Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/303

Rh slender ; stipules subulate. Cymes leaf-opposed. Peduncles short, stout ; bracts lanceolate, subulate ; pedicels very short. Sepals 3/16 in. long, linear-oblong, apiculate. Petals longer than the sepals ; oblong-ovate. Capsules ⅜-⅝ in. long, cylindric, elongate, beaked, glabrous, often curved upwards, generally straight, 4-valved.

Part used : — The whole plant.

Uses. — The plant is rubbed down and given as a cooling medicine. Leaves are emollient. The plant has tonic properties as a whole.

Infusion used as a fever drink (Stewart.)

Very mucilaginous, mucilage demulcent, and used in Sindh for gonorrhœa (Murray). A decoction of seeds with milk and sugar as a tonic. Dose of powdered plant ½— 1 tola.

The seeds of Corchorus fascicularis are mucilaginous, sweet, non-toxic, and edible; those of C. Olitorius, are purgative; those of C. Capsularis C. bengalensis, C. acutangulus, C. argutus and C. trilocularis contain fat; and the last three, besides a green fluorescent body, a toxic glucoside, the corchorim of Tunno and W. Friboes. Corchorin is intensely bitter, readily solublo in water and in alcohol, but insoluble in ether, chloroform, and henzene, so that it cannot be isolated by shaking out with the last-named liquids. It is very slightly precipatated by neutral lead acetate, but is thrown down by ammonical lead acetate. It gives a bluish green colour with strong sulphuric acid. It is removed from strong aqueous solutions by means of ammonium sulphate. Corchorin is hydrolysed by boiling with dilute mineral acids, forming a sugar and a decomposition product, which is insoluble in neutral and acid aqueous solvents but soluble in alcohol. It is very poisonous, being allied to the digitalis glucosides.

(J.Ch-I. 30. 4. 1907 pp. 430-431).

 

Sans, : — Atasi, Masrinâ,

Vern. : — Alsi, tisi (H.) ; Tisi masinâ (B.) ; Alsi-virai (Tam) Atasi (Tel.); Pesu (Uriya) ; Alasi (Porebundar and Gujrat) : Javas ; (Marathi) Alashi.

Habitat : — Cultivated throughout India, Ceylon, Western Himalayas. 