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SYRUPI � SYRUPS
The United States Dispensatory 1926.
Compiled and Edited by Ivor Hughes.

Non botanic preparations have been excluded.
Consult the US NF in the site library for further information.

SYRUPI
SYRUPS
Sirops, Fr. Cod.; Sirupi, P. G.; Sirupe, G.; Soiroppi, It.; Jarabe, Sp.

Syrups are concentrated solutions of sugar in aqueous fluids, either with or without the addition of medicating or flavoring ingredients. When the solution is made with pure water, it is named syrup or simple syrup; when charged with one or more medicinal agents, it is called in general terms a medicated syrup, and receives its special designation from the substance or substances added.

Medicated syrups are prepared by dissolving sugar in infusions, vinegars, decoctions, expressed juices, fermented liquors, or simple aqueous solutions, or by adding a medicating substance, like a tincture or a fluidextract, to simple syrup. When the active constituents are not readily soluble in water, are associated with soluble matter which it is desirable to avoid, or are volatilized or decomposed by a heat of 100� C., they are sometimes extracted by diluted alcohol, the spirituous ingredient of which is subsequently driven off.

The process of percolation has been applied for the solution of the sugar and is offered as an alternative process in a few official preparations. This process offers several advantages over the older methods. The amount of labor attending the operation is greatly reduced, no heat is employed so that volatile constituents are not injured, and the finished syrup comes through clear and is protected from the usual contaminations attending straining, etc.

The quality and quantity of the sugar employed are points of importance. Official granulated sugar should always be employed. In relation to the quantity of sugar, if in too small proportion, fermentation is apt to occur; if too abundant, crystallization. The Pharmacopoeia formula calls for 850 Gm. of sugar to make 1000 cc. of syrup, the amount of water required being about 465 cc. This makes a stable preparation.

Syrups as formerly made by more or less empiric methods, checked finally by the use of a hydrometer (saccharimeter) have been replaced by those prepared according to definite procedure and affording products of uniformity. When carefully prepared with the best refined sugar, syrups made by the hot process or by agitation in the cold usually require no other clarification than to remove any scum which may rise to their surface upon standing, and to pour them off from any dregs which may subside. But, as the sugar employed is seldom free from impurities, it may be best, as a rule, to remove the scum as it rises during the heating process, and to strain the syrup while hot through muslin or flannel. The percolation process avoids this necessity.

Should syrups at any time lack the due degree of transparency, they may be filtered through paper if a hot water funnel is used, or, when likely to be injured by this treatment, may be clarified by other mechanical means, as mentioned under the head of Syrupus. The vicious habit practised not long ago by sugar refiners of "blueing" sugars by the use of ultramarine and other coloring agents has been discontinued by most sugar refiners. (See A. J. P., 1901, 119.)

The medicated syrups are liable to undergo various alterations, according to their nature and mode of preparation. The acid syrups always contain invert sugar. Even at ordinary temperatures, acids in any amount, however small, slowly convert common sugar into invert sugar, which, being less soluble than the former, is often deposited in the form of crystalline grains. Excessive acidity soon causes a darkening of the syrup, due to caramelization of the sugar. Syrups containing too little sugar are subject to fermentation upon accidental inoculation with yeast cells which almost invariably occurs. Syrups sometimes undergo changes in which moulds are produced which appear on the surface as isolated colonies or as a continuous film. Those which contain too much, deposit a portion in the crystalline state, and the crystals, attracting the sugar remaining in solution, gradually weaken the syrup, and render it liable to the same change as when originally made with too little sugar. Such syrups which have undergone fermentation or moulding should never be used for pharmaceutical purposes, as no amount of rebelling can render them fit for use.

The percolation method for preparing syrups has come into general use. For some syrups it is to be preferred to the usual method of heating, and all syrups which contain a volatile principle, or one likely to be injured by heat, are preferably made by percolation. The details of the official method are given below. It was first recommended that a small piece of sponge should be used to close the lower orifice of the percolator, but this has advantageously been replaced by purified cotton.

To be successful in using the process, care in several particulars must be exercised. (1) The percolator should be cylindrical or semi-cylindrical, and cone-shaped as it nears the lower orifice. (2) The sugar must be coarse, else it will form into a compact mass, which the liquid cannot permeated. (3) The sponge or pledget must be introduced with care. If pressed too tightly in, it 'will effectually stop the process; if inserted too loosely, the liquid will pass too rapidly, and will, in consequence, be weak and turbid (not properly filtered). See also Bull. Pharm., 1902, 1248. For a paper on Fruit Syrups, see West. Drug., 1902, 182; Proc. Penn. Pharm. Assoc., 1903, 196. Syrups may be made rapidly (without heat) by putting the ingredients in a mechanical shaker or stirrer and agitating briskly.

