Indian Medicinal Plants/Natural Order Plumbagineæ
N. 0. PLUMBAGINEÆ.
712. Plumbago zeylanica, Linn., H.F.B.I., III. 480 ; Roxb. 155.
Sans. : — Agni-shikhâ, Chitraka. (Also Vahni , and all the other names of fire. Roxburgh).
Vern. : — Chitrá, chíta, chitarak (Hind.); Chítú (Beng.) ; Shitaraj (Arab.) ; Shîtaruk (Pers.) ; Chatrmûl, Chitrakmûl, (Dec.) ; Venchittira (Tam.) ; Tella-chitra (Tel.); Kotuvéli (Mal); Sudunitul (Cingh.) ; Kn-khen-phíu (Burm.) ; Chitrak (Bom).
Habitat : — Cultivated, and wild throughout India. Common in Bengal, South India, and Kumaun hills.
An evergreen perennial herb, or undershrub, diffuse, rambling. Stems several, 2-5ffc., eylindric, glabrous striate. Root long, succulent, often much contorted, substantial, diffuse, straited longitudinally, 4-5ft. long, procumbent branches, on reaching the soil, often strike root. Leaves alternate, exstipulate, entire sessile, 1½-3½in. long, lin. broad, ovate. Petiole ¾in., base dilated, amplexicaul. Spikes 4-12in., often branched ; rachis of the spike pubescent or glandular. Flowers white, scentless, regular, bisexual, in long spike-like racemes, the rachis glandular, striate. Bracts and bracteoles persistent, leafy, shorter than the Calyx. Calyx inferior, free, ⅓-½in. by 1/10in., persistent, narrowly tubular or spindle-shaped ; 5-10 ribbed, often hyaline between the ribs, mouth frequently funnel-shaped, scarious ; segments five, with membranous margins, covered with short, large, stalked, spreading, globose, crimson glands ; teeth very short. Corolla inferior, persistent, tubular ; tube lin., slender ; lobes 5, spreading, nearly ½in. long, oval ovate or ovoid, acute. Stamens 5, free, hypogynous, opposite the petals ; filaments free, as long- as the Corolla- tube, linear, dilated at base ; anthers protruded, 2-celled. Ovary superior, 1-celled, 5-angular, narrowed at apex. Style simple filiform, divided into 5 stigmatose branches, nearly throughout the length. Stigmas 5, capillary and quite distinct. Ovule solitary. Capsule membranous, oblong, sharply pointed, included within the persistent Calyx and Corolla ; pericarp thickened above. Dehiscence circumciss near the base. Seed cylindrical or oblong rotund. Uses : — "The root of P. zeylanica is said to increase the digestive power, to promote the appetite, and to be useful in dyspepsia, piles, anasarca, diarrhœa, skin diseases, &c." (Hindu Mat. Med.). " A tincture of the root-bark has been employed as an antiperiodic. Dr. Oswald says that he has employed it in the treatment of intermittents with good effect. It acts as a powerful sudorific." (Pharm. Ind., p. 1701.)
Mahomedan writers describe it as caustic and vesicant, an expellant of phlegmatic humors ; useful in rheumatism and spleen, digestive ; it also causes abortion. For external administration, it is made into a paste with milk, vinegar or salt and water. Such a paste may be applied externally in leprosy and other skin diseases of an obstinate character, and be allowed to remain until a blister has formed
In the Concan, the following formula is used : — Chitrak root, Emblic myrobalans, small black myrobalans (Bal-hartaki), long pepper, pepper root, rhubarb and rock salt. Powder and give 6 mássás with hot water every night at bed time, in flatulence with rheumatic pains (Dymock).
Taylor comments on its sialogogue properties. The milky juice is used as an application to unhealthy ulcers and in cases of scabies. (Dr. Thornton in Watt's Dictionary.)
713. P. rosea, Linn., h.f.b.i., iii. 481 ; Roxb. 155.
Sans : — Rakta chitraka.
Vern : — Lal-chitra (H); Rakto-chitá (B.) ; Lál-chitrakmûl (Dec.) ; Sheucodie vayalie, Shivappu-chittira (Tam.) ; Yerra-cithra-moolum (Tel.) ; Schettie-codivalie ; Choovonda-coduavalie (Mal.).
Habitat :— Valleys in Sikkim and Khasia, often cultivated in gardens.
