595 SOLANACEM. 
the name of Birhatta, and repeats what the Hindu writers say 
about it. Chakradatta gives the following prescription as useful 
in bronchitis with fever: Take of the roots of S. indicum, 8. 
wanthocarpum, Sida cordifolia, and Justicia Adhatoda one part, 
raisins one part, and prepare a decoction in the usual manner. 
Rheede notices its use in Malabar; and: Ainslie (ii., 207) 
remarks that the root has little sensible taste.or smell, but is 
amongst the medicines which are prescribed in cases of dysuria 
and ischuria in decoction to the quantity of half a teacupful 
twice daily. He also notices that Horsfield in his account of 
Java medicina} plants says, that the root taken internally, 
possesses strongly oxciting qualities, and that Rumphius states 
that it is employed in difficult parturition. The berries, which 
are bitter, are sometimes’ cooked and eaten by the natives of 
India as a vegetable. 
- Description.—Trunk trifling, but the branches are nu- 
merous, ligneous, and perennial, forming a large, very ramous, 
shrub of several feet in height, armed with numerous, very acute, 
somewhat recurved spines, the young parts are downy; leaves 
solitary, or in pairs, petioled, ovate-lobate, downy, and armed 
with a few straight spines on both sides, from 2 to 4 inches 
— long; racemes between, or opposite to the leaves, supporting 
- several long-pedicelled, middle-sized, pale blue flowers; calyx 
deeply 5-cleft, armed; berries erect, round, smooth, size 
of a marrowfat pea ; while immatare variegated’ with deeper 
: and lighter green 5 when ripe, with ‘deep orange yellow. 
Chemical composition.—200 grams of the fruits were aoe 
to consist of 58 grams of pericarps and 142 grams of-secds. 
These were powdered and examined separately, and had the 
following composition— eee Nc rernne : 
: +, a ia | Pericarps. Seeds. 
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