ON  ANTHEMIS  COTULA. 
389 
A  decoction  was  prepared  by  boiling  the  flowers  in  water ; 
this  resembles  the  infusion,  except  in  being  a  little  darker  colored. 
Tested  with  iodine  it  contains  no  starch. 
Four  hundred  grains  of  the  freshly  dried  flowers  were  ex- 
hausted with  absolute  alcohol  in  a  displacement  apparatus.  The 
tincture  had  a  light  green  color,,  and  appeared  to  contain  all  the 
sensible  properties  of  the  plant.  The  tincture  was  then  carefully 
concentrated  till  most  of  the  alcohol  had  evaporated,  when  a 
dark  green  semi-fluid  fatty  substance  [oleo-resin  ?  ]  separated, 
analogous  to  fixed  oil,  being  inflammable,  soluble  in  alcohol, 
ether,  the  volatile  oils  and  caustic  potassa  ;  its  odor  was  like  that 
of  the  flowers  ;  its  taste  was  at  first  bitter,  afterwards  leaving  a 
lasting,  almost  insupportable  burning  impression  upon  the  tongue. 
A  small  portion  was  applied  to  the  skin  of  the  arm  for  a  short 
time  and  then  removed,  when  it  was  found  to  have  produced 
considerable  rubefacience,  which  resulted  in  complete  vesication 
by  the  production  of  a  well  developed  blister.  This  substance 
weighed  39  grains. 
The  liquid,  from  which  the  above  substance  was  taken,  was 
then  evaporated,  and  yielded  22j  grains  of  a  reddish-brown 
transparent  extract,  insoluble  in  ether  or  water,  forming  a  milky 
solution  with  diluted  alcohol,  and  possessed  of  an  intensely  bitter, 
slightly  astringent,  taste  without  any  degree  of  pungency  or 
acrimony. 
The  residue  in  the  displacer  was  removed  and  dried,  and  then 
exhausted  by  displacement  with  cold  water.  The  light  reddish 
infusion  was  concentrated  to  one-fourth,  the  coagulum  separated 
by  a  filter  and  then  evaporated  to  a  dry  extract,  when  it  yielded 
a  reddish-brown  mass  weighing  54  grains,  consisting  of  gummy 
coloring  matter,  &c,  with  an  acid  reaction. 
The  ligneous  matter  remaining  in  the  displacer,  when  dried, 
was  incinerated,  and  yielded  39  grains  of  light-grey  ash,  which 
afforded  to  the  appropriate  tests  and  treatment,  potassa,  lime, 
magnesia  and  iron.  Eight  grains  remained  insoluble  in  hydro- 
chloric acid,  and  appeared  to  consist  chiefly  of  carbonaceous 
matter. 
Several  successive  portions  of  the  flowers  were  distilled  with  a 
portion  of  water,  and  the  distillate  afforded  a  small  portion  of 
volatile  oil  floating  on  its  surface. 
