308  ON  THE  ACTIVE  PRINCIPLES  OF  HYDRASTIS  CANADENSIS. 
REMARKS  ON  THE  ACTIVE  PRINCIPLES  OF  HYDRASTIS 
CANADENSIS. 
(/«  a  letter  from  Wm.  S.  Merrill  &  Co.,  of  Cincinnati,  to  a  member  of  the  Publishing 
Committee,  with  permission  to  publish.) 
We  have  delayed  further  reports  to  you  on  the  proximate 
principles  of  the  Hydrastis,  until  we  could  examine  the  subject 
a  little  further.  We  now  report  the  result  of  our  observations 
as  follows  :  The  Hydrastis  contains  two  distinct  alkaloids  which 
we  name  hydrastia  and  liydrastina.  The  former,  in  its  uncom- 
bined  state,  is  very  soluble,  and  we  have  not  obtained  it  in  crys- 
talline form,  but  it  forms  beautiful  yellow  salts  with  all  the  acids. 
Of  these  the  muriate  is  the  least  soluble  and  most  easily  obtained 
in  beautiful  feathery  crystals.  It  is  the  substance  which,  dried 
and  powdered,  we  have  been  selling  as  hydrazine.  The  sul- 
phate is  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  muriate  in  appearances, 
and  in  medicine  has  the  advantage  of  being  more  soluble  in 
water,  but  for  this  reason  is  more  difficultly  prepared. 
The  hydrastia  closely  resembles  berberina,  the  alkaline  base  of 
Berberis  vulgaris,  and  also  we  think  that  of  Xanthorrhiza  apiifolia, 
and  has  been  pronounced  identical  with  it,  but  after  a  careful 
comparison  we  do  not  think  it  is  so.  With  the  purest  specimens 
of  the  muriate  of  each  which  we  could  make,  we  found  the  be- 
haviour with  several  reagents  to  be  distinctly  different.  These 
comparative  experiments  we  will  report  another  time  if  desirable, 
but  will  not  take  time  and  space  for  it  now. 
The  other  base,  hydrastina,  when  pure,  is  very  insoluble  in 
water,  so  much  so  that  it  is  almost  wholly  tasteless.  It  is  solu- 
ble in  hot  alcohol,  and  from  that  solution  crystallizes  in  large 
greenish  crystals,  as  sample  sent  you.  It  combines  readily  with 
acids,  and  neutralizes  them,  forming  intensely  bitter  salts. 
These  are  not  easily  crystallized,  but  when  dry  form  white 
amorphous  powders  which  we  have  no  doubt  are  active  medicinal 
agents. 
Some  of  our  physicians  anticipate  that  the  pure  hydrastina 
will  prove  a  convenient  tonic  for  children  and  fastidious  patients, 
as,  taken  in  aqueous  fluids,  it  is  quite  tasteless,  but  will  become 
active  when  combined  with  acids  in  the  stomach. 
The  acid  with  which  these  bases  are  combined  in  their  normal 
