Mixtures

4.1.4.7 Mixtures: A good number of naturally occurring plant substances contain a mixture of constituents, namely:

(A) Tannins:

(a) Hydrolyzable Tannins : Examples:

Chest Nut : Bark and wood;

Oak : -do-

Sumac : Leaves;

Turkish Tannins : Galls of Cynips tinctoria

(b) Consensed Tannins : Examples:

Eucalyptus : Bark;

Black catechu : Hearthwood;

Spruce : Bark;

Gambier : Leaves and Twigs

(c) Pseudotannins : Examples of drug containing pseudotannins are as follows:

Gallic acid : Rhubarb;

Catechins : Acacia; catechu; cocoa; guarana;

Chlorogenic acid : Nux-Vomica; coffee; mate; Ipecacuanhic acid : Ipecacuanha

(B) Volatile Oils : Examples

(Syn: Essential Oils)

Oil of Chenopodium : p-Cymene; α-terpinene; l-limonene; methadiene;

Oil of Cinnamon : Cinnamaldehyde; eugenol; cinnamyl acetate;

Oil of Cloves : Eugenol; acetyleugenol; caryophyllene; vanillin; furfural;

Oil of Bitter Orange : d-Limonene; citral; decyl aldehyde; linalool; terpineol;

methyl anthranilate;

Oil of Juniper : Pinene; cadinene, camphene;

terpineol; juniper; camphor

(C) Resins:

Examples:

(a) Rosin (Syn: Colophony: Yellow resin): It is obtained as a residue left over after distilling off the essential oil from the oleoresin obtained from Pinus palustris and other species of Pinus.

(b) Guaic (Syn: Guaiacum; Resin guaic) : It contains

α-and β-Guaiaconic acid : ~ 70%;

Guacic acid + Guaiaretic acid + Related

compounds : 11%;

Vanillin + Guaiac Yellow + Guaiac

Saponin (Guaiacin) : 1.5%

(D) Latex:

Examples:

(a) Opium Latex: It is the air-dried milky exudation from incised unripe capsules of Papaver somniferum L., or P. album Mill. It contains about 20 alkaloids, constituting about 25% of the opium, meconic acid, sulphuric acid and lactic acid, sugar, resinous and wax-like materials.

(b) Euphorbia (Syn: Cat's hair; Snake weed; Queensland; Asthma weed; Pill bearing

Spurge): It is obtained from the dried herb of Euphorbia hirta L., or E. pilifera L. It contains

several resins and an unstable glucoside.