20. The Constitutents of the roots of Arisaema 
concinnum, Schott, and A. 
speciosum, Mart. 
By Bipuu Buusan Doutta. 
In June last Mr. Burkill asked me if I would analyse 
some tubers of Arisaema, and gave me the following note which 
explains his purpose :— 
** Arisaema pete are used Se sparingly by the Lepchas 
of Sikkim as a famine food, but not uncommonly as a food for 
pigs. They pull ehiean up, as I Kas seen myself in the country 
near Pemionchi in May at their flowering time, and boiling 
them well once, make use of the pulp, throwing the water 
away. The intention of this last act is to remove the nu 
merous fine needle-crystals of calcium oxalate which lie in the 
tissues and are so intensely irritating in the mouth and to the 
alimentary canal. Lisboa who, in passing, mentions Arisaemas 
as famine foods of Sikkim (Useful Plants of the Bombay 
Presidency, 1884, p. 267) notes the violent sickness which 
follows an indiscreet meal of them. He gives as a method . 
make easier the washing out of the crystals ; it will, of course, 
at the same time, enormously reduce the food-value of the root 
because of the amount of starch lost in the ess 
The simpler boiling method is obviously the right one. 
Arisaemas are extremely common in Sikkim, especially the 
two collected for analysis,—A. concinnum and A. speciosum. 
It was chiefly the first that I saw under collection near 
Pemionchi. s 
No doubt the starch in these roots is much oes abundant 
Several species of Arisaema are used T medicinally in in Pyariots 
parts of the Himalaya and South. Western China.’ 
The roots received by me were dried in the bat reduced to 
fine powder, and then analysed. The figures recorded below 
show that both the species are fairly nutritious foods, A. 
