Category: Articles

 

The Druggists General Receipt Book. Beasley. 1872.

Edited by Ivor Hughes

SKIN COSMETICS. WASHES FOR THE FACE, &c.

AQUA COSMETICA. Cosmetic Lotion.

1. Emulsion of bitter almonds 3 oz.; rose and orange-flower water, of each 4 oz.; borax 1 dr., tincture of benzoin 2 dr.; mix. Dr. COPLAND.

2. Elder-flower water a pint, borax ? oz., eau de Cologne 1 oz.; mix.

MILK OF ROSES.

Sweet almonds 5 oz., bitter almonds 1 oz., rose-water 2? pints, white curd soap ? oz., oil of almonds ? oz., spermaceti 2 oz., white wax ? oz., English oil of lavender 20 drops, otto of roses 20 drops, rectified spirit a pint. Blanch the almonds, and beat them with. the soap und a little of the rose-water. Melt together the oil of almonds, spermaceti, and white wax, and mix with the former into a cream, and strain it through fine muslin. Then add gradually the remaining rose-water, and lastly the spirit, with the essential oils dissolved therein.

2. A common kind is made by mixing 1 oz. of fine olive-oil with 10 drops of oil of tartar, and a pint of rose-water.

3. Bitter Almonds (6 dr., sweet almonds 12 dr., blanch, dry, and beat up with 1 dr. of Castile Soap; gradually adding 15 gr. of •spermaceti, 110 gr. of white wax, and a dr. of almond oil, melted together. When thoroughly incorporated add gradually six drops of otto of roses, dissolved in 6 ounce of rectified spirit, and 14 oz. of distilled water.

MILK OF CUCUMBER.

In the same manner as milk of rose substituting juice of cucumbers for the rose-water.

MILK OF HOUSELEEK.

As milk of roses, No. 1, substituting expressed juice of houseleek for a pint of the rose-water.

ALIBERT’S COSMETIC,

Cucumber pomade (see below) 3 oz., almond soap 1 oz., rose-water a quart. Mix the pomade and soap, and add the rose-water gradually.

WITHERINGS (Dr.) COSMETIC.

An infusion of horseradish in milk.

LAIT VIRGINAL.

Virgin’s Milk. Simple tincture of benzoin 2 dr., orange-flower water 8 oz. It may be varied by using rose or elder-flower water.

LAIT DE FRAICHEUR.

Double rose-water 8 oz., tincture of benzoin 4 dr., balsam of Mecca 4 oz.

SCHUBAHTH’S COSMETIC EMULSION.

Almond emulsion (made with rose-water) 8 oz., tincture of benzoin 3 dr.

ITALIAN COSMETIC WASH.

Melilot water 12 oz., tincture of benzoin 2 dr.

AUGUSTIN’S.

Rose-water 8 oz., salt of tartar 2 dr., tincture of benzoin 3 dr.

LEMON CREAM FOR SUNBURNS, FRECKLES, &c

. Sweet cream 1 oz. Of new milk 8 oz., juice of lemon, brandy, or eau de Cologne 1 oz., alum 1 oz., sugar 1 dr. Boil and skim. Buttermilk is used for the same purpose.

LEMON EMBROCATION FOR FRECKLES, &c

. Borax 15 gr., lemon juice 1 oz., sugar candy 4 dr.; mix the powders with the juice, and let them stand in the bottle, shaking occasionally, till they are dissolved.

PASTES, POMADES, COLD CREAMS, LIP-SALVE, &e.

POMMADE DE BEAUTE.

Melt together in an earthen vessel placed in hot water, white wax 1? dr., spermaceti 2 dr., oil of sweet almonds ? oz., virgin olive oil 1 oz., oil of poppies ? oz.; beat them with a few drops of balsam of Peru.

CUCUMBER POMATUM,

for softening and cooling the skin. Clarified lard 4 lb, veal suet 1 lb, juice of cucumbers 3 lb ; melt the two former together, then beat it up assiduously with the juice. Next day, pour off the juice that has separated, and add the same quantity of fresh to the melted pomade. Repeat this six times, or until the pomade is sufficiently imbued with the odour of cucumbers, Then melt the pomade by a water-bath, and mix with it 3 dr. of powdered white starch; let it settle, and before it is too cold, pour it off into small pots, taking care not to disturb the dregs.

POMMADE D’HEBE.

Incorporate together juice of lily-bulbs 2 oz., Narbonne honey 2 oz., white wax 1 oz., rose-water 3 dr.; melt the wax with a gentle heat, and add the other ingredients. To be applied at night, and not wiped off till morning to remove wrinkles. Probably cod-liver oil, used externally and internally, would be a more successful though a less agreeable remedy.

PATE DIVINE DE VENUS.

Mix equal parts of washed lard, fresh butter, and white honey ; add balsam of Mecca and otto of roses, to perfume.

POMMADE DE NINON

. Oil of sweet almonds 4 oz., washed lard 8 oz., juice of houseleek 3 oz.; mix. Softening and cooling.

POMMADE EN CREME.

Melt together 1 dr. each of white wax and spermaceti, add oil of sweet almonds 2 oz. pour it into a warm mortar, and gradually stir in ? oz. of rose or other perfumed water, and 1 dr. of tincture of Tolu.

LEMON CREAM.

Melt together 2 dr. of spermaceti and 1 oz. of oil of almonds; and as it cools stir in 16 drops of essence of lemon.

COLD CREAM.

 
1. Oil of almonds 10 oz., white wax 4 oz., melt together in an earthen vessel, and when nearly cold, stir in, by little mid little, 12 oz. of rose water.

2. Melt together white wax 2 oz., oil of almonds 8 oz., and stir in 4 oz. of rose-water. Next day add 6 drops of otto of roses.

3. White wax and spermaceti, of each ? oz., oil of almonds 4 oz orange-flower water 2 oz.; mix.

4. As No. 3, but without the orange-flower water.

N.B. Those cold creams are generally preferred for present use which contain rose or other water, but they keep longer without them.

GRANULATED COLD CREAM.

Melt together 1 oz. each of white wax and spermaceti, with 3 oz. of almond oil; when a little cooled, pour the mixture into a large Wedgwood mortar previously warmed, and containing about a pint of warm water. stir briskly until the cream is well divided, add sufficient otto of roses to scent it, and pour the whole suddenly into a clean vessel containing 8 or 10 pints of cold water. Throw the whole on muslin, and shake out as much water as possible.—Mr. OWEN, Dublin.

POMMADE DIVINE.

Put 3lb of beef marrow into an earthen vessel, and cover it with cold water, changing the water daily for a few days, and using rose-water the last day; press out the water and add to the marrow styrax calamita, benzoin, Ohio turpentine, each 4 oz.; orris powder 1 oz.; powdered cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, of each ? oz. Place them in a well-tinned vessel in a water-bath, and keep the water boiling for three hours; then strain.

ALMOND PASTE FOR THE SKIN.

 
1. Powdered bitter almonds 4 oz., white of egg 1 oz., beat them well together to a smooth paste, with equal parts of spirits of wine and rose-water.

2. Sweet and bitter almonds, blanched, of each 2 oz.; spermaceti 2 dr.; oil of almonds J oz.; Windsor soap J oz.; rose-water 1 oz., or q. s.; otto of roses, and oil of bergamot, of each 12 drops.

3. (Camphorated). To either of the above add 2 dr. of powdered camphor. A few drops of oil of bitter almonds may be substituted for the otto and bergamot.