Rock Candy Syrup," the evaporated mother liquor left after crystallizing sugar in the form of large crystals, called "rock candy," has come largely into use in America. It varies much in quality as made by various manufacturers. It usually consists in part of invert sugar, and often contains added glucose. It should never be used for making the official syrups, and it should always be carefully tested before being used for any purpose. (See analyses by L. F. Kebler, in A. J. P., 1895, 143.)

At best, syrups are apt to change, and various measures have been proposed for their preservation, but the best plan is to make small quantities of-syrups at a time, and to keep them, unless when wanted for immediate use, in bottles quite full and well stoppered, which should be put in the cellar or other cool place. Glycerin is often used to aid in the preservation of syrups; in special cases this may be advantageous, but the solvent properties of glycerin must be remembered, and the finished preparation may possess properties (due to the glycerin) which are not found in syrups made without glycerin, and which may therefore be injurious in prescriptions. (See West. Drug., 1898, 444.)

Sucrose, 850 Gm.; Distilled Water, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc.

Insert into the neck of a percolator of suitable size a pledget of purified cotton, not too tightly, in such a manner that the cotton shall nearly fill the neck of the percolator, and moisten it with a few drops of distilled water. Place the sucrose in the percolator, make its surface level without shaking or jarring, then carefully pour upon it 450 cc. of distilled water, and regulate the flow of the liquid, if necessary, so that it will pass out in rapid drops. Collect the liquid in a 1000 cc. graduated container and return portions to the percolator if necessary until all of the sucrose has been dissolved. Then pass enough distilled �water through the cotton to make the product measure 1000 cc. and mix thoroughly.

Syrup may also be prepared in the following manner: Heat 450 cc. of distilled water to boiling, add the sucrose, and continue the heat cautiously, stirring until the sucrose is dissolved and the syrup has a temperature of 100� C. Then filter it through purified cotton and pass enough distilled water through the cotton to make the product measure 1000 cc. when cold. "Specific gravity: about 1.313 at 25� C." U. S.

Refined Sugar, 1000 grammes; Distilled Water, sufficient to produce 1500 grammes. Heat together until dissolved; add sufficient Distilled Water to produce the required weight. Specific gravity 1.330. Optical rotation +56� to + 58�." Br.

This syrup, when properly prepared, is inodorous, of a sweet taste without peculiar flavor, thick, viscid, nearly colorless, and perfectly transparent. It sometimes requires straining through muslin or it may be filtered through a pledget of cotton or often through paper. Colorless " rock candy " forms an excellent source for pure syrup (the broken crystals can be procured cheaply from the manufacturers), and syrup entirely free from impurities is required in making such preparations as syrup of hydriodic acid, syrup of ferrous iodide, etc. Joseph L. Mayer (J. A. Ph. A., 1916, p 712) shows that it is unfair to assume that commercial glucose is present as an adulterant of syrup, simply because it contains reducing sugar, for in a series of experiments conducted by Mm, working with both cold process and hot process syrups, the amount of invert sugar found after standing for one year, ranged from about 8 per cent, to over 40 per cent., depending entirely on the length of time of standing. Plette (J. A. Ph. A., 1918, vii, 609) has found that, as far as the likelihood of inversion is concerned, there is no advantage in either the hot or cold process but that the change was less rapid if stored in a cold dark place. The grade of granulated sugar known as " crystal A " or as " Druggists' Dry Granular," is used with success in some parts of the country where it can be readily obtained. It is crystallized from the first runnings from the bone-black filters.

Syrup is very useful in the formulation of pills and mixtures, and in various other pharmaceutical operations in which sugar in solution is required. The U. S. syrup is practically identical with that formerly official, being a trifle stronger, the sp. gr. being given as 1.313 at 25� G. That of the Br. syrup is 1.330 at 15.5� C., probably adapted to the climate of Great Britain, which is not so cold in winter as is ours, at least in the Northern and Middle States.

Tincture of Lemon Peel, 10 cc.; Citric Acid, 10 Gm.; Distilled Water, 10 cc.; Syrup, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Dissolve the citric acid in the distilled water and mix the solution with 950 cc. of syrup. Add the tincture and enough syrup to make the product measure 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly. 

This preparation must not be dispensed if it has a terebinthinate odor or taste or shows other deterioration. Preserve in containers which have previously been washed with boiling water. U. S.

