A text-book of organic materia medica : comprising a description of the vegetable and animal drugs of the British pharmacopoeia with other non-official medicines . e portions or more or less separatedinto their constituent parts. Each entire portion of thismass of saffron is an inch or somewhat more in length; itconsists of three thread-like {fig. 46, b) deep orange-redstigmas, which are thickened and tubular {fig. 46, a) above,and jagged or notched at their extremities, and united belowto the top of the narrow yellow style. Saffron is flexible,unctuous to the touch, with a peculiar penetratin
A text-book of organic materia medica : comprising a description of the vegetable and animal drugs of the British pharmacopoeia with other non-official medicines . e portions or more or less separatedinto their constituent parts. Each entire portion of thismass of saffron is an inch or somewhat more in length; itconsists of three thread-like {fig. 46, b) deep orange-redstigmas, which are thickened and tubular {fig. 46, a) above,and jagged or notched at their extremities, and united belowto the top of the narrow yellow style. Saffron is flexible,unctuous to the touch, with a peculiar penetrating aromaticodour, and a bitter somewhat aromatic taste. When chewed Iridaceif. ] Crocus. 331 it tinges the saliva deep yellow; and when rubbed on thewet finger it produces an intense orange-yellow stain. —\^hen pressed between folds of white filteringpaper it leaves no oily stain. When a small portion is placedin a glass of warm water it colours the liquid orange-yellow,but should not deposit any white or coloured with free access of air, it yields about 6 per cent,of ash. There should not be more than 10 per cent, ofmoisture Fig. 46. - h. Upper part of the flower of Crocus safhiis, laid open to show the styleand three stigmas, a. One of the stigmas, f«/«r^^rf. Adulterations.—Saffron, from its high price, is ver}^ fre-quently adulterated. Thus, to give it freshness, flexibility,and increased weight, it is damped or oiled or dipped inglycerine. It is often mixed with the florets of the Marigold{Cale?idula officinalis^ dyed with logwood, or of those of theSaiiflower {Cartha/uus tiuctorius), or oi Ai-uica /uo)itaua, andother plants ; or with strips of the petals of different plants ;or with the dyed stamens of the saffron crocus; or withthe coloured fibres or shreds of hard boiled or smoked beef; 332 Crocus. [MomcotyUdones and in various other ways. All these frauds are readilydetected by putting into a glass of warm water a fewshreds of the su
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdeca, booksubjectmateriamedica, bookyear1887
