ON  SOME  PREPARATIONS  OF  WILD  CHERRY  BARK.  305 
glycerin  and  sufficient  cold  water.  This  mixture  was  al- 
lowed to  macerate  for  forty-eight  hours  and  then  displaced 
to  obtain  ten  fluid  ounces  of  infusion,  which  is  converted  into  a 
syrup  with  twelve  ounces  of  sugar. 
This  syrup  is  stronger  than  the  officinal,  a  fluid  ounce  repre- 
senting two  drachms  of  the  bark. 
Formula  No.  2. — This  formula  is  like  the  preceding  except 
that  the  sugar  is  diminished  to  nine  ounces  in  the  pint. 
Formula  No.  3. — This  syrup  contains  but  six  ounces  of  sugar 
and  two  fluid  ounces  of  glycerin  to  the  pint,  being  but  three 
drachms  of  sugar  to  the  fluid  ounce  of  syrup. 
The  author  states  that  all  these  preparations  kept  perfectly 
well  from  August  to  December,  the  period  of  rendering  his 
thesis,  and  he  believes  they  offer,  especially  the  last,  a  means  of 
employing  wild  cherry  bark  in  an  agreeable  form,  without  em- 
barrassing the  digestive  function  with  the  large  proportion  of  su- 
gar contained  in  the  officinal  syrup.  The  author  believes  that  the 
glycerin  acts  by  its  solvent  power,  as  well  as  by  its  antiseptic 
preservative  quality,  and  possibly  may  be  useful  therapeutically. 
Fluid  extract  of  Wild  Qherry  Bark. — Eight  ounces  of  ground 
wild  cherry  bark  was  treated  with  two  fluid  ounces  of  glycerin 
and  sufficient  water.  After  standing  forty-eight  hours  the  mix- 
ture was  carefully  displaced  until  thirteen  fluid  ounces  of  con- 
centrated infusion  had  passed.  Six  ounces  of  white  sugar  was 
dissolved  in  this  infusion,  to  form  a  pint  of  fluid  extract.  This 
preparation  also  kept  during  the  period  mentioned. 
Tincture  of  Wild  Cherry  Bark. — The  author  after  various 
experiments  with  wine  as  a  menstruum  for  this  bark,  arrives  at 
the  opinion  that  a  very  dilute  alcohol  (1  of  alcohol  to  7  of  water) 
is  preferable  to  wine.  He  directs  two  ounces  of  the  powdered 
bark  to  be  displaced  with  such  a  menstruum  until  a  pint  is  ob- 
tained. He  does  not  consider  this  preparation  equal  to  either 
the  syrup  or  fluid-extract. 
The  author  likewise  proposes  a  solid  extract,  formed  by  a 
union  of  alcoholic  and  watery  extracts  prepared  separately ; 
but  such  an  extract  has  no  advantages  over  the  simple  alcoholic 
extract  already  suggested  (Amer.  Jour.  Pharm.  vol.  iv.  3d  ser. 
p<  108,)  as  water  will  not  extract  the  principle  that  decomposes 
the  amygdalin  of  wild  oherry  bark. 
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