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MOHR AND REDWOOD'S PRACTICAL PHARMACY 217 
giving them the pilular form. With some of these powders 
the use of an excipient that possesses and can impart adhe- 
siveness is necessary ; and with all of them the presence of 
sugar is beneficial in preserving the vegetable principles 
from decomposition, and preventing the pills from becom- 
ing very hard. Simple syrup is commonly used as the 
excipient, but there is an advantage in the substitution of 
uncrystallizable for the crystalline sugar which the simple 
syrup contains; treacle, therefore, is sometimes employed 
with advantage. If it be desired to deprive the treacle of 
its peculiar taste and smell, and of some of its color, this 
may be done by diluting it with three or four times its 
weight of water, filtering the solution through a bed of ani- 
mal charcoal, and finally evaporating it to the required con- 
sistence. Powdered conium, and other powders of this 
kind, retain their properties unimpaired for a great length 
of time when made into pills with a syrup of uncrystalliza- 
ble sugar. 
"There are cases, however, in which the use of syrup with 
some of the powders alluded to, is subject to inconvenience. 
Thus, when rhubarb or jalap is made into pills, it is often 
desirable to have as large a quantity as possible of the active 
ingredients in each pill. From three to five grains of the 
powder are frequently prescribed in a pill, and in such case 
it is desirable to use an excipient that will add as little as 
possible to the bulk. If syrup be used as the excipient for 
rhubarb, it will be found that a drachm of the powder will 
require a fluid-drachm of syrup ; and this would make pills 
of four or five grains of rhubarb inconveniently large. 
Where it is important to add as little as possible to the bulk 
of the pill, water may be used as the excipient for rhubarb. 
It does not form so plastic a massas syrup does; and, more- 
over, the pills, if long kept, become very hard, but the size 
of the pills will be less than would be the case if syrup were 
used. Spirit, especially rectified spirit, does not answer so 
well as water. 
