360 JO URNAL, BOMB A Y NA TUBAL HISTOR Y SOCIETY, Vol. IX. 



and perhaps would not have said that, because the roots of Pauwolfia 

 serpentina contained the active principle known as Dulong's Plumbagin, 

 they were the roots of Plumbago rosea. As a matter of fact, from the 

 statement of Sohn we know now, in 1895, that they both contain 

 Dulong's Plumbagin which Sohn calls Ophioxylin. 



So far, for the active principle of Plumbago rosea. Let me now 

 go back to the researches of O'Shaughnessy, the founder of our accurate 

 toxicological knowledge regarding the plant we are considering. 

 Although he avowedly speaks from a clinical experience of " from 

 300 to 400 cases," Dr. O'Shaughnessy is modest enough to say in the 

 very next sentence as follows: — li Our experiments lead us to believe 

 that the blistering quality resides in the Plumbagin, but on this we are 

 as yet unable to speak in positive terms." This is truly characteristic 

 of the humility of a thoroughly scientific mind. Dr. O'Shaugh- 

 nessy was fully aware of the influence his conclusions would exercise 

 for good or for evil on the readers of his words for countless genera- 

 tions yet to be. Had he been aware of what the ancient Hindu 

 writers had said about the plant hundreds of years before him, I am 

 sure he would have been more positive in his assertion regarding the 

 blistering quality of Plumbago rosea. In the Raj-Nighant of Narhar 

 Pandit, in the BMv Prdkash of Bhav Misra, in Madanpal-Nighant 

 and in Dhanvantari Nighant, Plumbago rosea is spoken of as Anal or 

 Vanhi, which means fire ; and we know that when fire is brought into 

 contact with human skin, it either burns the skin or blisters it. It 

 produces a blister where it does not burn. Even so it is with the root 

 of Plumbago rosea. In Sanskrit it is also called Chitralc, from which 

 we derive our Marathi name. Rendered into English Chitrah means 

 the marker. It distinctly marks the skin. 



The experiments which Dr. Dymock and his colleagues are reported 

 to have made* with two cwts. of bazar plumbago root (the italics are 

 mine — K. R. K.) are worthy of notice here. From these two cwts. 

 was obtained half-a-fluid ounce of a deep yellow oily fluid having a 

 peculiar penetrating odour. The effect of a few drops of this oil 

 " smeared upon the upper part of the arm was not vesicating and 

 occasioned no inconvenient symptoms." This points to one of two 



* Pharmacographia Indica, vol. ii, p. 333. 



