FORESTRY OF WEST AFRICA. 417 



in warm temperate regions is a slender, woody, branch- 

 ing bush of twelve to fourteen feet. In England it 

 forms a very large branched bush four to five feet 

 high. The oil known in commerce as Castor-oil is 

 obtained from the seeds. It is a mild and most 

 efficient purgative, and in fact is one of the most 

 reliable purgatives we possess for the relief of ob- 

 stinate constipation ; it has also been strongly 

 recommended as an eliminant in malignant cholera. 

 In India, Algeria, &c., this oil has been used for 

 burning in lamps, and the inferior qualities are also 

 employed in India for soap-making. Formerly the 

 seeds were used as a purgative, but on account of 

 their violent action are not now administered. The 

 leaves have been recommended, in the form of a 

 decoction or poultice, as an application to the breasts 

 of women to increase the secretion of milk. The 

 decoction has also been reputed to act as a lacta- 

 gogue and emmenogogue when administered in- 

 ternally. — ' Medicinal Plants,' Bentley and Trimen, 

 No. 237. 



Distribution : Cape Verd Islands. 



Bomah Nut (Pycnocoma macrophylla, Bth.). — Small 

 tree. The fruits are used in Natal for tanning 

 purposes. The Bomah Nut, which is extensively 

 cultivated by the natives near the Victoria Falls, and 

 is also found in the Shire Valley, is a species of 

 Vitex, and yields an abundance of a sweet bland oil 



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