992 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



951. Premna integrifolia, Linn., h.f.b.l, iv. 574. 



Syn. : — P. spinosa, Eoxb. 



Sans. : — Ganikarika, Agnimantba (produces fire by friction) ; 

 Matha (churner) ; Ketii (fallingstar) ; Arani (stinginess) ; 

 Vaijayantika (flag- bearer). 



Vern :— Agetha, arnf (Hind.) ; Ganiari, bhut-birarvi (BengJ ; 



Gineri (Nepal) ; Ganniari (Oudh) ; Bakarcha (Garhwal) ; Eru- 



maimullai ; Munnay (Tarn.) ; Ghebu-nelli, pinua-nelli (Tel.) ; 



Chamari (Mar.); Appel (Mai.) Narvel Bom.); Ami Guz ) ; 



Aguyabat (Uriya). 



N.B. — Premna scundens, Roxb,, is GhumhdH. Ifc is called chavdri-vel at 

 Matheran, vel or "yel" popularly for vel, i.e., a creeper, whereas Pr. integri- 

 folia, Linn, is a shurb or a small tree (K.R.K.). 



Habitat: — India, near the sea, from Bombay to Malacca; 

 Sylhet. 



A small evergreen tree or shrub with thorny stems and 

 branches. Bark thin pale yellow lenticillate. Wood light 

 creamy brown, moderately hard, even-grained, pleasantly scented. 

 Young parts glabrate or very slightly pubescent. Leaves 2-3in., 

 broadly-oval, acute or rounded at base, acute or subacute, entirely 

 or faintly crenate-serrate in upper part, always quite glabrous. 

 Flowers on short pubescent pedicels, pale yellowish green. 

 Cymes corymbosely paniculate, dense, pubescent, terminal. 

 Calyx shallow 2-lipped, one lip entire, the other 2 lobed (so that 

 the calyx appears 3-lobed), segments obtuse. Corolla-lobes 

 rounded, lower ones somewhat longest ; stamens slightly exerted. 

 Drupe iin. globose. 



Uses : — Sanskrit writers describe the root as bitter, stomachic 

 and useful in fever, anasarca, urticaria, &c. A soup made of 

 the leaves is occasionally used as a stomachic and carminative. 

 The root forms an ingredient of dasamula, a preparation often 

 prescribed by the native physicians in obstinate fevers (Hindu 

 Mat. Med.). Rheede notices a decoction of the leaves for 

 flatulence. 



The root is given in decoction as a cordial and tonic. The 

 leaves rubbed along with pepper are administered in colds and 

 fevers. The whole plant is used in the form of decoction in 

 rheumatism and neuralgia (Atkinson). 



