MEDICINAL  ACONITIA  AND  ITS  SUBSTITUTES. 
103 
SUBSTITUTES  FOR  ACONITIA. 
Tinctura  Aconiti  Radicis,  U.  S.  P. — This  preparation  is  of 
such  strength,  that  two  pints  of  the  tincture  is  intended  to 
represent  twelve  ounces  troy  of  aconite  root.  Owing  to  the 
hard  and  resistant  structure  of  this  root,  and  from  the  annoy- 
ance arising  from  the  dust  in  eifecting  its  pulverization,  I 
believe  this  tincture  to  be,  oftentimes,  an  imperfect  represen- 
tative of  the  amount  of  aconite  used.  It  is  suggested  to  those 
who  have  not  a  suitable  mill  for  grinding  this  root,  that  it  may 
be  exhausted  by  bruising  it  well  in  a  metallic  mortar,  with  the 
addition  of  just  suflScient  alcohol  to  prevent  dust  arising,  until 
fine  enough  for  percolation.  Then  having  added  sufficient  alcohol 
to  completely  saturate  the  powder,  let  it  stand  two  days,  and 
pack  it  firmly  in  a  percolater.  Pour  on  alcohol  (which  should 
pass  slowly)  until  the  root  is  nearly  exhausted,  (about  three 
pints  for  each  pound  troy  of  the  root.)  Then  evaporate  the 
tincture  in  a  water  bath  to  two  pints,  and  filter.  This  plan 
insures  the  exhaustion  of  the  root,  if  due  care  is  taken.  When 
the  aconite  root  can  be  obtained  in  fine  powder,  as  through  a 
sieve  60  meshes  to  the  inch,  it  is  best  to  proceed  by  direct 
percolation,  after  moistening  the  powder  with  a  fourth  of  its 
weight  of  alcohol. 
Fleyning's  Tincture  of  Aconite  Root  should  be  made  with 
the  same  precaution,  and  in  this  case  it  is  even  more  necessary 
as  the  proportion  of  root  to  tincture  is  larger. 
Aconite  LiJiiment,  is  the  name  given  to  a  concentrated  solu- 
tion of  aconite,  with  a  portion  of  glycerin,  originally  prepared 
by  the  writer  of  this  paper.  (Amer.  Jour.  Pharm.vol.  xxv.  p.  293.) 
An  experience  of  eight  years  with  this  preparation,  warrants  the 
opinion  that  it  is  strongly  deserving  of  the  attention  of  the 
medical  profession.  A  fluid  ounce  of  this  preparation  represents 
two  ounces  of  the  root;  it  is  therefore  about  five  times  the 
strength  of  the  Officinal  Tincture,  and  about  three  times  that  of 
Fleming's  tincture.  I  have  for  years  past  adopted  the  custom 
of  keeping  a  normal  solution  of  aconite  root,  obtained  by 
thoroughly  exhausting  the  drug  with  alcohol,  and  evaporating  the 
tincture,  until  each  fluid  ounce  represents  two  ounces  of  the 
root,  removing  the  fixed  oil  that  separates,  and  if  necessary 
agitating  it  with  a  little  diluted  alcohol  to  remove  any  adherent 
