208         CAULOPHYLLUM  THALXCTROIBES*  BLUE  COHOSH. 
necessary  before  an  analysis,  I  had  neglected  to  examine  the  first 
lot  of  root  I  used,  and  my  obtaining  a  crystalline  body  in  the 
before-mentioned  experiments  may  have  been  due  to  this  mixture 
of  the  two  roots,  as  in  all  my  succeeding  experiments,  with  a 
pure  picked  root,  I  have  been  unable  to  obtain  this  crystalline 
body. 
Experiments  with  the  picked  Root. 
A  portion  of  the  finely  powdered  root  was  exhausted  with 
boiling  alcohol,  sp.  gr,  -835.  The  tincture  thus  obtained  was 
evaporated  by  means  of  a  water-bath  to  a  syrupy  consistence  ;  a 
small  quantity  of  alcohol,  sp.  gr.  *815,  was  added,  and  this  solution 
poured  into  a  large  bulk  of  water.  This  admixture  caused  a  pre- 
cipitate,  which  was  collected  on  a  filter,  well  washed  with  water 
and  dried,  yielding  nearly  five  troy  ounces  from  forty-two  troy- 
ounces  of  the  root.  This  constitutes  the  Caulophyllin  of  the  eclec- 
tics. A  portion  of  this,  dried  and  powdered,  was  agitated  with 
ether,  the  insoluble  portion  separated  by  filtration,  and  re-dis- 
solved in  alcohol,  sp.  gr.  -835.  The  alcoholic  solution  thus  ob- 
tained was  agitated  with  purified  animal  charcoal,  filtered,  and 
allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously.  The  resin  thus  obtained 
was  of  a  light  brown  color,  soluble  in  alkaline  solutions,  from 
which  it  was  precipitated  on  the  addition  of  acids.  When  heated 
on  platina  foil  it  first  was  found  to  melt,  then  to  take  fire  and 
burn,  emitting  considerable  smoke.  This  indicates  a  resin  inso- 
luble in  ether.  The  ethereal  solution,  on  being  subjected  to  spon- 
taneous evaporation,  yielded  a  resinous  body  of  a  greenish  yel- 
low color,  and  of  the  consistency  of  wax,  soluble  in  alkaline  so- 
lutions, and  precipitated  on  the  addition  of  acids.  Another  por- 
tion of  this  ethereal  solution  was  agitated  with  animal  charcoal 
until  it  became  colorless.  After  filtering  and  evaporating  spon- 
taneously it  yielded  the  same  resinous,  waxy  body  as  above  men- 
tioned, with  the  exception  of  being  nearly  white  with  a  yellowish 
tinge ;  both  these  bodies  when  heated  burn,  emitting  considera- 
ble smoke.  This  would  prove  the  presence  of  a  resin  soluble  in 
ether.  Both  the  alcoholic  and  ethereal  resins  have  the  peculiar 
taste  of  the  root.  On  evaporating  the  watery  liquid  from  which 
the  resinous  bodies  were  precipitated,  it  yielded  an  extractive 
body  of  a  bitter  and  acrid  taste,  similar  to  that  caused  by  chew- 