Syrup of citric acid is used solely as a vehicle. The British and several of the European Pharmacopoeias still direct a syrup made from lemon juice. While this may have some advantage on the question of palatability it is so unstable that the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, together with those of France, Belgium, etc., have used an "artificial " lemonade; in some of the Pharmacopoeias the name of lemon syrup (or its foreign equivalent) is still retained, but in this country it would be illegal to so designate this preparation. The formula for the former U. S. syrup of lemon is given under Syrupus Limonis.

Tincture of Orange, 250 millilitres; Cinnamon Water, 250 millilitres; Syrup, 500 millilitres. Mix the Tincture of Orange and Cinnamon Water; shake the mixture with a little powdered talc; filter; add the Syrup." Br.

This preparation of the Br. Ph., 1898, is practically a simple elixir1 (see Elixir Aromaticum); it has been introduced mainly as a vehicle or adjuvant.

Tincture of Sweet Orange Peel, 50 cc.; Citric Acid, 5 Gm.; Purified Talc, 15 Gm.; Sucrose, 820 Gm.; Distilled Water, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Triturate the purified tale with the tincture and citric acid, and gradually add 400 cc. of distilled water. Then filter, returning the first portions of the filtrate until it becomes clear, and wash the mortar and filter with enough distilled water to make the filtrate measure 450 cc. Dissolve the sucrose in this filtrate by agitation, and add enough distilled water to make the product measure 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly and strain. This preparation must not be dispensed if it has a terebinthinate odor or taste or shows other deterioration. Alcohol content, by volume, 2 to 5 per cent." U.S.

Tincture of Orange, 125 millilitres; Syrup, sufficient to produce 1000 millilitres. Mix." Br.

The present U.S. process is an improvement over preceding formulas as the flavor is derived from the tincture of fresh orange peel and the alkaline magnesium carbonate of the U. S. P. VIII, which modified the flavor, has been replaced by inert talc, the latter being used as a distributing and filtering medium. The British preparation, which is a mere mixture of the tincture with syrup, is inferior. The syrup has an agreeable, slightly acid flavor, for which it is alone employed. For a process by E. E. Williams, using powdered pumice to disintegrate the orange peel, see D. C., 1898, 125.

Orange Flower Water, 225 cc.; Sucrose, 850 Gm.; Distilled Water, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 'cc. Mix the orange flower water with 225 cc. of distilled water, dissolve the sucrose in the mixture by agitation, without heat, and add sufficient distilled water to make the product measure 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly and strain. Syrup of Orange Flower Water may also be made in the following manner: Prepare a percolator in the manner described under Syrupus. Pour the mixture of orange flower water and water upon the sucrose, return the first portions of percolate until it runs through clear, and when all of the liquid has run through, follow it with distilled water until the sucrose is dissolved and the product measures 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly." U. S.

Orange-flower water of commerce, undiluted, 150 millilitres; Refined Sugar, 300 grammes; Syrup, sufficient to produce 1000 millilitres. Mix the orange-flower water with the Refined Sugar in a closed vessel; stand in a moderately warm place, shaking occasionally till dissolved; then add sufficient Syrup to produce the required volume." Br.

The second U. S. process, by percolation, will be preferable here. This syrup is used chiefly for flavoring mixtures.

"Liquid Extract of Cascara Sagrada, 400 mittilitres; Tincture of Orange, 100 millilitres, Alcohol (90 per cent.), 50 millilitres f Cinnamon Water, 150 millilitres; Syrup, sufficient to produce 1000 millilitres. Mix." Br.

This was a new syrup in the Br. Pharm., 1898. It forms a convenient means of administering cascara, the alcohol being added to aid its preservation.
Dose, from one-half to two fluidrachms (1.8-7.5 ec.).

SYRUPUS GLUCOSI. Br.
SYRUP OF GLUCOSE
" Glucose, 250 grammes; Syrup, 500 grammes. Mix, by the aid of gentle heat." Br.
Sirop de Glycose, Fr.; Glykosesirup, G.

This was a new preparation of the Br. Ph.," 1898. It may be used as a vehicle for syrups which contain chemical salts liable to discoloration through the action of light, but its principal use is to take the place of treacle or molasses so much used in British pharmacy as a pill excipient. (See Pilule.)

Fluidextract of Ipecac, 70 cc.; Glycerin, 100 cc.; Syrup, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Mix the fluidextract with the glycerin, and add enough syrup to make the product measure 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly. "Alcohol content, by volume, 1.5 to 2 per cent." U. S.

