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ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
six grains of ashes. These were lixiviated in boiling water, and 
the liquor evaporated to dryness; it yielded about fifty-seven 
grains of a grayish matter which restored the color of litmus 
reddened by an acid, effervesced with acids, and had a strong 
caustic alkaline taste. This was dissolved in water, and satu- 
rated with nitric acid, which, when evaporated, deposited crys- 
tals, which had all the characters of nitrate of potassa. 
Experiment 7. — The insoluble residue of experiment six 
was acted on with nitric acid, and the nitric solution diluted 
and filtered. This solution afforded an abundant white preci- 
pitate with oxalate of ammonia, and a solution of ferrocyanate 
of potassa produced a blue color, giving evidence of the pre- 
sence of lime and iron. 
Experiment 8. — One ounce of the plant was digested with 
twelve ounces of absolute alcohol for three days, in a water 
bath, and one ounce digested with the same quantity of water, 
the same length of time, at the same temperature, both the 
liquors filtered and evaporated to the consistence of extracts, 
the alcoholic solution yielded sixty-two, and the watery 
seventy-five grains of extract. The alcoholic extract pos- 
sessed the odor and taste of the plant in a very high degree. 
The watery extract possessed little of the taste or smell of 
the plant. Then the portion which had been exhausted by 
water was digested with absolute alcohol, and that exhausted 
by alcohol digested with water for three days in a water bath, 
the solutions filtered and evaporated, the resulting extracts 
were similar to those first obtained. The alcoholic possess- 
ing all the virtues of the plant, and the watery almost tasteless 
and without smell. 
From these experiments it may be inferred that the prin- 
cipal constituents of the Jisarum canadense are — 1st, gum; 
2d, starch; 3d, resin; 4th, fatty matter; 5th, chlorophylle; 
6th, volatile oil, upon which the sensible properties of the 
plant depend; 7th, salts of lime and potassa; Sth, iron; to 
which may be added lignin. 
Upon comparing the above results with those obtained by 
Dr. Bigelow, it will be found that the same proximate prin- 
