PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - GEORGE L. PATTEE AU - ERWIN E. NELSON TI - THE BIOLOGICAL ASSAY OF ERGOT PREPARATIONS DP - 1929 May 01 TA - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics PG - 85--105 VI - 36 IP - 1 4099 - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/36/1/85.short 4100 - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/36/1/85.full SO - J Pharmacol Exp Ther1929 May 01; 36 AB - The use of the U. S. P. X method of assay of ergot, and the epinephrine-reversal method introduced by Broom and Clark yields results practically identical. Both methods determine the alkaloidal content. By both methods the U. S. P. Standard Fluidextract is approximately the equivalent of a 0.05 per cent solution of the specific alkaloids, which is about one-half the value of the standard set up by the Research Laboratory of the British Pharmaceutical Association as suitable for fluidextracts. The British Standard is felt to be too high, since examination of the literature seems to indicate that very few specimens of ergot will yield a fluid extract measuring up to its value. It is the authors' opinion that a standard the equivalent of a 0.05 per cent solution of alkaloids would be more practical. Of the two alkaloids ergotoxin and ergotamine, the former is found to be slightly but distinctly stronger than ergotamine.