 
by being covered with a whitish down. The former, or Levant Wormseed, is 
that most frequently met with in England, and is moreover the best kind. It 
is this sort only which is officinal. It is said to be the produce of Bucharia, 
Persia, etc.; it comes to England by way of Russia. It is this kind also which 
has been made officinal in the United States Pharmacopoeia. Its botanical 
source, as stated in the British Pharmacopoeia, is undetermined, but it is sup¬ 
posed by some writers to be principally derived from Artemisia Contra , Linn. 
Santonica flowers have been several times analysed, and with somewhat different 
results. Their most important constituents are, undoubtedly, a volatile oil and 
a crystalline neutral principle , termed santonin. The latter is now commonly 
regarded as the active principle, and has been made officinal in the British and 
United States Pharmacopoeias ; but some of the medicinal activity of Santonica is 
doubtless due to the volatile oil, and hence Santonin will not altogether in every 
case supply the place of Santonica. Although Santonin is neutral in its action 
upon test-papers, it forms crystallizable and soluble salts with the alkalies. 
Santonica has been long employed in Europe as an anthelmintic, and also, to 
some extent, for a similar purpose, in North America. The dose of Santonica is 
from twenty to sixty grains, which should be repeated morning and evening for 
about three days, and then followed by some active cathartic. The active prin¬ 
ciple, Santonin , being nearly tasteless, is commonly preferred to the flowers, 
which are moreover too bulky for general administration ; its dose for a child is 
is about half a grain twice a day, and for an adult from two to five grains. It 
' is best administered dissolved in castor oil. Santonin should be given with 
care, as otherwise it might produce very injurious effects. The anthelmintic pro¬ 
perties of both Santonica and Santonin have been so commonly testified to by 
practitioners of repute in various parts of the world that we can but regard them 
as useful introductions to the British Pharmacopoeia. 
Sc ammonias Radix. —This is an entirely new substance in a Pharmacopoeia 
published in the United Kingdom. It is introduced solely for use in the pre¬ 
paration of Resina Scammonise. In the British Pharmacopoeia u the dried root; 
from Syria,” is ordered. It would have been more correct to have said from Asia 
Minor and Syria, for although the Scammony plant may be found in Syria, its 
principal habitat, as well as commercial source, is Asia Minor. At the present 
time there is some difficulty in obtaining a regular supply of Scammony root, and 
nearly, if not the whole of it in this country is, we believe, in the hands of one or 
