N. O. POLYGON ACEJS. 1077 



1061. P. Eydropiper, Linn., h.f.b.i., v. 39. 



V era. : — Packur-mul (B.). 



Habitat: — Plains and hills of India, in wet places, from 

 Assam, Silhet, Chittagong and Bengal to N.-W. India, and 

 Madras. 



A glabrous, rather robust annual. Ptoots tufted or shortly 

 creeping. Stems erect and branches ascending, rather stout leafy, 

 12-18in. high; always glabrous, often glandular; nodes often 

 swollen. Leaves rarely more than 3in. long, sessile or petioled, 

 lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, glabrous or with the midrib 

 scabrid beneath. Stipules glabrous or sparsely strigose, very 

 shortly ciliate. Pacemes flexuous, leafy at base, filiform, 

 decurved, interrupted ; bracts glabrous, glandular or not. 

 Perianth pinkish ; mouth naked or minute, ciliate. Nut usually 

 trigonous, opaque, finely granulate, sometimes flat. 



Uses :— In China, the juice is used for itch, and also as a 

 diuretic, carminative and anthelmintic (P.J. 20-12-84). 



The root is stimulating, bitter and tonic, and is used for 

 these properties in Patna (Irvine.) O'Shaughnessy states that 

 the whole plant is reputed to be a powerful diuretic, but to lose 

 its activity on drying. 



" This plant possesses very acrid qualities, and is hot and 

 biting to a degree, so that no animal will eat it, even ; nsects 

 avoid it ; and it is said that when dried and laid amongst clothes 

 no moth will touch them. Its bruised leaves are still used in 

 villages instead of a mustard poultice, and they are put into the 

 mouth to cure toothache. It is said to be a powerful diuretic, 

 and a water distilled from it was formerly used in some nephri- 

 tic complaints." (Sowerby's English Botany, Vol. VIII, pp. 71-72.) 



Cliem. comp.— Dr. C. J. Rademarker (Amer. Journ. Pharm., Nov. 1879) 

 separated from P. Hydropiper a crystalline principle which he named 

 Polygonic acid. II. Trimble and H. J. Schuchard (Am. Journ. Pharm., Jan. 

 1885) re-examined the plant with following results :— They found that the 

 peculiar pungent principle, although present in a weak alcoholic tincture, 

 disappeared on distillation, the pungent taste of the herb being absent from 

 the distillate and the residue in the retort. 



