250 SANSKRIT MATERIA MEDICA. , 



cooling, sweet and useful in inflammatory affections and dropsy. 

 The fermented juice called tdri or toddy is intoxicating. The 

 yellow pulp surrounding the seeds of the ripe fruit is sweet, 

 heavy and indigestible. It is extracted by rubbing the feeds 



over a wooden soratcher, and with the addition of a little lime, 

 it settles into a firm jelly wbich is a ready mode of taking the 

 pulp. It is also made into cakes witb flour and other ingredients. 

 The young seeds contain a clear watery fluid whioh is very 

 refreshing and oooling. They form one of the edible fruits of the 

 oountry and are sold in the markets in Iirge quantities when in 

 Feason. The natives after extracting the pulp from the fibres 

 surrounding, the ripe seeds, preserve them for some months. 

 When the embryo begins to germinate and enlarge, the seeds are 

 cut open and the expanded embryo is extraoted and eaten. It is 

 oooling, sweet and palatable. The terminal bud or top of the 

 tdl tree is regarded as nutritive, diuretic and tonic. The leaves 

 of this palm tree were used for writing on by the ancient Hindus. 

 The letters were engraved upon the leaves by a pointed iron 

 instrument. This system of writing is still followed to a con- 

 siderable extent in Orissa where boys in the indigenous patsalis 

 write with iron pens on palm leaves. In Bengal the leaves are 

 written upon with pen and ink as on paper. The ashes of the 

 flowering stalk are said to be useful in enlarged spleen. 1 



ARECA CATECHU, Linn. 



8am. jpn^f, Quvdha utt, Puga, m^W, Kramnka. 

 ^ Tern. Qua, Supdri, Beng. Svpdri, Hind. 

 The chief consumption of betel-nuts is as a masticatory. 

 alone or in conjunction with betel leaf. The unripe nuts are said 



to be laxative and carminative. The fresh nuts when not yet dry 



in their interior, nave intoxicating properties and produce 

 giddiness. The dried nuts are masticated. They are sard to 

 sweeten the breath, strengthen the gums, remove bad tastes from 



system. The burnt nuts are 



larant 



the 



Medicinally betel-nuts are used in urinary disorders and as 



aphrodisiac. The 



paration called 



1 . Tnw^w^r: *V: g^ : :?hRT*R: n vus* '■ ' 



