450  -  Analyses  of  Two  Echinacea  Roots.  SJ™' 
extremely  doubtful  if  as  much  as  30  per  cent,  is  soluble  in  cold  or 
even  boiling  water.  My  experience  leads  me  to  believe  that  less  than 
20  per  cent,  of  the  drug  is  soluble  in  boiling  water,  and  that  it  refuses 
to  remain  in  solution  without  the  addition  of  varying  amounts  of 
glycerin;  without  this  addition  gelatinization  always  results.  My 
experience  also  showed  that  the  use  of  alcohol  in  effecting  solution 
is  unnecessary,  or  at  least  less  effective  than  a  menstruum  consisting 
of  water  and  glycerin.  Heat  must  be  used.  I  found  that  after 
shaking  20  parts  of  the  powdered  drug  with  80  parts  of  cold  water, 
at  intervals,  for  twelve  hours,  two  parts  of  drug  remained  in  solution. 
By  heating  in  a  flask  on  a  water-bath  for  15  minutes  and  frequently 
shaking,  about  10  per  cent,  is  dissolved.  Unfortunately,  after  a  few 
days  a  jelly-like  mass  results.  This,  however,  as  mentioned  above, 
can  readily  be  overcome,  or  rather  avoided,  by  the  addition  of  glycerin 
or,  better  still,  by  heating  on  a  water-bath  with  equal  parts  of 
glycerin  and  water. 
After  more  or  less  experimentation,  which  I  need  not  recount 
here,  I  evolved  the  following  formula  and  method  of  procedure, 
which  seems  to  meet  all  the  requirements  of  those  physicians  who 
wish  to  use  red  gum  as  a  local  application : 
Red  Gum,  powdered   200  Gm. 
Glycerin   .   250  Cc. 
Water,  a  sufficient  quantity  to  make.  .  1000  Cc. 
Mix  the  glycerin  with  five  hundred  cubic  centimetres  of  water, 
and  triturate  the  powdered  red  gum  with  sufficient  of  the  mixture 
to  produce  a  smooth  paste.  Transfer  this  to  a  flask  by  the  aid  of 
the  remainder  of  the  mixture  of  glycerin  and  water  and  heat  on  a 
water-bath  for  one  hour ;  filter  through  purified  cotton,  keeping  the 
funnel  well  covered.  Finally,-  pass  sufficient  water  through  the 
filter  to  obtain  one  thousand  cubic  centimetres  of  fluid. 
ANALYSES  OF  TWO  ECHINACEA  ROOTS. 
By  F.  W.  Heyl  and  J.  F.  Staley. 
A  review  of  the  literature  indicates  that  a  further  chemical  study 
of  Echinacea,  particularly  of  Brauneria  angustifolia,  might  be  of 
some  value  in  offering  evidence  concerning  the  conflicting  views  con- 
cerning the  pharmaceutical  value  of  this  plant. 
