N. 0. OOMBRETAOEdi. 
545 
an j an > jamla (Mar.) ; Sadado, arjun sadado (Guz.) ; Maddi, 
tormatti, holematti, billi matti (Kan.). 
Habitat Very common in the Sub-Himalayan tracts of 
the North-West Provinces and Deccan. . 
A large deciduous tree, with huge, often buttressed, trunk, 
attaining 60-80ft. Bark gin. thick, smooth, pinkish grey, the 
old layers peeling off in thin flakes. Sapwood reddi4h-white ; 
heartwood brown, variegated, with darker, coloured streaks, 
very hard. Glabrous ; only the inflorescence is slightly 
pubescent. Leaves generally sub-opposite, hard coriaceous, 
oblong, sometimes spathulat e-oblong, often campanulate blade 
3-6, petiole pin. long. Petiole rarely more than £in., with 
two glands near its apex often very short. Flowers bisexual, 
dull, yellow, in erect terminal panicles. Bracteoles very small. 
Calyx-teeth nearly glabrous, both within and without. Young 
ovary very short, covered with crisped brown or rufous hair. 
Fruit lin. long, with 5-7 narrow angles, pin. broad, irregularly 
marked with ascending lines. 
Use : — The Sanskrit writers consider the bark to be tonic, 
ast ringent and cooling, and use it in heart diseases, contusions, 
fractures, ulcers, &c. In fractures and contusions, with excessive 
ecchymosis, powdered arjun bark is recommended to be taken 
internally with milk. A decoction of the bark is used as a wash 
in ulcers and chancres (Dutt). 
The bark is astringent and febrifuge, the fruit tonic and de- 
obstruent, the juice of the fresh leaves is a remedy for ear-ache. 
The hark useful in bilious affections, and as an antidote to 
poisons (Baden-Powell’s Punj. Prods.) in Kangra, the bark 
is used to sores, &c. (Stewart). 
Regarding the physiological action of this drug, Dr. Lai 
Mohan Ghoshal writes : — 
(1) The drug (Terminalia Arjuna) acts as a cardiac stimulant and tonic, 
increasing the force of the beats of the heart, but slowing their number, but 
never completely stopping it. The diastole is more or less prolonged. 
(2) The blood pressure is increased due to the contraction of the peri- 
pheral arterioles caused by the action of the drug on the vasomotor nerve 
possibly. 
(3) It acts as a powerful haemostatic ; only drawback for this action is 
the rise of blood pressure. 
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