PHARMACOGRAPHIA INDICA 



SCROPIIULARINE^. 



VERBASCUM THAPSUS, Lim. 



Vlg.-^Eng. Bot. mi., t. 549; Woodv. Med. BoL, i, 125. 

 Great Mullein {Eng.)^ Bouillon blanc, Molene [Fr.]. 



Hab. — Temperate Himalaya. Westwards to Britain. 

 The root, leaves, and flowers. 



Vernacular, — PMlla, Ban-tambaku {Rind.), 



History, Uses, &C. — The Hindi names for this plant 



^^ 4 



are well chosen: PliuUa signifies *' covered with flowers '' and 

 Ban-tambaku "wild tobacco," As far as we know it is not 



mentioned 



Arabians 



it under tlie names of Adan-ed-dubb, " bear Vear/' and Mahizab- 



em 



lock, " and in modern Arabic, Labidat-el-baida, '** wbite felt 

 plant, '^ and Busir. 



Mabizabreb and Busir are Persian names for Mullein, wbich 

 is described very exactly by Haji Zein in the Ikbtidrat. 



Mahometan physicians consider it to be hot and dry in ti 

 third degree, and prescribe it in gout and rheumatism in com- 

 bination with aperients. They identify it with the ^Xo>os- or 

 ^Xo/xfv of the Greeks of which several kinds are described by 

 Dioscorides as useful in diarrhoea and cough, and externally 

 as an emollient ; one kind, (f>\ofiU Xvxvirtv^ was used for making 

 lamp wicks. The narcotic action of Mullein on fish appears to 



IIT.~1 



