Du Mez—The Galenical Oleoresins. 
1117 
America as Carpenter, in 1829, in an article on Peruvian bark, 
refers to its use by Dr. Chapman of Philadelphia in connec¬ 
tion with the administration of quinine. The oleoresin prepared 
with ether became official in the United States Pharmacopoeia 
in 1850 under the title Extractum Piperis Fluidum. In the 
1860 edition, the name was changed to Oleoresina Piperis, under 
which title, it is still official at the present time. Neither this 
preparation nor one of a similar nature has ever been given of¬ 
ficial recognition abroad. 
Drug Used, Its Collection, Preservation, Etc. 
According to the present edition of the United States Phar¬ 
macopoeia, the drug recognized is “the dried, unripe fruit of 
Piper nigrum Linne (Fam. Piperaceae), without the presence 
or admixture of more than two per cent of stems or other for¬ 
eign matter. ’ ’ It has also occassionally been referred to under 
the botanical synonyms, Piper trioicum Roxb. 
As becomes apparent from the foregoing, only the unripe 
fruits should be used. As the fruit reaches maturity, the 
chlorophyll content diminishes and it becomes less pungent. 1 
A variation in the chlorophyll would naturally effect the prop¬ 
erties of the oleoresin prepared therefrom, while a difference 
in piperine content would have no significance in this connec¬ 
tion as only a small portion of the total piperine (to which pep¬ 
per owes its pungency) 2 remains in solution in the oleoresin, 
the greater part being precipitated upon the ermoval of the sol¬ 
vent. 
Pepper, as it occurs on the market, consists of a number of 
commercial varieties, viz: Malabar, Cochin, Penang, Singapore, 
Siam and others. 3 The quality of these varieties is ordinarily 
governed by weight, the Malabar being the heaviest. The 
Penang, however, is stated to be the most pungent. The man¬ 
ner in which either of these qualities effect the oleoresin does 
not appear to have been determined. While the Pharmacopoeia 
makes no provisions for the preservation of this drug, its volatile 
oil content necessitates the use of closed containers. 
1 Flueckiger, Pharmakognosie des Pflanzenreiches (1891), p. 913. 
2 Kayser, Chem. Centralb. (1888), 59, p. 261. 
3 Jos. K. Janks, Sluices, New York, (1915), p. 10. 
