Chemical examination of Lippia scaberrima, Sonder ('Beukess bass') / by Frederick B. Power and Frank Tutin.

  • Frederick Belding Power
Date:
[1907]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Chemical examination of Lippia scaberrima, Sonder ('Beukess bass') / by Frederick B. Power and Frank Tutin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    “ lemon-verbena,” which affords the genuine verbena oil (compare Gildemeister and Hoffmann, “ Die setherischen Oele,” p. 774, and Beilstein’s Handbuch der org. Chemie, Erganzungsband, III, p. 380). Some South American species of Lippia, which likewise yield aromatic essential oils, have recently been brought to notice, namely: L. urticoides, L. geminata, and L. microcephala (Ber. d. deutsch. Pharm. Ges., 14, p. 468). Podwissotzki [Pharm. Zcit. f. Rnssl., 1882, 21, 926) has recorded the results of an examination of the leaves and stems of Lippia mexicana, from which on distillation with water he obtained an essential oil possessing a sweet taste, reminding of that of Italian fennel, together with a crystalline, camphor-like substance (m. p. 25-300 C.), designated as lippiol. Although one analysis was recorded of this substance (C = 75-81 ; H = 12-43; 0= 10-20 per cent.), the figures are evidently quite inconclusive, and no fur- ther evidence was afforded of its composition, nor was its chemical character determined. The presence of a small amount of tannin in the plant was likewise noted. Maisch (Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1885, 57, p. 330), in commenting “on some useful plants of the natural order of Verbenaceae,” stated that he was unable to find any reference in botanical works to a plant bearing the name of Lippia mexicana, and therefore expressed the opinion that the material examined by Podwissotzki (loc. cit.) was either obtained from the labiate plant Cedronella mexicana, Benth., which has been admitted into the Mexican Pharmacopoeia under the name of toronjil, or that it was Lippia citriodora, Kunth (compare also Proc. Amer. Pharm. Assoc., 1876, 24, p. 772). In the “National Standard Dispensatory,” 1905, p. 1630, it is stated that “ the drug Lippia mexicana is the leaves of L. dulas, Trev., var. dulcis, of Mexico and Central America.” EXPERIMENTAL. The material used in this investigation was specially collected lor us in South Africa, and consisted of the air-dried stems and leaves of the plant, which was botanically identified as Lippia scaberrima, Sonder. The herb possesses an agreeable aromatic odor, remind- ing of both lavender and sage. Test for an Alkaloid.—Twenty-five grammes of the finely ground herb were macerated with Prollius’ fluid, and the resulting liquid