Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
Aug.,  1886.  J 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
409 
Anchusa  tinctoria,  Lin. — Four  samples  of  alkanet  root  were  tested 
by  C.  J.  S.  Thompson  (Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  April  10,  1886,  p. 
860)  for  the  amount  of  anchusih,  by  following  Pelletier's  process,  the 
root  being  exhausted  with  ether.  The  coloring  matter  varied  between 
5.25  and  6.02  per  cent.  It  is  red,  resin-like,  insoluble  in  water,  solu- 
ble in  oils,  alcohol,  chloroform  and  ether,  and  with  a  rich,  deep-blue 
color  in  alkali  hydrates,  the  color  changing  again  to  crimson  on  the 
addition  of  an  acid.  The  author  regards  anchusin  as  being  quite  as 
delicate  a  test  as  litmus. 
Irvingia  Oliveri,  Pierre;  Simarubacece. — Mr.  J.  B.  Vignoli  ob- 
tained in  188  ■>  a  specimen  of  cay-cay  wax,  which  is  a  product  of  the 
above-named  tree,  according  to  Mr.  Pierre,  director  of  the  botanic 
garden  at  Saigon.  Mr.  Vignoli  (These,  Montpellier,  1886,)  gives  a 
full  botanical  description  of  the  tree,  which  is  common  in  the 
forests  of  eastern  Cochinchina,  and  has  also  examined  the  anatomical 
structure  of  the  branches,  leaves  and  fruit.  The  fruit  is  an  ovoid 
yellow  drupe,  of  the  size  of  a  lemon  and  with  a  fibrous  mesocarp, 
and  contains  a  seed  of  the  size  of  an  almond,  having  a  brown,  smooth 
and  brittle  testa,  and  containing  a  large  embryo  and  a  small  quantity 
of  albumen.  For  preparing  the  fat,  the  seeds  are  exposed  by  the 
natives  to  the  sun  for  some  time,  then  bruised,  exposed  to  steam  and 
then  expressed,  the  yield  being  about  20  per  cent,  of  the  fresh  seeds. 
The  dried  seeds  weigh  on  the  average  0'7  gm.,  and  on  being  treated 
with  carbon  disulphide  yield  52  per  cent,  of  fat. 
The  cakes  of  cay-cay  wax  are  usually  in  the  form  of  truncated 
cones,  weighing  about  2*5  kilos.  It  is  of  a  grayish-yellow  color, 
unctuous  to  the  touch,  and  has  a  peculiar  odor,  becoming  stronger 
and  disagreeable  when  heated.  It  is  readily  soluble  in  ether  and  car- 
bon disulphide,  also  in  hot  alcohol,  but  dissolves  sparingly  in  cold 
alcohol.  At  37°  C.  it  becomes  soft,  melts  at  38°,  and  solidifies  again 
at  34°.  It  is  easily  saponified,  and  yields  68*7  per  cent,  of  fatty 
acids,  30*2  of  which  is  oleic  acid,  the  remaining  acids  being  probably 
stearic,  and  several  of  those  liquid  at  the  ordinary  temperature. 
Cay-cay  wax  is  only  used  for  candles  by  the  natives,  bamboo  joints 
being  the  moulds.  These  candles  give  a  light  somewhat  inferior  to 
that  of  stearin  candles,  and  when  burning  do  not  give  off  a  disagree- 
able odor. 
Horse-chestnut  Leaves. — The  Sapindacea?  being  botanically  closely 
related  to  the  Erythroxylacese,  it  was  deemed  of  interest  to  ascertain 
