ANDROPOGON MCRICATtTS. 271 



grains. Gruel prepared with saktu is said to be easily digested 

 and to be useful in painful dyspepsia* 



ZEA. MAYS, Linn called makJcdi in the vernaoular has no 

 Sanskrit name. It is indigenous to America but is now largely 

 cultivated in Behar and Upper India, 



The minor food grains are not of any importance in a 

 medicinal point of view. They are used as food by the poorer 

 classes or for cattle. 



Old rice is preferred to new as being lighter and more easily 

 digested, but new wheat and barley are considered superior to old. 

 These are said to lose in flavour and taste by long keeping. 



PoultioeB made of rioe, barley or wheat flour, with the addition 

 of oil or clarified batter, are applied to abscesses for hastening 

 suppuration. 1 





ANDROPOGON MURICATUS, Rett. 



Sans, ^afa, Urira, $m, Tirana. 



Vern. Bend, Beng. Khas, Hind. " 



Thb root of this plant is well known as the khas khas root of 

 which talis or door screens are made for watering daring the hot 

 weather. It is described as cooling, refrigerant, stomachic and 

 useful ia pyrexia, thirst, inflammation, irritability of stomach, etc. 

 It enters into the composition of several cooling medicine*^ as for 

 example, the preparation called 

 rotundus). A weak infusion of the root is sometimes used as a 



febrifuge drink. 



Externally it is used in a variety of way s. A paste of the 

 root is rubbed on the skin to relieve oppressive heat or burning 

 of the body. This use of the drag appears to have been popular 

 with the ancients. Kalidnssa in his drama called Sakuntala 



allies to it as will appear from the passage quoted below.' An 



( 





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