490 
INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 
wood in the centre, moderately hard ; alternate, more or less 
concentric, wavy, broken and anastomosing bauds of dark firm 
tissue, and slightly lighter soft tissue. Leaves rather broad 
than deep, middle-sized, rigidly sub-coriaceous, deeply cordate, 
the obtuse lobes reaching £-§■ down ; 11-15-nerved ; pubescence 
grey. Corymbs few-flowered, lateral, sessile, or short peduncled ; 
bracts minute, deltoid ; pedicels erecto-patent, i-|in. Calyx- 
tube ^-lin ; limb cordate-ovate, equalling the cylindrical tube. 
Petals 1^2in. long, an inch or more broad, white, beautifully 
variegated with red and yellow, glabrous, obovate, clawed, 
much exserted. Stamens 3-5. Pod f-lin. broad, hard, flat, 
rather decurved, dehiscent, 10-15-seeded. 
Parts used : — The bark and root. 
Use . — The Sanskrit writers mention two varieties of this 
Banhinia — the one with purple or deep, rose-colored flowers, 
and the other with white, yellow or green. The bark is des- 
cribed as alterative, tonic and astringent. Useful in scrofula, 
skin diseases and ulcers (Dutt). The author of the Makhzan, 
describes the bark as astringent, attenuant artd tonic. He says 
it is used to check diarrhoea, to remove intestinal worms, and 
prevent the decomposition of the blood and humors ; on this 
account it is useful in leprosy and scrofula. A gargle made 
from the bark with the addition of Akakia (extract of Acacia 
pods) and pomegranate flowers is mentioned as a remedy in 
salivation and sore-tbroat, and a decoction of the buds in cough, 
bleeding piles, hsematuria and menorrhagia (Dymook). 
In the Concan the juice of the fresh bark with the juice of 
the flowers of Strobilanthes citrata, 10 tolas of each, is given 
as an expectorant, and the bark is used with ginger as an 
internal remedy for scrofula. (Dymook.) 
The root in decoction is given in dyspepsia and flatulency ; 
the flowers with sugar as a gentle laxative ; and the bark, 
flowers, or root triturated in rice water as a cataplasm to pro- 
mote suppuration (Watt). The dried buds are used in piles 
and dysentery. They are considered by natives cool and 
astringent, and are useful in diarrhoea and worms (Punjab 
Products.) 
