THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
OCTOBER,  1896. 
CHEMICAL  ANALYSIS   OP    THE    CANADA  THISTLE, 
CNICUS  ARVENSIS. 
By  Herman  J.  Pierce,  Ph.G. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy.    No.  157. 
This  member  of  the  natural  order  Composite  is  indigenous  to 
Europe,  but  has  become  naturalized  in  North  America.  Here  the 
plant  is  a  very  troublesome  pest,  as  it  grows  in  fields  and  spreads 
both  by  seed  and  deep-running  roots.  Its  use  in  medicine  is  simi- 
lar to  that  of  the  blessed  thistle,  which  is  tonic  in  the  form  of  a  cold 
infusion ;  in  hot  infusion  in  large  quantities  it  is  a  diaphoretic,  and 
in  larger  quantities  emetic.  The  roots  have  been  used  in  domestic 
practice  in  some  localities,  in  combination  with  other  drugs,  in  the 
preparation  of  a  root  syrup  which  is  said  to  be  alterative  in  its 
action.  The  plants  for  this  analysis  were  collected  during  the 
flowering  season  in  July  and  August,  1895,  m  tne  vicinity  of 
Troy,  Pennsylvania.  They  were  deprived  of  foreign  matter  and 
thoroughly  dried  without  exposure  to  direct  sunlight. 
Preliminary  tests  were  made  for  starch  with  potassium  iodide 
iodine  solution,  and  for  tannins  with  gelatin  and  alum  solution  ; 
both  gave  negative  results.  The  moisture  present  amounted  to  6  90 
percent.  The  ash  was  found  to  be  11-50  per  cent.;  it  contained 
potassium,  magnesium,  calcium,  aluminum,  iron,  chlorides,  sulphates, 
phosphates,  carbonates  and  silica. 
A  weighed  portion  of  the  dried  plant  in  No.  40  powder  was 
macerated  with  the  several  solvents  which  will  be  mentioned  as 
having  extracted  certain  principles. 
(529) 
