882 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



A large, climbing, softly pubescent, or glabrous herb. Stem 

 stout, quadrangular, winged, compressed or rarely round, and 

 milky juice. Leaves 2-5in., ovate or oblong, not acuminate, 

 base cordate or obtuse. Petiole l-2in. Peduncles l-4in., bracts 

 lin., oblong, caducous, often pinkish. Pedicles i-lin. Cymes 

 many-fid. Sepals |in., usually softly pubescent ; in fruit lin., 

 orbicular or ovate, concave, scarious or sub-succulent. Corolla 

 white, largish, soon twisting. Capsule f-fin. diam., globose, 

 normally 4-seeded. Seeds smooth, black, one in each cell. 



Uses : — Sanskrit writers describe two varieties, viz., Sweta 

 or white, and Krishna or black. The white variety is preferred 

 for medical use as a moderate mild cathartic. The black 

 variety is said to be a powerful drastic and to cause vomiting, 

 faintness and giddiness (Dutt). 



Mahomedan physicians recognize two forms, a white and a 

 black, and recommend that the black should be avoided on 

 account of its poisonous properties. 



The flowers are in Western India applied to the head in 

 hemicrania (Dymock). 



The turpeth root, notably the white variety of it, is quite 

 equal to jalap and superior to rhubarb in its action, and prefer- 

 able to both for having no nauseous smell or taste, and for 

 being a very efficient and satisfactory purgative when used 

 alone. Its dose is somewhat larger than that of jalap, but 

 this is no disadvantage, as long as it is safe and free from 

 nauseous taste and smell. The dose is larger only by 10 or 

 15 grains. As a cathartic and laxative, the turpeth root is 

 useful in all the affections in which either jalap or rhubarb is 

 indicated. The best way of administering it is in simple pow- 

 der ; but it may also be employed in combination with cream of 

 tartar in equal proportion, and with or without a few grains of 

 ginger in each drachm of the compound powder. Dose of the 

 simple powder is from fifty to seventy grains, and of the 

 compound powder from a drachm to ninety grains (Moodeen 

 Sheriff). 



About two scruples of the root are rubbed into a pulp with 



