ACANTHACE^. 37 



eyes like the Kokila, or Indian Cuckoo/' The blue flowers are 

 used in the Lakholi ceremony, which is an offering to Mahadeva 

 of a lakh each (100,000) of the five grains ( ^'^^^ ), and a lakh 

 each of a number of different flowers. Counting these occupies 

 the women of the house for about a month. As a medicine the 

 Hindus consider H. sjjinosa to be cooling, diuretic, and strengthen- 

 ino- ; the root, seeds, and ashes of the plant are in general use, 

 and are prescribed in hepatic obstruction with dropsy, rheuma- 

 tism, and urinary affections. The seeds are one of the PancJia- 

 rija, or "five seeds," the others being those of Celastrus, Fenu- 

 greek, Ajwan, and Ciimin. There are, however, several other 

 sets of five seeds. Mahometan writers mention the use of the 

 plant for the same purposes, and also its external application in 

 rheumatism, but they notice more especially the use of the seeds 

 as an aphrodisiac given either with sugar, milk or wine in doses 

 of from one to three dirhems, Ainslie, speaking of this plant, 



say: 



Tamool name 



near water, is supposed to have virtues similar to those of the 

 Moollie-vayr [Solanum indicitm^ Linn.) already mentioned. The 

 plant is the Bahel'SchuUi of Rheede, who tells us that on the 

 Malabar Coast a decoction of the root is considered as diuretic 

 and given in dropsical cases and gravelish affections ; the dose 

 is about half a teacupful twice daily. The species in ques- 

 tion is a native of the "Western Coast of India, whence the 

 root is brought across the peninsula to the medicine bazars of 

 the Carnatic. Our article is called Katu-irki by the Cingalese." 





(Mat 



^f 



European contributors bear testimony to the diuretic properties 



mention 



seeds as 



an aphrodisiac and diuretic. In Bombay they are very gener- 

 ally used and are to be found in every druo-gist's shop. 



Descript 



with 



ous roo 



lets; stems herbaceous, ascending or erect, ramous, 

 jointed, a little flattened, hairy, from 2 to 3 feet high ; branches 



the stem 



opposite, sessile pair at eacK joint, within tKese and subaltemate 

 with the spines, several small ones in a verticel : all are linear- 



