324  Syrups.  j Am- J<mr-  K^na. 
J      c  \       July,  1909. 
endeavored  to  obtain  the  imported  fermented  juice  and  have  corre- 
sponded in  the  search  with  the  largest  drug  importers  in  New  York 
and  Philadelphia.  The  following  abstracts  from  their  replies  wil? 
prove  that  fermented  juice  of  buckthorn  berries  is  not  now  an  article 
of  commerce  in  this  country,  if  it  ever  was; 
"  We  have  none  in  hand  and  do  not  know  where  we  can  obtain 
it." 
"We  are  unable  to  supply  the  article." 
"  We  regret  the  necessity  of  advising  that  we  are  unable  to  fur- 
nish fermented  juice  of  buckthorn  berries  nor  are  we  able  to  inform 
you  where  this  product  can  be  obtained." 
"  We  have  none  ourselves  nor  could  we  learn  anything  regarding 
it  from  any  of  the  other  dealers  in  our  city."  This  from  a  very 
large  New  York  firm. 
"  After  careful  inquiry  we  have  been  unable  to  find  fermented 
juice  of  buckthorn  berries." 
"  We  have  no  article  of  this  kind,  neither  is  it  commercially 
obtainable.  We  have  received  orders  for  it  repeatedlv  but  have 
never  been  able  to  obtain  a  '  fermented  juice  of  buckthorn.'  " 
"  There  is  not  attainable  in  this  country  a  fermented  juice  of 
buckthorn  berries  either  of  domestic  or  foreign  preparation." 
"  There  is  no  imported  fermented  juice  (as  referred  to  in  the 
N.F.)." 
This  evidence  was  so  convincing  that  we  were  compelled  to  give 
up  the  search  for  the  juice  and  conclude  that  it  was  impossible  to 
follow  the  X.F.  in  this  syrup  and  that  a  change  in  the  formula  was 
absolutely  necessary.  Many  of  the  pharmaceutical  manufacturers 
supply  a  fluidextract  of  buckthorn  berries  and  on  their  labels  give 
formulas  for  preparing  the  syrup  therefrom.  Consequently,  we 
concluded  that  the  berries  must  be  an  article  of  commerce  and  have 
learned  that  they  grow  extensively  in  Germany.  Austria,  Hungary, 
and  Northern  Italy.  Both  the  ripe  and  unripe  berries  are  im- 
ported. The  latter  are  brownish-green  in  color  and  quite  bitter  in 
taste  and  are  used  as  a  dyeing  material.  For  pharmaceutical  pur- 
poses only  the  mature  ripe  and  carefully  dried  fruit  are  serviceable 
and  these  are  sufficiently  an  article  of  commerce  to  be  made  official, 
as  ample  supplies  are  available  from  the  foreign  source,  but  the 
description  should  carefully  discriminate  against  the  use  of  immature 
or  unripe  berries. 
Having  secured  an  ample  supply  of  the  ripe  berries  the  writers 
