AnApXi9i3n"-}       Tincture  of  Ginger  U.  S.  P.  253 
TINCTURE  OF  GINGER  U.  S.  P. 
By  J.  P.  Snyder, 
Norwich,  N.  Y. 
The  U.  S.  P.  directs  that  tincture  of  ginger  shall  be  made  from 
Jamaica  ginger  and  percolated  with  95  per  cent,  alcohol  and  that  a 
tincture  of  ginger  so  made  shall  meet  the  following  requirements : 
Evaporate  10  Gm.  of  tincture  of  ginger  to  dryness  in  a  tared 
dish  on  the  water-bath ;  the  yield  does  not  exceed  2  per  cent.  When 
treated  with  20  mils  of  cold  distilled  water,  not  more  than  15  per 
cent,  of  this  residue  dissolves.  It  contains  about  90  per  cent,  of 
alcohol  and  in  addition  to  these  requirements  a  qualitative  test  is 
given  by  which  capsicum  or  other  pungent  substitutes  are  detected. 
When  one  carefully  examines  the  above  standards,  he  finds  that  the 
only  one  which  is  really  worth  while  and  which  attains  its  object, 
of  preventing  adulterated  tincture  finding  its  way  upon  the  market, 
is  the  alcohol  requirement  of  about  90  per  cent.  In  fact,  the  state- 
ment that  it  shall  not  yield  more  than  2  per  cent,  of  solids  in  reality 
invites  adulteration  by  the  unscrupulous.  For  it  has  definitely  been 
shown  by  several  different  investigators  that  the  average  total  solids 
of  tincture  of  ginger  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  1.5  per  cent,  and, 
at  present,  with  the  U.  S.  P.  standard  of  not  more  than  2  per  cent, 
solids,  there  is  nothing  that  would  prevent  one  from  adding  to  the 
average  tincture  of  ginger  percolated  with  95  per  cent.,  once  or 
twice  its  volume  of  straight  alcohol,  and  still  have  a  product  that 
would  meet  the  Pharmacopoeia  requirements,  although  in  reality  it 
would  only  be  one  half  strength  or  less.  In  fact,  it  is  possible  to 
have  a  strictly  U.  S.  P.  preparation  that  would  fail  to  meet  the 
standard  of  the  Food  and  Drug  Department,  which  is,  or  at  least  has 
been,  that  tincture  of  ginger  shall  contain  in  each  100  Cc.  the 
alcohol-soluble  of  20  Gm.  of  ginger. 
The  U.  S.  P.  requirement,  that  not  more  than  15  per  cent,  of  the 
solids  is  soluble  in  20  mils  of  water,  has  given  rise  to  considerable 
discussion,  as  it  seems  possible  to  prepare  a  tincture  of  ginger  from 
strictly  prime  Jamaica  ginger  root  that  fully  meets  the  U.  S.  P. 
requirements  and  find  that  more  than  15  per  cent,  of  the  solids  are 
soluble  in  20  Cc.  of  water.  This  condition  may,  however,  be 
brought  about  by  lack  of  definite  directions  in  the  Pharmacopoeia 
