Am.  .lour.  Pharm. 
Sept.,  1884. 
Cimicifuga  Racemosa. 
461 
racemosa,  and  classed  it  among  the  sudorifics  and  anodynes.  The  first 
mention  of  the  drug  by  the  profession  was  made  by  Benjamin  Smith 
Barton  in  his  Collections  for  an  Essay  toivards  a  Materia  Medica  of  the 
United  States,  in  which  he  says:  u The  Aetata  racemosa  or  Black 
Snakeroot,  is  also  a  valuable  medicine.  The  root  of  the  plant  is  con- 
sidered astringent.  In  a  putrid  sore-throat  which  prevailed  in  Jersey, 
many  years  ago,  a  strong  decoction  of  the  root  was  used  as  a  gargle 
with  great  success.  The  Indians  called  it  squaw-root,  and  set  an  high 
value  on  it  a»  a  medicine.    A  decoction  cures  the  itch." 
The  author  then  notes  from  various  journals  and  standard  works 
the  observations  and  recommendations  by  Drs.  Garden,  of  Wyliesburg, 
Ya.,  (1823),  C.  C.  Hildreth,  Chapman  (1831),  Jesse  Young,  Davis, 
Physicks,  Wood  and  many  others,  and  afterward  discusses  the  intro- 
duction of  the  drug  into  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia  and  the 
various  preparations  made  from  it  since  1860. 
Chemical  Analysis. — Two  portions,  5  grams  each  of  the  fresh 
rhizome  and  rootlets  were  dried  :  one  spontaneously,  the  other  in  a 
desiccator.  That  portion  dried  spontaneously  lost  52*5  per  cent.,  that 
in  the  desiccator  54*5  per  cent,  of  moisture.  One  gram  of  the  powdered 
air-dried  drug  at  100°  C.  lost  7' 8  per  cent,  of  moisture.  This  upon 
being  incinerated  at  a  low  heat,  yielded  6*8  per  cent,  of  a  grayish- white 
ash  ;  of  this  ash,  1*3  per  cent,  was  soluble  in  water,  consisting  of  potas- 
sium and  sodium  as  chlorides  and  sulphates ;  3*6  per  cent,  soluble  in 
hydrochloric  acid,  consisting  of  calcium,  iron,  and  magnesium  as  carbon- 
ates and  phosphates ;  4  per  cent,  soluble  in  sodium  hydrate,  consisting 
of  combined  silica,  and  1'5  was  insoluble  in  water,  hydrochloric  acid 
and  sodium  hydrate. 
An  infusion  of  the  drug  upon  evaporating  and  cooling  became 
slightly  gelatinous.  The  infusion  yielded,  precipitates  with  nitric  acid, 
copper  sulphate,  lead  acetate, silver  nitrate,  mercuric  chloide,  ammonium 
moxalate  and  gelatia ;  it  became  blue  with  iodine  and  reduced  Trom- 
mels solution. 
The  percolate,  made  with  cold  water,  was  of  a  yellowish-brown  color, 
at  first  clear,  soon  became  cloudy  and  upon  evaporating  yielded 
23*5  per  cent,  of  a  brownish-black  extract.  The  alcoholic  percolate 
was  of  a  clear  golden  yellow  color,  and  upon  evaporating  yielded  12*5 
per  cent,  of  uniform  yellowish-brown  extract. 
Wax  was  found  in  small  quantities,  by  treating  the  resin  exhausted 
by  alcohol,  with  chloroform.    Resin  was  obtained  by  exhausting  the 