4. (French.) Blanch 12 oz. of bitter almonds and beat them in a mortar with a small quantity of rose or other water to a smooth paste; then add 7 oz. of rice flour, 3 oz. of bean flour, 1 oz. of orris powder, and when perfectly mixed, ? oz of carbonate of potash dissolved in rose-water; again beat together, and add 3 oz. of spirituous essence of jessamine, and 2 drops of oil of rhodium, and 1 of neroli.

ALMOND AND HONEY PASTE

. Fine honey may be added to either of the preceding; or mix 16 oz. of clarified honey with 16 oz. of bitter almond powder; and add gradually, in alternate portions, 32 oz. of oil of almonds, and the yolks of 5 eggs.

HONEY PASTE,

Pate an Miel. It is sometimes made as the last; or by mixing clarified honey with cold cream, or some similar compound.

CAMPHOR BALLS,

for rubbing on the hands, after washing them, to prevent chaps.
1. Melt 3 dr. of spermaceti, and 4 dr. of white wax, with 1 oz. of almond oil, and stir in 3 dr. of powdered camphor. Pour the compound into small gallipots, so as to form hemispherical cakes. They may be coloured with alkanet, &c.

2. Lard 3 oz., white wax 2 oz., camphor ? oz.

3. Spermaceti 3 oz., white wax 1 oz., olive oil 4oz.; ‘ melt together, and add 11 oz. of powdered camphor, and stir it well.

4. Melt 3 dr. of spermaceti, and 4 dr. of white wax, with 1 oz. of almond oil, and stir in 3 dr. of powdered camphor.

CAMPHOR ICE.

Melt 1 dr. of spermaceti with 1 oz. of almond oil, and add 1 dr. of powdered camphor.

ALMOND POWDER. (Cosmetic.)

This is prepared by grinding the marc or cake left after expressing the oil from sweet or bitter almonds. It is sometimes perfumed, and mixed with other ingredients. It is used for cleansing the skin, and is less irritating than soap.

ALMOND WASH POWDER.

1. Almond powder (from expressed bitter almonds) 16 oz., rice flour 2 oz., powdered soap 1 oz., orris powder 1 oz., bergamot or other scent q.s.

2. Almond powder (as above) 16 oz. powdered benzoin 3 oz., oil of bitter almonds 10 drops. For cleaning the hands and removing any unpleasant smell. To render it more detergent, 4 oz. of fine sand or powdered pumice-stone may be added.

ROSE LIP SALVE.

1. Oil of almonds 3 oz., alkanet ? oz. ; digest with a gentle heat, and filter. Melt 1? oz. white wax and 4 oz. spermaceti with the filtered oil, stir it until it begins to thicken, and add from 12 to 36 drops of otto of roses.

2. White wax 1 oz., oil of sweet almonds 2 oz., alkanet 1 dr.; digest till coloured, strain, and add 6 drops of otto of roses.

PERUVIAN LIP SALVE.

As either of the above, substituting 20 or 30 drops of Peruvian balsam for the otto; 8 drops of oil of lavender may he added.

GRAPE LIP SALVE.

Pommade an raisin pour les levres. Put into a glazed earthen pipkin 8 oz. of fresh butter, 4 oz fine yellow wax, 1 oz. of alkanet, and 3 bunches of black grapes ; boil together, and strain without pressure through linen.

FRENCH LIP SALVE.

Lard 16 oz., white wax 2 oz.; nitre and alum in fine powder, of each ? oz.; alkanet to colour.

GERMAN LIP SALVE.

Butter of cacao 4 oz., oil of almonds ? oz.; melt together with a gentle heat, and add 6 drops of essence of lemon.

GARTES COSMETIQUES.

These are white kid gloves, which have been turned inside out, and brushed over with a melted compound of wax, oil, lard, balsam, &c. The Peruvian lip salve, without any alkanet, may answer the purpose. For softening the hands.

 

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Adiantum. Maidenhair
1. Potters Cyclopedia 1988
2. USD 1926
Compiled and Edited by Ivor Hughes.

1. MAIDENHAIR Adiantum capillus-veneris L.
Fam. Polypodiaceae.
Synonyms: Venus Hair, Rock Fern.
Habitat: Southern Europe, occasionally found further north including Britain, and parts of the USA and Canada.

Description: Fronds up to 30cm long, two or three times pinnate, each leaflet or “pinnule” up to about 1 cm, fan-shaped, with a toothed upper margin, narrowing at the base to a short petiolule. Veins prominent, converging at the base, and spore-cases (sori) visible at the edge of the undersurface. Stems shiny, dark brown. Taste, sweetish and astringent; odour, faint.
Part Used: Fern.
Constituents: (i) Flavonoid glycosides; rutin, isoquercetin, astragalin [37], kaempferol 3,7-diglucoside and kaempferol 3-sulphate [877,878] (ii) Hydroxycinnamic acid sulphate esters, four of which have been isolated [877] (iii) Terpenoids including adiantone [37].
Medicinal Use: Expectorant, antitussive, demulcent. Maidenhair is used as an ingredient of cough and bronchial medicines, and as a hair tonic. It may be used as an infusion. An extract of the plant has diuretic and hypoglycaemic activity in animals [879, 880].
Preparations: Powder, 0.5-2 g.
Regulatory Status: GSL.

2.USD 1926 Adiantum. Maidenhair.
Tradition has attributed to various species of this genus of ferns valuable properties in chronic pulmonie, catarrhs-A. pedatum, L., of America, A. Capillus-Veneris L., of Europe, A. lunulatum Burm., of India, are the most important species. The European species is sometimes employed on the Continent as an emmenagogue under the name of polytrichi, polytrichon, or kalliphyllon, and is given in the fonn of infusion, sweetened with sugar or honey, and a syrup prepared from it is said to be popular in France under the name of strop de capillaire, and official in the French Codex.

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Acetic Perfumes.

See ‘The Pharmageddon Herbal’. Solvents and Their General Properties Section 8.30. Vinegar and Acetic Acid.

Beasley. The Druggists Receipt Book 1872.
Compiled and Edited by Ivor Hughes.

ACETIC PERFUMES.
AROMATIC SPIRIT OF VINEGAR.

1. Strong acetic acid 16 oz., camphor 1 oz.; when dissolved, add 1 oz. each of essential oils of cloves, lavender, and lemon. This is said to resemble HENRY’S.

2. Glacial acetic acid 8 oz., true oil of rosemary 20 gr., of bergamot 15 gr., of, lavender 9 gr., of cloves 24 gr., neroli 4 gr., cinnamon 20; dissolve the oils in 2 dr. of rectified spirit.

AROMATIC VINEGARS

are made in France by infusing various flowers, &c., in distilled or finest wine vinegars, with or without the addition of spirit. Others are made by distillation. As they are seldom required in this country, a few examples will suffice.

ROSE VINEGAR.

Red roses, picked and dried, ? lb, best vinegar 8 lb; macerate for a fortnight, with occasional stirring, and strain; then filter.

LAVENDER VINEGAR

. Fresh lavender-flowers 1 lb, vinegar 12 lb. Macerate as above. It is sometimes distilled, drawing off 8 lb.

DISTILLED ROSE VINEGAR

. Pale roses, dried, 2 lb, distilled vinegar 8 lb. Distil three fourths by sand-bath, and add 2 lb of spirit of roses. It is occasionally coloured with cochineal, and used as a cosmetic.

