66 
INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 
in the second century a duty was levied on it at the Roman 
custom-house of Alexandria ; also that it was preserved in singular 
little jars which are now to be found in collections of Greek 
antiquities. 
The fruit, which is of a beautiful purple colour and 
covered with a delicate bloom, is eatable, and is exported in a 
dried state. 
Use : — The mode of preparation of the extract Easot, Rasvanti 
or Ras&njau is as follows : — Take 4 tolas of the Root cut into 
thin slices, boil it in half a seer of water, until reduced to a mass 
weighing 8 tolas ; add to it .eight tolas of goat’s milk, and 
boil again into a solid mass. This mass is Rasot— (Dr. T. M. 
Shah of Junagadh). The following powder is given as an 
effective remedy in dysenteric diarrhoea, in one dram doses. 
Take equal parts of Rasot, the bark and seeds. Holorrhena 
antidysenterica, (kuda) the flowers of Woodfordia floribunda 
(Dhaiti), and the root-tube of Acouitum heterophyllum (Atis) 
and ginger, and reduce them to an impalpable powder (Dr. 
Shah). 
Dr. Shah recommends Rasot, opium, alum and Bal-Hirda 
( immature fruit of chebulic Myrobalan), rubbed on a stone, 
in equal parts, as an external application round inflamed eyes. 
Mr. W. H. Lovegrove, Conservator of Forests, Jammu and 
Kashmir State, contributes an article on “ Iiasaunt ” to The Indian 
Forester for May 1914 (pages 229-232), from whicli the following 
extracts are made : — 
“ Rasaunt is a brown extract prepared from the root and lower stem wood 
of Berberies aristata, Berberies Lycium and probably Berberies asm tica or 
coriaria. The Berberis is locally called Kemlu. 
“ In boiling out the product large quantities of greon fuel arc burnt. The 
common species usod are banj (Quercus inccniu), koint (Pijrus Pashia), kakoa 
iVla.cou.rtia Ramontchi), kernbla {Maltotus philippinensis) and other broad 
loaves. Dry fuel is objected to as being more difficult to control in the kind 
of furnace used. 
The roots of the berberies are dug up and after cutting off, say, tho upper 
J of tho stem branches are well washed to remove all earth and foreign 
matter. They are then cut up into small pieces, the smaller tho bettor. In 
the Basautgarh Range tho sizes of the chips arc about 11" or 2" X or 1", 
but, in the Basohli Tahsil (which prides itself on producing a better quality 
Rasaunt) tho pieces aro much smaller. 
