Am  FebJ'iSo.arm'}   Verbascum,  Ambrosia  and  Lycopus.  71 
SOME  CONSTITUENTS  OF  VERBASCUM,  AMBROSIA 
AND  LYCOPUS. 
Abstracts  from  Theses. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy. — No.  65. 
Adolph  Latin  submitted  the  leaves  of  Verbascum  Thapstis  to 
proximate  analysis  and  found  the  constituents  to  be  *8o  per 
cent,  of  a  crystalline  wax,  a  trace  of  volatile  oil,  78  per  cent, 
of  resin  soluble  in  ether,  1  *oo  per  cent,  of  resin  insoluble  in 
ether,  but  soluble  in  absolute  alcohol,  a  small  quantity  of 
tannin,  a  bitter  principle,  sugar,  mucilage,  and  the  other  usual 
constituents.  The  moisture  in  the  air  dried  sample  amounted 
to  5*90  per  cent.,  and  the  ash  to  12*60  percent.  He  concludes 
that  the  plant  contains  many  of  the  usual  constituents  and  a 
bitter  principle  which  may  be  prepared  by  exhausting  the 
drug  with  alcohol,  evaporating  or  distilling  the  solvent,dissolv- 
ing  the  residue  in  water  and  agitating  with  ether  or  chloro- 
form. Several  trials  failed  to  secure  this  substance  in  a 
crystalline  condition.  It  was  found  to  be  soluble  in  water, 
ether,  alcohol  and  chloroform  and  to  possess  a  decidedly 
bitter  taste.  It  responded  to  none  of  the  tests  for  a  glucoside 
or  alkaloid. 
Leslie  W.  Schwab  examined  Ambrosia  artemisicefolia,  popu- 
larly known  as  Ragweed,  Hogweed  or  Bitterweed.  This 
plant  is  indigenous  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  the 
droughts  of  the  Western  States  are  never  so  severe  as  to  pre- 
vent it  flourishing  along  waysides  and  waste  places  and  in 
the  locality  of  the  author  (Central  Illinois)  the  crop  never 
fails  whether  it  be  a  wet  or  dry  season.  Its  average  height 
is  from  2  to  3  feet.  All  parts  of  the  plant  are  very  bitter, 
hence  the  common  name.  The  material  for  analysis,  consist- 
ing of  the  leaves  and  smaller  stems,  were  gathered  in  August. 
The  bitter  principle  was  found  to  be  a  glucoside,  which  was 
partly  dissolved  from  the  plant  by  ether,  but  more  completely 
by  alcohol.  On  recovering  the  solvent,  dissolving  in  water 
and  agitating  with  ether  or  chloroform  the  bitter  glucoside 
was  obtained  in  an  amorphous  condition.  The  following  is  a 
summary  of  the  constituents  found  : 
