Resina Scammonii (U. S. P.)—Resin of Scammony.
Related entry: Scammonium (U. S. P.)—Scammony
Preparation.—"Scammony, in No. 60 powder, one thousand grammes (1000 Gm.) [2 lbs. av., 3 ozs., 120 grs.]; alcohol, water, each, a sufficient quantity. Digest the scammony with successive portions of boiling alcohol until it is exhausted. Mix the tinctures, and reduce the mixture to a syrupy consistence by distilling off the alcohol. Then add the residue in a thin stream, with active stirring, to twenty-five hundred (2500) cubic centimeters [84 fl℥, 257♏︎] of water, separate the precipitate formed, wash it thoroughly with water, and dry it with a gentle heat"—(U. S. P.). The resin of the British Pharmacopoeia differs in regard to the source, being prepared from the root direct instead of the resin, though the final product is essentially the same, except that, as found by Hess (1875), it contains some tannin (compare Scammonium).
Description.—"Yellowish-brown or brownish-yellow masses or fragments, breaking with a glossy, resinous fracture, translucent at the edges; or a yellowish-white or grayish-white powder, having a faint, peculiar odor, and a slight, peculiar taste. Soluble in alcohol in all proportions; also wholly soluble in ether and in oil of turpentine. Ammonia water and solutions of alkalies dissolve it with the aid of a gentle heat; from these solutions the resin is not reprecipitated by acids"—(U. S. P.). (For report on commercial resins of scammony, see Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1892, p. 122; and 1882, p. 543.)
Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage.—Uses same as for scammony (see Scammonium), the pure resin being about twice the strength of the latter. Dose, 3 to 8 grains, rubbed up with milk, or in combination in pills.
