10 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
The alcoholic tincture made with 3ij. of the seeds finely 
sliced, to %iv. of alcohol, was of a light yellow colour, and 
possessed their peculiar smell. 
The extract, prepared from this tincture, was of a light 
brown colour, consisting chiefly of resin, and a small portion 
of fixed oil; the resin is rather acrid; this extract had none of 
the sweet taste of that of the root. 
Some of the finely bruised seeds were subjected to the action 
of sulphuric ether for two weeks; this tincture, after filtering, 
was of a bright golden yellow colour; set it aside to evaporate 
spontaneously, during which a yellow oily fluid was deposited, 
and after the total evaporation of the ether, a black oily fluid 
was left floating on the surface of the previously deposited oil; 
this was of an acrid, peppery taste, soluble in alcohol, except- 
ing a whitish flocculent substance, which on examination, 
proved to be wax. 
The fixed oil has a rich, nutty taste, similar to oil of shell- 
bark, and without any acrimony; it is lighter than water, 
leaves a greasy stain on paper which is not dissipated by heat; 
it is but slightly soluble in alcohol; the quantity contained in 
the seeds is very great, 100 parts of the seeds yielding 20 
parts of pure oil. 
From the preceding experiments the following appear to be 
the chief constituents of these seeds: 
Starch, gum, resin, albumen, a fixed oil, wax and colouring 
matter. 
