5i6 
Rep o?' t  on  Tannin. 
( A_m.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t     October,  1895. 
REPORT  ON  TANNIN  FROM  AN  EXUDATION  OF  PTERO- 
CARPUS  DRACO,  LINNE,1  AND  KNOWN  IN  JAMAICA  _ 
AS  DRAGON'S  BLOOD. 
By  Henry  Trimble. 
The  origin  of  this  product  was  described  in  the  Bulletin  of  the 
Botanical  Department,  Jamaica,   No.  45,  July,  1 89 3. 2     As  there 
stated  the  tree  is  about  thirty  feet  high,  and  when  an  incision  is 
made  in  the  bark,  drops  of  red  sap  ooze  out,  which  flow  slowly  down 
the  bark  and  gradually  harden. 
The  sample  received  by  me  from  Mr.  Fawcett  was  in  small  garnet- 
red  pieces,  transparent  at  the  edges,  and  breaking  with  a  resinous 
fracture.  It  much  resembled  the  eucalyptus  kino  received  from 
Australia. 
On  account  of  its  solubility  in  water  the  product  closely  resem- 
bled some  other  varieties  of  kino,  as  well  as  the  one  just  mentioned 
from  Australia. 
Warm  water  dissolved  95-95  per  cent,  of  it;  the  insoluble  por- 
tion, 4  05  per  cent.,  consisted  chiefly  of  adhering  bark  fibre. 
The  ash  amounted  to  2.36  per  cent.,  and  was  found  to  consist  of 
potassium,  calcium,  magnesium,  and  sulphuric,  carbonic  and  phos- 
phoric acids.  There  were  found  34-85  per  cent,  of  tannin  and  25-40 
per  cent,  of  moisture,  which  would  indicate  46  71  per  cent,  of  tan- 
nin in  the  absolutely  dry  substance.  The  balance  consisted  chiefly 
of  gum.  A  complete  statement,  therefore,  might  be  made  as  fol- 
lows : 
Per  Cent. 
Tannin   34*85 
INIoisture   25*40 
Ash   2-36 
Insoluble   4*05 
Gum,  etc   33*34 
IOO'OO 
The  tannin  was  separated  from  the  gum  with  great  difficulty,  be- 
cause of  the  ready  solubility  of  each  in  water,  and  because  the  tan- 
nin caused  some  of  the  gum  to  go  into  solution  in  absolute  alcohol, 
and  also  in  a  mixture  of  alcohol  and  ether.     Agitation  of  the  water 
1  From  the  Bulletin  of  the  Botanical  Department,  Jamaica,  Vol.  11,  p.  161. 
2A  history  of  this  substance  was  given  by  Fliickiger,  Pharmaceutical  Journal, 
1893.  p.  108,  and  Am.  Jour.  Pharm,  1893,  p.  460. 
