THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
This  is  an  American  plant,  which  has  run  wild  all  over  India. 
It  may  easily  be  known  by  its  glaucous,  prickly,  thistle-like  leaves, 
bright  yellow  flowers,  and  milky  juice.  The  latter  is  used  as  an 
application  to  ulcers  and  in  combination  with  the  juice  of  Aristo- 
lochia  bracteata  is  given  internally  in  syphilis  and  gonorrhoea.  In 
the  Concan  the  juice  with  milk  is  given  in  leprosy.  The  seeds  and 
oil  have  been  used  by  European  physicians.  The  oil  in  doses  from 
30  to  60  drops  is  a  valuable  remedy  in  dysentery  and  other  affections 
of  the  internal  canal.  Fluckiger  found  4  to  5  gms.  to  have  a  mild 
purgative  effect.  An  extract  made  from  the  whole  plant  has  been 
found  to  have  an  aperient  action  and  the  milky  juice  to  promote  the 
healing  of  indolent  ulcers. 
The  oil  used  for  examination  was  obtained  by  pressing  the 
crushed  seeds  in  a  screw  press  in  the  laboratory  in  presence  of  the 
author.    The  chances  of  adulteration  were  thus  avoided. 
Some  of  the  crushed  seeds  were  submitted  to  steam  distillation; 
the  distillate  had  a  slight  opalescence  and  a  very  pungent  odor,  but 
no  oil  came  over. 
47.1176  gms.  of  the  crushed  seeds  were  exhausted  in  a  Soxhlet 
apparatus  with  petroleum  ether,  the  latter  evaporated  off  when 
10.4966  gms.  of  a  thin  brown  colored  oil  was  left  behind.  Hence 
the  percentage  of  oil  is  22.3.  According  to  Charbonnier  the  seeds 
contain  36  per  cent,  of  oil. 
The  petroleum  ether  extract  has  a  pale  greenish-yellow  color 
with  a  green  fluorescence,  if  it  be  evaporated  at  the  ordinary  tem- 
perature, the  oil  left  behind  has  an  olive  green  color.    If  this  be 
THE  OIL  OF  ARGEMOtf  E  MEXICAN  A. 
By  Kshitibhushan  Bhaduri,  M.Sc^  OFFlC^- 
FEBRUARY,  1914 
Historical. 
Experimental. 
(49) 
