I    JAN  r  1892 
THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
JANUARY,  1892. 
SAMBUCUS  CANADENSIS. 
By  Frank  F.  Lyons,  Ph.G. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 
No.  99. 
Sambucus  Canadensis  is  one  of  the  best  known  of  our  indigenous 
drugs,  and  is  widely  distributed  over  this  country  from  Canada  to 
the  Carolinas.  It  flowers  from  May  to  July  and  under  the  name 
of  "  elder  flowers  "  is  a  common  sight  in  low  moist  grounds,  along 
fences  and  on  the  borders  of  small  streams. 
While  various  parts  of  the  plant  are  medicinal,  only  the  flowers 
are  recognized  by  the  Pharmacopoeia.  They  are  small,  white,  with 
a  wheel-shaped  corolla  having  five  stamens  inserted  in  the  tube, 
and  are  arranged  in  loose  five-rayed  cymes. 
In  some  parts  of  the  country  they  have  long  been  known  as  a 
carminative  and  diaphoretic,  and  for  this  purpose  a  favorite  mode 
of  administration  is  that  of  boiling  in  milk,  to  which  liquid  they 
seem  to  impart  their  medicinal  as  well  as  aromatic  properties. 
They  have  also  been  used  as  an  application  to  inflamed  surfaces, 
either  as  a  cataplasm  or  an  ointment  made  from  an  evaporated 
fluid  extract.  Probably  their  principal  uses  are  as  a  perfume  and  a 
vehicle  to  disguise  the  taste  of  more  disagreeable  medicines. 
The  drug  appears  in  commerce  in  pressed  packages  and  dealers 
make  a  special  effort  to  have  them  as  white  as  possible.  To  do 
this  it  is  necessary  to  dry  them  with  the  greatest  care  and  as 
rapidly  as  possible. 
A  quantity  of  the  drug  was  obtained  from  a  reliable  source,  and 
subjected  to  a  chemical  examination  with  the  following  results ; 
00 
