N. O. SAPOTAOE^E. 
753 
Uses : — Chakradatta mentions the astringent properties of 
the unripe fruit, and recommends it to be chewed for the 
purpose of fixing loose teeth. He also mentions a decoction 
of the astringent bark as a useful gargle in diseases of the 
gums and teeth. In the Concan, a similar use is made of the 
unripe fruit, and the fruit and flowers, along with other astrin- 
gents, are used to prepare a lotion for sores and wounds. 
The author of the Makhzan says that the unripe fruit and 
seeds have powerful astringent' properties, and that the decoc- 
tion of the bark is useful as an astringent in discharges from 
the mucous membranes of the bladder and urethra, and also as 
a gargle in relaxation of the gums, &c. He mentions the use 
of a snuff made from the dried and powdered flowers in a 
disease called Ahwah, common in Bengal. The symptoms of 
this disease are strong fever, headache, and pain in the neck, 
shoulders and other parts of the body. The powdered flowers 
induce a copious defluxion from the nose and relieve the pain 
in the head (Dymock). 
The bruised seeds are applied locally within the anus of 
children in cases of constipation (K. L. Dey). 
The bark of this tree, much cultivated for the sake of its 
fragrant flowers, possesses, according to Horsfield (Asiat. 
Journ., vol. vii., p. 262), astringent tonic properties. It is much 
esteemed by the Javanese, and is stated by the same authority 
to have proved useful in fevers, and as a general tonic. Accord- 
ing to Dr. Bholanath Bose, a decoction of the bark forms a good 
gargle in salivation. A water distilled from the flowers is in 
use amongst the natives of Southern India, both as a stimulant 
medicine and as a perfume (Ph. Ind.). 
The pulp of the ripe fruit is sweetish and astringent and 
has been successfully used in curing chronic dysentery (.Sur- 
geon-Major B. Gupta, in Watt’s Dictionary). 
The heruel is of a yellowish-brown colour, it has a very bitter taste, and 
is enclosed in a strong, glossy husk. The shells form 64 per cent, of the 
fruits. On extraction with ether, the kernels yielded 18’47 per cent, of a 
yellowish-brown viscid oil. The expressed oil has a light yellowish-white 
colour, and stearin deposits on standing. The oil is used for cooking, burning 
and in medicine. 
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