824 
INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 
pale-brown. The leaves, in Wight’s figure, nnsually large, says 
J. D. Hooker. 
Uses : — The root is in esteem amongst the Hindus as a local 
and internal remedy in snake-bites (Ainslie). The root is also 
said to possess emetic and expectorant properties. 
In the Concan, the dried and powdered leaf is used as an 
errhine (Dymock). 
A curious circumstance connected with this plant was first 
noticed by Mr. Edgeworth ; namely, that if chewed, it destroys 
the power of the tongue to appreciate the state of sugar and 
all saccharine substances. In his own person he found that 
powdered sugar, taken immediately after masticating some of 
the leaves, appeared like so much sand in his mouth, and this 
effect lasted nearly twenty-four hours, when he recovered the 
power of distinguishing the taste of sugar (Pharm. Journ., 
vol. vii., p. 551). 
Mr. Hooper repeated the above experiment and states that, 
after chewing one or two leaves, it was proved undoubtedly 
that sugar had no taste immediately afterwards. He also further 
discovered that the leaf had the valuable property of completely 
removing the bitter taste of sulphate of quinine after a good 
dose of the leaf, tasting like so much chalk. 
Though of opinion that this property might prove of value in 
pharmacy for the purpose of destroying the taste of quinine, 
he writes, “ I am not going to propose its use in the administra- 
tion of nauseous drugs, until the properties of the gymnema 
have been more studied. Otherwise, the quantity of the 
vehicle taken may be proved to counteract the effect of the 
medicines.” 
The leaves contain no cyanogenetic glucoside. On igniting the air-dried 
leaves, 8'6 per cent of ash was obtained, which yielded the following results 
on analysis : CaO, 19'3 per cent. ; Fe 2 0 3 and Al 2 0 3 17’9 per cent. ; MgO, 27 
per cent. ; the remainder consisted chiefly of alkali carbonates, with traces of 
manganese and silica. 
On adding water to an alcoholic extract of the leaves, a soft, dark -green, 
resinous mass was obtained which contained formic and butyric acids and 
hentriacontane, melting at 68° and present in the leaves to the extent of 
about 0'05 per cent. When sulphuric acid was added to the filtrate from this 
