46 AGANTHACEJU. 



made into a paste wbicli is used to cure ringworm, and the roots 

 are administered in that form of indigestion in whicli fatty or 

 saponaceous grape-like masses are observed in the stools. Iney 

 resemble Serpentaria in appearance, but may be distinguished 

 by the thick covering of white, silky hairs upon the root stock. 



The roots have hardly any taste. The Marathi name is 



Ghosvel. 



ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA, Nees. 



Fig. — BentL and Trim., t 197 ; Wight Tc, t. 518; Uheedc, 

 Kort. MaL ix.^ t. 56. 



Hab. — Throughout India, wild or cultivated. The herb. 



Vermmlar.— 'KiYYdX {HincL), Olen-kiraita [Mar.), Kalmeg 

 {Beng.\ Shirat-kuchchi^ Nila-vembu {Tam.)y Nela-vemu [Tel), 

 Nila-veppa [Mai.), Nela-beviuagida (Can.), Kiryato (6^^^^.)• 



History, Uses, &C. — Cooicerning this plant, Dutt 

 XHindn Mat. Med., p. 216) s.tates that there is some doubt 

 regax^ding its Sanskrit name. He says: — "A plant callea 

 Yavatikt^, with synonyms of Mahatikta^ Sankhini, &c., is said 

 by some to mean this herb, but the term Mahatikta, when 



prescriptions, is usually interpreted as 



occurring in Sanskrit 

 Melia semmrmrens^ Sw, 



as having occurred in any prescription, so that I am inclined to 

 ihin^ And rographis paniculata \^as not used in Sanskrit medi- 



cine 



tmder 



Kalmeg 

 called A 



larity of tte bowels, and loss of appetite." It is prepared 

 in the following manner ; — Take equal parts of cumin j 

 randhani (fruit of Canim Roxhurghianum) , aniseed, cloves, 

 capsules of greater cardamoms, and pound them thoroughly with 

 the expressed juice of the leaves of the Kalmeg. The mass thus 

 prepared is divided into small pills and dried in the sun. The 

 dose is one pill rubbed down in bnmpn milt 



* M. Azedarach, Linn. 



