Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/218

968 little essential oil, which was separated by extraction with alkalies ; the rest of it was " kalmegh resin," a portion of which was extracted by first making it alkaline with caustic potash and shaking up with ether. It can be further extracted with ether after acidification with an acid.

This contained, besides chlorophyll, an amorphous white substance and very little of a bitter substance, the former of which separated out on concentrating the chloroform extract. Its melting-point is 221° C. It is tasteless and insoluble in water and alcohol. It is unacted upon by acids and alkalies.

For this extraction the powdered leaves and stems were exhausted in a percolator with alcohol. * * * * * *

The residue remaining in the flask separated into two layers, one aqueous and the other solid ; the former, when allowed to cool, deposited some yellow colored crystals (bitter a) ; the latter was boiled with water and filtered hot ; from the filtrate a white amorphous precipitate was deposited having an extremely bitter taste (bitter b).

This was purified by dissolution in alcohol and fractional precipitation ; the process was repeated three times. It had a pale-yellow coloy. When a little of the substance was heated in a test-tube it diffused a very fragrant odor. It had melting point of 2.06° C. * * * * * The substance is very soluble in ethyl and methyl alcohol, though not to the above extent in amyl alcohol. It is very slightly soluble in chloroform and ether. Benzene and petroleum ether do not dissolve it even on boiling.

It is neither an alkaloid nor a giucoside, as it neither contains nitrogen nor produces a reducing sugar after hydrolysis. It can be acetylated, — i.e., it contains hydroxyl groups ; the acetyl derivative is white and insoluble in water. Its melting-point is 95° C. * * * * *

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Syn. : — Justicia echioides, Linn. Roxb. 40.

Vern. :- Peetumba (Malaly) ; Ran Chimani (Deccani).