Am.  Jour.  Pliarm.  ) 
July,  1911.  i 
Pharmacognosy  of  Echinacea. 
315 
Ointment  of  Red  Mercuric  Oxide. — Contains  10  per  cent,  of  mer- 
curic oxide ;  made  with  white  vaseHne.  Proceed  as  directed  for  the 
assay  of  mercury  plaster,  using  about  5  Gm.  of  the  ointment  and 
20  c.c.  of  nitric  acid.  Continue  heating-  until  the  red  color  of  the 
mercuric  oxide  has  disappeared.  Each  c.c.  of  n/io  ammonium 
sulphocyanate  solution  corresponds  to  0.0108  Gm.  of  mercuric  oxide. 
The  factors  given  throughout  these  notes  are  based  on  the 
atomic  weights  having  0  =  i6  as  the  standard.  If  the  volumetric 
solutions  used  are  made  by  the  H  =  i  standard,  either  the  factors 
or  the  final  results  should  be  multiplied  by  0.992. 
THE  PHARMACOGNOSY  OF  ECHINACEA.^ 
By  Henry  Kraemer  and  Maud  Sollenberger. 
The  root  of  Echinacea  angiistifolra  has  been  used  in  certain  pro- 
prietary medicines  for  a  number  of  years.  It  was  not  until  about 
1886,  however,  that  the  identity  of  the  drug  was  determined.  From 
specimens  of  the  entire  plant  which  were  sent  John  Uri  Lloyd  from 
Nebraska,  his  brother  C.  G.  Lloyd  was  enabled  to  identify  the  drug 
as  being-  derived  from  Echinacea  angnstifolia,  or  the  "  Nigger 
Head  "  of  the  West.^  Apparently  considerable  quantities  of  the 
drug  are  used,  and  there  are  a  number  of  reports  to  the  effect 
that  it  is  more  or  less  adulterated.  It  should  be  stated  that  while 
the  drug  is  largely  used,  the  Council  on  Pharmacy  and  Chemistry 
of  the  American  Medical  Association-^  has  investigated  the  subject 
and  come  to  the  conclusion  that  "  Echinacea  is  deemed  unworthy 
of  further  consideration  until  more  reliable  evidence  is  presented 
in  its  favor."  However,  the  plant  and  drug  have  a  number  of  in- 
teresting anatomical  features,  and  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  present 
the  results  of  this  study  at  this  time.  Authentic  specimens  of  the 
crude  drug  were  secured  from  Professor  Lloyd.  Living  plants  of 
Echinacea  angnstifolia  were  purchased  from  Mr.  John  Hellerman, 
who  has  been  cultivating  the  plant  in  Philadelphia,  and  these  plants 
^  Read  at  the  New  Jersey  Pharmaceutical  Association  meeting,  June  14, 
1911. 
^  Pharm.  Rcjieiv,  1904  (vol.  22),  p.  11. 
Jour.  A.  M.  A.,  Nov.  27,  1909;  Report  A.  M.  A.  Council  on  Pharmacy 
and  Chemistry,  1909,  p.  144. 
