Du Mez—The Galenical Oleoresins. 
1049 
Chemistry of the Drug and Oleoresin. 
Tabulation of Constituents. 
We are indebted principally to Bernatzik 1 Schmidt 2 * and 
Schulze 5 6 for definite information concerning the constituents 
of the cubeb fruit. According to these investigators, the con¬ 
stituents of importance from a pharmaceutical standpoint are 
as follows: volatile oil, fatty oil, fat, cubebin, cubebic acid, 
indifferent resin, coloring matter, starch, gum and inorganic 
substances. Inasmuch as an attempt to determine the compo¬ 
sition of the oleoresin does not appear to have been made since 
the identification of the above enumerated constitutents, a 
definite statement concerning its exact composition can not be 
given. 4 However, a knowledge of the physical properties of 
the constituents of the fruit warrants the statement that the 
following are present in the oleoresin when prepared with alco¬ 
hol or ether: 
Volatile oil Cubebin Coloring matter 
Fatty oil Cubebic acid (Acid resin) Ash 
Fat Resin (Indifferent resin) 
Occurrence and Description of Individual Constituents 
Volatile Oil. 5 The volatile oil of cubeb is a colorless or pale 
green, thick fluid possessing a burning, spicy, but not a bitter 
taste. Its specific gravity varies (0.915 to 0.937 at 15°C) de¬ 
pending on the age of the oil after distillation or the length 
of time that the fruits have been stored before obtaining the 
oil. It is strongly refractive and is laevogyrate,-^39.45° to 
1 Buchner’s n. Repert. f. d. Pharm. (1865), 14, p. 97. 
3 Arch. d. Pharm. (1870), 191, p. 23. 
*Ibid. (1873, 202, p. 388. 
The following 1 are among the early investigators who have reported analy¬ 
ses of the fruit: Trommsdorff, Trommsdorff’s n. Journ. der Pharm. (1811), 
20, p. 69; Vauquelin, Journ. de Chim. Med. (1820), 21, p. 103; Taschenb. f. 
Scheidekuenst. (1822), p. 185; Monheim, Buchner’s Repert. d. Pharm. (1833), 
44, p. 199. 
4 Vieth in an article on the relation between the chemical composition and 
therapeutic activity of various balsams states that Kubebenextrakt consists 
of terpenes (25 per cent.) resin acids (10 per cent.) and resins (25 per 
cent.) Verh. d. Ges. deutsch. Naturf. u. Aerzte (1905), 2, p. 364. 
6 The above description is for the volatile oil obtained from the fruits by 
steam distillation and corresponds to the properties as observed by Schmidt, 
Arch. d. Pharm. (1870), 191, p. 18. 
