ASCLEPTADE. 457 
Chemical. composition:—The tubers yielded on analysis— 
oisture 5°2 
Fat 3°30 
Sugar, gum, &e. 23°40 
Alh sm iar 3°48 
Starch 42°52 
Crude fibre 12°64 
Ash 9-43 
100°00 
- The bitter principle of the tubers is an alkaloid, Ceropegine, 
soluble in ether, alcohol and water. The total nitrogen afforded 
by burning with seda-lime was 0°55 percent. The ash contains 
manganese, and is constituted as follows :— 
Soluble in water ae OT 
Soluble in acid 149 
Insoluble. 23°4 
100-0 
Caralluma attenuata, Wight Ic.,¢. 1268, Pulam- 
bari (Tel.), is used on the Eastern coast for ostensibly 
_ regenerating stale toddy. From information received from an 
_ Abkari Inspector, it appears that the bruised fresh plant is 
__ added to teddy te increase its gravity, and to give it the appear- 
- ance and smell of that recently drawn. The toddy may be 
_. Several days old, but so complete is the process of renewal that 
is eee judges are often deceived. The plant is acrid 
_ and bitter, and contains a caoutchouc-like substance, a resin 
iia. to fluavil and a bitter principle, and so far resembles 
the Calotropis. 
_ TheSanskrit names Kshiri, Kshirini, Kshira-kshava, Dugdha, 
Dugdhika, Dugdhapdshéna, &c., are loosely applied to a num- 
_ ber of milky plants, but more gspecially to the weed Ascle- 
piads, such as Oxystelma 
Rheedii, Caralluma edulis and fimbriata. These 
plants Plants as well as other Asclepiads are also called Yugma- 
ottama, and Yienar pinto, in allusion to hen, ‘twin 
