28S 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
peculiar uncrystallizable principle of a sugary taste, (glycyr- 
rhizine,) soluble equally in water and alcohol, differing from 
sugar in not undergoing the alcoholic fermentation, and not 
producing oxalic with nitric acid; lastly, because it forms, 
with the acids, compounds, not very soluble in water. 
From this it will be seen, that by treating liquorice root by 
displacement, we get all the soluble active principles of the 
root: and as it is alleged on high authority that the demulcent 
properties of the different kinds of extracts of liquorice are 
principally owing to the proportion of glycyrrhizine contain- 
ed in them, consequently, the more of this substance in a pure 
state the solution may contain, the greater will be its 
efficacy. Again, by the cold water treatment, instead of boil- 
ing or using the extract made by decoction, we not only avoid 
the starch, but what is more desirable, we get rid of the oleo- 
resinous acrid principle, which is insoluble by itself in the 
cold water, and only dissolves along with the other principles, 
by heat, and then in proportion to its increase. 
Having stated these preliminaries, it now remains to give 
the formula which we have adopted. 
Take of finely bruised liquorice root, . . . lib. 
" Powdered extract of liquorice, . . . gj. 
" Water, q. s. 
" Gum Arabic, ...... %\v. 
" Paregoric Elixir, Oj. 
" Antimonial Wine, ..... Oss. 
Mix the liquorice powders together, with sufficient water to 
render the whole thoroughly moist; afterwards place them in 
a Boullay's filtering instrument, and operate by displacement 
with the remainder of the water, until you have obtained seven 
pints. Then take the gum arabic, in lumps, which you will 
dissolve in half a pint of the liquorice solution, and add it to 
the remainder, together with the paregoric and antimonial 
wine; lastly, shake, that the whole may be intimately mixed. 
The above formula corresponds with the original, as far as 
regards the proportion of ingredients. According to the table, 
330 parts of root gave 98 of extract, which, in the same ratio 
