578  Medicinal  Value  of  Pomegranate  Bark.{Am-^^&Tm- 
ON  THE  MEDICINAL  VALUE  OF  POMEGRANATE  BARK. 
By  J.  B.  Nagelvoort. 
In  N.  Tijdsch.  v.  Phar.,  Chem.%  Toxicol.,  Oct.,  1890,  Professor 
W.  Stoeder,  of  the  University  of  Amsterdam,  Holland,  gives  the 
following  information  concerning  the  use  of  pomegranate  bark  by 
the  natives  of  East  India  (Java): 
The  natives  prefer  the  bark  of  the  root  of  trees  with  white  flowers, 
to  expel  taenia.  There  is  also  a  variety  with  black  flowers.  Trees 
with  red  flowers  are,  however,  in  Java,  the  most  common,  as  is  the 
case  in  Europe.  On  submitting  the  root-barks  of  the  3  varieties  to 
the  assay  process  of  the  Dutch  Pharmacopoeia,1 
The  white-flowered  variety  yielded  375  per  cent,  of  hydrochlorates . 
"    black       "  "  171      "  " 
"    red  "  "  2*43      "  " 
I  take  pleasure  in  bringing  these  observations  of  Professor  Stoeder 
to  the  notice  of  the  pharmaceutical  chemists  of  this  country,  and  at 
the  same  time  desire  to  direct  attention  to  a  statement  of  mine,  made 
some  years  ago  (see  Hager,  Phar.  Praxis,  Ecg.  Bd.,  p.  503),  that 
experiments  made  in  Batavia  had  shown  no  difference  in  the  effects 
of  the  bark  of  the  root  and  branches.  At  that  time,  reliable  assays 
of  pomegranate  bark  were  not  generally  known,  and  I  used  indis- 
criminately the  bark  of  the  whole  tree,  or,  to  be  more  correct,  of 
the  large  shrub. 
It  is  the  place  here  to  call  the  attention  of  the  readers  to  the  fact 
that  the  root-bark  of  the  cinchonas  contains  some  cinchona  alkaloid  ; 
and  that  emetine  is  found,  if  I  remember  correctly,  in  the  woody 
part  of  the  ipecacuanha  root,  always  considered  worthless. 
Professor  Stoeder  does  not  state  if  his  figures  are  averages.  From 
a  perusal  of  the  original,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  they  are  the 
1  The  following  is  the  process  :  10  gm.  of  the  bark,  reduced  to  a  fine  powder, 
are  mixed  with  2  gm.  slaked  lime,  100  cc.  water,  and  2  gm.  solution  of  caustic 
soda,  1*33  sp.  gr. ;  macerate  for  24  hours,  under  frequent  agitation  ;  transfer  to 
a  percolator  and  displace  with  small  quantities  of  water  to  exhaustion.  Agitate 
the  percolate  in  a  separator  with  chloroform,  taking  small  quantities  in  suc- 
cession, to  exhaustion.  Exhaust  the  chloroformic  solution  in  another  sepa- 
rator, first,  by  strongly  agitating  it  with  10  cc.  water,  acidulating  carefully  with 
nHCl,  and  afterwards  with  5  cc.  water  alone.  (Repeat  this  as  long  as  Mayer's 
reagent  gives  a  reaction  for  alkaloid. — j.  B.  N.)  Evaporate,  on  a  water-bath, 
the  combined  watery  fluids,  dry  above  H2S04  to  constant  weight.  10  grams  of 
drug  shall  yield  not  less  than  o-i  gram  hydrochlorate  of  total  alkaloid. 
