THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
MAY,  1887. 
SOME  CONSTITUENTS  OF  YEEBA  SANTA. 
By  K.  Bother. 
A  syrup  prepared  from  Eriodictyon  leayes  is  extensively  used  for 
the  administration  of  quinine  in  a  bitterless  form.  It  also  affords 
the  further  advantage  of  extinguishing  the  bitter  taste  of  quinine  when 
taken  immediately  after  the  use  of  mixtures  in  which  it  would  other- 
wise be  chemically  incompatible.  In  order  to  disguise  the  bitterness 
of  quinine  when  given  in  a  fluid  state,  it  has  been  variously  exhibited 
in  the  condition  of  insoluble  salts.  The  great  objection  to  this  mode 
of  procedure  is  that  these  quinium  compounds  remain  partially  insolu- 
ble, and  hence  inoperative,  in  both  alkaline  and  acidine  contacts.  Some 
of  these  combinations,  although  remarkably  insoluble  in  the  main, 
are  by  no  means  destitute  of  the  nauseous  bitter  taint. 
The  important  advantage  possessed  by  Yerba  Santa  consists  not  only 
in  the  phenomenal  suppression  of  the  bitterness  of  quinine,  but  also  in 
its  presentation  in  a  readily  assimilable  state. 
A  certain  resinous  component  of  Eriodictyon  leaves  is  characterized 
by  the  property  of  forming  in  contact  with  some  bases  very  soluble 
seemingly  saline  compacts.  These,  when  merged  with  quinium  salts 
generate  by  double  decomposition  an  ordinarily  insoluble  quinium-resin 
salt.  This  compound  is  promptly  decomposed  by  the  stronger  acids, 
and  is  peculiarly  soluble  in  ammonia. 
When  coarsely  ground  Eriodictyon  leaves  are  percolated  with  water, 
a  moderately  dark  brown  colored  and  somewhat  bitter  percolate  is  ob- 
tained. On  evaporating  this  to  a  syrupy  consistence  and  treating  this 
residue  with  alcohol,  a  light  brown  liquor  and  dark  brown  pasty  residue 
results.  The  alcoholic  solution  has  acquired  all  of  the  peculiar  bitter- 
ness of  the  percolate  whilst  the  pasty  mass  is  practically  tasteless.  On 
treating  this  residue,  or  the  original  one  resulting  from  the  percolate, 
with  potassium  carbonate,  an  ammoniacal  odor  becomes  quite  pro- 
nounced. The  addition  of  an  acid  to  the^dark  brown  mass,  separated 
by  alcohol,  yields  a  profuse  precipitate  which  is  wholly  but  slowly  dis- 
solved to  a  dark  brown  solution  by  a  large  volume  of  water. 
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