September 1C, 1871.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
221 
CHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RE¬ 
SEARCHES UPON THE NATURE OF THE 
PURGATIVE PRINCIPLES OF ALEXAN¬ 
DRIAN SENNA. 
BY Mir. E. BOUItGOIN AXD E. BOUCHUT. 
Senna lias been successively analysed by Bouillon- 
Lagrange and Braconnot, then by Lassaigne and 
Feneulle, and more recently by Ludwig, Batka, 
Kubly and Dragendorff. 
Bouillon-Lagrange prepared an aqueous distillate, 
wliich had a nauseous odour and was slightly pur¬ 
gative, but he failed to isolate any definite principle. 
The same may be said of Braconnot, who attributed 
the properties of senna to a bitter substance of a 
complex nature, obtained from the watery extract. 
The results obtained by Lassaigne and Feneulle 
in 1821 are most important. Those chemists pre¬ 
pared a substance to which they gave the name of 
cathartine, and to wliich they attributed the special 
properties of the senna. It may be remarked in 
passing that the name cathartine ought not to be 
retained in science, for the product wliich it denotes 
is not a definite substance. 
According to Dragendorff and Kubly, senna owes 
its properties to a particular acid—cathartic acid; 
but these writers, like the preceding, gave no precise 
details by which their assertion could be substan¬ 
tiated. 
In consequence of these contradictory results, it 
was thought by the authors that it would be inter¬ 
esting to make a fresh investigation of the subject, 
particularly to determine the nature of the body or 
bodies to which the purgative properties of senna 
are to be attributed. 
After some preliminary experiments which it is 
unnecessary to report, the following was the method 
adopted in this delicate research. 
One kilogram of picked Alexandrian senna was 
treated with ten times its weight of boiling distilled 
water; after standing twenty-foui’ hours it was ex¬ 
pressed, and the resulting liquor filtered and evapo¬ 
rated by a water-batli to two litres. Then its own 
volume of alcohol was added, wliich caused the for¬ 
mation of an abundant precipitate that was separated. 
The liquid, cleared from this principle, was reduced 
by evaporation to the weight of one kilogram. 
From tills product might be prepared, on the one 
hand, the cathartine of Lassaigne and Feneulle, on 
the other, the cathartic acid of Dragendorff and 
Kubly. 
In tills memoir will be examined in the following 
order—(1) the mucilaginous matter; (2) the liquid 
extract ; (3) the cathartine of Lassaigne and 
Feneulle : (4) a new substance, ? catharto-mannite; 
(5) the cathartic acid; (G) the chrysoplianic acid of 
the senna. 
1. Mucilaginous Matter. 
Mucilaginous matter exists in large quantity in 
senna, to the extent of about one-tenth of its weight. 
It is separated immediately by adding to a concen¬ 
trated infusion an equal volume of 45 per cent, alco¬ 
hol. Left to stand, it collects upon the surface of 
the liquid, whence it may easily be taken, and should 
then be washed several times with alcohol to free it 
from the liquid extract with wliich it is impregnated. 
When afterwards dissolved in its own weight of water, 
a solution is obtained that is slightly clouded and 
Third Series, No. G4. 
sluggish, with a mucilaginous flavour, not at all 
bitter. This is the solution with which the experi¬ 
ments were made, and which has yielded the follow¬ 
ing results. 
Physiological Effects .—We have administered the 
mucilaginous matter of senna to fifteen children of 
from five to thirteen years of age, in doses of five, 
six, ten and fifteen grams. 
Eight times, that is to say in more than half the 
cases, it had no purgative effect; two of these 
children had griping pains, but beyond that no ap¬ 
preciable disturbance was noticed either of feverish¬ 
ness or loss of appetite. 
Upon the other seven it had a slight purgative 
effect, characterized in three by a single muddy 
evacuation, and by two to four yellowish liquid eva¬ 
cuations in the others; but in neither case was there 
any fever. 
In order to compare the action of this mucilagi¬ 
nous matter derived from senna with the liquid ex¬ 
tract described further on, the following experiments 
were made. 
To a child twelve years of age who had taken suc¬ 
cessively six grams of mucilaginous matter, and 
the next day ten grams, without any purgative 
effect, was given on the third day ten grams of 
liquid extract, which caused two liquid painless 
evacuations. 
To a child fourteen years of age, to whom fifteen 
grams of the mucilaginous matter had been given 
without producing any sensible effect, was adminis¬ 
tered on the following day, 15 grams of the liquid 
extract, which caused two liquid evacuations with 
griping pains. 
From this it appears that the mucilaginous matter 
of senna, when in a pure state, is not purgative in 
doses up to 15 grams, wliich would be equivalent 
to 150 grams of the leaves, and that without ex¬ 
ceeding such dose, abundant evacuations are not 
produced by it. It is, however, easily explained how 
it is that the mucilaginous matter of senna some¬ 
times exercises a slightly purgative action. The 
product of Dragendorff and Kubly, which, as will 
be seen, is purgative, is insoluble in concentrated 
alcohol; it is probable, therefore, that a small quan¬ 
tity of that substance is contained in the mucilagi¬ 
nous matter from which it is difficult entirely to 
eliminate it. 
As a result ' of these experiments it appears that 
the mucilaginous matter ought not to be regarded as 
one of the purgative principles of senna. 
2. The Liquid Extract. 
The infusion of senna, deprived by alcohol of the 
mucilaginous matter, was evaporated in a water- 
batli at a gentle heat, so as to drive off the greater 
part of the alcohol, and to obtain finally a quantity 
of liquid equal in weight to the leaves originally 
used. The liquid so obtained is of a dark brownish- 
yellow colour, and possesses a bitter, slightly nau¬ 
seous flavour. It gives no precipitate with water or 
proof-spirit, but with absolute alcohol it yields an 
abundant precipitate, which will be referred to 
further on. 
Physiological Effects .—The effects of this liquid, 
which represent, properly speaking, the infusion of 
senna, are, as might be expected, very marked upon 
the secretions and the contraction of the intestines. 
This has already been noticed in comparing in the 
same patient the purgtive a action of this prepara- 
