1254 ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA. ,
• A nr cm** 1 ,!
I. Fixed Oil (Oleum Lini ).—To prepare this oil the seeds are first bruised g TJre 5then ground, and afterwards subjected to pressure in the hydraulic press, t ,] j le> sDiet, of Arts, p. 899). Cold-drawn linseed oil (oleum lini sine igne) is paler c° a bodtodorous, and has less taste than linseed oil prepared by the aid of a steam hea ^ (|]| be-200° F. (oleum lini, offic.); but, according to Mr. Braude (Diet, of Pharm.) 1 r Thecomes rancid and more disagreeable than that expressed at a higher tempera [ r()II i %•seeds yield by cold expression 18 or 20 percent, of oil; but by the aid of be quiteto 27 per cent. Linseed oil is usually amber-coloured; but it may be f en . Jjiiiseet*colourless. For a fine sample of colourless oil I am indebted to Mr. Whi|>p le ' e tbfoil has a peculiar odour and taste ; it is soluble in alcohol, but more readily^ ^ re atjyWhen exposed to the air it dries into a hard, transparent varnish. This chaugc ^ wb‘ ieaccelerated by boiling the oil either alone or with litharge, sugar of lead or c ® n *. g pro ceS ’vitriol. The resulting' oil is called drying oil or boiled oil. The efficacy of sU b s tai lCe , sis ascribed by Liebig ( Journ. de Pharm. xxvi. 193) to the elimination of s .j aCC ord"which oppose the oxidation of the oil. The ultimate composition of linseed i proxi-»» lting to Saussure, is carbon 76'014, hydrogen 1V351, and oxygen 12-635. B “
constituents are oleic acid (chiefly), margaric acid, and glycerin.
31);
2. Mucilage of linseed .—Has been examined by Bostock (Nicholson s J0“ n ' y/r® -
by Vauquelin (Ann. de Chim. Ixxx. 314), and by Guerin-Varry (Journ. de L , ut ; 0 uvii. 739). Resides in the seed-coats. Is extracted by hot water. When the ® ^ for 11 . 15mixed with alcohol, white mucilaginous flocks are precipitated. Diacetate ot ‘ ^ gU it.a precipitate in it. Neither infusion of uutgalls nor chlorine have any e ^.jj). hIt is not coloured blue by iodine. It reddens litmus (owing to the free acetic ^ ca r-consists of two parts: one soluble, the other insoluble in water. Its ashes con , -tasl'ibonates of potash and lime, phosphate of lime, chloride of potassium, sulphate o roxide of iron, alumina, and silica.
Proximate Analysis.
Soluble part . 52-70
Insoluble part . 29-89
Ashes . 711
Water . 10'30
Mucilage of Linseed . 100 00
Ultimate Analysis-
Carbon ...HydrogenNitrogen .,Oxygen ..
34 ' 3 °
5'^
7-37
52 - 7-1
Mucilage of Linseed
acid r
a. Soluble part (Arabine?) soluble in cold water. Treated with nitric14-25 per cent, of mucic acid, besides some oxalic acid. yield 1 ' 1 !;
f). Insoluble part. A nitrogenous substance, not soluble in water, and no ] ulB uiJfmucic acid by the action of nitric acid. Properly speaking, therefore, it is uo »substance. ^
Physiological Effects. —Linseed is emollient and demulcent ( 0 ralso possesses nutritive qualities; for, in the form of a thick fZeed^jelly, as it is termed), it is employed for fattening cattle . Lins . eis also employed for a similar purpose. Linseed oil is a mild lax ^j,Uses. —Employed, to allay irritation, in the form of infusionexpressed oil, and meal. , J/ett-''
1. Infusum Lini cumpositum , L. 1). Infusum Lini, E. Linseed ^ ;
(Linseed, bruised, 5vj. [3j. D.] ; Liquorice-root, bruised, 5ij- L 5 j jj.]~~. ■ _ ' - ' firc>
Boiling [distilled, L.\ Water, Oj. [Oij. Z).] Digest [near the
£•])
y - - J s tf O m J tj - ■ - l. J
in a lightly-covered vessel, and strain [through linen or can^Employed as an emollient and demulcent in irritation and inna© JlC sof the pulmonary and urinary organs, and of the mucous mein ^generally: as gonorrhoea, dysentery, alvine irritation, and pm'affections. It is rendered more palatable by the addition of sliceand sugar-candy. Dose, fSij. to f'3iv. or ad libitum. . e dii s
2. Oleum Lini, L. E. D.—(The preparation and propertiesoil have been already described). Rarely employed internally- g^C)ordinary use is for the preparation of Unimentum calcis, already vl ‘described.