386  Note  on  Saffron.  l^fiS" 
NOTE  ON  SAFFRON.* 
By  Henry  Kraemer. 
There  have  been  at  least  three  rather  detailed  and  comprehensive 
publications  on  saffron — the  determination  of  its  purity,  substitutes 
and  adulterations.  One  of  the  first  of  these  was  by  Prof.  John  M. 
Maisch,1  who  made  a  most  comprehensive  report  on  the  saffron  of 
the  American  market  in  1885.  In  1892  E.  Vinassa2  gave  a  most 
valuable  and  important  contribution  to  the  Archiv  der  Pharmacie, 
on  true  saffron  and  its  possible  adulterations;  and  a  year  later,  A. 
Tschirch3,  in  his  Anatomischer  Atlas  described  and  illustrated 
the  important  features  in  the  study  of  saffron  with  his  characteristic 
force. 
Any  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  literature  on  the  subject  is  struck 
with  the  large  number  of  vegetable,  mineral  and  animal  substances 
that  have  been  used,  as  also  dyestuffs  that  have  been  employed  to 
adulterate  the  commercial  saffron.  There  has  been  present,  as  there 
is  still  to-day,  the  style,  stamens8  and  corolla  of  true  Crocus  (viz. 
Crocus  sativus).  There  has  also  been  found  the  flowers  of  Calendula,2 
Carthamus,2  Arnica,2  a  flower  of  N.  O.  Caryophyllaceae,24  and  corn  ;2 
the  fruit  of  paprika;21  onion  scales;21  wood  of  santalum  rubrum,28 
and  hsematoxylon ;  fibres  of  meat  j1' 27  tissues  of  a  sedge  ;14  tissues 
of  a  cane,26  wheat  flour,13  glycerin,  honey,  oil,25  starch,13  and  mineral 
substances  (principally  barium  and  calcium7  salts),  as  also  soluble 
ammonium  and  sodium  salts  have  been  employed.6, 20  The  number  of 
coloring  principles2  that  have  been  used  or  suspected  are  at  least  18  in 
number,  used  either  alone  or  in  mixtures,30  including  :  acid  fuchsin,24 
auramin,  brilliant  yellow,  benzo-orange,  chrysoidin  nitrate,  chinolin 
yellow,  chrysophenin,  coloring  of  cochineal,26  curcumin,  dinitro para- 
kresol,  dinitro  cresolate  of  sodium  ;29  Jaune  vennicelle  de  Paris, 
Martin's  yellozv  (dinitro  napthol),30  Metanil  yellow ^  orange  No.  If, 
Ponceau  2  R,  picric  acid,  nitrate  of  chrysoidin,  tropaeolin  000  No.  2,30 
etc.  Some  of  these  are  toxic  in  their  action,  chiefly  those  given  in 
italics. 
The  ingeniousness  displayed  in  the  adulterations  practised  is 
remarkable  indeed.  In  one  instance  Morpurgo4  records  the  presence 
of  barium  sulphate,  not  only  upon  the  outside  of  the  drug,  but  also 
*  Given  in  Abstract  before  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Association, 
June,  1898. 
