Atu.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October,  1914. 
J    Proposed  U.  S.  P.  IX  Limitations.  457 
whether  the  inclusion  of  earthly  impurities  is  not  preferable  to  the 
now  frequently  practised  adulteration  or  even  substitution  of  asa- 
fcetida  by  other  gum  resins  which,  while  they  serve  to  increase  the 
alcohol  soluble  material  and  reduce  the  ash  content  of  the  drug  as 
offered,  are  quite  foreign  to  and  do  not  contain  any  appreciable 
quantity  of  the  odorous  principles  found  in  true  asafcetida. 
The  maximum  ash  content  permitted  for  ipecac  appears  to  be 
somewhat  low,  certainly  lower  than  is  the  maximum  recognized  in 
other  pharmacopoeias.  The  same  is  true  of  vanilla,  and  in  connection 
with  this  drug  there  is  some  question  as  to  whether  the  ash  content 
limitation  for  the  whole  drug  is  really  of  value  or  is  necessary. 
The  drugs  for  which  the  ash 'content  limitation  appears  to  be 
rather  high  are  much  more  numerous  and  include  aloes,  cantharides, 
belladonna  leaves,  colocynth,  coriander,  gambir,  glycyrrhiza,  guaiac, 
linseed,  lupulin,  myrrh,  squills,  mustard,  stramonium,  strophantus,  ta- 
raxacum, valerian,  and  ginger.  • 
A  comparison  of  the  proposed  limitation  for  the  ash  of  aloes  with 
the  limitations  found  in  foreign  pharmacopoeias  suggests  the  possible 
intent  of  providing  for  the  rather  inferior  Asiatic  or  Moka  aloes 
usually  sold  as  Socotrine  aloes,  which  has  been  found  to  contain 
rather  large  quantities  of  foreign  material.  A  reasonably  pure  in- 
spissated juice  of  the  aloe  plant  when  prepared  in  a  cleanly  method 
should  readily  comply  with  the  requirements  made  in  the  German, 
Swiss,  and  Netherlands  pharmacopoeias. 
The  ash  content  for  cantharides,  while  it  agrees  with  the  limita- 
tions included  in  the  Dutch  pharmacopoeia,  is,  nevertheless,  higher 
than  need  be.  A  number  of  careful  investigators  have  asserted  that 
a  drug  of  good  quality  should  contain  less  than  eight  per  cent,  of  ash. 
The  proposition  to  permit  20  per  cent,  of  ash  in  belladonna  leaves 
appears  to  be  inordinately  liberal  when  compared  with  the  limitation 
of  10  per  cent,  of  ash  for  digitalis.  Belladonna  has  a  comparatively 
smooth  leaf  that  would  hold  little  or  no  sand  or  dust,  while  the  dig- 
italis leaf,  being  hairy,  is  much  more  readily  contaminated  by,  and 
is  more  difficult  to  rid  of,  adhering  sand  and  dirt.  The  figures 
reported  in  literature  also  suggest  the  desirability  of  some  additional 
leeway  for  digitalis  and  the  lack  of  any  serious  need  for  so  high  an 
ash  content  for  belladonna  leaf. 
Colocynth  is  another  drug  that  appears  to  have  been  given  a 
rather  high  limit  and  one  for  which  a  minimum  requirement  of  ash 
might  be  considered  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  seed  of  colocynth  has 
