LABIATE. 103 



hilarls enm tuis virtutlbus et effectu tuo, et ea milii proGstes quae 

 tide a te posco," ^ 



Mint does not appear to be mentioned by Sanskrit medical 

 writers. In Arabic ^^i {naanaa) and 0^.=^ {hahah) are 

 general names for tlie miuts, but tliey are best known as Fuda- 

 naj, tbe Arabic form of the Persian word Pudina or Pudang. 

 The author of tbe Makhzan describes tbree kinds of Fudanaj, 

 wild, mountain, and water mint ; the latter, he says, is the Cala- 

 mintha of the Greeks. Mountain mint is described as having 

 hoary leaves, but it is impossible from his description to form 

 any opinion as to the exact species to which he refers. The 

 mints are considered to be hot and dry, and are prescribed in 

 dyspeptic aifectioUvS, fluxes, and dropsy. Different kinds of 

 mint are much cultivated in Indian gardens, and are used as 

 domestic remedies on account of their stimulant and carminative 

 properties. They are often made into a medicinal chutney^ 

 w hich is eaten to remove a bad taste in the moiith in febrile 

 conditions of the body, e,g.^ Pddfna, kharik (dry dates), black 

 pepper, rock salt, raisins, and cumiii in equal proportions are 

 rubbed into a chutney with limejuice. 



In colic, mint juice with a little black pepper and honey is 

 given. 



^ Description. — M. syJvestris has leaves broadly or narrowly 



oblong, obovate or lanceolate subacute, serrate, hoary beneath, 

 whorls in t-erminal spikes, calyx-teeth triangular or lanceolate^ 

 corolla hairy, glabrous within. Nutlets usually pale, smooth, 

 sometimes brown and. delicately reticulate. {FL Br, Ind.) 



The plant varies much in size and habit. Aitchison observed 

 it in Biluchistan in beds of streams amongst tamarisk shrubs, 

 growing nearly seven feet high and forming large clumps. 

 cinother variety was collected by him on the Harirud A^alley. 



^^ Mentha virkiis (spear-mint), If.jvperifa and M. incana (pep- 



permint), M. saiira, and 3L aquaticaj occur in Indian gardens, 

 and as escapes. M. arremis is a natr\^e of the Westera 

 Himalaya. 



^' 



* 







^ 



A. 



P 



