1835.] 



Observations on Madar, 



81 



plant he knows ; that it is of a mild nature and acid taste, 

 and that native travellers often suck the tender shoots to al- 

 lay thirst. It is a twiner scarcely distinguishable from the 

 milk hedge, except by its twining habit and clusters of white 

 flowers on the ends of the branches. — To these examples from 

 the continental flora, we may add, that the milky juice of 

 Gymnemaf Asclepias J /ac^i/erwrn, a Ceylon plant very closely 

 resembling our G. sylvestris, is said to be so abundant and 

 mild that the Cyngalese constantly use it in place of milk. 



If it be allowable in such a case to draw extended conclusi- 

 ons from a few facts, I think we may fairly infer, that two sets 

 of properties reside in these plants : that the roots contain 

 those of an acrid character, while the stem and leaves pos- 

 sess those of a mild or tonic description ; these differences de- 

 pending, perhaps, on the juicesof the stem beingmore perfectly 

 elaborated by exposure to air andlight than those of the root. 

 ' I shall now conclude these remarks, which greatly exceed 

 the limits originally intended, by expressing a hope that 

 some of your readers whose tastes and talents qualify them 

 for such enquiries, may take up the subject and communicate 

 the result. There is a' wide but little cultivated field before 

 them, from which we may expect a rich harvest of valuable 

 discoveries, towards the securing of which, I shall cheerfully 

 lend my aid in naming, when necessary, the plants that 

 have been subjects of experiment and observation. 



Bellary, 1 5th JS^ovemher, 1834. 

 P. S. For the purpose of affording a practical illustra- 

 tion of the statement with which I have concluded the fore- 

 going observations, I shall add one fact, known I believe 

 to few Europeans, namely ; that the Hindoos of the Carnatic, 

 almost invariably give to their infants when only a few days 

 old, a considerable quantity, in doses of tw^o or three drops, 

 of the juice of the milk-hedge, as a charm or prophylactic 

 against the attack of a disease they call chowa or Tchuva, 

 apparently, judging from their description, <)f an imaginary 

 nature. To deprive the juice of its acrid corrosive properties, 

 and fit it for this delicate application, the young shoots are 

 slightly roasted, which opens the pores, and allow^s a clear 

 watery juice to be wrung through them. What renders it 

 various that infants so young, should survive such treatment. 



