

MISHMI TKI.T 



CORCHORUS 



Juto 



1 (juantitv imported in the laat five years, the United Kingdom 

 plit-il L".I:>, :">'.;") ami each of flu- following countries furui-.ln-<l from 18,000 

 MX) r\\t.. \i/. Ceylon, Hongkong, Belgium, Germany and Japan. 

 Homliav takes by far the largest share (228,874 cwt. in 1903-4), follow.-*! 

 n#il (163,908 cwt.) and by Madras, a long way third (34,501 cwt.). 



COPTIS TEETA, II till. : Fl. Br. Ind., i., 23; Hobs&n-Jobson. D.E.P., 



oke), l'.>3, 548-9; RANUNCULACE^. Coptis or Gold Thread, ii., 621-6. 

 mninira ( '. nuitnirdn), mahmira, pita-karosana. A small stomless Tits. 

 1>. with perennial root-stock, met with in the temperate regions of 

 Minium hills, east of Assam. The plants are said to grow on the 

 i'l among the moss around the stems of trees. 



lit 1 1., if any, additional information is available since the publication 

 In- Dictionary, and the original article should therefore be consulted. Four 

 , it will there be found, were given for questioning the absolute identi- 

 n of the tonio drug prepared from this plant with the " mamirda " of early 

 !>ean writers. 



The Bengal supply comes through Assam, but a Chinese root, the identity Supply. 

 (if which must be regarded as uncertain, is also imported into India. The latter 

 possibly be a different species of 'i/<, for it is to be observed that 

 , -nion if/Hi in affords a medicinal root in Japan, whilst *'. <</, Salisb., 

 ds both a medicinal root and a yellow dye in North America. [Cf. Wiesner, Die 

 Rohst. dea Pflanzenr., ii., 477.] But the "thicker Chinese rhizome as described 

 by Dymock seems to recall some of the forms of katki or kuru, such as t'lo-u- 



i-lii:ii Hnrron. 



Ii ti !><><>. < <tnci 11 i u in Jeit<-nti-ii til in . Strerfifi f'lilfii tfi . 



It is just possible also that one or other of these roots may be sold Substitutes 

 titd in the Upper and Western Provinces. Indeed J. D. Hooker was 

 tually presented in Sikkim with a handful of the so-called " teeta," which he 

 itified as i'lemrtiisa. It would thus seem highly likely that that, 

 the most abundant Indian equivalent, may have been at an early 

 identified with the classical mdmirds, and called mdmirdn. At all 

 ants it is largely sold throughout India and is frequently mentioned in 

 Bower Manuscript of date 5th century. Moreover it is worth noting 

 <'//<.. itcrin-rit. and doubtless many other yellow bitter drugs 

 itain berberine, which, it would seem, constitutes their efficacy as eye- 

 Ives. For example, from Mussourie and other localities on theN.W. Himalaya 

 i roots of vttaiiftrtiHi joiioiomi m are collected and sold under the name momiri. 

 chison speaks of the roots of both a Cnryaiin and a Geranium being used 

 Afghanistan as a drug, which is there called mdmirdn. Two samples were 

 t mined by Mr. Bhaduri and found to contain 6-85 and 6*5 per cent, berberine 

 stively (Rept. Labor. Ind. Mus., 1902-3, 29). In conclusion it may be 

 that f . Teeta and the use of mdmirdn as an eye-salve were unknown to the 

 skrit medical writers they are doubtless of Muhammadan introduction. 

 erberis, p. 130.) 



rt from the utilisation of fvi*M* as a collyrium or eye-salve, the root Coliyrium. 

 a valuable tonic in the debility following fevers, etc., but it is not a febri- 

 There appears, however, to be a considerable demand for it in India, 

 I it might be found profitable as a cultivated plant. But it may be here added Mishml Poison. 

 it the Mishmi poison consists of a mixture of powdered titd with the pulp 

 an acid glutinous fruit such as Jtnienia */>><;*. It is generally employed 

 hunters for killing wild animals. [Cf. Pharmacog. Ind., iii. (app.), 92-3.] 

 Tln Mishmis gather the roots of the titd, towards the end of the rainy season, Trade in TUa. 



carry them, packed in tiny wicker-work baskets, to Sadiya, where they are 

 light by Assamese and Bengali merchants, apparently at about ^d. per oz. 

 drug found in Bombay comes from China via Singapore in bulk, the better 

 thinner root fetching about Rs. 3J per Ib. and the second kind Rs. 2. 



CORCHORUS, Linn.; Fl. Br. Ind., i., 396-8; TILIACE^. The 

 Jute Fibre of commerce, Jew's Mallow ; the patta, juta, jata, kdlasdka 

 of Sanskrit authors (according to Skeat, Dutt and others). It is, however, 

 by no means very clearly nor fully indicated in the classic literature of 



4U5 



D.E.P., 

 i 1 -' 534 ~ 6 2 ; 



