N. O. POLYGON ACE./E. 1077 
1061 . P. Hydropiper, Linn., H f.b.i., v. 39 . 
Verm. : — Packur-mul (B.). 
Habitat : — Plains and hills of India, in wet places, from 
Assam, Silbet, Chittagong and Bengal to N.-W. India, and. 
Madras. 
A glabrous, rather robust annual. Roots tufted or shortly 
creeping. Stems erect and branches ascending, rather stout leafy, 
12-I8in. high ; always glabrous, often glandular ; nodes often 
swollen. Leaves rarely more than 3in. long, sessile or petioled, 
lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, glabrous or with the midrib 
scabrid beneath. Stipules glabrous or sparsely strigose, very 
shortly ciliate. Racemes flexnous, leafy at base, filiform, 
dectirved, interrupted ; bracts glabrous, glandular or not. 
Perianth pinkish ; mouth naked or minute, ciliate. Nut, usually 
trigonous, opaque, finely granulate, sometimes flat. 
Uses : —In China, the juice is used for itch, and also as a 
diuretic, carminative and anthelmintic (P.J. 20-12-84). 
•-£ ' 7 ; 
The root is stimulating, bitter and tonic, and is used for 
these properties in Patna (Irvine.) O’Sbaughnessy states that, 
the whole plant is reputed to be a powerful diuretic, but to lose 
its activity on drying. 
“ This plant possesses very acrid qualities, and is hot and 
biting to a degree, so that no animal will eat it, even bisects 
avoid it ; and it is said that when dried and laid amongst clothes 
no moth will touch them. Its bruised leaves are still used in 
villages instead of a mustard poultice, and they are put into the 
mouth to cure toothache. It is said to be a powerful diuretic, 
and n water distilled from it was formerly used in some nephri- 
tic complaints.” (Sowerby’s English Botany, Vol. VIII, pp. 71-72.) 
Client, comp. — Dr. C. J. Rademarker (Amer. Journ. Pharm., Nov. 1879) 
separated from P. Hydropiper a crystalline principle which he named 
Polygonic acid. H. Trimble and H. J. Schuchard (Am. Journ. Pharm., Jan. 
1885) re-examined the plant with following results They found that tho 
peculiar pungent principle, although present in a weak alcoholic tincture, 
disappeared on distillation, the pungent taste of the herb being absent from 
the distillate and the residue in the retort. 
