Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/493

Rh

Sans. : — Sugandha, kantak, avalgiga, vâkuchi, sonia-râj.

Vern. : — Buckchi, bâbchi (H.); Hakuch (B.j; Bâwachi (Bomb.); Karpoo-garishi, karpugan, karu, bogi-vittulu (Tam.) ; Kourgestum, bapungie (Tel.) ; Kourkoal (Mai.) ; Bawchan (Duk.) ; Babehi (Pb.).

Habitat : — Plains ; from the Himalayas throughout India proper.

An erect, annual, herbaceous under-shrub, 1-3ft. high. Branches firm, copiously gland-dotted. The plant under preservation lives for several years, six or seven or even more, reaching a height of 6 or 7 ft. Leaves simple, distinctly petioled, roundish, 1-3in. long, inciso-repand, firm in texture, both sides conspicuously dotted with black dots, very glabrescent. Racemes dense, short. Flowers 10-30, in dense, copious, long-peduncled heads. Calyx nearly sessile, ⅛in., teeth lanceolate, long, the lowest long. Corolla yellow, a little exserted. Pod small, black, sub-globose, glabrous.

Use : —Native works on Materia Medica describe the seeds as hot and dry, or, according to some, cold and dry, laxative, stimulant and aphrodisiac. They are recommended in leprosy, and other chronic skin diseases, and are given internally and applied externally as a plaster ; they are also said to be useful in bilious affections and as an anthelmintic (Dymock).

In southern India, they are used as a stomachic and deobstruent, and prescribed in lepra and other cutaneous diseases (Ainslie).

An oleature of Bâvchi for use in leprosy internally and externally was once prepared by Mr. D. S. Kemp, so far back as 1870.

In the Concan, the seeds, are used in making a' perfumed oil which is applied to the skin (Dymock.). Rai Bahadur K. L. Dey speaks highly of the oleo-resinous extract of the seeds, diluted with simple ointment, as an application to leucoderma. After application for some days the white patches appear to become red or vascular ; sometimes a slightly painful sensation