Page 337 - Pharmacognosy 2 PG303

Pharmacognosy-2 (PG303) Level 2 Clinical Pharmacy-Pharm D

medullary rays; o, oleo-resin ducts containing a granular
secreation (myrrh); O, tissue breaking down to form a
cavity filled with the secretion; k, calcium oxalate.

Description
Myrrh occurs in rounded or irregular tears, or lumps of agglutinated tears of
variable sizes; externally, brownish yellow to reddish-brown and more or less
covered with a greyish or yellowish dust; internally, rich-brown or reddish-brown,
sometimes marked with nearly white spots or lines; thin splinters, translucent or
almost transparent; brittle; fracture, waxy, granular, conchoidal; odor, characteristic
and aromatic; taste, aromatic, bitter and acrid.

Tests for Identity
1- Effect of water: Triturate a little of the crushed Myrrh with water, a
yellowish-brown emulsion is obtained.
2- Nitric acid and bromine tests: Triturate 0.4 g of Myrrh with. 1 g of sand,
shake for few min with 10 ml of ether, filter, divide the filtrate onto 2
porcelain dishes and allow the filtrate to evaporate. To the film left in one
porcelain dish, add few drops of nitric acid; a purplish violet color is instantly
produced. Over the film left in the other porcelain dish pass vapours of
bromine; a violet colour is produced.

Constituents
Myrrh contains from 2.5-8 % of a yellow or yellowish green rather thick
volatile oil having the characteristic odor of Myrrh; 25-40 % of resin and about 60
% of gum of the acacia type. It also contains a bitter principle, spairingly soluble in
water but soluble in alcohol.

Uses
Myrrh is used in the antiseptic mouth-wash preparations and as a uterine
stimulant and emmenagogue. Recent studies revealed that myrrh is a new schisto-
somicidal drug. Oral administration of a suitable formulation of its volatile oil and
resin to mice produced excellent parasitological cure.

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