Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Jan.,  1893. 
Cicuta  Maatlata. 
Solvent  Used. 
Substance  Obtained. 
Per  Cent. 
Dilute  hydrochloric  acid, 
Pararabin, 
Starch,  . 
Extractive, 
2  900 
Boiling  distilled  water, 
•  5*500 
.  2*500 
8*ooo 
Chlorine  water,   
Nitric  acid  and  potassium  chlorate, 
Ivignin,  .... 
Incrusting  matter, 
Cellulose,    .  .  . 
Ash,  ...... 
Moisture,  .  .  . 
Loss,  
2-396 
10-  264 
3i'436 
11-  608 
9-127 
8-909 
Total,  .  . 
TOO- OOO 
The  fat  obtained  by  petroleum  ether  melted  at  570  C,  and  the 
wax  melted  at  960  C. 
Tests  for  alkaloids  and  glucosides  in  the  ethereal  and  alcoholic 
extracts  failed  to  indicate  them. 
A  portion  of  the  original  drug  was  then  distilled  with  milk  of 
lime ;  the  resulting  distillate  gave  negative  indications  of  a  volatile 
alkaloid.  A  number  of  other  tests  were  then  applied  to  the 
original  drug  for  alkaloids,  but  with  negative  results. 
Some  of  the  green  root  freshly  gathered  was  then  obtained,  and 
tested  by  extracting  with  acid,  rendering  this  acidulated  solution 
alkaline,  and  agitating  with  ether;  this  ethereal  solution  on  evapora- 
tion to  dryness  yielded  a  residue,  which  when  dissolved  in  acidu- 
lated water  gave  afkaloidal  indications  with  a  number  of  reagents. 
The  green  drug,  however,  when  distilled  with  milk  of  lime  did  not 
yield  any  indications  of  a  volatile  alkaloid. 
Some  physiological  experiments  were  made  on  a  full-grown 
healthy  cat. 
The  dried  drug  used  in  the  analysis  failed  to  produce  any 
unnatural  symptoms  when  administered  in  five-gram  doses.  The 
green  root,  however,  in  two-gram  doses  produced  great  uneasiness, 
followed  by  vomiting. 
The  conclusions  reached  by  this  investigation  are  that  there  is 
probably  a  non-volatile  alkaloid  present  in  cicuta,  and  that  it  is 
either  not  present  in  the  root  in  July,  or  else  it  is  decomposed  by 
drying.  The  evidences  of  alkaloid  were  obtained  from  the  root 
collected  in  November. 
