Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1887. 
Jalap  Resin  and  Jalapin. 
327 
about  three  times  its  bulk  of  sand,  and  percolating  with  ether  ;  the 
operation  is  tedious,  the  last  portions  of  the  substance  being  with  dif- 
ficulty removed.  Another  method  is  solution  of  the  resin  in  a  small 
quantity  of  warm  alcohol  and  precipitation  by  ether  gradually  added ;  a 
considerable  quantity  of  the  latter  is  required  for  precipitating  the  last 
portions  of  the  ether-insoluble  resin,  and  it  will  be  found  advantageous 
to  evaporate  the  ether  solution,  re-dissolve  the  residue  in  little  alcohol, 
precipitating  again  by  ether,  and  to  repeat  this  operation  several  times. 
Should  a  lighter  colored  resin  of  jalap  than  the  present  one  be  desir- 
able, and  there  are  good  reasons  for  the  admission  of  such  a  pro- 
duct— the  process  originally  suggested  by  L.  A.  Planche  (Bull,  de 
Phar.  1814,  vi,  26),  and  variously  modified  by  later  writers  would 
probably  be  preferable  to  the  pharmacopoeial  process.  Without  en- 
tering into  details,  the  following  references  to  observations  on  this 
subject  may  be  of  interest :  Ilisch  (N.  J.  hi  2 ;  Buch.  Rep.  1824, 
xviii,  210),  Thiele  (B.  Rep.  1826,xxiii,  306),  Gummi  (ibid.,  1827, 
xxvi,  106),  Wolf  (ibid.,  1828,  xxix,  372),  Torosiewitz  (ibid.,  p.  384), 
Raab  (ibid.,  1832,  xlii,  143),  Buchner  (ibid.,  1834,  xlix,  252),  Martius 
(ibid.  1835,  li,  363,  367),  Geiseler  (Arch.  Phar.  1836  Ixiii,  221), 
Mouchon  (Jour.  Chim.  med.  1837,  p.  382),  Nativelle  ( Jour.  Phar.  Chim. 
1842  [3]  i.  228)  and  others.  It  may  be  briefly  stated  that  in  these  processes 
the  jalap-root,  either  unbroken,  or  in  small  pieces,  or  in  powder,  is  first 
exhausted  by  water,  either  cold  or  hot ;  the  drug  is  then  drained  and 
while  still  wet  or  after  having  been  previously  dried,  exhausted  with 
either  cold  or  warm  alcohol ;  the  tincture  is  concentrated  and  the  resi- 
due washed  with  water.  In  some  cases  the  material  exhausted  by  wa- 
ter is  directed  to  be  mixed  with  animal  charcoal  and  then  treated  with 
alcohol.  Emile  Mouchon  avoided  the  treatment  of  the  root  with  water? 
but  mixed  the  powder  with  1 J  times  its  weight  of  animal  charcoal,  dis- 
placed this  mixture  with  alcohol,  and  precipitated  the  concentrated 
tincture  with  water. 
It  will  be  observed  that  numerous  processes  may  be  devised  for  ob- 
taining jalap  resin  white,  or  nearly  white,  or  at  least  much  lighter  in 
color  than  the  present  pharmacopoeial  resina  jalapse. 
Aniline  is  recommended  by  Dr.  Kremjansky,  of  Charkow,  for  destroying 
the  bacilli  of  phthisis ;  he  proposes  the  use  of  atomized  aniline,  in  connec- 
tion with  inhalations  of  fresh  air  and  of  oils  of  turpentine,  anise  and  eucalyp- 
tus.— Br.  Med.  Jour. 
