120 
ON RADIX SUMBUL. 
of starch, the freshly divided surface is yellowish-white, and 
is rendered dark blue by iodine, but as the root occurs in 
commerce the surfaces appear of a dirty brownish-yellow 
color, and partly covered with exuded and dried milk-sap. 
The taste is spicy, bitter, of considerable duration, but not 
disagreeable; but the most peculiar character is undoubtedly 
its odor, which at some distance resembles musk so strongly 
and distinctly, that several pharmaceutists whom we asked 
to smell the paper in which a slice of the Sumbul root was 
folded in order to have their opinion, unanimously pro- 
nounced it to be musk ; but when held near, and especially 
with a fresh section, the odor resembles at the same time 
that of Apium or somewhat that of Angelica. The odor 
adheres very strongly to linen, and is not entirely removed 
by washing ; the taste is slightly sweet, musk-like, subse- 
quently aromatic. Since the odor of musk is increased by 
ammonia, the authors placed some fine sections of the root in 
a glass, and moistened them with very dilute solution of am- 
monia, but now another aromatic odor appeared instead of 
the musky one. Dilute sulphuric acid also produced a different 
odor, which might almost be termed a rotten one ; but on 
dropping a little concentrated sulphuric acid on a slice of 
the root, a very strong and decided odor of valerianic acid 
was produced, and the liquid became of a beautiful wine- 
red color, which after a few hours passed into brown, 
while the smell of the acid still continued. 
Reinsch submitted the root to analysis, and obtained the 
following result : — 
Water - - - - - - 0.130 
Essential oil, not smelling of musk - - 
1. Extract with JEthcr. 
A nearly-colorless balsam - - - -0.126 
A waxy substance 0.002 
2. Extract with Alcohol of 0.8194 spec. grav. 
Balsam 0.002 
Aromatic resin 0.003 
A bitter substance, soluble in alcohol and water - 0.010 
