620 
NOTE ON OLEORESINA CUBEB2E. 
By William Procter, Junior. 
The purpose of this note is twofold,—to point out an imperfection that occurs in 
some of the commercial specimens, and which materially injures the value of the pre¬ 
paration, and to offer a few remarks in reference to its manufacture. By the officinal 
process the powdered cubebs is exhausted by percolation with ether, that is to say, for 
every 12 troy ounces of cubebs 24 fluid ounces of percolate is obtained. The percolate 
is then made to yield 18 fluid ounces of ether, by means of a water-bath still and a good 
refrigeratory, after Avhich the residue is exposed in a capsule until the remaining ether 
has evaporated. It will be proper to remark, by way of illustration, that cubebs contain 
volatile oil, soft resin, cubebin and waxy matter, that are soluble in ether, and all of 
these, except the latter, are more or less active. When carefully made, oleoresin of 
cubebs has a dark green colour, varying from dull green to deep grass-greeu, according to 
the condition of the cubebs treated, that is to say, according as the berries contain more 
or less chlorophylle, due to their greater or less ripeness when collected. The specific 
gravity of the oleoresin is not uniform, owing to the variable proportion of volatile oil 
in cubebs, and to its more or less perfect freedom from the last portions of the men¬ 
struum used; and this brings me to the imperfection alluded to in the beginning of this 
note. It has repeatedly occurred that the oleoresin purchased of druggists has a de¬ 
cided ethereal odour, is quite thin in consistence, and sometimes has a considerable quan¬ 
tity of crystals of cubebin in a separate state, either floating in the liquid or adhering to 
the sides and bottom of the phial. Now, the presence of ether is objectionable as a 
dilutant, as facilitating the crystallization and separation of the cubebin by thinning the 
oleoresin, and lastly, from altering its medical properties; and the apothecary should 
either return the preparation as imperfect, or, submitting to the loss, expose it in a cap¬ 
sule until the ether evaporates. One specimen, bought as genuine, when thus treated, 
lost three-eighths of its weight by spontaneous evaporation in a short time! As regards 
the separation of the waxy matter and cubebin, the former tends to deposit first, and 
the cubebin afterwards, with more of the wax. This occurs in the most carefully pre¬ 
pared specimens, but the separation occurs more slowly when the concentration is per¬ 
fected at once in a distillatory apparatus with a regulated heat, than by gradual spon¬ 
taneous evaporation. The high price of ether has suggested the idea of using other and 
cheaper solvents, as alcohol, bisulphuret of carbon and benzole; and I have recently 
tried the purest commercial “benzine,” which, when dropped on paper, left no odour after 
a few moments’ exposure to the air, and, so far as the quality of the preparation is con¬ 
cerned, it affords an excellent preparation, less disposed to deposit than either the alco¬ 
holic or ethereal oleoresin. The product is greatest by alcohol, owing to the removal of 
more extractive matter probably. 
The following results were obtained with ordinary ether of commerce, sp. gr. *750, 
with stronger alcohol that had been shaken with carbonate of potassa, and with good 
benzine of sp. gr. '705. In each experiment 1000 grains of cubebs was packed closely 
in a conical percolator arranged for volatile fluids, and the several menstrua poured on 
until the bulk of 1000 grains of water at 60° F. was obtained; the receivers were then 
changed, and the percolations continued until an additional quantity of percolate from 
each was obtained; the specific gravity of the several first liquids was then taken, and 
afterwards each of them evaporated in a warm place till they ceased to lose weight. The 
second liquids were then evaporated. The results are exhibited in the following tabu¬ 
lar view:— 
Cubebs 
treated. 
Menstruum 
used. 
Quantity of 
1st percolate 
in grain 
measures. 
Oleoresin 
jdelded. 
Quantity 
of 2nd 
percolate. 
Oleoresin 
yielded. 
Total 
oleoresin. 
Per¬ 
centage. 
1000 grs. 
Ether. 
1000 
205 
1000 
14 
219 
21*9 
1000 grs. 
Alcohol. 
1000 
240 
1000 
30 
250 
25-0 
1000 grs. 
Benzine. 
1000 
140 
2000 
25 
170 
16-5 
The products by alcohol and ether were both cloudy, from a portion of deposited 
