Sassafras Medulla, Sassafras Pith.
Related entry: Sassafras Root - Oil of Sassafras
Sassafras pith is obtained from the young stems and branches of Sassafras officinale, Nees and Eberm. (N.O. Laurineae), being collected late in the autumn, after frost, and dried. It is official in the U.S.P. It occurs in light, whitish, more or less cylindrical, often curved or coiled, pieces, of variable length, and about 5 millimetres in diameter. The pith has a slight odour and a mucilaginous taste. When macerated in water it yields a mucilage which is not precipitated upon the addition of alcohol.
Constituents.—The chief constituent of sassafras pith is the mucilage, but it also contains a trace of volatile oil.
Action and Uses.—Sassafras pith has demulcent properties, and the mucilage prepared from it is used in collyria.
PREPARATION.
- Mucilago Sassafras Medullae, B.P.C.—MUCILAGE OF SASSAFRAS PITH. 1 in 50.
- Dose.—8 to 30 mils (2 to 8 fluid drachms).
