Am.  Jour.  Pliarm  ) 
Oct.,  1885.  ) 
Properties  of  two  Rhamnus  Barks. 
497 
Take  of  the  bark  in  moderately  fine  powder. 
Alcohol  (95  per  cent.)   
Glycerin  
Water  
Mix  the  above  fluids,  moisten  the  powder  with  a  portion  of  the 
mixture,  pack  properly  in  a  glass  conical  shaped  percolator,  cover  the 
surface  of  the  ])owder  with  a  disc  of  paper,  and  add  the  remaining 
menstruum.  When  the  liquid  begins  to  drop  from  the  percolator,  close 
the  lower  orifice  with  a  cork,  and  having  closely  covered  the  percolator, 
to  prevent  evaporation  set  it  aside  in  a  moderately  warm  room  for  four 
days.  The  cork  is  then  removed,  more  menstruum,  composed  of  eleven 
iluidounces  of  alcohol  and  five  fluidounces  of  water,  is  added  grachially, 
and  the  percolation  continued  until  twenty-four  fluidounces  are  obtained 
of  which  the  first  thirteen  are  reserved ;  the  remainder  is  carefully 
•evaporated  to  two  fluidounces,  then  add  one  fluidounce  of  alcohol,  and 
mix  with  the  reserved  portion. 
This  menstruum  is  not  sufficiently  strong  in  alcohol  to  make  a  per- 
manent preparation  of  Rhamnus  Catharticus ;  but  by  increasing  the 
:alcohol  in  the  above  formula  to  twelve  fluidounces  in  the  pint,  excel- 
lent results  were  obtained  and  no  precipitation  of  any  consequence 
took  place  in  the  fluid  extract  after  standing  for  several  months.  When 
made  of  the  weaker  alcoholic  menstruum  a  deposit  took  place  shortly 
after  the  preparation  was  finished,  but  none  occurred  in  the  fluid 
•extract  of  Rhamnus  Purshiana,  which  was  made  about  nine  months 
ago.  The  taste  of  the  two  preparations  differs  somewhat ;  while  that 
of  Rhamnus  Catharticus  is  unquestionably  very  bitter,  yet  it  is  not 
near  so  strong  as  the  bitterness  of  the  Rhamnus  Purshiana. 
To  satisfy  myself  that  the  drugs  were  thoroughly  exhausted  the 
powders  were  administered  and  found  to  have  no  laxative  properties 
whatever.  The  precipitate  alluded  to  above,  a  portion  of  which  1 
collected  by  decantation,  was  of  a  brownish  color  and  dissolved  com- 
pletely in  liquor  potassse,  with  a  deep  purplish-red  color,  character- 
istic of  the  resin.  By  the  addition  of  dilute  acetic  acid  the  purplish- 
red  color  of  the  alkaline  solution  was  immediately  destroyed,  and  a 
brownish  colored  mass  thrown  down,  which  was  thrown  into  a  filter, 
repeatedly  washed  with  water,  and  dried.  It  is  soluble  in  alcohol, 
•diluted  alcohol,  and  the  alkalies,  insoluble  in  chloroform  and  ether, 
;and  nearly  so  in  water,  thus  corresponding  in  appearance  and  tests 
32 