If strictly official fluidextract of ipecac is used in making this syrup, and the process is carried out in all its details, the syrup will remain transparent; but with fluidextracts which are not carefully made it may be necessary to allow the diluted fluidextract in the official process for making this syrup to remain for two or three days in a cool place before filtering, and adding to the sugar. Although this syrup possesses all the virtues of ipecac, it is used almost exclusively' as a nauseating expectorant in acute bronchitis.
Dose, for an adult, as an expectorant, from fifteen to thirty minims (0.9-1.8 cc.); as an emetic, half a fluidounce (15 cc.).

Lemon Peel, in thin slices or grated, 20 grammes; Alcohol (90 per cent.), a sufficient quantity; Lemon Juice, 500 millilitres; Refined Sugar, 760 grammes. Macerate the Lemon Peel in thirty millilitres of the Alcohol for seven days; press; filter; add sufficient of the Alcohol to produce forty millilitres. In the Lemon Juice, clarified by subsidence or filtration, dissolve the Refined Sugar by the aid of gentle heat; cool; add the forty millilitres of alcoholic liquid; mix." Br.

The U. S. P. 1880 syrup of lemon was dropped at the 1890 revision; as it is frequently used, the process is appended.

"Lemon Juice, recently expressed and strained, forty parts; Fresh Lemon Peel, two parts; Sugar, in coarse powder, sixty parts; Water a sufficient quantity, to make one hundred parts. Heat the Lemon Juice to the boiling point; then add the Lemon Peel, and let the whole stand, closely covered, until cold. Filter, add enough Water through the filter to make the filtrate weigh forty parts, dissolve the Sugar in the filtered liquid by agitation, without heat, and strain." U. S. 1880.

The addition of lemon peel to the preparation is an improvement, but the internal white portion of the peel should be carefully removed before adding to the hot lemon juice, or the finished syrup will have a bitter taste. (See Limonis Cortex.) This syrup forms a cooling and grateful addition to beverages in febrile complaints, and serves to conceal the taste of saline purgatives in solution.

Rectified Oil of Tar, 1 cc.; Sucrose, 850 Gm.; Water, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Mix the oil with 450 cc. of water and agitate the mixture frequently during fifteen minutes. Then set aside for twenty-four hours, shaking it occasionally during that time. Filter, dissolve the sucrose in the clear filtrate, and add sufficient water to make the product measure 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly and strain." U. S.

This syrup has been improved by substituting in the place of tar itself, which was used in the U. S. IX, the liquid distillate known as oil of tar, which probably represents all the therapeutic virtues of the tar. Theoretically a teaspoonful of the syrup should represent approximately 1 minim of the oil of tar, but as this is not completely soluble in water and the undissolved portion is removed by filtration, the- amount of active ingredient, will be somewhat less. The change in this formula was made after considerable experimentation, in which it was found that when made from oil of tar the preparation possesses a pronounced odor and taste of tar, and the after taste is free from acridity. Comparative tests showed the proportion of dissolved principles of tar to be greater in the preparation made from the oil by the present method, than in the preparation as formerly made from tar itself. Syrup of tar is a popular stimulating expectorant in the milder forms of sub-acute or chronic bronchitis. In the doses ordinarily employed the quantity of active ingredient is, however, so small that the preparation can have scarcely any effect except as a flavoring agent.
Dose, from one to two fluidrachms (3.75-7.5 cc.).

Wild Cherry, in coarse powder, 150 Gm.; Sucrose, 800 Gm.; Glycerin, 50 cc.; Water, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Mix the glycerin with 200 cc. of water, moisten the wild cherry with 100 cc. of this mixture, pack it in a cylindrical percolator and pour the remaining 150 cc. of menstruum upon it. When this has disappeared from the surface of the drug, add enough water to saturate the powder and leave a stratum above it. Close the lower orifice, cover the percolator, and macerate the drug for twenty-four hours. Then allow the percolation to proceed slowly, allowing the percolate to drop into the sucrose contained in a bottle graduated to 1000 cc. and having a capacity of 2000 cc. Add enough water, as the menstruum, to make the combined sucrose and percolate measure 1000 cc., stopper the bottle, and dissolve the sucrose by agitation without heat. restore the volume by adding enough water to make the product measure 1000 cc., and strain. Preserve in tightly-stoppered bottles, in a cool place." U. S.

Wild Cherry Bark, in No. 20 powder, 150 grammes; Refined Sugar, in coarse powder, 750 grammes; Glycerin, 65 millilitres; Distilled Water sufficient to produce 1000 millilitres. Moisten the Wild Cherry Bark with Distilled Water; set aside for twenty-four hours in a closed vessel; pack in a percolator; percolate with Distilled Water until four hundred and fifty millilitres have been collected; dissolve the Refined Sugar in the percolated liquid, without heat; add the Glycerin and sufficient Distilled Water to produce the required volume." Br.

