444 
British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  { 
Aid.  Jour.  Pharm. 
September,  18S9. 
Alkaloid 
Obtained. 
Sample. 
Percentage  in  Wine. 
By  Weight. 
By  Titration. 
No.  i 
0-031 
0-031 
C062 
No.  2 
0-022 
0'022 
0*044 
No.  3 
0-042 
O'O40 
o-o8o 
No.  4 
0012 
0  012 
0*024 
No.  5 
C-O40 
0-036 
0-072 
No.  6 
0'022 
0-02I 
0-042 
Average 
0"028 
0*027 
0-054 
MISCIBIvE  LIQUID  EXTRACT  OF  IPECACUANHA. 
By  F.  C.  J.  Bird. 
The  liquid  extract  of  ipecacuanha  of  the  present  Pharmacopoeia  is,  undoubt- 
edly, a  great  improvement  on  the  dried  acetic  extract  official  in  the  last  edition 
of  that  work.  The  new  preparation  possesses  the  advantages  of  standard 
strength,  good  peeping  properties,  and  fine  aroma  of  the  root,  but  these  good 
qualities  are  accompanied  by  the  minor  defect,  from  a  pharmaceutical  point  of 
view,  of  precipitation  when  diluted  with  weak  alcoholic  or  aqueous  liquids. 
The  cause  of  this  precipitation  is  usually  attributed  to  the  presence  of  resin- 
ous substances  in  the  liquid  extract,  although  the  view  has  been  advanced  that 
the  turbidity  is  partly  due  to  the  decomposition  product  of  a  peculiar  pectin 
compound.  There  have  been  no  published  statements  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
deposit  which  in  the  official  formula  for  the  wine  is  directed  to  be  filtered  out, 
but  if  the  wine  be  not  free  from  astringent  matter  the  sediment  will  certainly 
contain  a  little  alkaloid.  A  liquid  extract  not  forming  a  precipitate  on  dilution 
would,  therefore,  not  only  save  nitration,  but  what  is  often  of  greater  import- 
ance, avoid  the  forty-eight  hours'  delay  incidental  to  the  preparation  of  vinum 
ipecacuanhae  by  the  present  B. P.  formula. 
The  constituents  of  ipecacuanha  root,  isolated  and  identified  by  various 
observers,  are  the  following :  Emetine,  cephaeline,  and  a  third  alkaloid 
(unnamed),  ipecacuanhic  acid,  volatile  oil,  fat,  resin  and  sugar,  all  of  which 
are  probably  contained  in  the  official  liquid  extract.  There  are  also  present  in 
the  root  pectin,  waxy  bodies,  dextrin,  mucilage,  albuminous  substances,  starch 
(in  large  proportion),  and  coloring  matter.  Other  principles  of  doubtful  exist- 
ence have  also  been  described. 
The  resins  of  ipecacuanha  have  never  been  credited  with  either  emetic, 
diaphoretic  or  expectorant  effects,  and  their  entire  or  partial  removal  can 
hardly  affect  the  medicinal  action  of  any  preparation  of  the  drug,  at  least  as 
far  as  those  particular  properties  are  concerned. 
When  an  equal  volume  of  water  is  added  to  liquid  extract  of  ipecacuanha  and 
the  mixture  allowed  to  stand,  the  filtered  liquid  will  generally  be  found  to  form 
a  perfectly  bright  solution  when  diluted  with  detauuated  sherry  wine,  and  the 
following  process  for  rendering  the  official  liquid  extract  "  miscible  "  is  based 
on  this  fact. 
