232 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



Pers. : — Badavard. 



A small green spiny undershrub, with erect branches, 

 more or less glandular. Young branches terete, striate, spines 

 exceeding the linear leaflets. Leaves 1-3-foliate ; leaflets 

 elliptic or linear, acute ; petiole often foliaceous. Flowers small, 

 pale, rose-coloured. Sepals 5, oblong-lanceolate, half as long 

 as the petals, deciduous, imbricate. Petals 5, closed, caducous, 

 imbricate. Disk short, inconspicuous. Stamens 10, inserted 

 on the disk ; filaments filiform, naked anthers oblong. Ovary 

 sessile, 5-cornered, 5-celled, tapering into a subulate style. 

 Stigma simple ; Ovules, 2 lateral at the base of each cell, pen- 

 dulous from ascending funicles. Fruit a pubescent, 5-cornered 

 capsule of 5 1-seeded cocci, which dehisce along the ventral 

 suture and separate from a horny endocarp. Seeds punctulate, 

 erect, compressed, broadly oblong, testa mucilaginous, albumen 

 horny ; Cotyledons broad, flat, ovate. 



ParU used : — The leaves, twigs and juice. 



Uses : — The leaves and twigs are supposed to possess 

 cooling properties (Watt). 



It has a great reputation as a suppurative in cases of 

 abscesses from thorns, etc. It is also used for cooling the mouth 

 in stomatitis ; the juice being boiled with sugar-candy until 

 quite thick, and a small quantity allowed to dissolve in the 

 mouth frequently. The juice is thought to prevent suppuration 

 when applied to open wounds ^Dymock). 



It is largely used by the native practitioners as a bitter 

 and astringent tonic (S. Arjun). 



It is used in Sindh and Afghanistan as a popular remedy 

 for fever among the hill people (Pharmacop. Ind.) 



Dose of the cold infusion of the stem, and leaves 5-10 

 tolas. The infusion is thus prepared: — Take of stem and 

 leaves in sufficient quantity, cut to pieces and add 16 times the 

 quantity of cold water ; allow it to remain to be infused for 

 12 hours ; then strain" (Dr. ViRji Jhina.) 



208. F. Bruguieri, D.C. h.f.b.i., i. 425. 



Vern. : — Spalaghzai (N. W. Himalaya, Trans-Indus); Dha- 

 ma, damiya, dramah (Pb. and Sindh.) ; Dhamaso (Guz.). 



