GARU AND CHANDAN. 77 



Rumph in the Herbarium vol. xi gives a long account of the 

 Garus, with a figure of the Malacca plant. He distinguishes 

 two, Agallochum primarium Calambac, and Agallochum secunda- 

 rium Garo. The first was obtained from Tsjampoa (Chiampa) 

 in Eastern Cochin China and Siam, where it is called Kilam or 

 Hokilam. What the plant that produced this is uncertain, as no 

 one of late years has procured any specimens of an Aquilaria 

 from Cochin China or Siam. Loureiro in the Flora Cochin-Chin- 

 ensis gives very insufficient descriptions of Aloexylum Agal- 

 lochum, a plant of which he got some battered scraps from the 

 highest mountains of Cochin China near the great river "Lavum" 

 which flows between this kingdom and Laos, and of Ophisper- 

 mum Sinense (evidently a species of Aquilaria) of which he does 

 not give the locality. This region has been so little explored 

 by botanists that it is not to be wondered that the plant what- 

 ever it is has not been recovered. Marco Polo also mentions 

 that Ziamba (chiampa) abounds in lign-aloes of the Agallochum 

 secundarium, or Garo. Rumph gives two forms Agallochum 

 coinamense the Garo Cominyan (Gharu Kemeniyan) which comes 

 from Malacca, the islands of Johore, Bintang, etc., and especially 

 Billiton. There are three varieties Garo Capalla or Garo Tinge- 

 lam ; Garo Ramas or Tengga-Tengga and a cheaper kind, Garo 

 Eckor, (is this last Skeat's Garu Akar ?) The best kind is found 

 in the region inhabited by the forest people "Bunoang" (Orang 

 Benua). Around Malacca also he says is found a kind called 

 Garu Masang (Musang) which inflames the eyes. This is prob- 

 ably the wood of Excoecaria Agallocha (Euphorbiaceae) which 

 is a common poisonous sea-shore tree. It is perhaps noteworthy 

 that Garu is not mentioned as being derived from India proper 

 till comparatively late. Pomet mentions that it was sent 

 to Europe from Calecut. Marco Polo states that Java minor 

 (Sumatra) contains lign-aloes. 



In very early days in Europe the Garu wood was used in- 

 ternally for colic according to Paul Aegin^eta in 1531 and it is 

 still used for the same complaint and for malaria by Tamils here. 

 Rumph recommends it for strengthening the heart, stopping 

 palpitations, oppression of the chest, and cardalgia. Pomet in 

 the Histoire des Drogues published in 1694 says it has no use 

 in medicine as far as he knows except that it is very aromatic 



