Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
June,  1897.  / 
Verba  Del  Polio. 
Fol.  Exot.  II,  p.  17,  t.  142,  non  Link.  Commelina  undulata,  Lodd. 
Bot.  Cab.,  t.  1553,  non  R.  Br. 
Matlaliztic,  Coapatli,  Zoyol,  Xochitl,  Yerba  del  Polio,  Rosilla. 
Habitat. — Valle  de  Mexico,  Orizaba. 
Analysis. — The  juice  obtained  by  a  simple  pressure  of  the  fresh 
plant  has  an  acid  reaction  towards  litmus  paper.  We  have  obtained 
some  perfectly  neutral  liquid  of  a  peculiar  odor  by  placing  the  juice 
in  a  retort  and  distilling  by  means  of  a  water  bath,  then  adding  to 
the  bath  calcium  chloride  in  several  portions,  to  increase  the  boiling 
temperature,  and  collecting  the  different  fractions  which  came  over. 
When  but  little  juice  remained  in  the  retort  its  odor  was  found  to 
have  changed,  and  it  possessed  a  strongly  acid  reaction ;  when  this 
acid  liquid  was  neutralized  with  bases,  salts  were  obtained  which 
were  found  to  be  acetates. 
Another  portion  of  the  juice  was  heated  to  8o°,  when  a  precipi- 
tate was  formed  which  was  found  to  be  vegetable  albumin.  The 
liquid,  filtered  from  the  albumin,  was  concentrated  to  half  its 
volume  and  treated  with  alcohol  330  Cartier,  when  a  cheesy  precipi- 
tate separated,  which  was  found  to  be  of  an  albuminoid  nature. 
The  residual  liquid,  after  separation  of  this  precipitate,  was  concen- 
trated anew  to  remove  alcohol,  reduced  to  a  small  volume,  and  set 
aside  for  a  while ;  potassium  chloride  separated  as  a  result  of  this 
treatment,  and  on  further  concentration,  more  of  the  same  salt  sepa- 
rated, mixed  with  extractive  matter. 
An  extract  of  the  juice  was  obtained  by  evaporating  the  latter 
on  a  water-bath.  It  was  partly  soluble  in  water ;  when  treated  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  juice,  similar  compounds  were  obtained..  A 
small  amount  of  ammonium  acetate  was  also  found  in  the  extract, 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  pre-existence  of  acetic  acid  in  the  plant,  and  to 
the  formation  of  ammonia  from  the  proteid  principle  on  the  applica- 
tion of  heat. 
We  obtained  also  a  product  neutral  to  litmus  paper — smelling  like 
the  liquid  produced  by  distilling  the  juice — by  distilling  the  dry 
plant  with  simple  water.  If  distilled  with  lime  it  afforded  a  liquid 
smelling  like  the  foregoing,  but  reacting  alkaline  towards  litmus 
paper.  On  saturating  this  alkaline  liquid  with  acid  an  ammonium 
salt  was  obtained. 
Ammonia  may  be  obtained  even  in  an  ordinary  temperature  by 
wetting  the  powdered  plant  and  mixing  it  with  lime  or  the  carbon- 
