130 NOTES ON THE FERRIFUGE PLANTS OF CEYLON. 



to discover useful native febrifuges. " No one will be bold enough to assert 

 that the physician already possesses the most powerful agents produced by 

 the vegetable kingdom ; for every year is bringing some new plant into 

 notice for its energy, while others are excluded because of their inertness. 

 In tropical countries, where a fervid sun, a humid air, and a teeming soil, 

 give extraordinary energy to vegetable life, the natives of those regions- 

 often recognise the existence of potent herbs unknown to the European 

 practitioner. (Lindley in ' Flora Medica.') But here scientific investiga- 

 tion becomes absolutely necessary, as we cannot altogether depend on the 

 statements, either oral or written, which we find made by the people them- 

 selves, of the- curative properties possessed by plants, which from time 

 immemorial have been employed as remedies against local complaints. 



The botanical characters of plants, their physical properties, their 

 chemical constituents, their physiological and therapeutic action on the 

 human system, are to be ascertained by laborious careful investigation, such 

 as modern science enables us to use. This is the only way of arriving at 

 any correct and practically useful conclusion in regard to the medicinal 

 virtues of Indian plants. 



In looking over my papers on this subject, I find noted down, the names 

 of a goodly number of febrifuge plants, — of these, I may hereafter furnish 

 a list. I shall here make a few remarks only on the more important ones, 

 such as I think deserve prominent notice. 



It is a remarkable fact, that the large majority of febrifugal remedies- 

 used by the natives in various parts of the island, contain a bitter principle 

 with tannic acid and fecula or starch, which latter form also the principal 

 chemical constituents of the best kind of Cinchona bark. 



I am indebted to my brother, the Rev. S. D. J. Ondaatje of Matura, 

 for the following list of the principal febrifuges mentioned in the Manjusa, 

 a Pali work, compiled by a celebrated Brahmin for the use of the priests id 

 the 13th century a. d. 



D ummella — Trichosanthes cucunierina. 



Venevel — Coscinium fenestratum . 



Deeya mitta — Cissampelos Pareira. 



Basekinde — Tinospora cordifolia. 



Bingkhomba — Munronia puuiila. 



Handling — Santalum album (Sandal-wood). 



Kohemba — Azadirachta Indica (Margosa). 



Bulu — Terminalia Bellerica (Gall nuts). 



Aralu — do. Chebula (do.) 



Wadakaha — Acorus calamus. 



Belimid — Feronia elephantum (Wood-apple). 



Lunuwele — Herpestis Monnieria. 



Kaha — Curcuma longa (Turmeric). 



Adhathoda — Justicia Adhatoda. 



Samadera — Samadera Indica. 



Sevendara mul — Andropogon Nardus. 



