Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/127

Rh 2-celled ; stigmas 2, capitate. Capsule 4-valved. Seeds 4, with a fringe of hair round the margin (Duthie).

Uses : — It is purgative, and the juice is administered in bilious dyspepsia.

Syn. : — Convolvulus paniculatus, Linn. Roxb. 160 ; T. paniculata, Br.

Sans. : — Vidari and Bhumikushmânda.

Vern : — Bilai-kand, bhûmi-kûmra, bhûi-kumra (Beng.) ; Bhui-kohalà (Bom.) ; Bhummichekri-gadde (Kan.) ; Mattapal-tiga (Tel.); Phal-modecca (Mal.).

Habitat :— Tropical India ; common from Bengal and Assam to Ceylon ; not in the drier western portion. Vengrula ; Thana district.

A large, scandent, perennial, glabrous shrub. Leaves 3-7in. diam., often lobed nearly to the base, large palmately 5-7-lobed, peduncle many-fid, longer than the petioles ; lobes lanceolate or elliptic, often spathulate ; petioles 2-5in. ; peduncle often 6in. ; bracts deciduous. Flowers not capitate. Sepals ¼-⅓in. ; wider concave in fruit, elliptic shortly acute, glabrous. Corolla l½-2½in., widely campanulate, glabrous, pink-purple. Anthers never twisted. Ovary completely 4-celled, unless perhaps near the top. Capsule ⅓in., ovoid, completely 4-celled to the apex, 4-valved, the long wool from the seeds exsert from the fissure. Wool hairs, ¼in. long.

Uses : — The large tuberous roots are very much used in native medicine, being regarded as tonic, alterative, aphrodisiac, demulcent, and lactagogue. The powdered root-stock is given with wine, for the purpose of increasing secretion of milk.

According to the author of the Makhzan-ul-Adwiya, they are tonic and alterative.

The Rev. J. Long says the powdered root is used in spleen disease ; it is purgative in its action.

Cholagogue, useful in liver complaints (J. N. Dey, in Watt's Dictionary).

The fresh tuber, collected in November when the vine had died away, was sliced, dried at a low temperature and reduced to fine powder. The