CONVOLVULACE-#. 535 
The large tuberous root is considered tonic, alterative, aphro- 
disiac, demulcent, and lactagogue. In the emaciation of 
children with debility, and want of digestive power, the follow- 
ing diet is recommended :—“ Take of Vidari, wheat flour and 
barley equal parts, and make into a confection with milk, 
clarified butter, sugar, and honey.” Susruta gives several 
prescriptions for its use as an aphrodisiac. The simplest is 
as follows:—‘‘ Macerate the powder of the root in its own 
juice, and administer with honey and clarified butter. Vidari 
enters into the composition of several diuretic and demulcent 
piers 
ceo 
mixtures. 
In the Concan the root is peeled and cut in small pieces and 
dried in the shade, it is then powdered and the powder repeat- 
edly moistened (14 times) with the juice of the fresh root and 
dried. Half a tol4 of this preparation may be taken daily in 
oney or milk asan aphrodisiac. From this powder a Paushtik 
is made by frying it in butter with equal parts of almonds, 
uince seeds, cloves, cardamoms, nutmegs, satawari, gokhroo, 
ed of Mucuna pruriens, musli, &c., and making the whole 
nto a conserve with sugar. This conserve is taken dissolved 
1 milk in doses of half a told or more, as an aphrodisiac. In 
spermatorrhcea the juice is given with cumin and: sugar, 
and as alactagogue it is combined with coriander and fenu- 
greek. Rheede says:—‘ Radix in ‘sole siccata, trita, in 
pulverem redacta, cum saccharo et butyro decocta et assumpta, 
macilentos fertur reddere et obesos ; sed et immodicum men- 
jum sistit fluxum, et in febribus ossium confert.”’ 
Description.—The root is a simple or branched tuber, 
Sometimes as much as 40 to 50 lbs. in weight, externally it is 
of a brown colour, and somewhat warty and scabrous. hen 
. transverse section is made the cut surface is of a dirty white 
ur, and marked by concentric rings, which are formed by 
vascular and laticiferous vessels; from the latter a viscid 
ky fluid exudes ; the taste is astringent and somewhat acrid, 
e raw potato, The bulk of the tuber consists of 
renchyme. The vascular system is scalarifor 
