Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1889. 
The  Genus  Psoralea. 
345 
mortar,  for  one  hour,  with  the  water ;  agitating  occasionally.  Express, 
filter  and  wash  the  residue  placed  on  the  filter  with  sufficient  water  to 
make  the  filtrate  measure  14J  fluid  ounces.  To  this  add  the  alcohol. 
As  made  by  this  formula  the  infusion  is  a  clear  transparent,  amber- 
colored  liquid,  darkening  in  color  on  keeping  for  several  days  *  char- 
acteristic in  odor  and  bitter  in  taste.  It  is  well,  in  view  of  the  ready 
decomposition  of  such  a  weakly  alcoholic  solution,  to  make  only  such 
quantities  as  will  last-  but  a  short  time,  or  better  still,  to  make  it  ex- 
temporaneously. This  latter  method  is  readily  practicable  with  such 
a  short  period  of  maceration.  In  the  preparation  of  infusion  of  digi- 
talis there  is  urged  the  usage  of  the  English  leaf,  or  the  German  leaf 
selected  and  freed  from  stalks ;  the  employment  of  the  whole  leaf, 
broken  up  as  above  directed,  instead  of  a  No.  20  powder ;  cold  water 
maceration  instead  of  boiling  water  infusion,  for  reasons  previously 
mentioned ;  the  omission  of  powdered  cinnamon,  as  retarding  the 
solution  of  the  digitalis  principles  and  as  of  no  special  value  as  a 
flavor;  and,  lastly,  one  hour's  maceration  as  all  sufficient  for  the  solu- 
tion of  the  water-soluble  digitalis  principles. 
USEFUL  PLANTS  OF  THE  GENUS  PSORALEA. 
By  Johx  M.  Maisch. 
Read  before  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Association,  June  5. 
One  of  the  most  interesting  groups  of  plants  are  those  belonging  to 
the  order  of  leguminosa?  which — as  remarked  by  Lindley — "  is  not 
only  among  the  most  extensive  that  are  known,  but  also  one  of  the 
most  important  to  mac,  whether  we  consider  the  beauty  of  the  num- 
erous species,  which  are  among  the  gayest-colored  and  most  graceful 
plants  of  every  region  ;  or  their  applicability  to  a  thousand  useful  pur- 
poses/' Many  of  the  plants  are  medicinal  or  yield  medicinal  products, 
quite  a  number  of  which  have  been  admitted  into  the  various  pharma- 
copoeias, including  some  which  are  decidedly  toxic,  like  physostigma. 
Among  the  leguminous  plants  indigenous  to  the  United  States  a 
species  of  Psoralea,  common  in  our  Southern  States  and  west  of  the 
Alleghenies,  has  attracted  some  attention  as  a  medicine,  and  though  it 
does  not  seem  to  possess  properties  superior  to  other  more  generally 
known  drugs,  it  will  perhaps  be  of  interest  to  collect  together  the  most 
important  facts,  recently  ascertained  or  heretofore  known,  regarding 
the  medicinal  or  economic  value  of  the  different  species  of  this  genus. 
The  name  of  the  genus  is  derived  from  the  Greek  psoraleos,  which 
