PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTICES. 
409 
is  employed  in  the  process ;  the  natural  juice  of  the  plant  being 
merely  admixed  with  sufficient  alcohol  to  preserve  it  from  change. 
Take  of  fresh  Dandelion  Roots  (collected  in  September  or  October) 
twenty  pounds,  (av.) 
Alcohol,  835  sp.  gr.  four  pints. 
Slice  the  roots  transversely  in  short  sections,  and  by  means  of  a 
mill  or  mortar  and  pestle  reduce  them  to  a  pulpy  mass ;  then  add  the 
alcohol  and  mix  them  thoroughly.   The  mixture  thus  far  prepared 
at  the  season  when  the  root  is  proper  for  collection,  may  be  set  aside 
in  suitable  vessels  ;  stoneware  jars  are  appropriate  ;  and  extracted 
as  the  preparation  is  needed  through  the  other  seasons.  After  having 
stood  a  week,  or  until  a  convenient  time,  the  pulpy  mass  is  subjected 
to  powerful  pressure,  until  as  much  as  possible  of  the  fluid  is  re- 
moved.   This  is  then  filtered  and  bottled  for  use.    It  is  necessary 
that  sufficient  time  should  elapse  after  the  pulp  is  set  aside  for  the 
alcohol  to  penetrate  the  fibrous  particles  and  commingle  with  the 
natural  juices,  as  well  as  for  the  woody  structure  of  the  root  to  lose 
its  elasticity,  that  it  may  yield  the  juice  more  completely  on  pres- 
sure. When  the  pulp  has  stood  six  months  in  this  manner  it  yields 
the  juice  with  great  readiness,  and  possessed  of  the  sensible  proper- 
ties of  the  dandelion  in  a  marked  degree.  When  eight  pounds,  avoir- 
dupois, of  the  root  is  thus  treated,  after  standing  several  months, 
the  practical  result  is  about  six  pints  of  fluid,  with  an  ordinary 
Screw-press.  This  yield  will  vary  in  amount  with  the  condition  of 
the  root  when  collected,  and  the  length  of  time  it  is  exposed  after- 
wards, as  well  as  the  power  of  the  press  used.    Should  the  alcohol 
in  this  preparation  be  contraindicated,  it  might  be  partially  re- 
moved by  exposure  in  a  water  bath  until  the  juice  was  reduced 
to  five-sixths  of  its  bulk,  and  then  for  every  pint  of  the  residue, 
eight  ounces  Troy  of  sugar  may  be  added  and  dissolved  in  it. 
NOTE  ON  CUCUMBER  OINTMENT. 
Several  years  ago  (April,  1847)  I  published  in  this  Journal  a 
note  on  the  preparation  of  Cucumber  Ointment,  since  when  it  has 
gradually  come  more  into  use  as  an  emollient  application  to  irri- 
tated parts  of  the  skin.  It  may  not  be  improper  to  again  call 
attention  to  the  preparation  and  the  mode  of  preparing  it. 
Take  of  Green  Cucumbers,  (suitable  for  table  use,)  7  pounds,  av. 
Lard,  (the  purest  and  whitest,)  24  ounces  " 
Veal  suet,  (selected,)  15  ounces  " 
