January 21,1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
585' 
An acid benzoate was formed by the addition of two 
equivalents of the acid to one of conia. It resembled the 
preceding in its reactions, but was colouidess, odourless, 
and less soluble in water. Attempts to combine more of 
the acid, so as to produce a dry salt, failed. 
The following are the results of the experiments so far 
as they show the relative strength of the preparations. 
The drug was administered to persons familiar with the 
intoxicating effects of hemlock, and the doses were given 
as nearly as possible under similar conditions. The 
strength of the preparation was inferred by the extent of 
physiological action induced upon a system of known 
power. 
1. The first experiment was made with Extractum 
Conii, B. P., and Succus Conii, B. P. (Buckle’s). The 
relative value was—gr. xx extract = f*3ij succus. 
2. Extractum Conii, B. P. (prepared by Bell and Co. 
in 1867—8) and Succus Conii, B. P. (Buckle’s).—gr. xl 
extract = f^iv succus; gr. lx extract = f5yj succus. 
3. Extractum Conii, B. P., Succus Conii, B. P., and 
Tincture of Green Fruit (American, -ivss fruit yielding 
fjjx).—gr. xlv. extract = 5ivss succus = in. 80 tincture. 
4. Succus Conii, B. P. (Buckle’s, 1866) and Tincture of 
the Green Fruit (London 3V in -xx).—jiv succus = moO 
tincture. 
10. Extractum Conii, B. P. (Bell’s, 1868), Succus 
Conii, B. P.—gr. 40 extract = f5iv succus. 
11. Succus Conii, B. P. (Buckle’s, 1867; the plant 
yielded 75 per cent, of juice) and Succus Conii, B. P. 
(Allen and Hanbury’s, 1865; the plant yielded about 
35 per cent, of juice).—5ix of Buckle’s = 5iij of Allen 
and Hanbury’s. 
12. Extract of the Green Fruit (American) Tincture of 
the Green Fruit (American), and Succus Conii (Buckle’s, 
1867).—gr. iij extract = f5iv tincture =5iv succus. 
13. Succus Conii, B. P. (Buckle’s, 1860) and Extract 
of the Green Fruit (London).) —5ivss succus = gr. iij 
extract. 
14. Squibb’s Fluid Extract, Tincture of the Green 
Fruit (London), Succus Conii, B. P. (Buckle, 1866), 
Deane’s Tincture of the Fresh Plant, Deane’s Tincture 
of the Dry Plant, and Clarke and Co.’s Fluid Extract.— 
111 50 Squibb’s fluid extract = 5iss tincture green fruit = 
f5v succus = 5iijss to 5iv Deane’s tincture fresh plant = 
fjj Deane’s tincture dry plant = 5iijss Clarke’sfluid ex¬ 
tract. 
15. Squibb’s Fluid Extract, Succus Conii, B. P. 
(Buckle’s, 1867), Succus Conii, B. P. (Allen and Han¬ 
bury’s, 1865), Tincture of the Green Fruit (London), 
Deane’s Tincture of the Fresh Plant and Neutral Ben¬ 
zoate of Conia.—5j Squibb’s fluid extract = 5yj pale 
succus = 5ij dark succus = 5iss tincture green fruit = 5iv 
tincture fresh plant = f gr. neutral benzoate. 
16. Results similar to 14. 
17. Results similar to 14, 15 and 16. 
18. Succus Conii, B. P. (Buckle’s, 1867) and Benzoate 
of Conia.—5yj succus =gr. \ benzoate. 
The author draws the following conclusions from his 
experiments:— 
That the superiority of the green fruit over every 
other part of the plant, as the basis of the tincture and 
extract, is clear and decided. He considers the Pharma¬ 
copoeia extract to be a scandal to the present state of 
medical knowledge, and that as soon as possible a 
spirituous extract of the j green fruit should take its 
place. 
That although the variability in strength of the succus 
is a drawback, this might be in great measure removed 
by the cultivation of the plant for medicinal use. At 
present the wild plant is gathered as soon as it makes 
the least show of flowering instead of being allowed to 
remain until the fruit begins to form. 
