890 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



According to the authors of the Pharmacographia Indica the Sanskrit 

 names are probably applicable to this as well as the next species (S. dulca- 

 mara) ; whilst the vernacular names with the exception, perhaps of the 

 Hindi, are only applicable perhaps to 8. nigrum. 



Habitat : — Common throughout India. 



An erect nearly glabrous annual with much branched and 

 somewhat angular stems. Leaves petioled, l-3Jin. long, ovate 

 or oblong, sinuate-toothed or lobed, petioles about Jin. long. 

 Flowers small, drooping, subumbellate on rather stout extra- 

 axillary peduncles J-fin. long ; pedicels 5-8, slender, £in. long. 

 Calyx fin. long, 5-toothed, glabrous or sparsely puberulous ; 

 teeth small, oblong, obtuse. Corolla white, rarely purple, Jin. 

 in diam., divided to below the middle into 5 oblong subacute 

 lobes, glabrous outside. Filaments hairy at the base. Ovary 

 globose, glabrous, style hairy towards the base. Berry £in. 

 in diam., supported by the saucer-shaped calyx, black, less often 

 red or yellow, smooth and shining. Seeds yellow, minutely 

 pitted. (Duthie.) 



Use : — In Hindu medicine, the berries of this plant are 

 considered tonic, diuretic and useful in anasarca and heart 

 diseases (U. C. Dutt.) 



In Bengal, the berries are employed in fever, diarrhoea, eye 

 diseases, hydrophobia, &c. (T. N. Mukerji). 



In the U. P., the juice is used in blood-spitting, piles, 

 dysentery, &c. 



In Bombay, the juice is given in doses of six to eight ounces 

 in the treatment of chronic enlargement of liver, and is con- 

 sidered a valuable alterative (Dymock). 



The juice acts as a hydragogue, cathartic and diuretic (Dy- 

 mock). The syrup acts as an expectorant and diaphoretic (S. 

 Arjun). 



A syrup prepared from the plant is used as a cooling drink 

 in fevers (S. Arjun j. The Chinese employ the juice of the 

 leaves to alleviate the pain in inflammation of the kidneys and 

 bladder and in virulent gonorrhoea (Rumphius.) 



Dr. Moodeen Sheriff reports having used with advantage a 



