158 ."'■■ A CATALOGUE OF INDIAN 



ASCLEPIAS ASTHMATICA, ( W. ) JiUtomel H.i^) 



Asdepias Vornitoria. KffiNiG's Ms, 



I HAVE inserted this plant on the authority of the following note, which 

 was found among the late Dr. Kcenig's papers, and communicated to me 

 by Dr. Roxburgh. " Dr. Patrick Russell was informed by the Physi- 

 " cian-General at Madras, that he had, many years before, known it (the 

 " root of the Asdepias Vomitoria) used, both by the European and native 

 " troops, with great success, in the dysentery, which happened at that time 

 " to be epidemic in camp. The store of ipecacuanha, had^, it seems, been 

 " wholly expended ; and Dr. Anderson^ finding the practice of the black 

 " doctors much more successful than his own, was not ashamed to take in- 

 " struction from them, which he pursued with good success ; and coUec- 

 *« ting a quantity of the plant which they pointed out to him, he sent a 

 " large package of the roots to Madras. It is certainly an article of the 

 " Materia Medica highly deserving attention/' 



I HAVE not obtained any further account of the medicinal virtues of this: 

 species of ^5c/^/>z^^, wl^iclx grows in the Northern Czr^ar^, but is not met 

 with in BengaL It is, however, as Dr, Kgenig observes, an article highly 

 deserving attention. The ipecacuanha root is one of the few medicines foi^ 

 which we have not as yet found any adequate substitute in India; and, if 

 sweh a substitute should be found in the root of the Asdepias Asthmatica^, 

 it would, prove a. most valuable acquisition to our Materia Medica, 



BosTVELLiA TiiuRiFERA, ( RoxB. ) Sdlai IL Sallaci S, 



^Cmidur^^) and Gendeh jirozeh^^) H. 



Cundura S. 



Olihanmn ( The Gum-resin ) . ' I 



I 



The grateful odour diffused by Olibanum, when thrown on the fire, 



■ " — '■-: i,i,..ii '■ ' ■-- '_ 



C) Uolomnl (-) Coondoou i^) Gmdu-feerozu ox Gundu-birom. 



