Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Feb.,  1886. 
Fabiana  Imbricata;  or  Pichi. 
69 
moisture.  The  petroleum  ether  had  extracted  more  than  10  per 
cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  drug.  Of  this  extract  alcohol  dissolved 
all  but  30  milligrams,  the  residue  consisting  of  fatty  and  waxy  mat- 
ter, which  in  burning  produced  an  odor  similar  to  that  of  burning 
india-rubber. 
Water  dissolves  a  very  small  portion  of  the  extract,  producing  a 
somewhat  bitter  solution,  which,  on  addition  of  ammonia,  becomes 
strongly  fluorescent.  Of  the  resinous  portion,  taken  up  by  alcohol, 
ammonia  dissolves  only  a  part,  producing  a  solution  having  a 
terebinthinate  bitter  taste. 
Ether  extracts  about  33  per  cent,  of  the  drug,  the  extract  having 
the  consistence  of  a  soft  resin,  with  the  characteristic  odor  and  taste 
of  the  drug.  Tf  to  the  ethereal  solution  a  few  drops  of  an  alcoholic 
solution  of  ammonia  are  added,  a  precipitate  is  at  once  produced, 
which  gradually  assumes  the  crystalline  form.  The  same  thing  is 
true  of  the  solution  obtained  with  petroleum  ether.  The  crystals  are 
white,  delicate  needles  or  scales,  tasteless,  insoluble  in  water,  soluble 
in  chloroform,  hot  alcohol  even  when  somewhat  dilute,  crystallizing 
readily  from  its  solutions  in  most  of  these  solvents  fusible  at  a  some- 
what elevated  temperature,  burning  with  a  smoky  flame. 
It  is  apparently  indifferent  to  the  action  of  acids  and  alkalies, 
except  that  it  is  thrown  out  of  some  of  its  solutions,  as  already  stated, 
by  alkalies.  Probably  it  is  inert,  but  we  must  not  too  hastily  draw 
this  conclusion  from  its  insolubility  and  tastelessness. 
Tinctures  of  pichi  made  with  moderately  strong  alcohol,  deposit 
crystals  also  of  this  substance,  which  is  the  same,  no  doubt,  as  that 
which  crystallizes  spontaneously  from  the  solution  in  petroleum  ether. 
The  ethereal  extract  contains  a  larger  proportion  than  the  benzin 
extract  of  the  fluorescent  principle  to  which  reference  has  been  made. 
This  principle  resembles  in  its  general  properties  sesculin  ;  it  is  solu- 
ble in  petroleum  ether  sparingly ;  in  alcohol  freely ;  in  ether,  chloro- 
form and  other  similar  solvents.  Cold  water  dissolves  it  sparingly, 
hot  water  more  freely;  from  its  aqueous  (acid)  solution  it  may  be 
removed  by  shaking  with  chloroform,  or  a  mixture  of  chloroform 
and  ether.  It  is  not  easily  induced  to  crystallize,  and  in  this  respect 
differs  from  sesculin.  This  may  be  du^,  however,  to  the  presence  of 
impurities,  and  my  experiments  have  not  been  sufficiently  numerous 
to  warrant  me  in  saying  that  it  is  not  crystallizable. 
A  tincture  of  the  drug,  prepared  with  75  per  cent,  alcohol,  was 
