5.6 Cantharide and Cod Liver Oil

DRUGS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN
1. Canthride
2. Cod-Liver Oil
DRUGS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN
Canthride
CANTHARIDES
 Cantharides are insects which are also called as Spanish
flies or Beetles or Russian flies or Blistering flies.
 Its zoological name is cantharis vesicatoria.
 It belongs to the family of meloidae and phylum

arthropoda.
FEATURES OR CHARACTERISTICS
 The adult European Spanish fly is shiny green. It has

soft body about 12 to 21 mm long. (0.47 to 0.88 inch).
When the Spanish fly is disturbed, blood or hemolymph
leaks out from their leg joints. The hemolymph contains
cantharidin also known as cantharis. Due to the presence
of cantharidin birds and other insects cannot eat the
Spanish flies
HABITAT
 They are herbivores and feeding chiefly on pollen and

petals of ash, lilac and privet. All these are the shrubby
members of the olive family.
 Collection
 These insects are mature in the months of June or July.

Therefore they are collected in the morning time of these
months. At morning time they are sluggish i.e. inactive
and cannot move due to the cold air of night. The bushes
and trees are shaken, where the beetles feed and are
collected upon cloths spread on ground.
PREPARATION
 After collection they are killed with any one of the

following.
 Boiling water
 Vinegar
 By fumes of ammonia or sulphur dioxide
 By means of chloroform or others etc.
After killing they are dried in the sun or in oven at a

temperature of 40C◦. The dried bodies of the Spanish fly
is crushed, which is used for the active constituents of
the drug i.e. cantharidin
STORAGE
 The drug should be stored in air-tight containers to

which a few drops of chloroform or carbon tetrachloride
are added as preservative, and then they are closed.
 Constituents
 Cantharides contains
 Cantharidin about 0.6 to 1%.
 Glycoside known as lactone.
 Fats about 12%.

USES
 1. Spanish fly has been harvested for its extracts i.e.

cantharidin for over 2000 years. Cantharidin is mixed
into various medicines which are used as:
 Salve (an ointment used to promote healing of the skin
or as protection. pain)
 Diuretic
 Irritant and
 Aphrodisiac.
USES
 Aphrodisiac is a substance which increases sexual
desires. Actually cantharidin dose not stimulate sexual
excitement, but when it is taken orally, it is excreted by
the kidneys and when it is passing through urinary tract,
it irritates the urinary tract. This irritation leads to
priapism (sexual excitement). This was a misused of
cantharides and a number of deaths were reported.
USES
 2. The ancient Greeks and Romans used it as poison.
 3. Cantharides is still used today as an ingredient in
remedies for urogenital disorders.
 4. It is used for the removal of warts in the form of
topical solution, i.e. Catharine® is a commercial
preparation for this purpose having 0.7 % cantharidin.
USES
 5. It is used as rubefacients. Rubefacients are those
reagents which cause the redness of the skin when
applies.
 6. It is used as a vesicant which causes blistering. (Small
vesicles on the skin). In earlier days it was used in the
form of blistering plasters, while nowadays it is used as a
blistering liquid in the veterinary practice.
 7. Some species of blister beetles are pests, because they
eat crops or their bodies contaminate harvested fodder.
When horses or other livestock eat this crop or fodder,
their bodies are poisoned.
POISONED
CANTHARIS
WELL-KNOWN HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY
 The homeopathic remedy cantharis vesicatoria is

associated with the urinary tract and is sometimes used
to treat certain urinary tract conditions, such as cystitis,
especially in cases where there is intense burning pain
when urinating.
WELL-KNOWN HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY
COD-LIVER OIL
COD-LIVER OIL
 Cod liver oil is a fixed oil, which is obtained from

the fresh liver of the cod. Its zoological name is
Gadus morrhua. It belongs to the family of
Gadidae.
 Gadusis from Greek word Gados means cod fish.

 Morrhua is a Latin word means cod fish.
 The countries which are producing cod fish are

Iceland, Britain, Germany, Norway and Denmark
etc.
1. COLLECTION
 There are two processes for the extraction or collection

of cod-lover oil.
A. Rotting Process
 It is an old process used in the ancient time. In this
process the fish were cleaned on the shipboard. The
livers of the fish were separated and then packed in
barrels, where through the process of “rotting” the
tissues disintegrated (separated into parts). The oil rose
to the top of the barrels where it was collected. While the
edible portion of the fish (remaining body) was slated to
preserve it.
B. STEAMING PROCESS
 In this case the cod fish are caught and brought to fish
house within few hours. Their livers are removed and
gall bladders are separated from the liver. The livers are
taken in closed kettles and steamed up. The oil rises to
the top where it is collected. The air above the oil is
replaced by CO2 in order to prevent oxidation.
2. PREPARATION
 The oil is strained (pass through a piece of cloth or