The British Pharmacopoeia introduced this syrup into the 1898 edition. The process is modeled after the U. S. formula.

The U. S. process affords a handsome syrup with the virtues of the bark unimpaired by the injurious effects of heat. It is based upon a formula proposed by Procter and 'Turnpenny in A. J. P., xiv, 27. The introduction of the glycerin into the receiving bottle instead of mixing it with the menstruum was dropped in the process of the U. S. P. The glycerin is not needed in the menstruum to increase the astringency of the syrup but it serves a useful purpose in keeping the infusion from decomposing and precipitating a reddish, insoluble substance in the receiving bottle. This syrup should never be made by adding fluidextract to simple syrup, as the fluidextract is likely to vary greatly in quality, and frequently precipitates when mixed with syrup, the syrup when made by the above process is far superior in flavor. It is largely used as a vehicle for cough mixtures.
Dose, one to four fluidrachms (3.75-15.0 cc.).

"Fluidextract of Rhubarb, 100 cc.; Spirit of Cinnamon, 4 cc.; Potassium Carbonate, 10 Gm.; Water, 50 cc.; Syrup, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Mix the spirit of cinnamon with the fluidextract, add the potassium carbonate, previously dissolved in the water, and add to this mixture enough syrup to make the product measure 1000 cc." Alcohol content, by volume, 5 to 6 per cent." U. S.

Rhubarb, in No. 20 powder, 70.0 grammes; Oil of Coriander, 0.5 millilitre; Refined Sugar, 840.0 grammes; Alcohol (90 per cent.), 280.0 millilitres; Distilled Water, sufficient to produce 1000.0 millilitres. Mix two hundred and seventy millilitres of the Alcohol with three times its volume of Distilled Water. Moisten the Rhubarb with seventy millilitres of this diluted alcohol and set aside for twenty-four hours in a closed vessel; pack in a percolator; pass the remainder of the diluted alcohol slowly through the moistened powder; evaporate the percolate to four hundred and seventy-five grammes; filter; dissolve the Refined Sugar in the filtrate by the aid of heat; cool; add the Oil of Coriander dissolved in ten millilitres of the Alcohol; mix, and finally add sufficient Distilled Water to produce the required volume." Br.

The Br. process is a troublesome and imperfect method. The U. S. syrup differs from that official before 1890 in several particulars, and, in our opinion, it is greatly improved; the activity of the rhubarb and the corrigent effects of the cinnamon are both secured without impairing the appearance of the finished syrup, while the simplicity of the manipulation must commend the process to all. In the Br. Pharm., 1914, oil of coriander replaced coriander fruit official in the former pharmacopoeia. The official syrup is a mild cathartic, adapted for use with infants, to whom it may be given in the dose of a fluidrachm (3.75 cc.). Dose, for adults, two to three fluidrachms (7.5-11.25 cc.).

"Aromatic Tincture of Rhubarb, 150 cc.; Potassium Carbonate, 1 Gm.; Syrup, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Dissolve the potassium carbonate in the tincture and add to the mixture enough syrup to make the product measure 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly. "Alcohol content, by volume, 6 to 7 per cent." U. S. A small amount of alkali is added here to prevent the syrup from becoming turbid.

The aromatic syrup of rhubarb is a warm stomachic laxative, too feeble for adult cases, chiefly used for the bowel complaints of infants, which are so frequent in our cities during the summer season. This preparation, or one analogous to it, has been long in use, under the name of spiced syrup of rhubarb. The dose for an infant with diarrhea is a fluidrachm (3.75 cc.), repeated every two hours until the passages indicate by their color that the medicine has operated. It should be borne in mind that the syrup, as prepared by the present formula, contains about 7 per cent, alcohol, which, though not injurious in most cases in which this syrup is used, might render it too stimulating in the very young infant.
Dose, one to three fluidraehms (3.75-11.25 cc.).

Red-Poppy Petals, 260 grammes; Refined Sugar, 720 grammes; Alcohol (90 per cent.), 50 millilitres; Distilled Water, sufficient to produce 1000 millilitres. Add the Red-poppy Petals gradually to four hundred millilitres of Distilled Water kept hot upon a water-bath, stir frequently, and afterwards, the vessel being removed, infuse for twelve hours. Then press out the liquid; strain; add the Refined Sugar, and dissolve by the aid of heat. When nearly cold, add the Alcohol, and sufficient Distilled Water to produce the required volume." Br.

