Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
Feb.,  1888. 
}       Fluid  Extract  of  Yerha  Santa.  *  75 
best  menstruum  for  the  drug  it  was  coucluded,  after  considering  its 
character,  to  use  in  one  case  a  menstruum  of  3  parts  alcohol  and  1 
part  water,  and  in  the  other  case  one  consisting  of  2  parts  alcohol  and 
1  of  water. 
The  first  formula  is  as  follows : 
Yerba  santa  in  No,  60  powder   225  gm. 
Alcohol   168  gm. 
Water   57  gm. 
To  make  225  c.c.  of  the  finished  product. 
The  drug  after  being  thoroughly  moistened  with  IJ  fluidounces  of 
the  menstruum,  was  firmly  packed  in  a  cylindrical  percolator,  fitted 
at  the  neck  with  a  cork  of  such  size  that  when  placed  tightly  in  posi- 
tion it  was  about  half  way  down  the  neck  of  the  percolator.  A  glass 
tube  was  passed  through  the  centre  of  the  cork  so  that  the  upper  end 
of  the  glass  was  flush  with  the  upper  surface  of  the'  cork,  and  of  suffi- 
cient length  to  protrude  a  short  distance  below  the  neck  of  the  perco- 
lator. A  short  piece  of  rubber  tubing  was  placed  upon  the  lower 
end,  leaving  about  two  inches  of  the  tubing  below  the  glass,  on  which 
was  placed  a  pinchcock  to  regulate  the  flow.  A  small  piece  of  cotton, 
previously  moistened  with  the  menstruum,  was  placed  in  the  neck  of 
the  percolator,  and  pressed  firmly  down  upon  the  surface  of  the  cork. 
After  packing  the  powder  in  the  percolator  a  small  disc  of  filtering 
paper  was  placed  upon  the  drug,  and  the  menstruum  gradually  added^ 
always  keeping  a  stratum  above  the  surface  of  the  drug,  until  the 
liquid  began  to  drop  from  the  percolator.  The  pinchcock  was  then 
closed,  the  top  of  the  percolator  tightly  covered  with  a  piece  of  waxed 
paper  and  maceration  was  continued  for  forty-eight  hours.  The  liquid 
w^as  subsequently  allowed  to  drop  slowly  from  the  percolator,  and  the 
balance  of  the  menstruum  gradually  added.  The  first  200  c.c.  was 
set  aside  as  the  reserve  portion,  and  the  balance  collected  in  another 
bottle ;  225  c.c.  of  the  menstruum  were  not  sufficient  to  exhaust  the 
drug,  hence  140  c.c,  more  menstruum  were  added.  The  menstruum 
which  had  been  absorbed  by  the  drug  was  forced  through  by  pouring 
20  fluidounces  of  water  into  the  percolator.  The  weak  percolate  was 
distilled  to  recover  the  alcohol,  and  the  residue  evaporated  to  a  soft 
extract  by  means  of  a  water-bath.  The  extract  was  dissolved  in  the 
reserve  portion,  and  sufficient  menstruum  was  added  to  make  the  re- 
quired 225  c.c.  of  the  finished  product. 
