600 
Extractum  Lappce  Fluidum. 
Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1887. 
EXTRACTUM  LAPPiE  FLUIDUM. 
Contribution  from  the  Pharmaceutical  Laboratory,  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy. 
By  Edwin  C.  Lesher. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  November  15. 
A  series  of  experiments  were  tried  to  ascertain  the  best  menstruum 
that  would  produce  a  clear  percolate  charged  with  the  active  properties 
of  the  drug.  Alcohol  and  water  employed  in  varying  proportions 
were  used.    The  result  is  as  follows  : 
Burdock  root,  No.  60  8  oz.  av. 
Diluted  alcohol,  sufficient  quantity  for  8  fl.  oz. 
Moisten  the  powder  with  2  oz.  av.  of  the  diluted  alcohol,  and  pack 
it  firmly  in  a  cylindrical  percolator ;  then  add  enough  diluted  alcohol 
to  saturate  the  powder  and  leave  a  stratum  above  it ;  when  the  liquid 
begins  to  drop  from  the  percolator,  close  the  lower  orifice,  and,  having 
closely  covered  the  percolator,  macerate  for  forty-eight  hours.  Then 
allow  the  percolation  to  proceed  gradually,  adding  diluted  alcohol 
until  the  burdock  root  is  exhausted.  Reserve  the  first  6 J-  fluid  ounces 
of  the  percolate.  By  means  of  the  still,  distil  off  the  remainder  of  the 
alcohol,  and  evaporate  the  residue  to  a  soft  extract ;  dissolve  this  in 
the  reserved  portion,  and  add  enough  diluted  alcohol  to  make  the  fluid 
extract  measure  8  fluid  ounces.  This  affords  a  very  dark  wine- 
colored  preparation,  of  a  strong  odor,  remaining  permanently  clear,  and 
possessing  the  full  medical  properties. 
A  second  experiment  was  made  with  a  menstruum  composed  of 
alcohol,  2  parts,  and  water,  1  part,  3  fluid  ounces  of  the  mixture  being 
used  for  moistening  8  ounces  of  the  drug  in  No.  20  powder.  The 
percolation  was  conducted  as  in  the  first  experiment,  and  the  fluid  ex- 
tract was  finished  in  the  same  manner. 
The  third  experiment  differed  from  the  first,  in  using  burdock  root 
in  No.  30  powder,  and  in  moistening  8  ounces  of  this  with  3  fluid 
ounces  of  diluted  alcohol. 
In  making  these  fluid  extracts  the  alcohol  was  recovered  by  the  use 
of  a  still,  and  after  having  ascertained  the  specific  gravity,  which  was 
found  to  be  0*870,  it  was  easily  converted  into  diluted  alcohol  by  the 
following  calculation :  To  find  the  quantity  of  water  to  be  added, 
multiply  the  difference  between  the  specific  gravity  of  the  liquid  and 
the  desired  specific  gravity  of  the  mixture  by  the  quantity  of  the 