The object of introducing the petals into water heated by a water bath is that they may shrink by being scalded, as otherwise they could not be completely immersed in the quantity of water directed. After this has been accomplished, they should be immediately removed from the fire, lest the liquor become too thick and ropy. The fine red color of this syrup is its only recommendation. It is very liable to ferment; according to Enders, this can be obviated by evaporating the recently prepared syrup to dryness, keeping the powdered residue in well-stoppered bottles, and dissolving it, as wanted, in four-fifths of its weight of water.
Dose, as stated in the Br. Pharmacopoeia, one-half to one fluidrachm (1.8-3.75 cc.).

Syrup of Rose was deleted from the U. S. P. IX, but the process was introduced into the National Formulary (see Part III).

Dried Red-Rose Petals, 50 grammes; Refined Sugar, a sufficient quantity; Distilled Water, boiling, 500 millilitres. Infuse the Red-Rose Petals in the Distilled Water for two hours; strain; press; heat the infusion to the boiling point; filter; add to the filtrate twice its weight of Refined Sugar and dissolve by the aid of heat." Br.

Syrup of rose is mildly astringent, but is valued most for its fine red color, on account of which it is occasionally added to mixtures. The color is developed by the small amount of diluted sulphuric acid which is added.
Dose, a fluidrachm (3.75 cc.).

"Fluidextract Of Sarsaparilla, 200.0 cc.; Fluidextract of Glycyrrhiza, 15.0 cc.; Oil of Sassafras, 0.2 cc.; Oil of Anise, 0.2 cc.; Methyl Salicylate, 0.2 cc.; Alcohol, 19.4 cc.; Syrup, 765.0 cc.; to make about 1000 cc. Mix the fluid-extracts and add the alcohol, in which the methyl salicylate and the oils have been dissolved. Gradually add this solution to the syrup, and mix thoroughly. Alcohol content, by volume, 7.5 to 8.5 per cent." U. S.

In the original edition of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, published in 1820, a process for a syrup of sarsaparilla was adopted, intended to present the famous French sirop de cuisinier. This process has been variously modified from time to time, but the present preparation possesses any possible therapeutic virtues of the original preparation. The preparation for years contained senna as one of its active constituents. This has now been omitted as unnecessary and even objectionable.

Uses. � The day has gone by when compound syrup of sarsaparilla is regarded by the medical profession as an active therapeutic agent. It has, however, a wide and proper use as a vehicle especially for the iodides and other saline drugs. It is also widely employed, especially in extemporaneous mixtures, to mitigate the unpleasant flavor of castor oil. Kennedy (Ph. Rec., 1888, 201) has shown that corrosive sublimate invariably yields a precipitate with this syrup, which he asserts may be prevented by the addition of sodium chloride. Potassium-mercuric iodide, which will be formed in the very frequently prescribed extemporaneous mixtures of corrosive sublimate, potassium iodide and compound syrup of sarsaparilla, does not form any such precipitate.

Off. Prep. � Syrupus Bromidorum, N. F.

"Vinegar of Squill, 450 cc.; Sucrose, 800 Gm.; Water, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Dissolve the sucrose in the vinegar of squill with the aid of a gentle heat, strain the syrup, and, when cold, add enough water through the strainer to make the product measure 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly." U. S.

" Vinegar of Squill, 175 millilitres; Refined Sugar, 650 grammes; Distilled Water, sufficient to produce 1000 grammes. Mix the Vinegar of Squill with an equal volume of Distilled Water. In the mixture dissolve the refined Sugar by the aid of gentle heat; add sufficient Distilled Water to produce the required weight." Br.

The heating should be performed as quickly as possible, to prevent undue loss of acetic acid. The difference between the U. S. and Br. syrups is not so great as would seem from their formulas, because the British vinegar of squill is much stronger than the American. This syrup is much employed as an expectorant, especially in combination with a solution of tartarized antimony. It is incompatible with ammonium carbonate, but not with ammonium chloride.
Dose, about from one-half to one fluidrachm (2-4 cc.).

Fluidextract of Squill, 80 cc.; Fluidextract of Senega, 80 cc.; Antimony and Potassium Tartrate, 2 Gm.; Sucrose, 720 Gm.; Distilled Water, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Dissolve the antimony and potassium tartrate in 360 cc. of distilled water, add the fluidextracts, and allow the mixture to stand for twelve hours with occasional shaking. Filter, dissolve the sucrose in the clear filtrate by agitation, and add sufficient distilled water to make the product measure 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly and strain. Alcohol content, by volume, 7 to 8 per cent." U. S.