TOILET VINEGAR.

Dried rose leaves 4 oz, otto of roses 90 drops, rectified spirit 10 oz, dilute acetic acid 40 oz. Macerate in a closed vessel for 14 days. — PIESSE.

ORANGE FLOWER VINEGAR.

Fresh orange-flowers l? lb, distilled vinegar 8 lb, spirit of orange-flowers 1 lb. Macerate for 12 days, strain and filter.

VINAIGRE VIRGINAL.

benzoin in powder 2 oz., rectified spirit 8 oz., white vinegar 2 lb. Digest the benzoin in the spirit for 6 days, strain, and add the vinegar to the residue; macerate for 6 days, decant, and add to it the tincture. The next day filter. It is chiefly used as a cosmetic.

VINAIGRE DE COLOGNE

. To each pint of eau de Cologne add an ounce of strong acetic acid.

VINAIGRE DE JOUVENCE.

Spirit of cucumber 4 oz., spirit of storax 2 lb, strong vinegar 8 lb.

VINAIGRE DE “FLORE.

Equal parts of rose vinegar, vinaigre virginal, and orange-flower vinegar.

VINAIGRE DES QUATRE VOLEURS.

* Four Thieves’ vinegar. Dried tops of large and small (pontic) wormwood, rosemary, sage, mint, rue, lavender flowers, of each 2oz.; calamus root, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, garlic, of each ? oz.; camphor ? oz., concentrated acetic acid 2 oz., strong vinegar 8 lb. Macerate the herbs, &c., in the vinegar for a fortnight, strain, press, and add the camphor dissolved in the acetic acid.

* At the time of the great Bubonic plague in Europe it is given that  four thieves were apprehended robbing the bodies of the dead, yet did so with impunity, seemingly immune from the plague. In return for their freedom they volunteered the above recipe which was named for them. 

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Experience of Pain
Ivor Hughes.

_{Many of us if asked to explain the sensation of pain may experience difficulty in doing so .. however we all understand what is involved for another individual and ones first instinct usually is to attempt to alleviate the persons pain.}

_{In the normal course of events a pain experienced in one area is usually the first diagnostic symptom of a particular problem .. for example toothache or earache, however there are occasionally symptoms that are called ‘Referred Pain’ an image to illustrate the point has been included which is taken from ‘Principles of Anatomy and Physiology 8th Edition by Tortora and Grabowski’}

_{Acute pain is usually one of the first indications of an underlying problem as distinct from accident trauma. Persistent or Sporadic pain needs to be examined closely as to its cause, and the matter rectified by treating the cause rather than the symptom .. e.g. using pain killers for regular headaches is a dangerous course of action .. Self diagnosis is notoriously unreliable .. as many healers and physicians have found out by bitter experience. Use your common sense rather than your imagination.}

_{Images © H.S. Stuttman Co, Inc}.

_{Image 1
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Image 3
Image 4
Image 5}

If you do not find what you are seeking use the search box at the top right hand of the page or use the self help library on the site library page.

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Mullein – Verbasci  N.F. USD1926
compiled by Ivor Hughes.

VERBASCI FLORES. N. F. MULLEIN FLOWERS Verbose. Flor.

” Mullein Flowers consist of the dried corollas, with adhering stamens, of Verbascum phlomoides Linne, or of Verbascum thapsiforme Schraeder (Fam. Scrophulariaceae). Mullein Flowers contain not more than 2 per cent, of foreign organic matter. Flowers which have become brown should not be used.” N. F.

Great Mullein; Mullein Dock; Flores Thapei barbati; Bouillon Blanc (Fleurs de), Molene, Fr., Flores Verbasci, P. G.; Wollkrautblumen, Koenigskenenbluiusn, G.

Off. Prep.— Species Pectorales, N. F.

VERBASCI FOLIA. N. F. MULLEIN LEAVES [Verbasc. FoL]

” Mullein Leaves are the dried leaves of Ver-bascum Ihapsus Linne (Fam. Scrophulariacece). Mullein Leaves contain not more than 2 per cent, of foreign organic matter and yields not more than 4 per cent, of acid-insoluble ash.” N. F.

The mullein is a common weed native to Europe but abundantly naturalized in the United States, growing in open fields on stony hillsides. It is a tall, biennial herb reaching a height of 3 or 4 feet, terminating in a dense cylindrical spike of yellow flowers. The leaves are alternate and decurrent on the stem which is stout and simple. The whole plant is covered with a thick woolly pubescence. The corolla is rotate, almost regular and deeply five-lobed.

Folia Verbasci, Fr. Cod.; Feuilles de Bouillon Blano, Fr.; Wollkrautblatter, G.

Description and Physical Properties. The

flowers are described as follows: ” Corolla light yellow, the outer surface grayish with a fine, soft, woolly indumentum, the inner surface sparsely hairy and finely veined; tube of the corolla 1 or 2 mm. in length and almost equally broad, the limb from 14 to 30 mm. in width, between wheel-shaped and saucer-shaped, obscurely two-lipped, the unequal lobes rounded, obovate. Stamens five, borne on the base of the corolla, shorter than the corolla, two of them longer than the other three, the filaments thick and fleshy, more or less pilose, especially the three shorter ones, usually orange-colored. Stamen-hairs cylindrical, unicellular, non-branching, surface minutely reticulate, apex rounded, frequently enlarged. Pollen grains smooth, triangular and more or less rounded, from 0.025 to 0.035 mm. in diameter. Odor peculiar, agreeable; taste mucilaginous, not agreeable.

The flowers impart a yellow color to boiling water, and a rather permanent green color with dilute sulphuric acid, the latter color becoming brown upon the addition of alkalies. N. F.

The N. F. gives the following description of the leaves.” Unground Mullein Leaves.—Obovate with narrowed base, or varying to oblong or oblong-lanceolate, without a true petiole, obtuse or tending toward acuteness at the summit, from 1 to 6 dm. in length and from 3 to 15 cm. in width; very thick, rather tough when damp, brittle when dry, light yellowish gray or greenish gray, densely long-tomentose, with numerous, multicellular, branching, non-glandular hairs. Nearly odorless; taste mucilaginous and slightly bitter.

“Powdered Mullein Leaves.— Dark green; numerous branching multicellular slightly ligni-fled hairs consisting of an upright, jointed central stalk with whorls of from 2 to 8 radiating lateral cells arising at the joints or apex, the lateral cells measuring up to 0.600 mm. in length; glandular hairs with a 1-celled stalk and a unicellular head, the latter from 0.020 to 0.030

mm. in diameter; numerous fragments consisting of epidermal cells with broadly elliptical stomata, the latter from 0,020 to 0.030 mm. in length and chlorenchyma associated with fibro-vascular tissue.” N. F.

According to Robert (Ph. Wb., 1918, Iv, p. 49), the V. Thapsus contains several saponins. According to L. Rosenthal (P. J., July, 1902), the seeds of Verbascum sinuatum L., which are used in Greece as a fish poison, contain 6.13 per cent, of a saponin. Traces of the same substance were found in the fruits of F. phlomoides L. and V. thapsiforme Schrad.

