116 
ON STATICE CAROLINIAN A. 
cyanide of potassa, or carbonic acid water. The existence of 
salts of magnesia was proven by its affording precipitates with 
lime water, with phosphate of soda, and ammonia. 
Summary. 
From the foregoing experiments we may conclude that the 
root of the Stalice Caroliniana contains: First. 12.4 per 
cent, of tannic acid. Second. Gum. Third. Extractive mat- 
ter. Fourth. Vegetable albumen. Fifth. Volatile oil. Sixth. 
Resin. Seventh, Caoutchouc. Eighth. Coloring matter. 
Ninth, Lignin. Tenth. Salts of lime, soda and magnesia; 
of which common salt and the sulphate of soda and magnesia 
are probably the principal. 
Preparations, etc. 
Since making the foregoing experiments, I have met with 
some account of the Statice root in BigelowVMedical Bota- 
ny, vol. ii. p. 51, which differs from them in some particulars. 
It is stated that the cold infusion was found to be more pow- 
erful than the hot, which is accounted for by the escape of part 
of the gallic acid by evaporation. My observations, on the 
contrary, have led me to conclude that the decoction is the 
most astringent preparation of the root, because it extracts al- 
most entirely the tannin, and as the volatile oil exists in very 
minutes quantities, and probably possesses little activity, its 
loss cannot impair the strength of the solution. As regards 
the evaporation of gallic acid by the heat employed in making 
a hot infusion or decoction, it may be remarked that in most of 
the processes for extracting that acid, the temperature of boil- 
ing water is used, in which it is certainly much more soluble. 
This, however, is little to the point, inasmuch as, if my ex- 
periments are correct, this root contains very little if any of 
that acid. The tincture is probably equal in strength to the 
infusion, and nearly so to the decoction; it is a more elegant 
preparation, being exempt from the liability to precipitate af- 
ter standing a few days, to which the infusion and decoction 
are subject to a great extent. 
