Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
October,  1910.  / 
Oil  of  Sesamum. 
477 
ments,  and  plasters  for  which  the  British  Pharmacopoeia  orders  that 
olive  oil  should  be  used. 
Sesame  oil  has  the  following  advantages  over  cottonseed  and 
olive  oil: 
1.  It  does  not  readily  turn  rancid. 
2.  It  is  easily  saponified  even  by  cold  process. 
3.  It  is  a  semi-drying  oil. 
4.  It  is  not  gummy  and  sticky. 
5.  It  is  more  readily  absorbed  by  the  skin. 
6.  It  is  thinner  than  cottonseed  oil  although  of  the  same  specific 
gravity,  in  other  words  it  possesses  less  viscosity. 
7.  It  does  not  congeal  until  — 50  C.  and  solid  particles  do  not 
separate  until  — 30  C,  while  cottonseed  oil  congeals  at  o°  C.  and 
solid  particles  separate  already  at  -\-i2°  C,  and  olive  oil  congeals 
at  o°  C.  and  solid  particles  do  not  separate  at  -j-io0  C.  For  the 
latter  reason  sesame  oil  is  much  to  be  preferred  in  colder  climates. 
8.  Its  price  is  reasonable,  $1.00  or  less  per  gallon  according  to 
quantities. 
9.  Its  price  is  not  apt  to  market  fluctuation  as,  owing  to  the 
extensive  cultivation,  the  rapid  growth  of  the  plant,  and  the  double 
annual  harvest  of  the  seed,  a  very  large  quantity  of  sesame  oil  is 
produced. 
OLEUM  SESAMI  DELETED  FROM  THE  U.S. P.  VIII. 
The  leaves  of  sesame  were  official  in  the  U.S. P.  1830  (1st 
revis.)  to  U.S. P.  1880  (6th  revis.)  inclusive.  Sesame  oil  was  official 
in  the  U.S. P.  1830  to  U.S. P.  1890  (7th  revis.)  inclusive.  Un- 
fortunately, however,  it  was  not  admitted  again  into  the  U.S. P. 
VIII.  I  am  informed  by  a  member  of  the  former  Revision  Com- 
mittee that  the  step  was  taken  because  the  general  opinion  of  the 
majority  of  the  members  was  that  sesame  oil  was  antiquated  and 
was  no  longer  in  use. 
Those  interested  in  pharmaceutical  history,  and  I  hope  their 
number  is  on  the  increase,  will  undoubtedly  be  pleased  to  hear  that 
oleum  sesami  is  a  very  old  if  not  the  oldest  oil  known.  Herodotus 
(born  484  B.  C),  the  father  of  history,  states  that  it  was  the  best 
known  oil  at  that  time.  According  to  G.  P.  Forrester  in  the 
Chemist  and  Druggist,  London  (abstracted  in  the  American  Drug- 
gist, June  13,  1910,  p.  308),  the  word  sesame  occurs  in  an  Egyptian 
document  of  about  1500  B.  C. 