This is intended as a substitute for the popular preparation called Coxe's hive syrup, from which it differs chiefly in containing sugar instead of honey. Prepared as originally directed it invariably fermented from the want of sufficient concentration. The present formula is a decided improvement, fluidextracts of squill and senega being used. Percolation has been found very well adapted for dissolving the sugar and producing a transparent syrup. The present U. S. P. process has the merit of simplicity, but, unfortunately, the fluidextract of squill is never a wholly satisfactory preparation.

Compound syrup of squill was introduced into medicine a .century ago by Dr. J. Eedmond Coxe as a remedy for croup, which was then called " hives." It has been official in the U. S. since 1840. It has expectorant and diaphoretic properties, both of which depend upon its nauseating action, but in our opinion the use of drugs possessing such powerful systemic actions as do squill and antimony for their nauseating effect, especially in children, is not to be commended. The dose of this syrup for children is from two to twenty minims (0.12-1.3 ce.), according to the age, and it may be repeated in cases of croup every fifteen or twenty minutes until it causes vomiting.
Dose, for adults as an expectorant, from twenty to thirty minims (1.3-1.8 cc.).

Fluidextract of Senega, 200 cc.; Ammonia Water, 10 cc.; Syrup, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Mix the ammonia water with the fluidextract, add the syrup, and mix well. Alcohol content, by volume, 9 to 10 per cent." U. S.

The syrup affords a very convenient mode of exhibiting senega in pectoral complaints. Owing to the pectinous principle present in senega, the syrup made directly from the root as in the process of 1870 was always turbid. It has been frequently pointed out that the addition of an alkali renders the syrup transparent, and the 1890 process directed the use of a small quantity of ammonia water, although, if the fluidextract of senega which contains alkali be used as in the U. S. P. X, this addition is unnecessary. This syrup may be given as a nauseating expectorant.
Dose, one or two fluidrachms (3.75 or 7.5 cc.).

"Fluidextract of Senega, 250 cc.; Oil of Coriander, 5 cc.; Sucrose, 635 Gm.; Water, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Mix the oil of coriander with the fluidextract and gradually add 330 cc. of water. Allow the mixture to stand for twenty-four hours in a cool place, with occasional shaking, filter, and pass enough water through the filter to obtain 580 cc. of filtrate. Dissolve the sucrose in this liquid, and add sufficient water to make the product measure 1000 cc. Mix well and strain. Alcohol content, by volume, 5.5 to 6.75 per cent." U. S.

Senna Leaves, 440.0 grammes; Oil of Coriander, 0.2 millilitre; Alcohol (90 per cent.), 2.0 millilitres; Refined Sugar, 540.0 grammes; Alcohol (20 per cent.), 760.0 millilitres. Moisten the Senna Leaves with four hundred and forty millilitres of the Alcohol (20 per cent.); pack tightly in a vessel which can afterwards be closed; set aside for three days; press strongly; reserve the liquid obtained; break up the marc; moisten it with one hundred and sixty millilitres of the Alcohol (20 per cent.); set aside for twenty-four hours; press strongly; add the liquid obtained to the portion previously reserved; break up the marc; mix it with the remainder of the Alcohol (20 per cent.); set aside for three hours; press again; evaporate the resulting liquid until it is reduced to such a volume that when added to the reserved liquid the whole measures four hundred and forty millilitres. Mix the evaporated liquid with the reserved liquid; heat the product in a covered vessel to 82 C. for a few minutes; set aside for twenty-four hours; filter, and pass Distilled Water through the filter until the nitrate measures four hundred and forty millilitres; add the Refined Sugar, and dissolve in a covered vessel by the aid of gentle heat; cool; add the Oil of Coriander dissolved in the Alcohol (90 per cent.); mix." Br.

The Br. preparation is much more concentrated than that of the U. S. The process was improved in the U. S. P. VIII by simply adding the fluidextract and oil of coriander to syrup, and this process has been retained in the Ninth Revision.

Dose, of the U. S. syrup of senna, for an adult, from one to four fluidrachms (3.75-15.0 cc.); of the Br. syrup from one-half to two fluidrachms (2-7.5 cc.).

SYRUPUS TOLU. U. S. (Br.)
SYRUP OF TOLU Syr. Tolu [Syrupus Tolutanus U. S. P. IX]
Syrupus Tolutanus, Br.; Syrup of Balsam of Tolu; Sirop de Baume de Tolu, Fr. Cod.; Sirop balsamique, Fr.; Tolubalsamsirup, G., Jarabe de balsamo de Tolu, Sp.

