Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Feb.,  1886. 
Spurious  Cubebs. 
97 
the  decoctions  upon  treatment  with  iodine,  due  to  the  presence  of 
starch,  and  the  color  reactions  afforded  by  the  respective  powders 
upon  treatment  with  strong  sulphuric  acid.5 
With  the  limited  time  at  our  command,  the  object  of  the  authors 
has  been  to  carry  the  subject  a  stage  further  by  more  closely  examin- 
ing the  character  of  the  obnoxious  adulterant  to  which  may  evidently 
be  attributed  the  ill  effects  described  by  Dr.  Buxton  Shillitoe,6  viz, 
the  fruits  of  Piper  crassipes  f 
I.  Two  grams  of  the  powder  upon  incineration  yielded  a  residue 
of  *175  gin.,  corresponding  to  8*75  per  cent,  of  ash. 
II.  Ten  grams  of  the  powder  were  macerated  in  100  c.c.  of  petro- 
leum ether  for  five  days.  Five  c.c.  poured  off  and  evaporated  in  a 
current  of  air  free  from  moisture,7  left  an  oleo-resinous  residue 
weighing  '077  gm. 
III.  Five  grams  of  the  powder  were  mixed  with  water,  distilled, 
and  the  distillate  shaken  with  petroleum  ether  ;  the  ethereal  solution 
decanted  and  evaporated  in  a  current  of  dry  air  yielded  a  residue  of 
*56  gm.,  corresponding  to  1 15  per  cent,  of  volatile  oil,  which  pos- 
sessed an  agreeable  odor  resembling  a  mixture  of  turpentine,  oil  of 
lavender  and  oil  of  peppermint. 
IY.  The  washed  and  dried  marc  from  II.  was  macerated  for  five 
days  in  ether.  Ten  c.c.  of  the  ethereal  solution  upon  evaporation  to 
dryness  yielded  a  residue  of  *05  gm.,  corresponding  together  with  the 
resin  extracted  in  II.  to  8*5  per  cent. 
This  residue  was  soluble  in  absolute  alcohol,  and  other  portions 
boiled  with  a  small  quantity  of  distilled  water,  yielded  a  solution 
which  copiously  reduced  Fehling's  solution,  and  was  not  affected  by 
either  ferric  chloride  or  Mayer's  solution;  it  possessed  a  very  bitter 
taste  resembling  quassia,  and  a  few  drops  treated  with  strong  sul- 
phuric acid  upon  a  white  tile  yielded  a  brown  color. 
Thereupon  three  ethereal  tinctures  of  the  fruits  of  Piper  Cubeba,. 
Piper  crassipes  and  Daphnidium  Qubeba  were  prepared  by  macerating 
20  gms.  of  the  finely  powdered  drugs  in  50  c.c.  of  ether  respectively 
for  forty-eight  hours,  and  10  c.c.  of  each  exposed  to  a  current  of  dry 
air  for  twenty-four  hours  at  the  ordinary  temperature. 
5  For  the  color  reactions  afforded  by  the  respective  tinctures,  see  Mr.  E.  D. 
Gravill's  paper  {Phar.  Jour.,  [3],  xv,  p.  1005). 
6  Lancet,  May  2,  1885,  p.  829. 
7  Osse's  method  (Year-book  of  Pharmacy,  1876,  p.  362). 
7 
