888 
Current  Literature. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1918. 
sage  possesses  the  crenulate  edge  and  the  strong  venation  char- 
acteristic of  true  sage.  The  department  is  of  the  opinion  that  the 
term  "  sage,"  without  any  qualifications,  applies  only  to  material 
obtained  from  Salvia  officinalis,  and  should  not  be  used  for  material 
obtained  from  other  related  species  nor  for  mixtures  of  other  species 
with  it.  Material  obtained  from  Salvia  triloba  should  be  labeled 
"Greek  sage";  material  from  Salvia  lavandulce  folia  should  be 
labeled  "  Spanish  sage."  Mixtures  of  these  forms  should  be  sold 
only  under  an  appropriate  label. — Service  and  Regulatory  Announce- 
ments U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  No.  23. 
Macrotomia  Cephalotes  D.  C.  Substituted  for  Alkanet 
Root  (Alkanna  Tinctoria  Tausch.). — Examination  of  samples 
of  "alkanet  root"  {Alkanna  tinctoria  Tausch.)  has  disclosed  that 
in  one  instance  the  root  of  Macrotomia  cephalotes  D.  C.  has  been 
substituted  for  the  true  material.  Macrotomia  cephalotes  is  very 
much  larger  than  the  genuine  alkanet ;  it  occurs  in  pieces  from  20  to 
40  centimeters  long  and  from  2  to  5  centimeters  thick,  whereas 
alkanet  is  about  1  to  1.5  centimeters  in  diameter  and  is  usually  10 
to  15  centimeters  in  length.  It  is  black-violet  in  color  and  some- 
what metallic  in  appearance,  whereas  alkanet  is  of  a  dull  maroon 
color.  It  has  a  distinctly  spiral  twist,  resembling  a  twist  of  tobacco, 
whereas  alkanet  is  only  slightly  twisted.  Preliminary  experiments 
made  in  this  bureau  indicate  that  it  contains  considerable  amounts 
of  a  coloring  principle  resembling  that  of  alkanet.  The  department 
will  raise  no  objection  to  its  importation  if  properly  invoiced,  labeled, 
and  sold. — Service  and  Regulatory  Announcements  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  No.  23. 
Bombay  or  Indian  Coriander. — Examination  of  importations 
of  "coriander  seed"  (Coriandrum  sativum  L.)  has  disclosed  that  in 
some  instances  they  have  consisted  of  fruits  differing  in  physical 
appearance  from  the  Pharmacopceial  description.  The  fruits  are 
oval  instead  of  spherical  and  not  infrequently  yield  less  volatile  oil 
than  the  Pharmacopceial  article.  The  product  appears  in  the  trade 
as  "  Bombay "  or  "  Indian "  coriander  and  appears  to  have  value. 
The  department  will  not  object  to  the  importation  of  Bombay  or 
Indian  coriander  if  invoiced,  labeled,  and  sold  as  such,  provided 
that  any  deficiency  in  volatile  oil  be  indicated. — Service  and  Regu- 
latory Announcements  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  No.  23. 