Uses.— Mullein leaves axe demulcent and emollient, and are thought to possess anodyne properties, which render them useful in pectoral complaints. On the continent of Europe, an infusion of the flowers, strained in order to separate the rough hairs, is considerably used in mild catarrhs. An oil, produced by saturating olive oil with mullein flowers, during prolonged exposure to the sun, is used as a local application in Germany for piles and other mucous membrane inflammations. The mullein oils sold in pharmacies are of this nature, or some of them alcoholic tinctures. The dried leaves are sometimes smoked to relieve irritation of the respiratory mucous membranes; fomentations with mullein leaves also have some repute as anodynes. Internally, the decoction (an ounce to the pint, flowering tips) may be taken in the quantity of from four to six fluid-ounces.

Dose, from one to two drachms (4 – 8 Gm.).

Off. Prep.— Fluidextractum Verbasci Foliorum, N. F.

Further information may be found by consulting the United States National Formulary in the site library or by using the search box at the top right of the page.

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Vegetable Laxatives.

Martindale’s 24^th. 
Part 1 of 5.
Compiled and edited by Ivor Hughes

Cassia Fruit (B.P.C., Ind. P.). Cass. Fruct.; Cassia Pod. The ripe fruits of Cassia fistula (Leguminosae), containing not less than 28% of water-soluble extractive (Ind. P. not less than 30%).

Cassia Pulp (B.P.C., Ind. P.) Cass. Pulp.; Cassia. The aqueous percolate of cassia fruit evaporated to a soft extract. Dose: 4 to 8 g. (60 to 120 grains). Uses. It is laxative owing to its content of hydroxymethylanthraquinones, and is an ingredient of Confection of Senna. It is rarely used alone.

Rhubarb (B.P.). Rheum; Chinese Rhubarb; Rhubarb Rhizome; Rhabarber; Ruibarbo.
Dose: 0.2 to 1 g. (3 to 15 grains).

Foreign Pharmacopoeias: In all pharmacopoeias examined except Ind. and U.S., but in U.S.N.F. The rhizome, deprived of most of its bark and dried, of Rheum palmatum and possibly other species and hybrids of Rheum (Polygonaceae), except R. rhaponticum, grown in China and Tibet. It is known in commerce as Shensi, Canton, or high-dried rhubarb. It contains not less than 35% of alcohol (45%)-soluble extractive. Protect from light and moisture. Uses. Rhubarb has a purgative action due to its irritant effect on the large intestine. It produces a motion about 6 to 10 hours after administration. Rhubarb differs from other anthraquinone purgatives in that the tannin present exerts an astringent action after purgation; with small doses the astringent action predominates and it is therefore used as an astringent bitter, and occasionally in the treatment of diarrhoea. The continued use of rhubarb in chronic constipation is not advisable.

PURGATIVE ACTIVITY.

The purgative activity of anthraquinone-containing drugs such as cascara, rhubarb and Senna is mainly due to anthranol glycosides. The free anthranols are less active, and the free anthraquinones have much less activity. The activity of rhubarb is due to combined rhein-like compounds (possibly glycosides). Free rhein is almost devoid of purgative activity. J.W.Fairbairn et al., J. Pharm. Pharmacol, 1949,1, 683 ; idem, 1951, 3, 93.

Indian Rhubarb (U.S.N.F.). Rhubarb (Ind. P.); Himalayan Rhubarb.
Dose: 0-2 to 1 g. (3 to 15 grains). The unpeeled or partly peeled dried rhizome and root of R. emodi, R. webbianum, or of some other related species of Rheum grown in India, Pakistan, or Nepal.

Extracts

Dry Extract of Rhubarb (B.P.C.). Ext. Rhei Sice. A dry alcoholic extract prepared with alcohol (60%). Protect from moisture in a cool place.
Dose: 120 to 500 mg. (2 to 8 grains).

 

Ext. Rhei Liq. (B.P.C. 1949). Liquid Extract of Rhubarb. Rhubarb 1 in 1; prepared by percolation with alcohol (60%).
Dose: 0.6 to 2 ml. (10 to 30 minims).

Infusions

Concentrated Infusion of Rhubarb (B.P.C.). Inf. Rhei Cone. Rhubarb 1 in 2?; prepared by percolation with alcohol (25%).
Dose: 2 to 4 ml. (30 to 60 minims). Infusion of Rhubarb is prepared by diluting 1 vol. of this concentrated infusion to 8 vol. with water.

Inf. Rhei Rec. (B.P.C. 1949). Fresh Infusion of Rhubarb. Rhubarb 5 g. and boiling water 100 g. Infuse in a covered vessel for 15 minutes and strain.
Dose: 15 to 30ml. ( ? to l fl. oz.).

Mixtures

Ammoniated Mixture of Rhubarb with Soda (B.P.C.). Mist. Rhei Ammon. c. Sod. (B.N.F.); Mist. Rhei c. Sod. Rhubarb 4 gr., ammonium bicarbonate 3 gr., sodium bicarbonate 15 gr., peppermint water to ? fl. oz. 
Dose: 15 to 30 ml. (? to 1 fl. oz.).

Compound Mixture of Rhubarb (B.P.C.). Mist. Rhei Co. (B.N.F.). Compound tincture of rhubarb 15 m., light magnesium carbonate 10 gr., sodium bicarbonate 10 gr., strong tincture of ginger 5 m., chloroform water to ? fl. oz.
Dose: 15 to 30 ml. ? to 1 fl. oz.).

Compound Mixture of Rhubarb for Infants (B.P.C.). Mist. Rhei Co. pro Infant. Compound tincture of rhubarb 5 m., light magnesium carbonate l ? gr., sodium bicarbonate 1 ? gr., syrup of ginger 10 m., chloroform water to 60 m.
Dose: 4 to 8 ml. (60 to 120 minims).

 

Rhubarb and Soda Mixture (U.S.N.F.).
Rhubarb fluidextract 1-5 ml., ipecacuanha fluidextract 0.3 ml., sodium bicarbonate 3.5 g., peppermint spirit 3.5 ml., glycerin 20 ml., water to 100 ml. Usual dose: 4 ml. (60 minims).

Pills

Compound Pills of Rhubarb (B.P.C.). Pil. Rhei Co. (B.N.F.).
Each contains rhubarb 1 gr., aloes 0.8 gr., myrrh 0.5 gr., hard soap 0.5 gr., and peppermint oil 1/12 m., massed with syrup of liquid glucose.
Dose: 1 or 2 pills.

Powder

Compound Powder of Rhubarb (B.P.). Pulv. Rhei Co.; Gregory’s Powder.
Rhubarb 25, heavy magnesium carbonate 32.5, light magnesium carbonate 32.5, ginger 10. 
Dose: 0.6 to 4g. (10 to 60 grains).

Syrup

Syr. Rhei (B.P.C. 1949). Syrup of Rhubarb.
Liquid extract of rhubarb 7 ml., coriander oil 0-05 ml., syrup to 100 ml.
Dose: 2 to 8 ml. (30 to 120 minims).

Tablets
Compound Tablets of Rhubarb (B.P.C.). Tab. Rhei Co. (B.N.F.); Tab. Aperiens.
Each contains rhubarb 1 gr., aloes 4/5 gr., myrrh ? gr., hard soap ? gr., and peppermint oil 1/12 m. They may be coated with sugar or other suitable material.
Dose: 1 or 2 tablets.

Tab. Rhei et Sod. Bicarb, pro Infant. (N.F. 1952). Rhubarb and Soda Tablets for Infants. Each contains rhubarb 1 gr., sodium bicarbonate l? gr., ginger ? gr.