Tincture of Tolu, 50 cc.; Magnesium Carbonate, 10 Gm.; Sucrose, 820 Gm.; Water, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Mix the tincture intimately with the magnesium carbonate and 60 Gm. of sucrose, in a mortar. Gradually add 430 cc. of water, with trituration, and filter. Dissolve the remainder of the sucrose in the clear filtrate with the aid of a gentle heat, strain the syrup while warm, and add sufficient water through the strainer to make the product measure 1000 cc. Syrup of Tolu may also be made in the following manner: Prepare a percolator as described under Syrupus, Pour the filtrate obtained as directed in the above formula upon the remainder of the sucrose contained in the percolator, return the first portions of the percolate until it runs through clear, and, when all of the liquid has passed, follow with water until the sucrose is dissolved and the product measures 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly. Alcohol content, by volume, 3.5 to 4.5 per cent." 17. 8.

Balsam of Tolu, 25 grammes; Refined Sugar, 660 grammes; Distilled Water, sufficient to produce 1000 grammes. Add four hundred grammes of the Distilled Water, boiling, to the Balsam of Tolu; cover lightly and heat on a water-bath for half an hour, stirring frequently. Remove; add Distilled Water, if necessary, so that the liquid, when cold, measures four hundred millilitres. Filter the solution, add the Refined Sugar, dissolve by the aid of a water-bath, and finally add sufficient Distilled Water to produce the required weight." Br,

The U. S. VIII process, which has been, continued in the present revision, introduced magnesium carbonate with much advantage, and has the further improvement of using the official tincture of Tolu instead of making the syrup from the balsam by a special process. In the British process the soluble principles of the balsam are extracted by boiling it with water, but with great waste of the material, as the water dissolves but a small portion of the active matter. Syrup of Tolu is used chiefly to impart its agreeable flavor to mixtures. If a stronger preparation is desired, tincture of Tolu may be added in the desired quantity, directing the bottle to be shaken.

Dose, one to four fluidrachms (3.75-15.0 cc.).

SYRUPUS URGINE�. Br.
SYRUP OF URGINEA

Vinegar of Urginea, 175 millilitres; Refined Sugar, 650 grammes; Distilled Water, sufficient to produce 1000 grammes. Mix the Vinegar of Urginea with an equal volume of Distilled Water. In the mixture dissolve the Refined Sugar by the aid of gentle heat; add sufficient Distilled Water to produce the required weight." Br.

This syrup corresponds to the Syrup of Squill of the British Pharmacopoeia and is used for the same purpose.

Dose, one-half to one fluidrachm (1.8�3.75 cc.).

Fluidextract of Ginger, 30 cc.; Alcohol, 20 cc.; Magnesium Carbonate, 10 Gm.; Sucrose, 820 Gm.; Water, a sufficient quantity to make 1000 cc. Mix the fluidextract and alcohol, and triturate the liquid in a mortar with the magnesium carbonate and 60 Gm. of the sucrose. Then gradually add 430 cc. of water with constant trituration, and filter. Dissolve the remainder of the sucrose in the clear filtrate, with the aid of a gentle heat, strain the syrup while warm, and, when cold, add enough water through the strainer to make the product measure 1000 cc.

Syrup of Ginger may also be made in the following manner: Prepare a percolator as described under Syrupus. Pour the filtrate obtained as directed in the above formula upon the remainder of the sucrose, return the first portions of the percolate, and, when all of the liquid has passed, follow with water until the sucrose is dissolved and the product measures 1000 cc. Mix thoroughly. Alcohol content, by volume, 3.5 to 4.5 per cent." U.S.

Ginger, in powder, 25 grammes; Alcohol {90 per cent.), a sufficient quantity; Syrup, sufficient to produce 1000 millilitres. Prepare fifty millilitres of a strong tincture of the Ginger by the process of percolation with the Alcohol. To this add sufficient of the Syrup to produce the required volume." Br.

The U. S. P. process has been improved by the addition of magnesium carbonate as an aid in distributing the resinous fluidextract so as to facilitate its solution, in water. It is practically a return to the U.S. 1870 method. The British syrup, being made by the simple incorporation of an alcoholic tincture of the ginger with syrup, has of course all the strength of the ginger, but is inferior to the U. S. preparation in appearance and flavor. The old plan of using water as the menstruum for the drug has been abandoned, as the syrup thus made is encumbered with mucilage and starch, and consequently rendered more liable to decomposition. The syrup of ginger is much used as a warm stomachic addition to tonic and purgative infusions or mixtures, and to impart flavor particularly to carbonic acid water.

Dose, one to four fluidrachms (3.75-15.0 cc.).

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