8 
Belladonna  and  Hyoscyamus. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\    January,  1915. 
data  upon  which  to  base  conclusions  concerning  what  species,  varie- 
ties, or  parts  of  the  plant  are  most  valuable  medicinally.  Especially 
is  this  true  when  the  facts  concerning  the  natural  hybridization  of 
Hyoscyamus  are  considered.  Again,  practically  nothing  is  known 
of  the  methods  of  culture,  drying,  storage,  etc.,  of  most  of  the  various 
specimens  reported  upon.  No  attempt  has  been  made  thus  far  to 
study  the  alkaloids  in  the  plants  that  I  have  cultivated,  but  the  pure 
cultures  now  being  developed  will  be  examined  in  this  respect. 
Siim-Jensen  reported  on  a  study  of  the  amount  of  alkaloids  in 
carefully-collected  samples  of  Hyoscyamus  niger,  and  the  nature  of 
the  work  done  seems  of  sufficient  importance  to  call  attention  to  it 
at  this  time.   The  following  table  gives  his  results : 
Part  of  plant.  Total  alkaloids. 
Root  of  biennial  plant  155  .16  .17 
Leaves  of  biennial  plant,  first  year. .  .  .059  .066  .069 
Leaves  and  tops,  second  year  065         .06;  .068 
Leaves  and  tops,  annual  064         .068  .070 
Carefully-cleaned  leaves,  collected  in  the  medicinal  plant  garden, 
and  commercial  samples  of  Hyoscyamus  have  been  examined  for  the 
per  cent,  of  ash.   The  following  table  gives  the  result  of  this  work : 
Part  of  plant.  Source.  Per  cent,  of  ash. 
Basal  leaves,  89  per  cent.  . 
Commercial  sample    21.09 
r  cent.  J 
(  Basal  leaves,  89  per  cent.  . 
\  .basal  leaves,  89  per  cent.  . . . )  „  .  «  , 
2.  1  1  Commercial  sample    10-07 
/Flowering  tops,  11  per  cent.  ) 
3.  Flowering  tops  Select  commercial  sample   9.68 
4.  Flowering  tops  Select  commercial  sample   9.48 
5.  Basal  leaves,  first  year  Medicinal  plant  garden   16.02 
6.  Basal  leaves,  first  year  Medicinal  plant  garden   16.17 
7.  Flowering  tops  Select  commercial  sample    9.54 
8.  Flowering  tops  Select  commercial  sample    9.06 
The  results  of  work  like  the  foregoing  on  Belladonna  and  Hyo- 
scyamus indicate  that  a  complete  understanding  of  vegetable  drugs 
can  come  only  after  thorough  studies  have  been  made  of  the  plants 
yielding  drugs.  Such  studies  necessitate  the  more  or  less  continuous 
observation  of  the  growing  plant  throughout  its  life,  and  also  much 
experimental  work  along  physiologic  and  pharmacognostic  lines. 
During  the  time  that  the  work  embodied  in  this  paper  has  been  in 
progress  I  have  taken  a  large  part  in  planning  and  constructing  a 
medicinal  plant  laboratory,  wherein  the  origin  and  nature  of  vegetable 
drugs  may  be,  and  is,  studied  in  connection  with  the  medicinal  plant 