Tablets of Rhubarb and Sodium Bicarbonate (B.P.C.). Tab. Rhei et Sod. Bicarb.; Tablets of Rhubarb and Soda. Each contains rhubarb 3 gr., sodium bicarbonate l? gr., and ginger ? gr.
Dose: 1 or 2 tablets.

Tinctures

Aromatic Rhubarb Tincture (U.S.N.F.). Prepared from rhubarb 20 g., Saigon cinnamon 4 g., clove 4 g., and nutmeg 2 g., by maceration and percolation with glycerin, alcohol and water to produce 100 ml.
Usual dose: 4 ml. (60 minims).

Compound Tincture of Rhubarb (B.P.). Tinct. Rhei Co.
Prepared by percolation from rhubarb 10 g., cardamom seed 1.25 g., coriander 1.25 g., glycerin 10 ml., and alcohol (60%) to 100 ml.
Dose: 2 to 4 ml. (30 to 60 minims)

Part 2.     Part 3.   Part 4.   Part 5.

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ALCHEMILLA – LADIES MANTLE
Mrs M. Grieve. F.R.H.S. A Modern Herbal.
Compiled by Ivor Hughes.

LADY’S MANTLE Alchemilla vulgaris (LINN.) N.O. Rosaceae.

Synonyms. Lion’s Foot. Bear’s Foot. Nine Hooks. Leontopodium. Stellaria (French) Pied-de-lion

Habitat. The Lady’s Mantle and the Parsley Piert, two small, inconspicuous plants, have considerable reputation as herbal remedies. They both belong to the genus Alchemilla of the great order Rosaceae, most of the members of which are natives of the American Andes, only a few being found in Europe, North America and Northern and Western Asia. In Britain, we have only three species, Alchemilla vulgaris, the Common Lady’s Mantle, A arvensis, the Field Lady’s Mantle or Parsley Piert, and A. alpina, less frequent and only found in mountainous districts.

The Common Lady’s Mantle is generally distributed over Britain, but more

especially in the colder districts and on high lying ground being found up to an  altitude of 3,600 feet in the Scotch Highlands. It is not uncommon in moist, hilly pastures and by streams, except in the south-east of England, and is abundant in Yorkshire, especially in the Dales. It is indeed essentially a plant of the north, freely and only on high mountain ranges, such as the Himalayas, if found in southern latitudes. The plant is of graceful growth and though only a foot high and green throughout -flowers, stem and leaves alike, and therefore inconspicuous – the rich form of its foliage and the beautiful shape of its clustering blossoms make it worthy of notice.

Description: The rootstock is perennial – black – stout and short – and from it rises the slender erect stem. The whole plant is clothed with soft hairs. The lower, radical leaves, large and handsome, 6 to 8 inches in diameter, are borne on slender stalks, 6 to 18 inches long are somewhat kidney-shaped in general outline, with their margins cut into seven or mostly nine broad, but shallow lobes, finely toothed at the edges, from which it has obtained one of its local names: ‘Nine Hooks.’ The upper leaves are similar and either stalkless, or on quite short footstalks and are all actually notched and toothed. A noticeable feature is the leaf-like stipules, also toothed, which embrace the stem.

The flowers, which are in bloom from June to August are numerous and small, only about ? inch in diameter, yellow green in colour, in loose, divided clusters at the end of the freely branching flower stems, on each a short stalk, or pedicle. There are no petals, the calyx is four-cleft, with four conspicuous little bracteoles that have the appearance of alternate and outer segments of the calyx. There are four stamens, inserted on the mouth of the calyx, their filaments jointed. The rootstock is astringent and edible and the leaves are eaten by sheep and cattle.

The common name, Lady’s Mantle (in its German form, Frauenmantle), was first bestowed on it by the sixteenth-century botanist, Jerome Bock, always known by the Latinized version of his name: Tragus. It appears under this name in his famous History of Plants, published in 1532, and Linnaeus adopted it. In the Middle Ages, this plant had been associated, like so many Bowers, with the Virgin Mary (hence it is Lady’s Mantle, not Ladies’ Mantle), the lobes of the leaves being supposed to resemble the scalloped edges of a mantle. In medieval Latin we also find it called Leontopodium (lion’s foot), probably from its spreading root-leaves, and this has become in modern French Pied-de-lion. We occasionally find the same idea expressed in two English local names, ‘Lion’s foot’ and ‘Bear’s foot.’ It has also been called ‘Stellaria,’ from the radiating character of its lower leaves, but this belongs more properly to quite another group of plants with star like blossoms of pure white. A yellow fungus sometimes attacks the plant known as Uromyces alchemilla that has the curious effect of causing abnormal length of the leaf-stalk and rendering the blade of the leaf smaller and of a paler green colour; this fungus produces the same effect in other plants.

The generic name Alchemilla is derived from the Arabic word, Alkemelych (alchemy), and was bestowed on it, according to some powers of the plant. Others held that the alchemical virtues lay in the subtle influence the foliage impacted to the dewdrops that lay in its furrowed leaves and in the little cup formed by its joined stipules, these dewdrops constituting part of many mystic potions.

Part Used Medicinally. The whole herb, gathered in June and July when in flower and when the leaves are at their best, and dried. The root is sometimes employed, generally fresh..

Medicinal Action and Uses: The Ladies Mantle has astringent and styptic properties on account of the tannin that it contains, it is ‘of a very drying and binding character’ as the old herbalists expressed it, and was formerly considered one of the best vulneraries.

Culpepper says of it;
Lady’s Mantle is very proper for inflamed wounds and to stay bleeding, vomitings, fluxes of all sorts, bruises by falls and ruptures. It is one of the most singular wound herbs and therefore highly prized and praised, used in all wounds inward and outwards and to drink a decoction thereof and wash the wounds therewith or dip tents therein and put them into the wounds which wonderfully drieth up all humidity of the sores and abateth all inflammations thereof. It quickly healeth green wounds, not suffering any corruption to remain behind and cureth old sores, though fistulous and hollow.’

In modern herbal treatment, it is employed as a cure for excessive menstruation and is taken internally as an infusion ( ? oz. of the dried herb to ? pint of boiling water) the same infusion is also employed as an injection. A strong decoction of fresh root, by some considered the most valuable part of the plant, has also been recommended as excellent to stop all bleedings, and the root dried and reduced to powder is considered to answer the same purpose and to be good for violent purgings. In Sweden, a tincture of the leaves has been given in cases of spasmodic or convulsive diseases, and an old authority states that if placed under the pillow at night, the herb will promote quiet sleep.
Dose : Fluid extract, ? to 1 drachm.

Horses and sheep like the plant, and it has therefore been suggested as a profitable fodder plant, but the idea has proved unpractical. Grazing animals will not eat the leaves till the moisture in them has dissipated.

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SAGE.
The U.S.D. 1926 Part II
Compiled and edited by Ivor Hughes.

Sage. Salvia. U. S. VIII.
Garden Sage. Meadow Sage. True Sage. Save. Sauge, Fr. Folia Salvia;, P. G. Salbei, G.

The dried leaves of Salvia officinalis Linne (Fam. Labiatae).” U. S. VIII.

Sage is a perennial low shrub or sub shrub, up to two feet high, with a quadrangular, pubescent, branching, shrubby stem, furnished with opposite, petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, crenulate, wrinkled leaves, of a grayish-green color, sometimes tinged with red or purple. The flowers are blue, variegated with white and purple, and are disposed on long terminal spikes, in distant whorls, each composed of a few flowers, and provided with ovate, acute, deciduous bracts. The calyx is tubular and striated, with two lips, of which the upper has three acute teeth, the under two. The corolla is tubular, bilabiate, ringent, with the upper lip concave, and the lower divided into three rounded lobes, of which the middle is the largest. The filaments are supported upon short pedicels, to which they are affixed transversely at the middle. The fruits are black nutlets borne in open cups.

