Am.  Jour.  Pharm."' 
March,  1890.  / 
Jalap  and  Jalap  Resin. 
JALAP  AND  JALAP  RESIN.1 
By  F.  A.  Flick iger. 
The  resin  of  jalap  is  a  much-used  remedy,  not  yet  supplanted  by 
synthesis,  which  medicine,  apparently,  would  not  willingly  be 
deprived  of.  But  for  nearly  twenty  years  the  fact  has  been  becom- 
ing more  and  more  evident  that  the  tubers  of  Ipomoea  purga,  the 
only  material  used  in  Europe  and  America  in  the  preparation  of 
resina  jalapse,  yield  less  of  that  substance  than  in  former  times.  In 
1842,  Guibourt,  experienced  and  careful  in  such  matters,  found  no 
less  than  17  65  per  cent,  of  the  resin,  and  statements  varying 
between  this  amount  and  10  per  cent,  were  about  that  time  not 
infrequent,  if  I  read  correctly.  The  authors  of  "  Pharmacographia  " 
have  brought  together  (p.  445)  a  few  statements  on  the  subject 
from  the  circle  of  their  friends  and  acquaintances  ;  the  older  drug 
houses  would  probably  be  in  a  position  to  contribute  towards  mak- 
ing them  more  complete.  But  probably,  for  the  last  twenty  years, 
as  it  appears  to  me,  the  statements  of  10  per  cent,  yields,  or 
upwards,  have  been  fewer,  and  the  larger  proportion  of  the  jalap 
has  yielded  less,  frequently  only  a  small  percentage  of  resin. 
Whence  this  phenomenon  ?  The  complaint  that  the  drug 
appeared  inferior  or  consisted  of  smaller  tubers,  has  by  no  means 
been  heard  during  the  same  time  ;  indeed  to  my  knowledge  it  has 
not  been  proved  that  the  larger  and  older  pieces  are  richer  in  resin. 
Reasons  for  an  actual  retrogression  in  the  resin  formation  in  the 
root  organism  of  the  jalap  plant  are  not  conceivable,  so  that  one  is 
brought  to  the  presumption  that  a  fraudulent  abstraction  from  the 
jalap  takes  place.  Of  this  Dr.  Squibb  in  the  latest  number  of  the 
Ephemeris  (July,  1889,)  presents  an  indication  the  importance  of 
which  should  not  be  underestimated.  He  made  applications  in 
Hamburg,  London  and  New  York  to  be  supplied  with  the  finest 
jalap  in  considerable  parcels,  but  obtained  only  one  consignment 
that  yielded  more  than  jy2  per  cent,  of  resin.  One  house  in  New- 
York,  not  more  exactly  specified  by  him,  sent  a  representative  to 
the  district  in  Mexico  that  formerly  yielded  jalap  and  authorized 
him  to  purchase  the  root  at  any  price  on  the  spot.  Two  hundred 
pounds  obtained  in  this  way  yielded  16  9  per  cent,  of  resin.    A  fur- 
Froin  the  Journal  der  Pharmacie,  von  Elsass-Lotbringen,  for  November. 
