552 
ON  ADULTERATED  OIL  OP  PEPPERMINT. 
over  the  surface,  water  is  poured  until  the  liquid  which  has  passed 
shall  amount  to  four  pints,  in  which  88  ounces  of  sugar  are  now 
dissolved  by  applying  the  requisite  heat. 
An  aromatic  syrup  of  blackberry  root  is  habitually  employed 
in  various  parts  of  the  country.  No  formula,  I  think,  has  been 
published  for  the  same,  and  in  my  own  experience  I  have  found 
them  to  vary  considerably  in  different  localities.  While  some 
boil  the  aromatics  and  the  root  in  water,  by  which  process  all 
the  essential  oils  are  driven  off,  others  make  the  decoction  of 
the  root  into  a  syrup,  to  which  they  add  a  strong  tincture  made 
from  spices  with  brandy;  others  again  follow  strictly  the  direc- 
tions of  the  Pharmacopoeia  for  spiced  syrup  of  rhubarb,  adding 
the  evaporated  tincture  to  simple  syrup.  A  very  good  syrup, 
satisfactory  in  every  regard,  may  be  obtained  by  the  following 
process : 
Take  of  Blackberry  Root,  gii. 
Cinnamon, 
Cloves,  each  3iss. 
Mace,  3i. 
White  Sugar,  §xxx. 
Water,  a  sufficient  quantity. 
Reduce  the  root  and  spices  to  a  powder  which  will  pass 
through  a  sieve  of  fifty  meshes  to  the  inch,  moisten  this  with 
two  fluid  ounces  of  alcohol  in  the  manner  directed  by  Professor 
Grahame,  and,  by  pouring  water  on  the  surface,  continue  the 
displacement  until  seventeen  fluid  ounces  of  liquor  have  passed; 
in  this  dissolve  the  sugar  by  the  aid  of  heat. 
Syrup  of  blackberry  root,  thus  prepared,  is  a  strong  and 
gratefully  aromatic  astringent,  perfectly  transparent  and  of  a 
pleasant  taste.  The  dose  for  adults  is  a  tablespoonful,  equiva- 
lent to  fifteen  grains  of  the  root. 
ON  ADULTERATED  OIL  OF  PEPPERMINT. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  : 
An  article  of  oil  of  peppermint  has  been  sold  in  the  Philadel- 
phia market  within  the  past  fortnight,  by  a  person  claiming  to 
be  the  distiller,  from  mint  grown  in  the  State  of  New  York. 
The  oil  is  of  a  light  yellow  color,  but  considerably  darker 
