THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
DECEMBER,  1883, 
SYRUP  OF  LACTUCARIUM. 
By  Joseph  W.  England,  Ph.  G. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  November  20,  1883. 
The  preparation  of  this  syrup,  so  as  not  only  to  secure  in  solution 
all  the  medicinally  active  constituents  of  the  drag,  but  also  to  obtain 
a  clear,  transparent  and  uniform  product,  has  hitherto  been  a  matter 
of  great  difficulty  and  rare  accomplishment ;  hence,  any  suggestions 
that  may  lead  us  out  of  the  troublesome  path  certainly  possess  some 
elements  of  value. 
The  Pharmacopoeia  af  1870  ordered  the  extraction  of  the  drug  with 
dilute  alcohol,  and  the  mixture  of  the  percolate,  concentrated  to  one- 
fourth  of  its  original  volume,  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  syrup  to 
measure  one  pint.  Prepared  with  the  greatest  care  and  skill,'°a  muddy, 
turbid  and  unsightly  mixture  results.  To  obviate  this  difficulty 
various  suggestions  and  propositions  have  been  offered,  these  only  to 
end,  upon  trial,  in  renewed  failure.  The  employment  of  Finley's  process 
in  the  manufacture  of  syrup  of  tolu  in  the  application  of  magnesium 
carbonate,  the  use  of  citric  acid  or  alkalies,  the  trituration  of  the  con- 
crete juice  with  pumice-stone,  its  agitation  with  petroleum  benzin  and 
after  decantation  rubbing  with  dry  sand  to  a  fine  powder  for  prepara- 
tory treatment  before  the  use  of  solvents — all  these  have  received  care- 
ful and  conscientious  use  in  its  manufacture  but  failed  to  reward  the 
sanguine  hopes  of  their  proposers. 
Lactucarium  is  a  mixture  of  certain  common  proximate  vegetable 
principles  and  acids  (oxalic,  citric,  malic)  with  lactucerin  (50  per  cent.), 
lactucin,  lactucic  acid  and  lactucopicrin.  The  first,  lactucerin,  has  no 
physiological  action  whatever ;  the  bitter  and  narcotic  properties  depend 
upon  the  three  latter  compounds. 
In  the  new  revised  Pharmacopoeia  (1880)  a  different  method  of  pre- 
paration is  adopted.  A  fluid  extract  is  made  officinal  and  the  syrup  is 
prepared  direct  from  it.    In  the  process  for  the  manufacture  of  the 
38 
