Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1887. 
Constituents  of  Yerba  Santa. 
227 
stance  readily  soluble  in  alcohol  and  in  ammonia,  with  intense  red-brown 
color.    The  solutions  are  characteristically  tasteless. 
The  tarry  acidic  ammonium  salt  of  the  quinine  precipitant  is  readily 
and  perfectly  soluble  in  a  sufficiency  of  alcohol.  It  is  also  readily  and 
completely  soluble  in  excess  of  ammonia.  When  treated  with  ether, 
a.  portion  of  the  acidic  component  is  dissolved.  A  correspondingly 
less  acidic  salt,  however,  remains  undissolved.  The  action  of  chloro- 
form is  precisely  similar  in  this.  The  acidic  resin  thus  separated  has 
an  all-proportional  solubility  in  these  menstrua.  It  remains  as  a 
green-yellow  transparent  mass  after  the  spontaneous  volatilization  of 
the  respective  solvents.  It  reacts  with  monad  monocarbonates,  con- 
verting them  into  bicarbonates.  It  is  readily  soluble  in  bicarbonates, 
-evolving  no  carbonic  anhydrate  except  on  heating.  When  the  solu- 
tion obtained  with  sodium  bicarbonate,  for  instance,  is .  evaporated,  a 
portion  of  the  resin  separates  and  is  readily  taken  up  by  ether  or 
chloroform.  Alcohol,  however,  dissolves  an  acidic  sodium  salt  of  the 
resin. 
Treatment  of  Eriodictvon  leaves  with  alcohol,  dilute  or  strong, 
wholly  removes  the  quinine  precipitant.  But  this  method  of  isolating 
it  is  neither  economical  nor  practical. 
A  fluid  extract  of  Yerba  Santa  limpidly  miscible  with  simple  syrup 
is  a  desideratum.  The  writer  has  heretofore  employed  ammonia  as  a 
part  menstruum  in  preparing  syrup  of  Yerba  Santa.  In  order  to 
secure  an  effective  extraction  an  excess  -of  ammonia  is  essential.  It  is 
difficult,  however,  to  adjust  a  proper  proportion,  and  hence  the 
ammonia  may  preponderate  in  the  finished  syrup.  The  writer  would 
suggest  a  fluid  extract  of  Yerba  Santa  for  preparing  the  syrup  to  be 
used  in  the  proportion  of  one  fluiclounce  for  one  pint  of  the  syrup. 
This  fluid  extract  is  merely  an  alcoholic  solution  of  normal  potassium 
criodictyonate  uncontaminated  by  the  dark  colored  non-quinine  pre- 
cipitant.   The  following  is  the  process  recommended  : 
Yerba  Santa  leaves,  coarsely  ground   16  Troy  ounces. 
Potassium  carbonate  .  :   3  " 
Ammonia  water. 
Alcohol. 
Water.   Of  each  sufficient  to  make  one  pint. 
Mix  ammonia  water  and  water  in  the  proportion  of  one  measure  of 
the  first  and  seven  measures  of  the  second.  Mix  the  Yerba  Santa 
with  eight  fluidounces  of  this  mixture  and  pack  it  firmly  into  a 
