Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/242

992

Syn. : — P. spinosa, Roxb.

Sans. : — Ganikáriká, Agnímanthâ (produces fire by friction) ; Matha (churner) ; Ketú (fallingstar) ; Araní (stinginess) ; Vaijayantíka (flag- bearer).

Vern :— Agetha, arní (Hind.) ; Ganiarí, bhut-birarví (Beng) ; Gineri (Nepal) ; Ganniari (Oudh) ; Bakarcha (Garhwal) ; Erumaimullai ; Munnay (Tam.) ; Ghebu-nelli, pinua-nelli (Tel.) ; Châmâri (Mar.); Appel (Mal.) Narvel( Bom.); Arni (Guz ) ; Aguyábát (Uriya).

N.B. — Premna scandens, Roxb,, is Chámhári. It is called chavári-vel at Matheran, vel or "yel" popularly for vel, i.e., a creeper, whereas Pr. integrifolia, Linn, is a shurb or a small tree (K.R.K.).

Habitat: — India, near the sea, from Bombay to Malacca; Sylhet.

A small evergreen tree or shrub with thorny stems and branches. Bark thin pale yellow lenticillate. Wood light creamy brown, moderately hard, even-grained, pleasantly scented. Young parts glabrate or very slightly pubescent. Leaves 2-3in., broadly-oval, acute or rounded at base, acute or subacute, entirely or faintly crenate-serrate in upper part, always quite glabrous. Flowers on short pubescent pedicels, pale yellowish green. Cymes corymbosely paniculate, dense, pubescent, terminal. Calyx shallow 2-lipped, one lip entire, the other 2 lobed (so that the calyx appears 3-lobed), segments obtuse. Corolla-lobes rounded, lower ones somewhat longest ; stamens slightly exerted. Drupe 1/6in. globose.

Uses : — Sanskrit writers describe the root as bitter, stomachic and useful in fever, anasarca, urticaria, &c. A soup made of the leaves is occasionally used as a stomachic and carminative. The root forms an ingredient of dasamula, a preparation often prescribed by the native physicians in obstinate fevers (Hindu Mat. Med.). Rheede notices a decoction of the leaves for flatulence.

The root is given in decoction as a cordial and tonic. The leaves rubbed along with pepper are administered in colds and fevers. The whole plant is used in the form of decoction in rheumatism and neuralgia (Atkinson).