Sage grows spontaneously in Southern Europe, and is cultivated abundantly in our gardens. There are several varieties, differing in the size and color of their flowers, but all possessing the same medicinal properties. The flowering period is in June, at which time the plant should be cut, and dried in a shady place. The leaves were officially described as ” long and stoutly petiolate, the blade elliptical or ovate-oblong, 3 to 7 Cm. long, obtuse or sub acute at the summit, rounded or sub cordate at the base, finely crenulate, thick, grayish-green, very pubescent, especially on the under surface, conspicuously reticulate-veined; odor aromatic; taste aromatic, bitter, and somewhat astringent.” U. S. VIII.

Within recent years sage of commerce has been adulterated with or substituted by Spanish sage and Greek sage. Spanish sage consists of the leaves of Salvia lavanduloefolia Vahl., a perennial herb indigenous to Mexico. Its leaves differ from those of true sage in being usually smaller, whorled on the stems and having a less distinctly crenulate margin and a much smoother surface. Greek Sage is the leaves of Salvia triloba L., a perennial herb indigenous to countries bordering the Mediterranean. It may readily be distinguished from sage by having usually broader, thicker, shorter and more woolly leaves with a less pronounced crenulate margin and by its odor which is distinct from that of true sage.

Both the leaves and the flowering tops of sage have a strong, fragrant odor, and a warm, bitterish, aromatic, somewhat astringent taste. They abound in a volatile oil, which may be obtained separate by distillation with water. Muir (J. Chem. 8., xxxvii, p. 678) found it to contain a terpene boiling at 156° C., another boiling at 171° C., thujone, C₁₀H₁₆O, a liquid boiling at from 197° to 203° C., and ordinary camphor, C₁₀H₁₆O. In the fresh oil the first terpene predominates. On standing, the amount of thujone increases, and then the camphor. The oil from English leaves contains also a sesquiterpene, C₁₅H₂₄, of the boiling point 260° C. Wallach (Ann. Ch. Ph., 1889) states that the first portions contain pinene and cineol, but the greater portion consists of thujone, C₁₀H₁₆O (formerly called salviol). Ferrous sulphate strikes a black color with infusion of sage.

By the ancients sage was highly esteemed; it is at present little used, except as a condiment, but has been given in dyspepsia, also for colliquative sweats. According to Cadeac and Meunier (Lyons MM., May, 1891,) the

volatile oil of sage is a violent epileptiform convulsant, resembling in its action the oil absinthe, but less powerful.
The dose of the powdered leaves is from twenty to sixty grains (1.3-3.9 Gm.).
Dose, of the infusion (one oz. in one pint of boiling water), two fluidounces (60 cc.).

Although the Salvia officinalis was the only species of this genus which was recognized by the U. S. P. VIII, many other species share the feeble medicinal properties of sage. S. pratensis L., S. aethiopis L., S, glutinosa L., and 8. Sclarea L., or clarry, have been officially recognized in Europe, but are less agreeable than is S. officinalis and are not much used; the leaves of S. Sclarea are said to be introduced into wine in order to impart to it a muscatel taste.

The infusion of the Rocky Mountain sage, probably S. lanceolata Willd., is affirmed by A. Comstock (T. G., 1887, 660) to be valuable as a diaphoretic in malarial and rheumatic fevers, taken in the form of hot infusion, and when cold to be distinctly tonic and astringent. 
The dose of fluidextract is half a fluidrachm (1.8 cc.).

The seeds of various sages contain enough farinaceous and mucilaginous material to make them useful as food. In the Western United States the ordinary sages of the plains are highly esteemed for fattening cattle, which eat their ripened tops freely (these sages must be distinguished from the so-called ” sage brushes ” of the West, which belong to the genus Artemisia). Chia is the seeds of one or more species of salvia largely used in Mexico and Southern Arizona by the natives as food.

It is affirmed that the variety known as Chia pinoli is yielded by S. columbarioe Benth. (see Report U. . Greogr. Surveys, 100th Merid., vol. vi, 48). S. Chia was described in the Farmacopea Mexicana as a new species, yielding chia, but Mariano Bascena affirms (La Naturalezaf 1881) that the common chia-yielding sage of Mexico is S. polystachya Ort., while Chia azul is yielded by S. patens Cav. Guibourt is probably in error in ascribing chia to S. hispanica L. The chia seeds are used as food and for the making of mucilaginous poultices.

For description of these seeds see (A. J. P., May, 1882, 227-229). The European species, Salvia verticillata L., S. Verbenacea L., S. horminum L. and S. viridis L., all indigenous to Central or Southern Europe, are also noted for the mucilaginous character of their seeds, and have on this account been employed to remove foreign substances from the eye. S. Verbenacea is sparingly naturalized in waste places in the Middle and Southern States.

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VINEGAR – ACETUM
United States Dispensatory 1926 and Martindales 24^th.
Compiled by Ivor Hughes.

 

United States Dispensatory 1926
Vinegar, Acetum – Vinegar is produced by the acetous fermentation in infusion of mixed malted and unmalted grain, or of various fruit juices. Any substance which is capable of undergoing the alcohol fermentation is further liable under the influence of a microscopic plant, Mycoderma aceti, first described by Pasteur, and exposure to the air at a temperature between 24° C. and 35° C., to undergo • further change with oxidation, which converts the alcohol into acetic acid. Practically for success there should not be more than 12 per cent, of alcohol in the original fluid. There are a number of other organisms which oxidize alcohol into acetic acid, viz., Bacterium aceti, B. Pasteurianum, B. Kuetzingianum, B. Oxydans, and B. Industrium.

In the quick German process for making vinegar a mixture of one part of 80 per cent, alcohol, four or six parts of water, and one-thousandth of honey or extract of malt, at a temperature of 24° C. to 35° C., is allowed to percolate through beech shavings, previously steeped in vinegar, and contained in a deep oaken tub, in which is a wooden diaphragm perforated with numerous small holes, loosely filled with packthread about six inches long. It is essential to the success of the process that a current of air shall pass through the tub. In order to establish this current, eight equidistant holes are pierced near the bottom of the tub, forming a horizontal row, and four glass tubes are inserted vertically in the diaphragm, of sufficient length to project above and below it. The air enters by the holes below, and passes out by the tubes. Although the air is necessary for the furnishing of oxygen, acetification consisting chiefly in the oxidation of the alcohol, the beech shavings and similar articles chiefly aid in the process by affording surface upon which the mycoderms can grow. During the process the temperature rises to 37° C. or 40° C., and remains nearly stationary while the process is going on favorably. The liquid is drawn off by a discharge pipe near the bottom, and must be passed three or four times through the tub before the acetification is completed, which generally occupies from twenty-four to thirty-six hours. According to Wimmer, pieces of purified charcoal, about the size of a walnut, may be advantageously substituted for the beech shavings in the process.

In 1862, Pasteur substituted for the German process the sowing of the mycoderm upon the surface of a mixture of wine and vinegar, or of water, alcohol (2 per cent.), and acetic acid (1 per cent.) adding alcohol daily in small quantities after about half that contained in the original liquid had been converted into acetic acid, until a vinegar of sufficient strength was produced. The French process was improved in 1869 by Laugier, and it was subsequently further elaborated by Emanuel Wurm. (For details, see P. J., xi, 133.)

