196 



Malacca Gardens and also in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. 

 It is easily grown and fruits readily and abundantly, but cultiva- 

 tions are always marred here, as often elsewhere by plagues of 

 caterpillars (Bulletin O. S. 266) which speedily reduce the leaves 

 to skeletons. It might however, come in as a catch crop for 

 rubber, as it is of rapid growth and fruits in about six months. 

 A little is grown by Malays for local use. Their method of pre- 

 paring the oil is, I am informed, to boil the seeds and pound them 

 up in water, afterwards skimming off the oil. 



Jatropha curcas. — The purging nut is commonly grown as a fen- 

 cing plant, cuttings growing readily and making a rather poor 

 but quickly raised fence. The latex of this plant stains clothing 

 of a dirty grey, and clothes put out to dry on this kind of hedge, 

 not rarely used by the washermen, are apt to get spoiled. The 

 seeds are rather too strong and irregular a purgative for general 

 use, and it has never been used as a medicine by Europeans. The 

 drastic part of the seed is said to occur in the embryo and it is 

 said that if this is removed four or five of the seeds may be used 

 as a gentle and safe purgative. 



"The leaves are rubefacient and used in India to produce a flow 

 of milk, and the juice of the stem is applied as a styptic and said 

 to be excellent." — {Watt's Dictionary). 



Croton oil, Croton Tiglium [Euphorbiaceas) is seldom cultivated, 

 Plants occasionally are to be met with in Native gardens. It is 

 an easily grown shrub, and fruits readily. Seeds are imported ap- 

 parently from Java chiefly, but there is little demand for it, the oil 

 being so drastic that it is but little used and only in small quantities. 

 The Natives know its properties well and use it for poisoning, 

 grinding up the seed and sprinkling it over food. 



Aloes are imported and used in the ordinary way. 



Senna (Sena Maki) is the dried leaves of Cassia augustifolia, 

 Vahl. 



The leaves of this plant are imported from Arabia, and a decoc- 

 tion is made of them which is drunk. As it is supposed to come 

 from Mecca it has a semi-religious value, and in combination with 

 other substances is supposed to be good for all kinds of sicknesses. 

 The leaves are ground to powder and sifted and the weight of 

 three drachms is a dose. The following is an account of its use 

 from a Malay manuscript: — 



Article for the use and method of taking Senna Maki leaf, 

 bark and stem which are famous for their use and success by 

 eminent native doctors. In the first place, take the Senna bark, 

 leaf and stem together, and pound them into powder and sift it. 

 To take it for a dose let it be weighed three dirhems and mix it 

 with any of the following mixtures as the case of the sickness 

 may require : — 



1 If taken with rose water it will cure disease in the chest. 



2 If taken with sugar it will expel cold from the body and act 



as an aphrodisiac. 



