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.