strainer) and filtered into tin lined container. It is chilled
at a temperature below 5 C◦. During chilling process the
stearin is solidified and removed. The lighter oil is
decanted and filtered. Finally the oil is adjusted to
definite vitamin content by admixture. The liver marc is
re-steamed and pressed to get the oil which is used for
technical purpose i.e. as lubricant etc.
3. REFINING
 The quality and flavor of the cod liver oil is improved by

refining process. It includes the following steps.
 I. Removal of Impurities:
 The oil is heated to 77C◦ and different reagents are added

to remove the impurities and to dissolve the remaining of
liver tissues.
II. DRYING:
For drying purpose vacuum tower is used. It

evaporates remaining water, as a result clear and
bright oil is obtained.
iii. Winterization:
The oil is chilled (cooled) up to 0C◦ as a result stearin
becomes solid. The solid stearin is removed by the
process of filtration.
iv. Deodorization:
The fishy odor is due to aldehydic and ketonic
components. The odor is removed by treating the
oil with 1% flavoring agent and then steamed.
4. STANDARDIZATION:
The oils are adjusted to a definite vitamin

contents. One gram of cod liver oil contains not
less than 225 ug of vitamin D its acid value
should not exceed 1.2; however iodine value is
comparatively high. If the oils are not in
accordance with the above values then they are
adjusted by admixture.
Storage
The oil is stored in cool places. The small amount
of antioxidant is added to prevent oxidation.
CHARACTERISTICS
Cod liver oil is a thin oily liquid having a slightly fishy

odor and taste. It is very pale yellow in color. It is freely
soluble in organic solvents such as ether, chloroform,
carbon disulphide and ethyl acetate, while insoluble in
water.
CONSTITUENTS
Cod liver oil contains;
 Vitamin A: It is also called growth-promoting or
antixeropththalmic vitamin.
 Vitamin D: It is also called anthracitic vitamin. Cod-
liver oil contains the active form of vit D i.e. Vit D3
(cholecalcifcrol
CONSTITUENTS
 Glyceryl ester of saturated fatty acid: It

includes myristic acid, palmatic acid and stearic acid etc.
it is found about 15%.
 Glyceryl ester of unsaturated fatty acids: - It is

found about 85%. It includes oleic acid, linoleic acid,
gadoleic acid and palmitoleic acid etc.
USES
1. Cod-liver oil is the natural source of Vit.A and Vit. D.
2. Vitamin A acts as antixerophalmic agents.

Xerophthalmia is a disease of eye in which the
conjunctive of the eye becomes extreme dry.
Conjunctive is a protective thin membrane inside
eyelids. This disease is caused by the deficiency of vit.
A, in diet. It may result in loss of sight.
3. Due to Vit. A, content, cod-liver oil is used as flesh

buildere (muscles formation) and as growth promoter
in children.
USES
4. Vitamin D is used as antirachitic agent. Rickets is a
disease of babies i.e. it develops in the age of six
months to two years when the weight bearing bones
are bended (become curved) due to the deficiency of
Vit D. While in the presence of Vit. D, calcium and
phosphorus are absorbed and metabolized which take
part in the formation of bones and teeth and thus
prevents this disease.
5. Cod-liver oil is used for reducing blood cholesterol level,
because it contains 85% unsaturated fatty acids.
USES
6. A sterile solution of saturated fatty acids (when
they are in free state) is added in NaOH solution,
which is given in the form injection called
sodium morrhuate injection, against a disease
known as varicose veins (when the veins become
fully dilated and the walls are unable to stop the
reverse flow of blood).
 Dose
 Its usual dose is 5ml, which contains 1170 ug of

Vit A and 9.7 ug of Vit D.

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DRUGS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN

 It belongs to the family of meloidae and phylum

 The adult European Spanish fly is shiny green. It has

 They are herbivores and feeding chiefly on pollen and

 These insects are mature in the months of June or July.

 After collection they are killed with any one of the

 By fumes of ammonia or sulphur dioxide

 By means of chloroform or others etc.

After killing they are dried in the sun or in oven at a

 The drug should be stored in air-tight containers to

 Cantharidin about 0.6 to 1%.

 Glycoside known as lactone.

 Fats about 12%.

 1. Spanish fly has been harvested for its extracts i.e.

 The homeopathic remedy cantharis vesicatoria is

 Cod liver oil is a fixed oil, which is obtained from

 Gadusis from Greek word Gados means cod fish.

 The countries which are producing cod fish are

 There are two processes for the extraction or collection

 The oil is strained (pass through a piece of cloth or

 The quality and flavor of the cod liver oil is improved by

 The oil is heated to 77C◦ and different reagents are added

For drying purpose vacuum tower is used. It

The oils are adjusted to a definite vitamin

Cod liver oil is a thin oily liquid having a slightly fishy

 Glyceryl ester of saturated fatty acid: It

 Glyceryl ester of unsaturated fatty acids: - It is

1. Cod-liver oil is the natural source of Vit.A and Vit. D.

2. Vitamin A acts as antixerophalmic agents.

3. Due to Vit. A, content, cod-liver oil is used as flesh

 Its usual dose is 5ml, which contains 1170 ug of

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