Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/673

Rh In the Concan, the juice of the root is a domestic remedy for the inflamation caused by contact with the urine of the house-lizard (Pál) (Dymock).

The powder or infusion of the dried fruits, when introduced into the nostrils, produces a powerful errhine effect and provokes a copious discharge from the schneiderian mucous membrane (Agra Exhibition).

The tuberous root of the female plant is used in Belgaum as an expectorant, and externally in ague cases as an absorbent. The root of the male creeper is used in ulcers, especially those caused by snake-bites. The unripe fruit is used as a vegetable and given as a delicacy to patients recovering from fever. (Dr. Peters, in Watt's Dictionary).

Sanskrit : — Karkataka.

Vern. :— Kakrol (H. and B.).

Habitat : —Bengal to Tenasserim ; Deccan Peninsula ; Canara.

An annual climber, with simple tendrils, dioecious. Leaves, 4-5in. diam. ; cordate, ovate, usually 3-lobed, glabrous or a little pubescent, often punctate beneath, little dentate ; petiole 2-3in., almost invariably glandular at its middle as well as apex. Bract near the top of the male peduncle. Male peduncle 2-6in., bract often pubescent, embracing the expanded flower. Petals l-2in., tinged with yellow, 3 with black spots at the base, 2 with yellow glands ; the two 2-anthered filaments not 2-fid. Female peduncles l-2in., bract small, about the middle. Fruit 4-5in., ovate, pointed, muricate, conical points ⅛in. high, bright red, very fleshy, without ribs. Seeds ⅞ by ⅝ and 1/5in. thick, many, horizontal, irregular, ovate, compressed, black, corrugated on the margins, sculptured on the faces (C. B. Clarke).

Uses : — The seeds, after the shells have been removed, are fried and eaten, either alone or with other food (Makhzan). They are considered to be good for cough and pains in the chest. Powdered, they form one of the ingredients of the hot stuff known as jhâl in Bengal, which, mixed with melted butter, is given to women immediately after parturition, and daily for a few days afterwards. Jhal is believed to act as a