An evergreen, perennial shrub, 2-4ft. high, " very rarely annual " (Boissier). The plant when grown in gardens and conservatories is much more handsome than when it grows under a blazing sun, whereby its leaves invariably suffer in form and substance. Root fibrous, outwardly dusky-yellow or greenish, acccording to Rumphius. On section yellowish, when fresh, with a brown tinge in the axis-line. When mature, it is woody and solid ; sinuous and nodose near the stem, sending down into the soil many thick fibrillar Sometimes the root is 2ft. long. Leaves entire, alternate, slightly drooping, glabrous, undulate or wavy, elliptic, ovate, lanceolate or oblong-rotund ; ribs prominent on the ventral surface; margin of tender leaves distinctly red all round. Petioles very short, channelled, sometimes amplexicaul ; sometimes absent ; margins red. Stipules absent. Flowers odourless, in terminal or axillary spikes (racemes) l-2ft. long. Rachis of the spike glabrous. Bracts 2, superior, lateral, 3, says Rheede, glabrous, foliaceous. Rheede's descripion seems to me to be more accurate (K. R. Kirtikar) ; the bracteoles are persistent Calyx sessile, inferior, gamosepalous, tubular, herbaceous, covered with stalked, sticky scarlet glands throughout its length, 5-10-ribbed ; upper half bright-red, often deep rose- coloured, lower half brown-red, with just a shade of green near the insertion of the bracteole. If the pedicel is at all present, it is very short, oblong and deeply imbedded in the bracteoles. Corolla bright-red, often deep rose-coloured, hypercratiform, hypogynous tube long, slender, slightly angular, lobes 5, obovate or obcordate, usually the latter ; stamens 5, opposite the petals, free, very fine, and delicate, pale-rose-coloured, partly whitish, slightly arising above the " throat " of the Corolla-tube and looking purplish. Filaments filiform, linear, dilated at base and inserted at the base of the petals into the tops of 5 nectrial scales (Roxb.). Anthers oblong, introse ; anther-cells separated at base, opening by longitudinal slits. Pollen ovate. Ovary free, sessile, superior, 5-angular above, or 5-gibbous, as Boisseir terms it ; narrowed at apex. Style single, slender, whitish, with 5 small segments quite indiscernible and alternating with the stamens. Base of style hairy. The union of the segments is a diagnostic character of this plant. Stigmas 5, capillary, furnished on their inner surface with several lines of glands. Ovule 1. Fruit a membranous capsule, circumciss. Blume says the Dehiscence is valvate, others say that the Dehiscince is subvalvate. Seed cylindric or oblong, rotund, with 5 longitudinal striae.
"Altogether resembling P. Zeylanica and perhaps only a cultivated variety of it " (C. B. Clarke). Roxburgh says: — "The specific distinguishing marks be- tween two species, according to my observation, depend on the racemes and bracts, color not being a specific mark."
Uses : — Mentioned by Sanskrit and Mahomedan writers as an abortifacient and vesicant.
The bruised root of this plant is, in its natural state, acrid and stimulating, but when tempered with a little bland oil it is used as an external application in rheumatic and paralytic affections ; it is also prescribed internally in small doses for the same complaints, in combination with some other simple powder (Ainslie.)
The vesicant properties of the root of this plant wore known to the old writers, but it was O'Shaughnessy who first tried this drug in between three hundred and four hundred cases, and found out that the root-bark, being rubbed with water into a paste and applied to skin, raised blisters within twelve or eighteen hours; and that it can be used as a cheap substitute for Cantharides, with the additional advantage of causing no irritation of the genito-urinary organs. When administered internally it acts as a stimulant, and in large doses as an acronarcotic poison. " It is one of the articles in use amongst the natives for procuring abortion. For this purpose, the scraped root-bark is introduced per vaginam into the os uteri." Death is often the inevitable consequence of the use of this substance in the manner specified. The root is also used as a powerful sialogogue. In South India, the dried root is highly valued as a remedy for secondary syphilis and leprosy (Pharm. Ind., p. 169). See K. R. Kirtikar's remarks in his Poisonous Plants of Bombay.
Dr Waring found that it caused more pain than an ordinary blister, and that the resulting vesication was less uniform, and not always easily healed. From what I have seen of its use, I am inclined to support Dr. Wiring's opinion (Dymock).
"The milky juice is useful in ophthalmia" (Asst.-Surg. T. N. Ghose. The milky juice is useful as an external application for scabies (Surg. Mukerji.) Its vesicating properties have been successfully utilized in curing certain cases of leucoderma (Surgeon-Major Gray, in Watt's Dictionary).
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