392 Account of the Acacia Arabica [Mat, 



the Pelasgians, or the Hindus, is a question requiring 1 great research, 

 and not less impartiality, to determine. The palaeography of India is 

 now becoming daily a more interesting and important study, and it 

 connot fail to elicit disclosures hitherto unexpected on the connection 

 between the European and Asiatic alphabets. 



VIII. — On the Properties ascribed in Native medical works to the Acacia 

 Arabica. By Lewis Da Costa, Esq. 



At a time when the intended formation of a Pharmacopeia for 

 India has been publicly announced by the new Medical College, it is a 

 desideratum to know how the natives have treated the subject of me- 

 dicaments, — what of good their books contain, — what of error. Our 

 medical practice pays perhaps too little attention to vegetable reme- 

 dies, of which the Orientals possess an infinite variety, many inert, 

 but many active, and many also quite unknown to Europeans. I had 

 some intention of publishing a translation of the Mukhzun ool udweeyuh 

 by Moohummud Khosru Khan, but there is no encouragement for 

 such an undertaking in India. I therefore think it the wiser course 

 in the first instance to publish a specimen by which the pharma- 

 copeist will be able to judge of the aid he might derive were the whole 

 work (collated with others) placed before him in an English transla- 

 tion. I use the Gilchrist orthography. 



tj « C (J Oommegheelan, Acacia Arabica, commonly called Tuleh 

 ^a The people of the desert name it Shuokeh-i-Misr y ^a^iSy^ 

 (Egyptian thorn), and Shuokeh-i- Arabia *-*i J )j c < *&j& (Arabian thorn). 

 In Persian it is called Moogheelan vsr**-? ; and in Hindee, Keekur y £xi 

 and Dubool {Lx>. 



A thorny plant, generally growing in forests and at the foot of mountains. 

 It is of two kinds, large and small, both resembling each other in appearance 

 and foliage. The first kind is smaller than an apple tree, and the branches 

 covered with thorns ; the trunk is hard and at first green tending to white, but 



as it advances in age it assumes a blackish hue resembling the ebony {^J*5^ ' 

 but tinged with red. The fruit, which is like a bean or bean pod, resembles 



Eaqla ^H and Khurnoob t-J^*- (Phaseolus vulgaris and Carols), and is flat, 

 and knotty ; the knots vary from five to nine in each bean, and within each knot 



resides a seed in appearance like Turmis \ > JP"*J i (Egyptian Lupin), but flatter 

 and of a red color. The bean is variously called Qztruz &j9 , Sunt axo i 

 Ghurub ±>j c and Usnat SlLoC. Tbe pressed j uice is called Uqaqia USUI) 

 (Acacia). The gum of a red and yellow semi-transparent color is called Sumugh- 



