MLIACEM ■ 483 



ASPARAGUS SARMENTOSUS, Wiiid. 



Fig. — Ehcede, HorL MaL cr., t. 10. 



t 



Hab. — Upper India, Concan, and Deccan. The roots. 



Vernacular. — Satawar, Satavari [Ilind., Gnz., Mar.), Satamuli 

 {Beng.), Shatavali {MaL), Kilavari [Tarn.), Shatavari {T(L)y 



Shipari {Can.), 



+ 



History, Uses, &C.— These two plants appear to be 



Maha 



o 



synonyms of the first, we find Dvipika, Dvipa-satru, Yara- 

 ghantika, Narayani, and Sata-padi ; the synonyms of the second 

 are very similar, amongst them we note Bahu-puttrika, Dagdha, 

 and Bhasma-roha. Both plants are considered to be heavy 

 and cold, sweet, demulcent, galactogogue, tonic, and strengthen- 

 ing, and to remove bilious and rheumatic humors, blood diseases, 

 and swellings ; they are used .both internally and in the pre- 

 paration of several medicated oils. The tubers are candied and 

 eaten as a sweetmeat. The fresh juice of the root is given 

 with honey as a demulcent in bilious dyspepsia or diarrhoea 

 iSdrangadhara). As an aphrodisiac, Chakradatta directs four 

 sers of the juice of the roots and four sers of (/hi to be 

 boiled in forty sirs of milk, and to be flavoured with sugar or 

 honey, and long pepper. 



The chief use of the drug, however, is in the preparation of 

 medicated oils for external application in nervous and rheumatic 

 affections and uriaary disorders. The Naraijana taila, a 

 popular remedy of this kind, contains the barks of JEgle 

 Marmelos, Premna integrifoUa, Oroxylum indimm, Erythrina 

 indica, Stcreo^penmim suaveolens, and F(Bderia fa^tida ; the roots 

 of WUhania somnifera and Boerlumvia repens, the fruit of 

 Trihulm terrestris, and the leaves of Solanum . xa nt hocarjmm , 

 Solanum indicum' Sida cordifolia and Sidu rhombifolia, of each 

 twenty tolas. The whole collection is boiled in 64 sers of 

 water down to one-fourth and strained. To the strained decoc- 

 tion is added four sers each of the juice of Satavari and 



