CUCURBITACE. 75 
Vernacular.—Kirara, Dhar-karela (Hind.), Karantoli (Mar.), 
_Palupaghel-kalung (Tam.), Agokara, Angakara (Tel.), Hrima- 
_ pavel (Mal.), Madahagala (Can.). 
Uses, Description, &e.—The muricated fruit of this 
plant is called Vahasa by Sanskrit writers, that of the wild 
; plant is extremely bitter, but under cultivation it loses much of 
its bitterness and. is commonly used as a vegetable. The fruits 
| burst irregularly when ripe showing the red arillus of the seeds, 
__ which are black, shining, and almost spherical. The plants 
are male and female, and have rather large yellow blossoms. 
The tubers of the female plant are the largest, and are used 
medicinally. Rheede says that the plant is truly cephalic, for 
mixed with cocoanut, pepper, red sandal, and other ingredients, 
and applied in the form of liniment, it stops all pains in the 
head. Ainslie notices the use of the root by Hindu doctors in 
the form of electuary in cases of bleeding piles, and in certain 
bowel affections connected with such complaints, the dose 
_ being about 2 drachms or more twice daily. In the Concan 
aq the juice of the root is a domestic remedy for the inflammation 
_ caused by the contact with the urine of the House-lizard. 
_ The roots, which often weigh a pound or more, much resemble 
_ aturnip, but are more elongated; they are of a yellowish- 
white colour, and marked externally with whitish, raised 
circular rings ; the taste is astringent. 
Chemical composition.—The air-dried roots lost 72°78 per 
eent, when heated to 100° C., and afforded 3°42 per cent. of 
_ ash.’ The ash contained a slight trace of manganese. 
The coarsely -powdered roots were exhausted with 80 per cent. 
alcohol; from the resulting tincture most of the alcohol was 
_ distilled off, and the remainder allowed to evaporate by expo» 
_ sure to the air. During evaporation a deep yellow oily looking 
was somewhat bitter, and lefs an unpleasant 
_ Metallic taste in the mouth. By the addition of water the _ 
_ extract was converted into a turbid orange yellow 
which was agitated with petroleum ether. ote 
_ matter separated, and the liquid gelatinized. The alcoholic 
