Volume 1

Pharmacographia indica : a history of the principal drugs of vegetable origin met with in British India / by William Dymock , C.J.H. Warden, and David Hooper.

  • Dymock, William, 1834-1892.
Date:
1890-1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Pharmacographia indica : a history of the principal drugs of vegetable origin met with in British India / by William Dymock , C.J.H. Warden, and David Hooper. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    27/632 (page 5)
    actives, traduit par Morel, p, IS. The following extracts are made from the last-named work~ <e The tubers known as Bish, which have for some time been met with in commerce; contain an alkaloid, which, in its chemical reactions, presents a close analogy with aconitine. I find that the alkaloid of Bish, which has been called nepaline and pseudo-aeonitine,, can be quantitatively determined by the same process as aconitine, and that it gives the same reactions as that alkaloid. I may mention as.a distinguishing character of this alkaloid, its greater solubility in boiling water and its being less soluble in ether and 'chloroform, I may, perhaps, also mention that unlike the aconitine ofDuquesnel, nepaline prepared by the same process is not precipitated by chloride of platinum. Nepaline can be estimated by means of Mayer's solution, one c.c. corresponding to 0038'8 grammes of the alka- loid ; I.have obtained from farinaceous Bish extracted by water 1*81 and 1'82 percent, and extracted by alcohol 1*3 5 and TQ4 per cent, of nepaline. If the action of the alcohol is prolonged for several days, a better-result is obtained.9' One litre of Mayer's solutions contains 13'546 grm. of per- chloride of mercury and 49°8 of iodide of potassium. It's action is based upon the formation of a double iodide of the alkaloid very sparingly soluble in water, and composed of 1 eq, of iodide of aconitine and 1 eq. of biniodide of mercury. According to Wright and Luff, the formula for aconitia is C33 H^NO12, and for pseudo-acouitine C36 H*9 NO12. F. Mandelin (Archiv. derPharm,, February and March, 1885,) gives the following as the conclusions he arrives at after a thorough investigation of the subject of aconitine:— 1. Japaconitine is identical with aconitine, and both are identical with a crystalline benzoylaconine, 2. Benzoylaconine is the only active principle of- Aconitum Napellus, the other alkaloids contained in the plant being amorphous and pharmacologically unimportant. 3. The active principle of the roots of Aconiium ferox is however pseudo-aconitine or veratroylaconine.