108 



Shortly after the days of Pliny the Moors introduced tanning into 

 "Spain, and their finest moroccos were tanned with the rind of this fruit. 

 Tanning in this manner is still in vogue in some countries, e g., Tunis, 

 where the pomegranate abounds ; also in Japan. 



For Dyeing. — The rind of the pomegranate, especially that of the 

 wild plant, has been used in India as a dye-stuff from ancient timss. 

 Alexander Burnes, in his travels, describes a little yellow Ad wer," 

 called Esbaruk, which grows in the low hills near Karshi and Balkh 

 (in Afghanistan), and says that it is used as a d^^e-stufi He incidentally 

 remarks that it produces a better colour than the root of the pomegranates. 

 Balaustion flowers are stated by Pliny to be used for dyeing cloth. 



As an article of Food. — The refreshing and cooling taste of the pulp 

 of this fruit ^ave the plant great favor with the ancient natives of ori- 

 ental countries, and also in our age the pomegranate is sometimes used 

 as a table fruit. The opinion of its excellence, however, is not by any 

 means shared universally. Pickering states that in his exoerience the 

 best pomegranates are found in Mascat in Arabia. From this province 

 the fruit is frequently imported into India. Wine frequently was made 

 from the pomegranate in Palestine, as evidenced from the biblical nam 3 

 "gath rimmon," meaning press of the pomegranate, and in Persia 

 where whole woods of pomegranates are to be found. The art o 

 making wine from this source was raised to the importance of a nationa 1 

 industry. 



As a Tenifuge. — Charaka-Samhita probably the oldest medical work 

 in the world, in its translation does not mention the bark of either the 

 tree or the root of pomegranate and does not mentioa it in counection 

 with tenicides.* The anthelmintic properties of the rojt and rind, how- 

 ever, were well known to the ancient people of more proximate histori- 

 cal age. Newberry quotes from a description on the " Papyrus Ebers," 

 discovered in recent times, on which is found the following passage: 



To drive away the worm : Make an infusion of the rind of 

 pomegranate/' The Chinese also were acquainted with the anthel- 

 mintic property of the root. Among the Roman authors, some as eg. Oato 

 Censorius and Pliny, recommend the fruit rind ; others, e .g OelsiS, 

 the bark of the root as an efficient vermifuge. The Arabian writers 

 maintain that the root-bark is a perfect specific for tapeworm. 



Constantinus Africanus, a prominent physician of the Sdernian 

 school of medicine, is quoted by Tragus as follows : ^' Boil the peelings 

 of pomegranate in wine, and drink this potion ; it will kill all the 

 worms, espe ially the kind called ' ascarides' and it is the peculiar prop- 

 erty and nature of the pomegranate to kill worms. This virtue of the 

 plant, curiously enough, afterwards seems to have b3en entirely over- 

 looked by the medical profession, and slumbered until the beginning of 

 this century. 



In 1807, Dr Buchanan, an english physician in India, announced to 

 Europe the fact that in India, from time immemorial, the root of tha 

 pomegranate tree was used against tapeworm with miraculous success. 

 He cited successful c^ses from his own practice and that of others : " I 

 iave seen two species of tenia expelled by this medicine ; one is solium, 



* However the work of translation is not yet complete. 



