Oleoresina Pteleae.—Oleoresin of Ptelea.
Related entry: Ptelea.—Wafer Ash
SYNONYMS: Oleoresin of wafer ash, Ptelein.
Preparation.—By percolation exhaust moderately fine powder of the bark of wafer ash, any quantity, with alcohol, a sufficient quantity. Distill off two-thirds of the alcohol, and add the residue to two or three times its volume of water. By distilling off the remaining alcohol, or by allowing the mixture to stand, the oleoresin precipitates. Collect it, wash it in clear water, allow it to subside, and then separate it from the water by decantation and filtration.
History and Description.—The oleoresin of ptelea, improperly named ptelein, was, I believe, first prepared by Mr. Wm. S. Merrell, and is obtained from the tincture of the bark by precipitation with water, in the same manner by which the oleoresins of Eupatorium purpureum, iris, xanthoxylum, etc., are obtained. It is of the consistence of thick syrup or molasses, dark-brown in mass, much lighter when in thin layers, and has a peculiar odor, somewhat similar to that of the extract of liquorice, and an oily, bitterish, acrid, persistent taste, peculiar and rather disagreeable, and acting powerfully on the fauces. It is soluble in alcohol, ether, oil of turpentine, and rather imperfectly in alkaline solutions; insoluble in acids and water. It imparts a slight milky color to water, and separates into two portions, one of which floats on the water while the other sinks. Acetic acid added to its alcoholic or ethereal solution does not disturb them, unless added in excess. Water added to the alcoholic solution produces a milky color, precipitating the resin; added to the ethereal solution it separates the oil which floats on the surface. The same remarks apply to "ptelein" in powder, as are given concerning "irisin" in powder (J. King).
Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage.—Oleoresin of ptelea is a tonic, and possesses other properties, not yet satisfactorily understood. It is a valuable medicinal agent. I have used it extensively and successfully, combined with equal parts of oleoresin of xanthoxylum, and given in doses of 1 or 2 grains, repeated 3 times a day, in cases of dyspepsia; if constipation be present, I have found the following an admirable combination: Take of oleoresin of ptelea, 19 grains; alcoholic extract of nux vomica, 1 grain; white sugar, or lactin, 2 drachms. Mix thoroughly together. The dose is 6 grains, to be repeated 3 or 4 times a day. I have found the following a valuable pill in chronic erysipelas, hepatic torpor, enlarged spleen, habitual constipation, chronic dysentery, and some forms of dyspepsia.—Take of resin of podophyllum and extract of leptandra, each, 1 grain; sulphate of quinine, 4 grains; oleoresin of ptelea, 8 grains; mix these together, and divide into 8 pills. The dose is 1 pill, to be repeated 2 or 3 times a day, and the alkaline bath to be used daily (J. King).
