992 
INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 
951 . Premna integri folia, Linn., h.f.b.i., iv. 574 . 
Syn. : — P. spinosa, Roxb. 
Sans. : — Ganik&rika, Agnfmantha ( produces fire by friction) ; 
Matha (chuyner) ; Ketu (fallingstar) ; Arani (stinginess); 
, Vaijayanti'ka (flag- hearer). 
Vern : — Agetha, arm (Hind.) ; Ganiari, bhut-birarvf (Bengd ; 
Gineri (Nepal) ; Ganniari (Oudh) ; Bakarcha (Garhwal); Eru- 
maimullai ; Munnay (Tam.); Ghebu-nelli, pinna-nelli (Tel.); 
Chamari (Mar.) ; Appel (Mai.) Narvel Bom.) ; Arni Guz ) ; 
Aguy&bat (Urij r a). 
N.B. — Premna sc.undens, Roxb., is Oh.hnhdri. It is called chavdri-vel at 
Matheran, vel or “yel” popularly for vel, i.&, a creeper, whereas P r. integri- 
folia, Linn, is a shurb or a small tree (K.R.K.). 
Habitat : — India, near the sea, from Bombay to Malacca; 
Sylhet. 
A small evergreen tree or shrub with thorny stems and 
branches. Bark thin pale yellow lenticillate. Wood light 
creamy brown, moderately hard, even-grained, pleasantly scented. 
Young parts glabrate or very slightly pubescent. Leaves 2-3in., 
broadly-oval, acute or rounded at base, acute or subacute, entirely 
or faintly crenate-serrate in upper part, always quite glabrous. 
Flowers on short pubescent pedicels, pale yellowish green. 
Cymes corymbosely paniculate, dense, pubescent, terminal. 
"Calyx shallow 2-lipped, one lip entire, the other 2 lobed (so that 
the calyx appears 3-lobed), segments obtuse. Corolla-lobes 
rounded, lower ones somewhat longest ; stamens slightly exerted. 
Drupe fin. globose. 
Uses : — Sanskrit writers describe the root as bitter, stomachic 
and useful in fever, anasarca, urticaria, &c. A soup made of 
the leaves is occasionally used as a stomachic and carminative. 
The root forms an ingredient of dasamula, a preparation often 
prescribed by the native physicians in obstinate fevers (Hindu 
Mat. Med.). Rheede notices a decoction of the leaves for 
flatulence. 
* 
The root is given in decoction as a cordial and tonic. The 
leaves rubbed along with pepper are administered in colds and 
fevers. The whole plant is used in the form of decoction in 
rheumatism and neuralgia (Atkinson). 
