560 
Preparations  of  Aconite. 
Am.. Jour.  Pharm. 
Nov.,  1882. 
far  weaker  in  effect  tlian  ought  to  be  from  what  was  known  of  their 
relative  alkaloidal  value. 
Then  again  the  relation  of  strength  between  the  leaf  and  the  root 
has  been  left  unsettled.  Statements  are  to  be  found,  by  good  author- 
ities that  they  are  equal  in  strength,  and  Stille  and  Maisch  (see  The 
National  Dispensatory,  1879,  p.  97),  give  the  minimum  dose  of  pow- 
dered leaves  or  root  as  one  or  two  grains,  as  though  they  were  of  the 
same  strength.  On  the  other  hand,  Bentley  and  Trimen  (see  Medi- 
cinal Plants,  Vol.  1,  Xo.  6),  make  the  following  statement:  "  Aconite 
root  is  by  far  the  most  active  part  of  the  ])lant;  it  is  said  to  have 
six  times  the  strength  of  the  leaves."  For  these  extremes  many 
intermediate  comparisons  are  to  be  found,  and  the  writer  up  to 
this  time  has  accepted  the  statement  that  the  root  was  one-fifth 
stronger  than  the  leaf,  but  now  finds  this  to  be  a  great  and  impor- 
tant mistake. 
Of  course  all  the  preparations  from  the  leaf  have  been  duplicated 
in  those  from  the  root  as  the  latter  have  come  into  use,  and  one  or  two 
have  been  added,  so  that  the  confusion  has  been  and  still  is  very  great 
and  dangerous. 
There  is  now,  in  not  very  infrequent  use,  a  powder,  fluid  extract, 
extract  and  tincture  of  the  dried  leaf,  and  an  extract  of  the  green 
or  undried  leaf.  Then  there  is  in  more  common  use  a  powder,  fluid 
extract,  extract  and  four  tinctures  of  very  dissimilar  strength,  made 
from  the  dried  root,  and  all  these  from  the  common  ofBcinal  variety,, 
the  Aconitum  Napellus.  Then  there  are  at  least  four  very  different 
aconitias  or  aconitines  in  common  use  in  this  country,  and  one  or  two 
more  in  Europe.  There  are,  first,  the  ordinary  '^aconitia"  or  "aconi- 
tin,"  sold  by  one  or  more  prominent  manufacturers  of  chemicals  in 
this  country,  but  generally  supposed  to  be  imported  from  Germany.. 
Second,  the  aconitine  made  by  Merck,  of  Darmstadt,  and  bearing  his 
label.  This  is  largely  sold  and  is  supposed  to  be  made  from  the  A. 
JSTapellus.  The  same  maker  sends  out  an  aconitine  at-more  than  three 
times  the  price  of  the  first,  labeled  Aconitine  from  Himalaya  Root," 
probably  from  the  A.  ferox.  Then  Duquesnel,  of  Paris,  sends  out  an 
aconitine  which  is  in  well-formed,  colorless  crystals,  at  about  three 
times  the  price  of  the  last.  That  is,  the  first  aconitine  costs  about 
|14.00  an  ounce,  avoirdupois.  That  of  Merck  costs  about  $13.00 
an  ounce.    The  second,  of  the  same  maker,  about  $40.00  an  ounce,, 
