2 COMBRETACELZ. 
by Indra.” Indian writers describe seven varieties of Haritaki, 
which however are nothing more than the same fruit in dif- 
ferent stages of maturity. Very large fruit are considered 
particularly valuable, and fetch a fancy price. Chebulic 
myrobalans are considered to be laxative, stomachic, tonic, and 
alterative. They are prescribed alone or in combination with 
Emblic and Beleric myrobalans in a vast number of diseases, 
chiefly those affecting the chest and abdomen. The three 
myrobalans together are called triphala or the three fruits n 
Sanskrit. Various original receipts for their administration 
will be found in Dutt’s Hindu Materia Medica. Myrobalans 
were known to the early Arabian writers, and through them to 
the Greek writer Actuarius, who mentions five kinds. Nicolas — 
Myrepsicus also notices them. The author of the Makhzan-el- — 
Adwiya, on the subject of chebulic myrobalans, says that the 
very young fruit, about the size of cumin seeds, are called — 
Halileh-i-zira ; when about the size of a grain of barley, — 
Halileh-1-jawi ; when of the size of a raisin, Halileh-i-zangi or 
Halileh-i-hindi ; when half arrived at maturity and yellowish, 
Halileh-t-chint ; when still further advanced, Hulileh-i-asfar ; 
and lastly, when quite mature, Halileh-i-kabuli, Of these | 
six varieties of chebulic myrobalans, the second, third, and last 
only are in general use for medicinal purposes, the fourth and 
fifth, also known as Rangéri har or hirade, are chiefly used by 
-tanners.. The Mahometans, like the Hindus, attribute a great 
many fanciful properties to the drug; shortly, we may sy, that 
the ripe fruit is chiefly used as a purgative, and is considered 
to remove bile, phlegm, and adust bile ; it should be combined 
with aromatics, such as fennel seeds, caraways, &c. The Arabs 
say,—* Ihlilaj is in the stomach like an intelligent housewife, 
who is a good manager of the house.” The unripe fruit 
(Halileh-i-hindi or Himaja) is most valued on account of its 
astringent and aperient properties, and is a useful medicine in 
dysentery and diarrhcea ; it should also be given with aromatics. 
Locally it is applied as an. astringent. The first and second 
kind are supposed to have the same properties as the third in 
__ aless degree, and the fourth and fifth the same as the sixth in 
