882 
INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 
A large, climbing, softly pubescent, or glabrous herb. Stem 
stout, quadrangular, winged, compressed or rarely round, and 
milky juice. Leaves 2-5in., ovate or oblong, not acuminate, 
base cordate or obtuse. Petiole l-2in. Peduncles l-4in., bracts 
lin., oblong, caducous, often pinkish. Pedicles i-lin. Cymes 
many-fid. Sepals £in., usually softly pubescent ; in fruit lrn., 
orbicular or ovate, concave, scarious or sub-succulent. Corolla 
white, largish, soon twisting. Capsule |-|in. diam., globose, 
normally 4-seeded. Seeds smooth, black, one in each cell. 
Uses : — Sanskrit writers describe two varieties, viz., Sweta 
or white, and Krishna or black. The white variety is preferred 
for medical use as a moderate mild cathartic. The black 
variety is said to be a powerful drastic and to cause vomiting, 
faintness and giddiness (Dutt). 
Mahomedan physicians recognize two forms, a white and a 
black, and recommend that the black should be avoided on 
account of its poisonous properties. 
The flowers are in Western India applied to the bead in 
hemicrania (Dymock). 
The turpeth root, notably the white variety of it, is quite 
equal to jalap and superior to rhubarb in its action, and prefer- 
able to both for having no nauseous smell or taste, and for 
being a very efficient and satisfactory purgative when used 
alone. Its dose is somewhat larger than that of jalap, but 
this is no disadvantage, as long as it is safe and free from 
nauseous taste and smell. The dose is larger only by 10 or 
15 grains. As a cathartic and laxative, the turpeth root is 
useful in all the affections in which either jalap or rhubarb is 
indicated. The best way of administering it is in simple pow- 
der ; but it may also be employed in combination with cream of 
tartar in equal proportion, and with or without a few grains of 
ginger in each drachm of the compound powder. Dose of the 
simple powder is from fifty to seventy grains, and of the 
compound powder from a drachm to ninety grains (Moodeen 
Sheriff). 
About two scruples of the root are rubbed into a pulp with 