In England, vinegar is made from the infusion of malt. The fermented wort is caused to fall in a shower upon a mass of fagots of birch twigs occupying the upper part of a large vat, and, after trickling down to the bottom, is pumped up repeatedly to the top, to be again allowed to fall, until the acetification is completed. This mode of oxidizing the alcohol in the fermented wort has the advantage of rendering insoluble certain glutinous and albuminous principles, which, if not removed, would cause a muddiness in the vinegar and make it liable to spoil. In the United States, vinegar is largely made by the German method of oxidizing very diluted alcohol, and is called white vinegar; it is often prepared from cider.

Cider vinegar. The cider is placed in barrels (with their bung holes open) which are exposed during the summer to the heat of the sun. The acetification is completed in the course of about two years. The process of the fermentation, however, must be watched, and as soon as perfect vinegar is formed, it should be racked off into clean barrels. Without this precaution, the acetous fermentation would run into, the putrefactive, and the vinegar spoil. Cider vinegar contains no aldehyde. It contains malic acid, and therefore yields a precipitate with lead acetate. The absence of such a precipitate indicates that the alleged cider vinegar is a manufactured substitute, although a fictitious article might yield a similar precipitate. Cider or apple vinegar is also made by the quick process described above. Much commercial vinegar is made from the apple cores, skins and other waste from the dried apple and pectin industry. Vinegar may be clarified, without impairing its aroma, by throwing about a tumblerful of boiling milk into from fifty to sixty gallons of the liquid, and stirring the mixture. This operation also makes red vinegar pale.

The series of changes which occur during the acetous fermentation is called acetification. The following equations represent this change:

C₂H₆O + O = C₂H₄O + H₂O O = C₂H₄O₂

Vinegar, when good, is of an agreeable, penetrating odor, and a pleasant acid taste. According to Magnes-Lahens, wine vinegar always contains a little aldehyde. The better sorts of vinegar have a grateful aroma, probably due to the presence of an ethereal substance, perhaps acetic ether. The color of vinegar varies from water white to deep red. When long kept, especially if exposed to the air, it becomes ropy, acquires an unpleasant odor, putrefies, and loses its acidity. The essential ingredients of vinegar are acetic acid and water; but, besides these, it contains various other substances, derived from the particular vinous liquor from which it may have been prepared.

Malt Vinegar (Acetum Britannicum) has a brown color, and a sp. gr. from 1.006 to 1.019. The strongest kind, called proof vinegar, contains from 4.6 to 5 per cent, of acetic acid. That of British manufacture usually contains sulphuric acid, which the manufacturer is allowed by law to add in a proportion not exceeding one part in a thousand; but if the vinegar be properly made it does not require to be thus protected. Malt Vinegar is ” a liquid of a brown color and peculiar odor. Specific gravity 1.017 to 1.019. 445.4 grains by weight (1 fluidounce) of it require about 402 grain-measures of the volumetric solution of soda for their neutralization, corresponding to 5.41 per cent, of real acetic acid, HC₂H₃O₂. If ten minims of solution of barium chloride be added to a fluidounce. of the vinegar, and the precipitate, if any, be separated by filtration, a further addition of the test should give no precipitate. Sulphuretted hydrogen caused no change of color.” Br., 1885.

Wine Vinegar (Acetum Gallicum) is nearly one-sixth stronger than pure malt vinegar. It is of two sorts, the white and the red, according as it has been prepared from white or from red wine. White wine vinegar is usually preferred. Red wine vinegar may be deprived of its color, and rendered limpid, by being passed through animal charcoal. Under the name of wine vinegar or white wine vinegar the so-called distilled vinegar is sometimes sold. This is made, not by distillation of vinegar as the name indicates, but by the distillation of a weak alcoholic liquid produced by the fermentation of molasses with yeast and the subsequent acetification of the weak alcohol by percolation through beech wood shavings impregnated with mycoderma aceti. The best test for the detection of free inorganic acids is a weak solution of methyl violet which turns green in the presence of free inorganic acids, but remains unaffected by organic acids.

Distilled Vinegar (Aceturn Destillatum; Vinaigre distille, Oxeolat simple, Fr.; Destillirter Essig, G.) was official in the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, 1870, and was prepared by obtaining seven pints of distillate from eight pints of vinegar placed in a glass retort, the one pint left in the retort retaining the fixed impurities, salts, etc. One hundred grains should saturate not less than seven and six-tenths grains of potassium bicarbonate. The principal foreign substances which vinegar is liable to contain are sulphuric and sulphurous acids, and copper and lead, derived from improper vessels used in its manufacture. Tin has been found in it after standing a short time in tin vessels. The testing of vinegar for genuineness and purity involves so many complex factors that a work on food analysis, such as that of Leach, should be consulted.

Vinegar is at present used as a medicine only for its local astringent properties, and in the form of an enema diluted with three times its bulk of water to kill seat worms. In the dermatitis produced by exposure to the sun, made into a paste with glycerin, bismuth, and starch, it is very effective. In hematemesis one ounce to a tumbler of water often acts very advantageously, and may be taken freely. At one time vinegar was largely used in pharmacy as a menstruum, but on account of its tendency to undergo decomposition it has been replaced by diluted acetic acid in both the American and British Pharmacopoeias.

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Martindales 24^th
The domestic use of aromatic vinegar (see below) for the treatment of warts may be attended by severe risks. A case of oedema, followed by sloughing, destruction of tissues, and ultimate loss of use of the finger, is reported. Prior to treatment the wart is surrounded with petroleum jelly.— G. W. Hickish, Brit. med. J., ii/1952, 9

Aromatic Vinegar (B.P.C. 1934). Acid. Acet. Aromat.; Gewiirzessig.
Oils of bergamot 25, cinnamon 12-5, clove 100, lavender 50, orange 50, and thyme 25, and glacial acetic acid to 1000, all by vol. Intended for use as a restorative and stimulant in fainting, by inhalation of the vapour. Swiss P. includes a similar preparation. Acetum Aromaticum (Chil. P.) is similar to Toilet Vinegar (see below).

Toilet Vinegar (B.P.C. 1934). Acetum Odoratum; Acetum Profumatum.
Oils of bergamot 5, cassia 1, clove 3, lavender 2 and lemon 5, tolu tincture 10, benzoin tincture 100, alcohol (90%) 500, acetic acid 125, water to 1000, all by vol. Swiss P. includes a similar preparation.

Please note that the Martindale’s is a very small extract from the Monograph entitled Organic Acids.

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Berberis Aquifolium
U.S.D. 1926. N.F.
Compiled by Ivor Hughes.

BERBERIS. N.F., Br. BERBERIS Berber [Oregon Grape Root]

“Berberis consists of the dried rhizome and roots of species of the section Mahonia (Nuttall) De Candolle of the genus Berberis Linne (Fam. Berberidaceae). Berberis contains not more than 5 per cent, of the over ground parts of the plant or other foreign organic matter. Reject pieces of the rhizome or root over 45 mm. in diameter or with the bark removed.” N.F.

Oregon grape root; Nepaul Barberry; Barberry; Epinevinette, Vinettier, Ecorce de Racine de Berb?rides, Fr.; Fauerach, Gemeiner Sauerdorn, Berberitze, Berberitzen(Saurach-) Wurzelrinde, G.; Berbero, It., Sp.