Another grievance is the expensiveness of the succus. 
With the following remarks on this point Dr. Harley 
concludes his paper:—“This is a discredit to pharmacy, 
for hemlock is the rankest of our native weeds, and by 
an abundant yield of juice would well repay the room 
required for its growth; cultivation it requires none. 
If our pharmaceutists remain blind to their interests, 
medical men must help themselves, and annually rear a 
dozen plants in some waste spot of their garden. These 
will yield them a pound of green fruit, from which, with 
a very little trouble, may be made a tincture stronger 
than any juice that can be produced, and an extract, of 
which three grains would produce decided effects in most 
persons. 
SAPONACEOUS PLANTS. 
BY P. L. SIMMONDS. 
Many plants in different countries furnish useful sub¬ 
stitutes for soap to the natives, where there are no con¬ 
veniences or materials for manufacturing the ordinary 
soap of commerce. Prominent among these are the 
soap worts, tropical plants belonging to the genus Sa¬ 
pindus. The Hindoos use the pulp of the fruit of Sapindus 
detergens for washing linen. Several of the species are 
used for the same purpose instead of soap, owing to the 
presence of the vegetable principle called saponine. The 
root and bark also of some species are said to be sapo¬ 
naceous. The capsule of Sapindus emarginatus has a de¬ 
tergent quality when bruised, forming suds if agitated 
in hot water. The natives of India used this as a soap 
for washing the hair, silk, etc. The berries of Sapindus 
laurifolius , another Indian species, are also saponaceous. 
The name of the genus Sapindus is merely altered from 
Sapo-indicus t Indian soap, the aril which surrounds the 
seed of S. Saponaria being used as soap in South America. 
According to Browne, the seed-vessels are very acrid; 
they lather freely in water, and will cleanse more linen 
than thirty times their weight of soap, but in time they 
corrode or burn the linen. This assertion, however, re¬ 
quires confirmation. Humboldt tells us that proceeding 
along the river Carenicuar, in the Gulf of Cariaco, he 
saw the native Indian women washing their linen with the 
fruit of this tree, there called the Para para. Saponaceous 
berries are also used in Java for washing. The fresh 
bark of the root Monnina polgstachia (R. and P.), called 
Yalhoi , pounded and moulded into balls, is used by the 
Peruvians in place of soap. 
Saponine exists in many other seeds and roots—in the 
legumes of Acacia concinna , in which a considerable 
trade is carried on in some parts of India, and in the 
root of Vaccaria vulgaris , Agrostemma Githago , and Ana- 
gal Us arvensis. It also occurs in various species of 
Dianthus and Lychnis, and in the bark of Silene infiata. 
Gypsophila struthium is used by the Spaniards for scour¬ 
ing instead of soap. The bruised leaves of Saponaria 
officinalis , a native of England, forms a lather which 
much resembles that of soap, and is similarly efficacious 
in removing grease spots. The bark of Quillaia sapo¬ 
naria of Central America answers the same purpose, and 
is used as a detergent by wool dyers. It has been even 
imported largely into Franco, Belgium, etc., and sold in 
the shops as a cheap substitute for soap. The fruit of 
the Bromelia Pinguin has also been found useful as a soap 
substitute. 
A vegetable soap was prepared some years ago in 
Jamaica from the leaves of the American aloe (Agave 
Americana), which was found as detergent as Castile 
soap for washing .linen, and had the superior quality of 
mixing and forming a lather with salt water as woil as 
fresh. Dr. Robinson, the naturalist, thus describes the 
process he adopted in 1767, and for which ho was 
awarded a grant by the House of Assembly of Jamaica:— 
The lower leaves of the Curaca or Coratoe (Agave 
Karatn) were pressed between heavy rollers to express 
the juice, which, after being strained through a hair¬ 
cloth, was merely inspissated by the action of ^ the sun, 
or a slow fire, and cast into balls or cakes. The only 
precaution deemed necessary was to prevent the mixture 
of any unctuous materials, which destroyed the efficacy 
