ON  LEPTANDRA  VIRGINICA. 
511 
dition  of  water,  had  also  a  bitter  taste,  which  was  removed  to  a 
great  extent  by  malaxating  it  with  water.  The  bitter  princi- 
ple is  evidently  the  active  medicinal  substance  of  the  root,  and 
all  the  medicinal  value  of  the  resin  depends  upon  the  accidental 
presence  of  this,  which  is  soluble  in  water. 
Ascertaining,  by  the  former  experiment,  that  water  was  a  sol- 
vent of  the  only  active  principle  of  the  root,  another  portion  of 
the  root,  in  coarse  powder,  was  treated  with  water  in  a  perco- 
lator, a  dark  colored  infusion  was  obtained,  having  all  the  bitter 
taste  of  the  root.  To  this,  sub-acet.  of  lead  was  added,  the  pre- 
cipitate was  separated  by  filtration,  and  the  excess  of  lead  was 
removed  by  the  addition  of  carb.  of  soda,  and  the  carb.  of  lead 
separated  by  the  filter.  The  pale  yellow  liquid  was  then  allowed 
to  filter  through  a  column  of  purified  animal  charcoal.  The  liquid 
that  passed  through  was  totally  devoid  of  taste  and  color.  The 
coal  was  then  washed  with  water  until  this  commenced  to  have  a 
bitter  taste ;  it  was  then  dried  and  treated  with  boiling  alcohol, 
and  the  alcoholic  solution  allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously  ; 
it  dried  to  a  dark  green  mass,  no  signs  of  crystallization  being 
observed  during  the  time.  This  substance  had,  in  a  concentra- 
ted degree,  the  same  nauseous,  bitter  taste  of  the  root,  that  both 
the  tincture  and  infusion  of  the  root  possess,  and,  upon  powder- 
ing it,  gave  a  pale  green  powder. 
This  powder  was  again  dissolved  in  water  and  treated  with 
ether,  and  allowed  to  evaporate  ;  a  number  of  needle-shaped  crys- 
tals were  formed,  and  were  floating  in  the  mother  liquor,  which 
was  of  a  pale  green  color.  They  were  separated  upon  a  filter,  and 
the  mother  liquor  placed  in  the  same  vessel,  and  left  to  evapo- 
rate with  hope  of  obtaining  another  crop  of  crystals.  In  this  I 
was  disappointed,  as  it  dried  up  to  a  transparent,  light  green 
mass,  in  which  no  crystalline  form  was  present.  The  crystals 
and  the  substance  had  the  same  bitter  taste.  From  the  above 
it  may  be  inferred,  that  the  active  principle  of  this  root  resides 
in  this  bitter  substance,  which  is  crystallizable,  and  the  presence 
of  coloring  matter,  &c,  prevented  the  mass  of  it  assuming  a 
crystalline  form,  and  that  the  medicinal  value  of  the  so-called 
Leptandrin  of  the  Eclectics  depends  upon  the  accidental  pre- 
sence of  this  substance. 
From  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Pharm,  Association,  Sept.,  1856, 
