186 
Notes  on  Cascara  Sagrada. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I      April,  1889. 
sagrada  devoid  of  bitterness  might  be  prepared  by  the  indirect  agency 
of  magnesia  was  due  to  Grazer  of  San  Francisco  (vide  Pharm.  Journ., 
vol.  xv.,  p.  745). 
(1)  An  extract  .prepared  as  directed  by  him  was  found  to  possess 
very  little  medicinal  value. 
(2)  An  extract  prepared  by  adding  magnesia  to  the  powdered  bark  aud 
proceeding  as  in  the  official  liquid  extract  likewise  gave  very  poor  results. 
(3)  The  modified  formula  as  given  by  Mr.  Wright  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Conference  was  next  tried.1  This,  I  consider,  yields  a  much 
better  preparation  both  pharmaceutically  and  medicinally ;  doses  about 
twice  as  large  as  are  indicated  in  the  case  of  the  official  liquid  extract 
should  be  employed. 
(4)  An  equally  good  preparation  may  be  made  in  a  less  complicated 
manner  by  adding  magnesia  to  a  spirituous  percolate  of  the  bark,  the 
excess  being  subsequently  filtered  out  before  evaporation  is  completed. 
As  a  result  of  a  number  of  physiological  experiments,  made  with 
"  tasteless  extracts/'  prepared  in  accordance  with  most  of  the  published 
formulae,  the  following  conclusion  has  been  arrived  at :  "  That  although 
they  possess  some  degree  of  medicinal  activity,  they  in  no  case  possess 
the  full  physiological  value  of  the  ordinary  liquid  extracts." 
The  precise  nature  of  the  action  of  the  magnesia  I  have  as  yet  been 
unable  to  ascertain.  Upon  evaporating  a  portion  of  the  extract  to 
dryness  and  incinerating,  a  considerable  amount  of  magnesium  oxide 
was  left  behind  ;  from  this  it  might  be  expected  that  the  bitterness 
would  be  again  developed  on  acidifying  the  extract.  This,  however, 
is  not  the  case ;  nor  does  the  residual  magnesia  separated  during  the 
preparation  of  a  tasteless  extract  as  above  described  become  bitter  on 
treating  with  a  slight  excess  of  dilute  acid. 
It  is  stated  in  the  important  paper  on  cascara  sagrada  by  Meier  and 
Webber  (Amee.  Jour.  Phar.,  1888,  page  87),  that  the  resins  contained 
in  the  bark  are  not  bitter ;  the  fact  that  the  resinous  matter  precipitated 
by  the  addition  of  acid  to  a  tasteless  extract  is  not  bitter  would  point 
to  this  conclusion. 
I  have  not,  however,  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  product  free  from 
bitterness  by  repeated  precipitation  of  the  resin  from  a  strong  alcoholic 
solution  with  water. 
1  Mix  cascara  sagrada,  powder  No.  40, 1  pound,  magnesia,  2  ounces,  and  water, 
±i  pints;  macerate  for  12  hours,  dry,  powder  and  with  proof  spirit  prepare  16 
fiuidounces  of  fluid  extract. 
