Crude ergot

Fixed dose combinations of crude ergot preparations except those containing ergotamine, caffeine, analgesics, antihistamines for the treatment of migraine, headache. 

Analysis in crude Ergot and pharmaceutical preparations (Table 9.13)... 

Synonyms cas 129-51-1 secale cornutum rye ergot rye scum crude ergot cornocentin ... 

Poisoning by ergot still occurs occasionally in countries where rye is extensively used as a food grain or where ergotised grain is liable to be fed to cattle and methods for its detection have been devised, but interest in the analysis of ergot centres chiefly on the estimation of the active alkaloids in the crude drug or its preparations. The methods used may... 

Ergot alkaloid (eg. 2 grams) can be transformed into lysergic acid when dissolved in (50 mL) normal methyl alcoholic potassium hydroxide solution and refluxed under inert gas. A small amount of water (approx. 50 mL) is added and the alcohol is evaporated under reduced pressure. The base is extracted with ether and the aqueous layer is acidified with sulfuric acid to precipitate the crude lysergic acid, which is then purified. 

The solid residue thus obtained from 20 lbs. of ergot ordinarily weighs about 2 lbs. It is very crude, and contains much contaminant. But it can be used to make a liquid extract highly potent in ergot activity, and physiological assay by the usual methods, such as the cock s-comb method (the official method of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, Tenth) Decennial Revision, 1926) and the Broom and Clark method, shows that the yield in units of potency is ordinarily close to the full activity of the original ergot. 

The processes for purification of ergopeptines are the same as those used for the isolation of crude alkaloid concentrates from ergot and they are therefore not discussed here. 

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