Pressed  Herbs. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1876. 
presses,  or  even  paper  or  cotton  bags  ?  Will  boxes  prevent  the  rav- 
ages of  insects,  or  preserve  the  delicate  organic  principles  upon  which 
many  of  our  herbs  depend  for  their  medicinal  values  ?  This  is  the 
direct  issue,  not  convenience  in  packing  and  the  value  of  shelf  room. 
Personally,  I  have  met  with  many  aggravations  respecting  loose  and 
pressed  herbs,  barks  and  roots,  as  found  upon  the  market.  Necessity 
has  compelled  me  to  experiment  upon  their  preservation.  The  subject 
is  very  important  to  every  druggist  and  pharmacist,  and  I  feel  that  a 
brief  description  of  the  most  successful  of  my  experiments  will  be  of 
interest  to  many  readers  of  the  "  Journal."  To  preserve  herbs  with  any 
satisfaction,  I  was  compelled  to  use  air- tight  tin  cans.  Gather  the 
herb  when  in  its  prime,  quickly  and  carefully  dry  it,  then,  by  hand, 
press  it  into  the  can,  sprinkle  upon  it  chloroform,  in  the  proportion  of 
half  an  ounce  to  each  pound,  replace  the  cover  immediately  and  ren- 
der the  can  air  tight  by  painting  the  edges  with  melted  beeswax. 
Herbs  like  peppermint,  spearmint,  &c,  which  depend  for  their  virtues 
mostly  upon  delicate  essential  oils,  can  be  nicely  preserved  in  this  way. 
Roots  and  herbs  that  are  particularly  liable  to  the  attacks  of  insects, 
e.  g.,  parsley  root,  burdock  root,  motherwort,  will  show  no  sign  of 
their  presence.  Is  there  any  objection  to  chloroform  in  this  connec- 
tion ?  I  think  not ;  it  is  quickly  dissipated  when  exposed  to  the 
atmosphere  ;  it  certainly  is  of  much  value,  insect  life  being  destroyed 
by  its  vapor  ;  without  it,  even  though  in  air-tight  cans,  specimens  will 
be  attacked.  Aside  from  this,  I  believe  the  vapor  of  chloroform 
exerts  a  preservative  influence  over  most  of  the  delicate  proximate 
principles  of  our  plants. 
Any  druggist  can  have  tin  cans  made  to  order,  at  small  expense  y 
with  careful  handling  they  will  last  many  years,  being  refilled  each 
season.  Of  course  the  process  necessitates  some  trouble,  and  when 
the  customer  is  waited  upon,  a  little  time  must  be  consumed  in  replac- 
ing and  waxing  the  cover.  It  is  time  well  employed,  however,  for 
the  majority  of  customers  will  prefer  paying  double  the  price  of  ordi- 
nary herbs  for  those  preserved  in  this  manner. 
The  season  is  now  approaching  for  replenishing  the  stock  of  botani- 
cal specimens.  This  stock  must  last  until  next  year.  Druggists  can 
gather  many  articles  they  will  otherwise  be  compelled  to  purchase. 
Pharmacists  who  knowingly  will  not  allow  a  grain  of  other  inferior 
and  adulterated  medicines  to  enter  their  stores,  are  compelled  to  dis- 
