n. o. labiate. 1035 



the taste of water, and, in addition, to lessen the quantity of water taken, 

 which in hot countries is often so excessive as to produce serious illness. As 

 a remedy it is invaluable from its demulcent properties, in cases of gastro- 

 intestinal disorders. It also holds a place among domestic remedies, for the 

 same purpose that flax seed occasionally does with us, i.e., a grain of the seed 

 is placed in the eye (where it gives no pain) to form a mucilage by means of 

 which a foreign body may be removed from the organ. I have found it of 

 great service as a poultice. 



With reference to the above, Mr. John M. Maisch wrote : — 

 Most of the fruits of the Labiatce do not differ very greatly in size or shape, 

 and more or less similarity must be expected among those of the numerous 

 species of salvia ; how many of those may agree in the colour of their epicarp 

 and in the presence of the mucilaginous epithelium it is impossible at the 

 present time to say. But I think it must be concluded that at least several 

 species have fruits resembing in appearance very small ricinus seeds, and 

 that most likely such of them which are mucilaginous have been used by the 

 aborigines under the name of chia, which would, therefore, have to be regarded 

 as a generic term, applicable to all fruits of salvias having the characters 

 indicated. 



Seeds of Indian species of Salvia may be put to the same uses as those of 

 Mexico and California. 



1002. Nepeta elliptica, Royle, h.f.b.l, iv. 658. 



Vern.—Txikm malanga. (Pb.). 



Habitat. — Western Temperate Himalaya, from Kashmir to 

 Ktimaon. 



Herbs often flexuous, ascending, densely hairy. Stem l-2ft., 

 woolly branched. Leaves subsessile elliptic-oblong or obcor- 

 date, tip rounded or acute, pectinately-crenate, J-lin., tomentose. 

 Whorls sessile, crowded in terminal spikes. Spikes 3in. long, 

 slender, often interrupted at base ; bracts ovate or lanceolate, 

 awned ; calyx sessile \in., teeth filiform ciliate, as long as the 

 tube ; flowers about -|in. long, pale-blue, nearly white (Collett). 

 Corolla-tube hardly longer than the Calyx. 



Use. — One dram of seeds infused in cold water, used in 

 dysentery. 



1003. N. ciliaris, Benth., h.f.b.l, iv. 661. 



Vern.—Zufa zabis (Pb.) ; Joofa (Sind). 



Hahitat. — Western Temperate Himalaya, from Kashmir to 

 Garhwal. 



Herbs tall, erect, branched, softly densely tomentose ; stem 



