AMERICAN  AND  EUROPEAN  ACONITE  ROOT. 
5 
ON  THE  RELATIVE  ACTIVITY  OF  AMERICAN  AND  EURO- 
PEAN ACONITE  ROOT. 
By  "William  Procter,  Jr. 
At  the  Meeting  of  the  Association  held  in  Philadelphia,  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  the  following  query  was  accepted  by  me  :  "  What 
is  the  relative  activity  of  the  root  of  Aconitmn  napellus  grown 
in  the  United  States  and  that  imported  from  Europe,  based  on 
their  yield  of  aconitia,  and  what  objections,  if  any,  exist  to  the 
economical  culture  of  the  plant  in  the  United  States."  Soon 
after  the  meeting  adjourned,  a  letter  was  addressed  to  Messrs. 
Tilden  &  Co.,  of  New  Lebanon,  New  York,  who  cultivate  aconite 
for  making  the  extract,  requesting  their  aid  in  obtaining- a  suf- 
ficient quantity  of  the  American  grown  root,  to  make  the  com- 
parison. The  very  early  setting  in  of  the  winter  interfered  with 
their  getting  the  root,  and  it  was  not  until  early  spring, 
when  the  frost  left  the  ground,  that  they  could  have  it 
gathered.  It  was  then  carefully  dried.  The  quantity  received 
was  rather  more  than  a  pound  avoirdupois.  So  carefully  had 
the  roots  been  removed  that  the  fibres  were  mostly  remain- 
ing ;  the  main  roots  varying  in  diameter  at  the  caudex  from 
a  quarter  to  three-quarters  of  an  inch,  and  from  three  to  six 
inches  in  length,  including  the  tap  root.  The  color  of  the  epi- 
dermis is  purplish  brown,  inclined  to  black  on  the  older  portions, 
and  the  odor  is  rank  and  somewhat  like  that  of  opium. 
After  carefully  drying  the  aconite  it  was  ground  to  moderately 
fine  powder.  5000  grains  of  this  were  macerated  for  two  weeks,* 
in  sufficient  alcohol,  sp.  gr.  -835,  to  moisten  it,  then  packed 
into  a  glass  percolator,  and  slowly  percolated  with  alcohol  until 
five  pints  of  tincture  had  passed.  The  percolate  was  placed  in  a 
retort,  and,  by  aid  of  a  water  bath,  four  pints  of  alcohol  were  re- 
covered, and  the  residue  evaporated  to  four  fluidounces.  To  this 
a  fluidrachm  and  a  half  of  diluted  sulphuric  acid  mixed  with  a 
fiuidounce  of  water  was  added,  and  the  whole  evaporated  to  two 
fluidounces  and  a  half.  The  residue  was  syrupy  in  consistence, 
with  oleo-resinous  globules  floating  on  it,  with  a  decided  acid  re- 
action.   The  aconitia  being  in  the  state  of  sulphate,  and  hence  in- 
*This  long  maceration  was  rather  accidental  than  intentional. 
