992 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences , Arts, and Letters. 
C0 3 ". Hell and Company 34 report the presence of 0.0144 per 
cent, of copper. Spies, however, was unable to detect the presence 
of either copper or manganese. 
The ash content of the dried rhizomes varies, about 2.0 to 
3.0 per cent being the usual amount obtained. 35 
Constituents of Therapeutic Importance 
The value of the oleoresin of aspidium as a teniafuge has 
at various times been attributed to either its filix acid * 1 or vola¬ 
tile oil 2 content. Comparatively recent pharmacological in¬ 
vestigation, 3 however, has shown that the property of expell¬ 
ing the tape worm is not due to a single constituent, but is 
shared by a number of the acid-like components, namely: filix 
acid, flavaspidic acid, albaspidin, aspidinol, flavaspidinin and 
filmaron. Of these substances, filmaron is the most active and 
is stated by Jaequet 4 and others to be the constituent of most 
importance therapeutically. 
The diminution in the therapeutic activity of the oleoresin 
on ageing has been found to be due to the breaking down of 
some of these constituents into compounds which are inert or 
less active as teniafuges. Of the decomposition products tested 
by Straub, phloroglucin, filicin acid and butyric acid were 
found to be non-toxic when administered to frogs. 5 Filix acid 
on the other hand was found to be toxic. Its value as a 
teniafuge is, however, doubtful. 6 
Physical Properties 
Color: The color of the oleoresin varies to a considerable 
extent depending principally on the condition of the drug from 
which it is prepared. It is described by various writers as 
being yellowish-green, green, dark green or greenish-brown. 
34 Pharm. Post (1894), 27, p. 168; Journ. de Pharm. et de Chim., 139, 
p. 493. 
36 Bock gives the ash content of the air dried rhizomes as 2.13 per cent., 
Kruse as 1.90 to 2.2 and Spies as 2.74. For the exsicated rhizomes, the latter 
obtained 3.19 per cent. 
1 Poulsson, Arch. f. Exp. Path. u. Pharmak. (1891), 29, p. 9. 
3 Robert, Therap. Monatsch. (1893), p. 136. 
3 Straub, Arch. f. Exp. Path. u. Pharmak. (1902), 48, pp. 1-47. 
4 Therap. Monatsh. (1904), 18, p. 391. 
5 l c. 
6 Boehm, Arch. f. Exp. Path. u. Pharmak. (1897), 38, p. 35. 
