UMBELLIFERZ:. 137 
rodisiac, but gives no description of it. Other Arabian: 
ysicians give a similar account of it, and quote Dioscorides 
‘an authority for its use in dropsy as,a diuretic (cf. Diose. sub- 
ce kaveahis), ‘The Mahometans identify the drug with the 
aucalis of Theophrastus, ‘Dioscorides, Galen, Nicander and 
Oribasius ; the best is said to be that which comes from Egypt, 
and is heavy and ofa yellowish-brown colour. Theophrastus 
' classes caucalis among the dpovpawy or weeds of cultivation, and 
Galen says that it has the same taste and properties as Daucus. 
| Pliny notices it as an edible plant, and attributes to it 
_ a number of properties not mentioned by the earlier Greek 
' writers. Gronovius in his Flora Orientalis has the following 
notice of Shekikul :-—“Tordylium orientale, Secacul Mauris, 
Rauwolf. Hodoep. Pt. iv., t. 18. Sisarum Syriacum, Bauh. Pin. 
55. Apium Syriacum radice ampla eduli, Moris. Hist. ill., p. 
92. Secacul Arabum, Pastinaca Syriaca, Germanis gerelen, sive 
Sisarum species. Dalech App. 238. Ic., p. 24. Cresit juxta sepes 
t hortos urbis Halepi, locis praesertim apricis et. sub arbori- 
mus.” Sheik Déwood of Antioch describes shekakul as like a 
ible to say. In Persia, Trachydium Lehmanni, a very nearly — 
lied plant, produces the shekakul of Asia. Aitchison, when — 
ravelling in the Badghis district with the Afghan Boundary 
ommission, observed the roots of this plant being collected for 
xport to India as shekakul. nn he : hee 
_Description.—A root of the shape and size of a _ 
carrot, with a conical leaf-bud rising from the cror 
nally it is wrinkled and longitudinally furrow 
ight brown colour ; internally it is white 
ri 
te amylaceous and sw 
Buzid aucali, 
res 
