134 
CASHEW-NUT. 
When any of the young ladies fancy themselves too 
much tanned by the scorching rays of the sun, they 
gently scrape off the thin outside of the shell to get 
at the oil, with which they rub their faces all over. 
The effect of this application is immediate ; the 
parts which have been rubbed swell and grow black, 
and the skin being poisoned by the caustic oil, in 
the space of live or six days comes entirely off in 
large flakes, so that they cannot appear in public in 
less than a fortnight ; by which time the new skin 
looks as fair as that of a young child. 
The negroes in Brazil are said to cure themselves 
effectually of disorders in the stomach by eating the 
fruit of this tree, which, being of an acid nature, 
is supposed to promote digestion, and remove ob- 
structions. It appears, however, that this cure is 
not voluntary, since the Portuguese deny them any 
other sustenance, and suffer them to seek the ca- 
shew-nuts in the woods, allowing them their choice, 
either to eat the fruit or starve. 
The young shoots, called bibo, are eaten in India, 
and the milky juice of the tree forms a good black 
ink for marking linen, which will not wash out. 
