ON  ERGOT  OF  RYE. 
413 
These  are  the  most  important  constituents.  The  specific  action  of 
the  ergot  of  rye  can  only  be  ascribed  to  the  secaline  compound 
or  the  coloring  matter,  or  to  both  of  these  compounds  together,  as, 
according  to  all  experience,  it  does  not  belong  to  the  fatty  oil. 
The  powdered  ergot  of  rye  intended  for  medical  purposes  should 
be  dried  at  a  temperature  not  exceeding  139°  Fahr.,  and  preserved 
completely  dry  in  a  vessel  impermeable  to  the  atmosphere.  The 
powder  preserved  in  this  manner  appears  almost  odorless,  of  a 
light  grey  blue  color,  but  evolves  the  peculiar  odor  of  ergot  of  rye 
directly  it  is  moistened  with  water.  The  watery  extract,  particu- 
larly that  prepared  with  finely-powdered  ergot,  in  the  cold,  or 
treated  with  cold  water,  and  then  evaporated  in  a  water  bath,  pos- 
sesses the  peculiar  odor  of  ergot  of  rye,  affords  by  distillation  with 
caustic  lime  a  considerable  quantity  of  secaline  and  ammonia,  and 
contains  without  doubt  the  greatest  portion  of  the  active  constitu- 
ents of  the  ergot  of  rye  ;  but  it  cannot  be  kept.  The  spirituous  tinc- 
ture, prepared  with  alcohol  of  40  per  cent.,  by  several  days'  diges- 
tion at  an  ordinary  temperature  from  finely  pulverized  ergot,  ap- 
pears of  a  dark  brown  color,  contains  all  the  active  constituents 
of  the  ergot  of  rye,  and  very  little  fatty  oil,  which  separates  in  a 
crystalline  form  at  very  low  temperatures. 
The  spirituous  extract  is  best  kept  and  most  effective  when  it  is 
prepared  by  twice  extracting  the  fine  powder  with  an  equal  quan- 
tity of  cold  distilled  water,  clarifying  the  concentrated  extract, 
and  treating  it  with  alcohol  of  80  per  cent,  as  long  as  a  precipi- 
tate results  on  the  addition  of  a  fresh  portion.  The  spirituous  fluid 
is  after  24  hours  separated  from  the  precipitate  by  filtration  ;  the 
filtrate  subjected  to  distillation  in  a  water  bath,  and  the  residue 
evaporated  to  the  consistence  of  an  extract.  The  extractive  ergo- 
tine  prepared  in  this  way  is  a  little  hygroscopic,  possesses  a  light 
brown  color,  a  slight  narcotic  odor,  dissolves  under  the  separation 
of  a  little  ergotine  (Wiggers)  in  water,  and  evolves,  when  treated 
with  a  solution  of  caustic  potash,  in  a  high  degree,  the  penetrating 
odor  of  secaline.  By  distillation  of  the  concentrated  watery  ex- 
tract with  caustic  lime  a  very  concentrated  solution  of  secaline 
is  also  obtained. 
Winckler  recommends  for  further  investigations  on  the  activity 
of  the  ergot  of  rye  the  pure  muriate  of  secaline,  the  neutral  com- 
pound of  secaline  with  ergotine,  the  red  coloring  matter,  and  the 
