162 SANSKRIT MATERIA 1VIEDICA. 



haritaki in the vernacular. A good haritaki fit for medicinal use 

 should be fresh, smooth, dense, heavy and rounded in shape. 

 Thrown into water it should sink in it. Haritaki fruits weighing 

 four tolas and upwards, are also considered fit for use, although 

 they may not possess some of the above-mentioned properties. 

 The seeds are rejected and their coats only are used in medicine. 

 Those fruits which have small seeds and abundatt cortex are 

 preferred. 



Chebulic myrobalans are described as laxative, stomachic, 

 tonic and alterative. They are used in fevers, cough, asthma, 

 urinary diseases, piles, intestinal worms, chronic diarrhoea, costive- 

 ness, flatulence, vomiting, hiccup, heart diseases, enlarged spleen 

 and liver, ascites, skin diseases, etc. In combination with emblio 

 and belleric myrobalans, and under the name of triphald or the 

 three myrobalans, they are extensively used as adjuncts to other 

 medicines in almost all diseases. 



Two or three ohebulie myrobalans, rubbed into a paste and 

 taken with a little rock salt, aet as a mild laxative. The following 

 compound decoction oalled Pathyddi hvdtha is also muoh used as 

 ftpnrgatiTe. Take of chehuh'c myrobalans, pulp of Cassia fistnla 

 (dragbadha), root of PncrorrMza Knrroa (Jcatuki), root of Ip&maa 

 Tnrpethvm (trivrif) and emblio my-obalaus equal parts, in all 

 two tolas and prepare a decoction in the usual way. Dose, two 

 to four ounces. Bengali practitioners now a days often add senna 

 and rhubarb to the above preparation, but these last were not 



known to the ancient writers, and are not mentioned in their 

 works . l 



As an alterative tonic for promoting strength, preventing the 

 effects of age and prolonging life, chebulic myrobalan is used in a 

 peculiar way. One fruit is taken every morning with salt in the 

 rainy season, with sugar in autumn, with ganger in the first half 

 of the cold season, with Ion? pepper in the second half, with 

 honey in spring, and with treacle in the two hot months. These 

 adjuncts are supposed to agree best with the humour that are 