The genus Berberis (Fam. Berberidaceae) is a large one, comprising shrubs or trees which are widely distributed throughout temperate regions and in the mountains of the tropics. There are three well-defined medicinal groups:

(1) The Rocky Mountain group, including Berberis Aquifolium, which yields the Oregon Grape Root.
(2) The Asiatic group, which includes B. aristata DC., a shrub indigenous to India and Ceylon, and is recognized by the British Pharmacopoeia.
(3) The European group, which includes the common Barberry (B. vulgaris L.), which is naturalized in New England. According to Dragendorff (Die Heilpflanzen), about forty different species of berberis have been used in medicine.

Lycium, of the ancients, highly valued as a local application in affections of the eye and eyelids, and used for various other purposes, is supposed to be the medicine still used in India for the same affections, under the name of rusot or ruswut, which is an extract from various species of berberis combined with opium.

Berberis aristata, which furnishes the berberis of the British Pharmacopoeia, is a shrub indigenous to the temperate Himalayas, extending from Bhutan to Kanawar, the Nilgiri Hills, and Ceylon. It is erect and branching, the leaves being evergreen, obovate or oblong, entire, sometimes possessing spinose teeth. The flowers are yellow and occur in compound, often corymbose racemes. The stigmas are distinguished by being small and subglobose. The berries are few-seeded and taper into a short style. Several varieties of this species are recognized, viz., floribunda and micrantha. The type B. aristata closely resembles B. asiatica Roxb., B. Lycium Royle and B. vulgaris L., and consequently are mistaken throughout India. The same vernacular names are frequently applied to each of these plants and the same medicinal properties attributed to all.

The N.F. IV recognizes, under the title Berberis, ” the rhizome and roots of species of the section Mahonia Nuttall of the genus Berberis.” This section corresponds to the genus Odostemon of Rafinesque, and includes B. Aquifolium .and B. Nervosa. Berberis Aquifolium Pursh., Berberis, U. S. VIII, Oregon Grape Boot, Rocky Mountain Grape, California Barberry, Holly-leaf Barberry, Trailing Mahonia.

The Oregon grape is a tall shrub, about six to seven feet high, with evergreen, coriaceous, bright and shining leaves, and having numerous small, yellowish-green flowers in the early Spring, and later clusters of purple berries containing an acid pulp. It is a native in woods from Colorado to the Pacific Ocean, especially abundant in Oregon and northern California. Rusby believes that a large part of the berberis collected in Oregon is obtained from B. Nervosa. (Ph. Era, 1909, p. 633.) Nepaul Barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.) is a native of Europe, but grows wild in waste ground in the eastern parts of New England, and is sometimes cultivated in gardens on account of its berries. It is a spreading shrub, from four to six feet or more in height, with thorny branches, a light gray bark and a fine yellow wood.

The berries of B. vulgaris, which grow in loose bunches, are oblong and of a red color, have a grateful, sour, astringent taste, and contain malic and citric acids. They are refrigerant, astringent and antiscorbutic, and are used in Europe, in the form of drink, in febrile diseases and diarrheas. An agreeable syrup is prepared from the juice, and the berries are sometimes preserved for the table. The bark of the root of B. vulgaris L. was formerly included in the secondary list of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, under the name of Berberis. The root and inner bark have been used for dyeing yellow. The bark of the root is grayish on the outside, yellow within, very bitter, and stains the saliva when chewed.

Algerita Root, which has been used by Mexicans and old settlers in Western Texas, is derived from Berberis trifoliatus Moric [Odostemon trifoliatus (Moric.) Heller]. The shrub grows in Western Texas and New Mexico and extends into Mexico. The root contains, according to Hart (A. J. P., 1916, p. 301), 1.3 per cent, of berberine and 0.1 per cent, of associated alkaloids. Hydrastine is absent. Infusions of algerita root are used for eye sores, while chewing the roots is considered reliable as a corrective for sore mouths. Injections of an infusion have been used for gonorrhea. The commercial supplies of berberis used in the United States are obtained from Trieste and Oregon. For a description of the bark of B. aristata DC., by Hartwick, see Ph. Rev., 1896, 232.

Description and Physical Properties.
Unground Berberis. Cylindrical, more or less knotty, strongly branched, usually cut into pieces of varying length and up to 45 mm. in diameter; usually splitting somewhat on drying; externally light yellowish brown, longitudinally wrinkled and short scaly; fracture hard and tough; bark 1 mm. in thickness, easily separable into layers; wood yellow, the color more pronounced upon wetting, distinctly radiate, and showing rings of growth; pith of rhizome small, sometimes excentric. Odor slight; taste distinctive, very bitter; on chewing it tinges the saliva yellow.

Powdered Berberis. Yellowish-brown; composed chiefly of fragments of medullary rays, and wood fibers associated with a few tracheae; wood fibers yellowish, with large, simple, transverse pores; trachea chiefly with bordered pores, occasionally reticulate; starch grains simple or 2 to 3 compound, the individual grains being irregularly spherical, 0.003 to 0.020 mm. in diameter, or occasionally larger. N.F.

The berberis of the British Pharmacopoeia occurs in undulating pieces from two and a half to five centimeters in diameter. Cork orange-brown, removed in places showing the subjacent darker brown cortex; marked with slightly wavy longitudinal striae and occasional shallow transverse depressions. Transverse section shows a narrow brown cork; a broad, dark brown bast traversed by conspicuous yellow medullary rays; a bright yellow wood composed of numerous narrow vascular rays, containing many vessels, separated by narrow, paler medullary rays. Slight odor; taste bitter. Br.

Constituents. Both, the B. vulgaris and B. aquifolium contain three alkaloids of which the most important is berberine, C₂₀H₁₇O₄N. This alkaloid is found in numerous other plants of several natural orders, including Hydrastis, Argemone, Coptis, Xanthoxylum, etc. It occurs as golden-yellow crystalline needles, differing from most other alkaloidal bases in being soluble in water, yielding yellow solutions. It is also soluble in chloroform or benzol, but almost insoluble in ether or petroleum benzin. Besides berberine Hesse (B. Chem. G., 1886, xix, 3190) found berbamine, C₁₉H₂₁O₃N, and oxyacanthine, C₁₉H₂₁O₃N. For general properties and color reactions of these alkaloids see Rudel (J. Chem. S., 1892, p. 641) and Pommerehne (A. Pharm., 1895, ccxxxiii, p. 127).

Uses. The various species of berberis appear to have similar medical properties. The alkaloid berberine is physiologically very feeble. (See Hydrastis.) Antiperiodic properties have been attributed to it, and T. Lascarato (La Grece medicale, 1899, No. 2) affirms that it has a specific action upon the spleen which renders it very valuable in the treatment of malarial splenic enlargement, and that it is so powerful in producing contraction that when the spleen is softened large doses may produce splenic rupture, with fatal hemorrhage. The crude drug probably has no real medicinal effect, except that of a bitter tonic and mild laxative. It is by some believed to have an especial tendency towards the liver and hence is used in jaundice and chronic hepatitis. It is also stated to have alterative powers and has been employed in syphilis and scrofula.

Dose, from fifteen to thirty grains (1 – 2 Gm.).
Off. Prep. Tinctura Berberidis, Br., Fluid-extractum Berberidis, N.F. 

See also; Fluidextractum Berberidis, N.F. 

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