564 
INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 
“ The natives of Concan, in bilious sickness, fill the patients’ 
mouth with sesamum oil, and apply the juice of leaves to the 
crown of the head. This is said to cause the oil in his mouth 
to become yellow from absorption of bile ; fresh oil is then given 
repeatedly until it ceases to turn yellow ” (Dymock). 
513 . Lawaonia alba, Lamk. h.f.b.i.,ii. 573 . 
Syn. : — L. inermis, Roxb. 325. 
Sans. : — Sakachere. 
Fern.: — Hena, Mehndi (H.) ; Marutonri, Aivanam (Tam.); 
Goonutachettoo (Tel.); Mailanschi, Ponta-letsche (Malay) ; Iswan 
(Belgaum) ; (Mar.) Mendi ; Hena (Bombay). 
Habitat : — Very common throughout India. 
A glabrous, erect shrub, with rounded branches, sometimes 
spinescent. Leaves opposite in. long, elliptic, acute at 
both ends, on the tip obtuse, minutely petioled, entire, coriaceous. 
Flowers £in. diam., sweet-scented, rose-coloured or white or 
greenish white, in large corymbosely-branched terminal panicles. 
Calyx-tube exceedingly short ; lobes 4, jgin., ovate, permanent ; 
petals 4, wrinkled. Stamens usually 8, inserted in pair between 
the petals. Ovary free, 4-celled, ovules many, style long. 
Capsule sin. diam., globular like a pea, ultimately 1-celled, 
irregularly breaking up ; seeds angular, on a central placenta. 
Flower and fruit throughout the year. 
Uses Arabic and Persian works describe the leaves as a 
valuable external application in headache, combined with oil, 
so as to form a paste, to which resin is sometimes added. 
They are applied to the soles of the feet in small-pox, and 
are supposed to prevent the eyes being affected by the disease. 
They also have the reputation of promoting the herlthy growth 
of the hair and nails. The bark is given in jaundice and 
enlargement of the spleen, also in calculous affections, and as 
an alterative in leprosy and obstinate skin diseases ; in decoc- 
tion it is applied to burns, scalds, etc. The seeds, with honey 
and tragacanth, are described as cephalic. An infusion of the 
flowers is said to cure headache, and to be a good application 
to bruises (Dymock). 
