•Active principles of Sarsaparilla. 
m 
quantities of parigline, smilacine, salseparine, and parillinic 
acid. 
I prepared the parigline according to the process of M. 
Palotta, by adding milk of lime to an aqueous infusion of sar- 
saparilla, treating the precipitate when dry with alcohol, and 
then distilling. By this means I obtained a very fine pro- 
duct. 
I did not find it as easy to prepare the smilacine of M. Fol- 
chi; this physician I think deceived himself, when he an- 
nounced that he had obtained appreciable quantities of this 
substance, by macerating one ounce of the medullary part of 
sarsaparilla in water, treating this infusion with animal char- 
coal, and evaporating it. I would $tate that it is impossible 
to extract the smallest quantity of sjnilacine, from an ounce 
of this meditullium by means of water. I separated with the 
greatest care the cortical substance from the medullary part, 
and although I operated on five kilogrammes, I obtained very 
little smilacine. The colour of the substance thus prepared 
is acted on with great difficulty by animal charcoal; but if 
it is treated with alcohol and charcoal, it acquires all the pro- 
perties of parigline ; when we reflect that water is a bad sol- 
vent of parigline, and that the meditullium furnishes very lit- 
tle of it, it will be readily conceived why we always obtain 
this substance in small quantities and in an impure state by 
the method of M. Folchi. But, if an infusion, or what is bet- 
ter, a decoction of the medullary portion of sarsaparilla, be 
treated with lime and alcohol, a substance is obtained iden- 
tical with parigline. This same part, well bruised, and ma- 
cerated in alcohol at 35°, also affords the same body. 
These researches led me to examine whether the active 
properties of sarsaparilla resided in the cortical or medullary 
part of the root. Mr. Pope has asserted that the active prin- 
ciple was wholly confined to the cortical portion, and that the 
medullary was inert. This assertion I esteem erroneous. All 
the world may satisfy themselves that both parts contain pa- 
rigline. I have treated these two portions of the root by the 
methods of Palotta, Folchi, Thubuef and Batka, and have 
