Capsulae Amylaceae. Cachets.
Related entres: Amylum
Cachets are containers prepared from a mixture of flour and water, consisting of two circular discs adhering by their edges. The discs may be filled and closed by means of any suitable machine, and form one of the most useful methods of administering a powdered medicament in tasteless form. Cachets are obtainable in various sizes, the diameter of the smallest being somewhat larger than that of a 5-grain pill and the largest holding about 20 grains of a powder of medium density. Cachet labels should bear in addition to the directions of the physician instructions as to the method of taking them. They should be immersed in water for a few seconds, and then swallowed with the liquid. Substances having a dosage under 1 grain should be triturated with milk sugar before being placed in the cachet. Hygroscopic substances should not be dispensed in cachets, but when so ordered it is advisable to mix them with powdered liquorice root. Soft pill masses flattened into small discs and well covered with an inert absorbent powder may be dispensed in cachets. Bi-cachets should be used for substances which interact, the salts being placed separately in the halves of the cachet and separated by a single cachet disc of smaller diameter than the cachet which is being used.
