1302 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



Habitat: — Throughout Tropical India. 



An herbaceous, tall, branching, glabrous climber. Root- 

 stock of arched, solid, fleshy, cylindric, white or brownish corms, 

 6-12in. long and 1-lfin. diaui., pointed at each end, bifurcately 

 branched (or V-shaped], producing a new joint at the end of 

 each branch. Roots fibrous ; stems 10- 12ft., given off from 

 the angle of the young corms, herbaceous, terete. Leaves 

 sessile, 6-8in., variable in breadth ; base rounded, cordate or 

 amplexicaul ; pedicels 4-6in. ; lip deflexed. Flowers 3-4in. 

 across ; segments linear, lanceolate, crisply waved. Filaments 

 2in. long, spreading, connective of anthers, £in. long, green. 

 Style 2in. long. Capsule 2in., linear, oblong. Flowers at 

 first greenish, passing through yellow-orange and scarlet to 

 crimson from base to apex. 



Uses : — According to the Nighantas, the root is purgative, 

 hot, light and pungent ; it increases the secretion of bile, and 

 is useful in leprosy, piles, colic, boils and to expel intestinal 

 worms. 



" The root is supposed by Hindu and Muhammadan phy- 

 sicians to have valuable medicinal properties. Dutt writes, "It 

 constituted one of the seven minor poisons of Sanskrit writers 

 and had for one of its synonyms ' garbhaghatini,' or ' the drug 

 that causes abortion,' but I am not aware of its being used as 

 an abortive for criminal purposes. The tuberous root, powdered 

 and reduced to a paste, is applied to the navel, suprapubic 

 region, and vagina, with the object of promoting labour. In 

 retained placenta, a paste of the root is applied to the palms 

 and soles, while powdered Nigella seeds and long pepper are 

 given internally with wine." Early English writers on Indian 

 botany and materia medica speak of it as a violent poison, 

 but none furnish satisfactory details of a case in which marked 

 ill-effects were produced by its use. It seems highly probable 

 that these ill-effects have been greatly over-estimated, an as- 

 sumption which is confirmed by experiments recently conducted 

 by Moodeen Sheriff. In a special opinion kindly furnished to 

 the editor he writes: "The root is not so poisonous as is 

 generally supposed. I have taken it myself in small quantities, 



