ON  THE  DRUGS  OBSERVED  AT  ADEN,  ARABTA. 
335 
Korarima  Cardamom  (Pereira*,)  Kheil  or  Khil  of  the  Arabs. 
The  fruit  is  met  with  in  the  market  of  Mussowah,  whence  I  have 
obtained  through  a  naval  friend  a  considerable  quantity  as  a  speci- 
men. Each  fruit  has  been  perforated,  probably  for  the  purpose  of 
suspension  on  a  cord  while  being  dried.  The  drug  could  be  pro- 
cured in  abundance  were  there  a  demand  for  it  in  commerce.! 
Wurrus  or  Waras,  a  red  powder  used  chiefly  as  a  dye,  is  the 
produce  of  a  plant  resembling  the  Sesame.  I  am  informed,  that 
the  plant  rises  to  about  five  feet  in  height,  bearing  separate  bunches 
or  clusters  of  small  round  seeds,  which  are  covered  with  a  descrip- 
tion of  pollen  or  flour;  this,  removed  from  the  seed-clusters  by 
gentle  rubbing  or  shaking,  constitutes  the  dye  ;  the  seeds  are  after- 
wards thrown  away.  Two  kinds  of  wurrus  are  brought  into  this 
market.  The  best  comes  from  the  inlerior,  principally  from  the 
towns  of  O  Badan  and  Gebla  and  the  districts  of  YafFaee  and 
Sjibul  Rudfan.  A  second  kind,  brought  by  the  Somalis  of  the  op- 
posite coast,  comes  from  the  neighborhood  of  Hurrer ;  this  is  not 
so  much  valued  and  does  not  realize  the  price  of  the  other  sort. 
A  considerable  quantity  of  the  dye  I  find  is  exported  to  Bombay  ; 
it  is  used  principally  by  the  people  of  Surat  for  the  purpose  of 
imparting  a  light  brown  yellow  color  to  their  silks,  which  are 
much  prized  and  worn  by  the  native  ladies.  I  believe  that  wurrus 
is  used  for  silks  only,  and  not  for  cotton  or  woollen  stuffs.  Besides 
being  employed  by  the  Arabs  of  this  part  as  a  dye,  the  color  pro- 
duced being  highly  esteemed,  they  use  it  likewise  as  an  internal 
medicine  in  cases  of  leprosy,  and  externally  in  solution  as  a  lotion 
to  remove  freckles  and  pustules.  Much  of  this  dye  finds  its  way 
to  the  Persian  Gulf,  where  it  is  known  under  the  name  of  Asberg. 
Wurrus  sells  in  Aden  for  about  twenty-four  rupees  the  maundy 
but  the  African  or  inferior  description  realizes  only  from  seventeen 
to  eighteen  rupees  the  maund.\ 
*  Elements  of  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics,  vol.  ii.,  p.  1136  (edition 
1850.) 
f  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Vanghan  for  an  abundant  and  fine  specimen  of 
this  rare  cardamom.— D.  H. 
t  Wurrus,  of  which  two  samples  have  been  received  from  Mr.  Vaughan, 
consists  of  a  dull  red,  granular,  sand-like  powder,  mixed  with  small  frag- 
ments of  stalk,  leaves,  &c. 
1  presume  it  to  be  the  JJars  of  Niebuhr,  wmich  he  speaks  of  as  "  herbe 
qui  teint  en  jaune  et  dont  on  transport e  quantite  de  Mokha  dans  V'Oman;" 
vide  Description  de  V  Arabic,  Amsterdam  et  Utrecht.  1774,  4to.  p.  133. — D.  H. 
