166 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



This is a cultivated, herbaceous plant in Indian gardens 

 from English seed. 



Root biennial. Stem in garden-growth in pots, 6-10 ft. 

 high, erect, stout, simple, more or less hispid, with fasciculated 

 branched hairs 



Leaves on rather short petioles, cordate, five-to seven- 

 lobed, the lobes angled, unequal]}' serrated ; upperside dark 

 green, slightly downy, beneath pale, more downy, with fascicu- 

 lated stipules, large, unequally bifid. Flowers solitary, large, 

 handsome. Petiole short. Calyx large, five-cleft, downy, striated, 

 the segments acute. Involucre monophjdlous, large, cup-shaped, 

 six-to-nine-lobed, striated, downy, the lobes obtuse, often 

 bifid. Staminal tube short. Anthers very numerous, pale 

 yellow. Ovaries numerous, collected around the dilated downy 

 base of the style which latter is cleft at the extremity into 

 several segments. Corolla of five very broad, wavy, obcordate 

 or somewhat cuneate petals, united at the base, often with 

 a pale eye or centre, surrounded with a deep, black-purple, 

 ring. 



Parts used : — The flowers, leaves, seeds and root. 



Uses : — The seeds of this plant are demulcent, diuretic and 

 febrifuge. The flowers have cooling and diuretic properties. 

 The roots are supposed to be astringent and demulcent, and are 

 much used in France to form demulcent drinks. 



In the Punjab, the flowers are given in rheumatism, and 

 the roots in dysentery (Stewart.) 



The leaves and roots are also used for the same purposes 

 as of the preceding species. 



Moodeen Sheriff describes the properties, and used A. 

 offici?ialis and A. rosea collectively. According to him, they 

 are demulcent, refrigerant and emollient. The mucilage of 

 the petioles, stem and roots is generally a very useful adjunct 

 to other medicines in dysentery and mucous diarrhoea, and, in 

 some very slight cases, it is sufficient by itself to relieve these 

 diseases to a great extent. Tormina and tenesmus are the 

 symptoms which are most relieved by it. The decoction of the 



