20  J     Changes  in  Formulas  of  Galenicals.  { Af^J^y  ^ 
In  the  Fluidextract  of  Frangula,  the  similarity  of  this  drug  to 
Cascara  Sagrada  has  suggested  that  the  same  method  of  preparation 
should  be  adopted  for  both  fluidextracts  and  this  was  found  to  be 
entirely  feasible.  So  Fluidextract  of  Buckthorn  Bark  is  now  di- 
rected to  be  made  by  hot  aqueous  percolation  and  the  alcohol  added 
to  the  concentrated  infusion  as  a  preservative  only. 
In  the  Fluidextract  of  Glycyrrhiza,  we  note  an  entire  change  in 
the  formula.  The  U.  S.  P.  VIII  directed  the  extraction  of  glycyr- 
rhiza with  boiling  water,  thus  obtaining  a  large  amount  of  inert 
matter  which  it  was  difficult  to  remove  by  the  subsequent  manipu- 
lation directed.  The  new  formula  directs  the  extraction  of  the  drug 
with  a  menstruum  of  ammonia  water  and  chloroform  water,  and 
completing  the  exhaustion  with  chloroform  water.  The  first  portion 
of  the  percolate  is  set  aside  as  a  reserve.  The  alcohol  is  directed 
to  be  added  only  as  a  preservative.  The  waste  of  this  solvent  in 
the  previous  formula  is  thus  avoided. 
In  Fluidextract  of  Ipecac,  the  attempt  has  been  made  to  produce 
a  miscible  fluidextract  from  which  a  syrup  could  be  made  by  simple 
admixture  instead  of  the  roundabout  process  for  the  preparation  of 
the  syrup  directed  in  the  U.  S.  P.  VIII.  Instead  of  extracting  the 
drug  with  a  menstruum  of  three  volumes  of  alcohol  and  one  volume 
of  water  and  obtaining  in  the  product  resinous  and  other  inert  ma- 
terials which  had  to  be  precipitated  out  in  the  preparation  of  the 
syrup,  the  attempt  was  to  produce  by  the  use  of  a  menstruum  of 
diluted  hydrochloric  acid,  alcohol  and  water,  a  miscible  fluidextract. 
This  appears  to  have  been  overlooked,  however,  in  the  syrup  of 
ipecac,  as  the  formula  of  the  U.  S.  P.  VIII  has  still  been  retained, 
and  the  syrup  will  unnecessarily  contain  acetic  acid  in  addition  to  the 
hydrochloric  acid. 
In  the  Fluidextract  of  Lobelia,  the  menstruum  formerly  directed 
was  a  mixture  of  acetic  acid  and  water.  This  is  now  displaced  by 
a  menstruum  of  acetic  acid  and  diluted  alcohol,  which  promises  a 
stable  and  active  preparation. 
In  the  Fluidextract  of  Nux  Vomica,  the  acetic  acid  directed  in 
the  U.  S.  P.  VIII  has  been  deleted  from  the  menstruum,  as  a  men- 
struum of  alcohol  and  water  in  the  proportion  of  three  volumes  of 
alcohol  and  one  volume  of  water  directed  has  been  found  to  be  satis- 
factory. Acetic  acid  dissolves  from  nux  vomica  substances  which 
later  continue  to  precipitate  and  cause  trouble  in  the  preparations 
and  there  appears  to  be  no  necessity  for  any  acid  in  this  fluidextract. 
