670

ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.

less soluble matters to water, when treated by decoction; and if it b®added, that sarsaparilla is completely exhausted by hot water, 1cannot see what advantages the decoction can possess over preparation*made by Other methods.” Without denying the injurious effects of longboiling, and, therefore, the superiority of preparations made without rt>

I cannot admit that either the decoction or extract of sarsaparilla is inert-No objection, however, exists to the substitution of an infusion for ®decoction. But it is advisable to employ a somewhat larger quantity °*the root, and to have it crushed before macerating it. The proportion*of root and water, in the above preparation, are such that one ounce o»the decoction contains the extractive of one drachm only of the root-•Hence the extract or syrup is usually conjoined. An infusion orcoction of Jamaica sarsaparilla produces little or no blue colour "’id 1tincture of iodine : whereas the corresponding preparations of Hondura*sarsaparilla (the kind usually met with, cut in small split lengths, h 1the shops) becomes bluish black on the addition of a solution °*iodine. The dose of Decoctum Sarza, Ph . L. is fjiv. to f3viij. three orfour times daily.

4. Decoctum Sarzje compositum, L. E. Decoctum Sarsapur' 1 ^compositum, D—Decoction of Sarsaparilla, boiling hot, Oiv.; Sassafra-’’sliced and bruised ; Guaiacum-wood shavings; Liquorice-root, brui* e ’of each 3x. (sj. D.) ; Mezereon [bark of the root], 5iij. [ 3 ss., E.~\for a quarter of an hour, and strain. This preparation is an imitation 0the celebrated Lisbon diet drink. The objections made to the use 0ebullition in preparing the simple decoction, apply equally to the pr®sent preparation. The additions are for the most part valueless.guaiacum wood is useless, water not being able to dissolve the resiO"The volatile oil contained in the sassafras wood is in part dissipated Ethe boiling. The mezereum, an active agent, is used iu such s111 .,quantity, that it can confer but little medicinal power. The liquoric eemployed merely to communicate flavour. An improvement in the P 1 ®'sent formula would be to omit the guaiacum, to increase the quantity 0sarsaparilla and mezereum, and to substitute maceration for decocti 01 ’Ihe dose of the officinal preparation is from fSiv. to f3vj. three or n> tttimes a day. The syrup or extract is usually conjoined with it. i

its use tlie skill should be kept warm. «

5. Syrupus Sarzje, L. E. Syrupus Sarsaparilla, D.—Sarza, sli®® 'Sxv. LOp, Z>.] ; Boiling Water , Cony. j.; Sugar, 3xv. Macerate 111sarsaparilla in the water for twenty-four hours ; then boil down to f° tt ,pints, and strain the liquor while hot; afterwards add the sugar,evaporate to a proper consistence. Simonin ( Journ. de Fharm. xx- Dhas successfully prepared the syrup by the percolation method.

This, I conceive, to be a very unnecessary preparation ; for asA. T. Thomson ( Lond. Dispens. 9th ed.) justly observes, “ it can ^much better and more easily supplied by rubbing up a few grains of t jextract with some simple syrup.” It is, however, frequently prescri c .^as an adjunct to the decoction. Prepared with Jamaica sarsaparillais not liable to ferment, and its flavour is somewhat agreeable, being 'fjanalogous to that of West Indian molasses. Mr. Braude ( Diet, ofMed.) says, that the above syrup is not of sufficient strength to rend e *^an effective form of sarsaparilla; and that it ought to be of such streng^that one ounce is equal to a pint of the simple decoction: of this,