246 
Podophyllin  Emodi. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1       May,  1890. 
and  almost  entirely  so  in  ammonia,  and  upon  ignition  left  no  resi- 
due ;  and  that  when  given  in  doses  of  y2  grain  it  produced  slight 
griping  sensation  not  uncommon  to  podophyllin  when  administered 
by  itself." 
From  the  large  yield  of  resin,  similar  to  podophvllin  in  physiologi- 
cal action,  this  drug  seems  worthy  of  further  investigation,  and  thus 
I  am  prompted  to  make  known  my  limited  experience  with  the 
resin,  made  from  P.  Emodi. 
A  sample  was  placed  in  my  hands  with  the  request  to  compare 
it  with  podophyllin,  as  to  amount  of  active  principle,  podophyllo- 
toxin,  it  contained.  My  sample  was  small,  weighing  less  than  3 
grammes,  and  a  portion  of  a  small  lot  made  in  Bombay  from  a  few 
of  the  roots,  which  yielded  in  this  case  9  per  cent,  resin.  Upon 
incineration  it  left  no  ash  and  dried  at  100°  C.  till  constant  weight, 
lost  4- 2  per  cent,  moisture. 
Two  grammes  treated  with  benzin  extracted  0080  cm.  of  oily  and 
waxy  matter.  The  drugs  were  exhausted  with  chloroform,  the 
chloroform  percolate  evaporated  on  a  steam  bath  to  a  small 
volume,  and  then  gradually  poured  into  30  cc.  of  ether.  The 
ethereal  fluid  was  decanted  from  the  agglutinated  precipitate,  which 
was  washed  with  several  portions  of  ether,  and  the  total  ethereal 
solutions  evaporated,  and  the  residue,  amounting  to  0-261  gramme, 
weighed  as  podophyllotoxic  acid.  The  precipitate  of  podophyllotoxin, 
was  dried  on  a  steam  bath  to  a  constant  weight  of  1-131  grammes. 
RECAPITULATION  OF  ANALYSIS. 
Per  Cent. 
Ash   none. 
Moisture,  .'  •   4' 2 
Oily  and  waxy  matter,  soluble  in  benzin,   4'o 
Podophyllotoxic  acid,   13 -I 
Podophyllotoxin,  active  principle,   56*55 
Inert  matter,  insol.  in  chloroform  and  sol.  in  alcohol,   22.15 
100 -o 
The  percentage  of  active  principle,  podophyllotoxin,  in  this  sam- 
ple is  fully  25  per  cent,  higher  than  the  average  amount  found  in 
resin  of  podophyllum,  which  varies  from  40  to  45  per  cent.  Ameri- 
can podophyllum  yields  on  a  large  manufacturing  scale,  5  per  cent, 
of  podophyllin,  and  accepting  10  per  cent,  as  a  practical  average 
from  the  Indian,  we  would  have  a  drug  worth  2)4  times  in  value. 
