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CONVOLVULACES. . 547 
-he is:speaking of the flowers of a kind of thyme, or of 3 a 
parasitic plant growing on thyme. Pliny (26, 35), com- 
mences by speaking of Epithymon as the blossom of a sort of 
thyme similar to Savory, but ends by saying—‘ Some 
persons, again, give a different description of epithymon: 
according to them, it is a plant without a root, diminutive, 
and bearing a flower resembling a small hood, and of a red 
colour.” Epithymon is generally identified with Cuscuta 
_ Epithymum, Linn., the Lesser Dodder, a parasitic plant upon 
Heath, Furze, Thyme and other small shrubby plants. (See 
Fi. Br. 283 ; Fl. Dan. i. 427.) The plant used medicinally in 
India as Aftimun is imported from Persia, and appears to bea 
‘ larger species, probably C. ewropea, Linn., which isa native of 
Europe and of Western and Central Asia. Mahometan physi- 
cians consider this drug to be alterative and depurative, a 
urge for bile and black bile, useful in all affections of the brain 
such as fits, melancholy, insanity, &c. They also describe it 
as carminative ; and apply it _locally as an ano pee The 
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: small ae toa “desariplica: of its properties and uses. 
odern medicine the different species of Cuscuta are no longs 
hanical composition.—In addition to quercetin, which was 
present in large amount, and resins, an alkaloidal principle 
was isolated, slightly bitter, soluble in ether, but more easily 
by chloroform. This alkaloid did not afford 
vial special colour ‘reactions. We provisionally call it 
KUSHOOTH, vulg. KASOOS. 
shooth (“545) is the Arabic name for the. Dodders, and 
have been derived the Greek xacovéa and Latin Cuseuta 
Revie 
