SYRUPUS  LACTUCARII,  U.  S.  P. 
49 
ing  44  per  cent.  Diluted  alcohol  is  conceded  to  be  the  best 
solvent  of  the  active  principles  of  the  drug,  and  all  the  published 
formulae  for  the  last  fifteen  years  have  used  this  menstruum  for 
the  preliminary  portion  of  the  process.  It  requires  from  eight 
to  ten  fluid  parts  to  exhaust  the  drug.  On  evaporation  of  the 
spirit  it  deposits  a  large  portion  of  the  soluble  matter,  increasing 
in  bulk  as  the  liquid  portion  is  dissipated ;  but  on  addition  of  a 
small  portion  of  alcohol  to  restore  it  to  the  strength  of  diluted 
alcohol,  it  is  again  restored  to  perfect  solution. 
The  officinal  process,  after  exhausting  the  lactucarium  (one 
ounce  to  make  half  a  pint  of  tincture),  directs  the  liquid  to  be 
evaporated  to  two  ounces,  and  then  added  to  fourteen  ounces 
of  simple  syrup. 
The  undissolved  portion  is  held  partly  in  suspension,  and  in 
part  deposited,  requiring  shaking  to  mix  it. 
The  resulting  syrup  is  cloudy  with  a  yellow-red  color,  un- 
pleasant t?o  the  eye,  and  not  very  acceptable  to  the  taste.  If, 
when  the  liquid  has  been  evaporated  to  the  quantity  ordered, 
a  little  alcohol  is  added,  a  perfect  solution  is  effected  of  a  dark 
transparent  appearance ;  but  when  sufficient  simple  syrup  is 
added  to  make  it  the  requisite  strength,  it  has  the  same  general 
appearance  of  the  officinal  syrup. 
The  experiments  I  made  were  to  obtain  a  transparent  syrup 
which  would  retain  the  virtues  of  the  lactucarium  as  fully  as  possi- 
ble. The  process  adopted  in  the  U.  S.  P.  1860  for  syrup  of  tolu 
seems,  with  a  slight  modification,  to  meet  the  case.  I  would 
suggest  the  following  formula : 
Lactucarium,  one  troyounce. 
Diluted  Alcohol,  a  sufficient  quantity. 
Carbonate  of  Magnesia,  sixty  grains. 
Sugar,  fourteeen  troyounces. 
Water,  four  fluidounces. 
Orange-flower  Water,  two  fluidounces. 
Rub  the  lactucarium  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  diluted  alco- 
hol to  make  a  smooth  paste,  transfer  to  a  conical  percolator, 
adding  enough  diluted  alcohol  to  obtain  half  a  pint  of  the  tinc- 
ture. Into  a  mortar  place  the  carbonate  of  magnesia  and  one 
troy-ounce  of  sugar,  add  the  tincture  and  four  ounces  of  water, 
4 
