Aba4S"  num'}  Constituents,  of  Andrographis  Paniculata.  351 
55  Gm.  of  substance  on  burning  gave  9.7802  Gm.  or  17.782  per 
cent,  of  ash. 
The  plant  is  very  rich  in  chlorophyll,  one  portion  of  which  is 
soluble  in  chloroform  and  the  other  not,  though  both  are  soluble 
in  alcohol. 
Examination  of  the  Petroleum  Ether  Extract. 
This  was  a  viscid,  brownish-yellow  colored  liquid  from  which, 
on  keeping  a  small  quantity  of  an  inactive,  needle-shaped  crystalline 
substance  separated  out,  having  1170  C.  as  its  melting-point,  the 
quantity  obtained  was  so  small  that  no  further  examination  was 
possible.  The  viscid  mass  also  contained  a  little  essential  oil,  which 
was  separated  by  extraction  with  alkalies  ;  the  rest  of  it  was  "  kalmegh 
resin,"  a  portion  of  which  was  extracted  by  first  making  it  alkaline 
with  caustic  potash  and  shaking  up  with  ether.  It  can  be  further 
extracted  with  ether  after  acidification  with  an  acid. 
Chloroform  Extract. 
This  contained  besides  chlorophyll  an  amorphous  white  substance 
and  very  little  of  a  bitter  substance,  the  former  of  which  separated 
out  on  concentrating  the  chloroform  extract.  Its  melting-point  is 
2210  C.  It  is  tasteless  and  insoluble  in  water  and  alcohol.  It  is 
unacted  upon  by  acids  and  alkalies. 
Extraction  of  the  Bitter  Principles. 
For  this  extraction  the  powdered  leaves  and  stems  were  ex- 
hausted in  a  percolator  with  alcohol,  almost  the  whole  of  which  was 
distilled  off.  The  thick,  viscid  mass  left  in  the  flask  was  then  sub- 
mitted to  steam  distillation.  Two  or  three  drops  of  an  essential  oil 
first  came  over ;  this  had  an  intensely  characteristic  odor  suggesting 
that  of  the  dried  plant.  The  distillation  continued  till  the  whole  of 
the  alcohol  was  distilled  off.  The  residue  remaining  in  the  flask 
separated  into  two  layers,  one  aqueous  and  the  other  solid ;  the 
former  when  allowed  to  cool  deposited  some  yellow  colored  crystals 
(bitter  a)  ;  the  latter  was  boiled  with  water  and  filtered  hot;  from 
the  filtrate  a  white  amorphous  precipitate  was  deposited  having  an 
extremely  bitter  taste  (bitter  b). 
