OF MADRAS.
67
A n a i - p u l i , P a p p a r a - p u l i , P ú r i - p u l i ,
S í m a i - p u l i ,
T a m .
Síma- clinta-
pandu, Tel Gór aka- áml i , Ma h .
G o r a k - a m l í ,
Guz. Bíla-magi-si,Bur.
Hujéd, Habhabú, Arab. Of the bark—The monkey-bread. bark or
baobab bark, Eng. Gorak-amlí-kí-chhál, Hind. Háti-Khatyán-kíchhál,
Duk. Anai-puli-pattai, Papparap-puli-pattai,
Tam.
Góraka-ámali-cha- patta, Mab. Górak- amli-nuchálo,
Bila-magi-sikháv, Bur. Qishrul-hujéd, Qishrul-habhabú, Arab.
Local Sources. —Not sold in the bazaar, but can be obtained easily
and abundantly in the gardens of Madras.
Physiological Actions.—The subacid pulp of the fruit is astringent,
refrigerant, demulcent, stomachic, anti-scorbutic and anthidrotic ; and
the bark is slightly antipyretic and antiperiodic.
Therapeutic Uses.—The pulp is useful in diarrhœa and dysentery
generally as an adjuvant to other medicines, but in some very slight
cases it effects a cure by itself. It is beneficial in pyrexia of any form
of fever by diminishing the heat and quenching thirst. It has
recently proved itself very successful in relieving the night-sweats and
febrile flushes in a severe case of consumption. The bark is useful to
some extent in simple and uncomplicated cases of continued and inter-
mittent fevers, but to secure its good effects even to this extent, it
must be employed in a very strong decoction, such as that described
under head of Preparations.
Preparations.—Of the fruit—Powder and syrup. Powder: Remove
the seeds, which are embedded in the pulp, by bruising in a mortar,
and then reduce the pulp to a fine powder in the ordinary way with.
an equal quantity of sugar and keep it in a tightly closed bottle.
Syrup : Take of the pulp, in powder, ten ounces ; water, two pints ;
mix them well, strain the liquid 'through cloth, add thirty ounces of
refined sug.ar and boil on a slow fire till it assumes the consistency of
a syrup. Of, the bark—Decoction : Take of the bark, cut into small
pieces or in coarse powder, four ounces ; water, two pints ; boil till the
liquid is reduced to one pint and strain when cool.
Doses.—Of the powder, from twenty grains to one drachm ; of the
syrup, from four fluid drachms to one fluid ounce ; and of the decoc-
tion, from one to three fluid ounces ; repeated as often as it is necessary
according to the nature of each individual case.
European. Drugs for which they may be substituted.—The pulp for
diluted phosphoric and sulphuric acids, sweet nitre and effervescing
draughts ; and the bark for cinchona bark and Pulv. autimonialis.
Remarks.—The fruit is large and oblong, varying in length and
circumference from 8 or 9 to 15 inches ; externally it bears a great
resemblance to velvet, being soft and downy, and is of greenish-brown
color. The number of its cells varies from 6 to 10, but is generally 8 ;
each cell is filled with a grey, sub-acid and farinaceous substance.
The seeds, which are about half an inch in length and kidney-shaped,
are embedded in. the pulp. The acidity of the fruit is due to tartaric
acid and bitartratc of potassium.
The bark is thick, light and covered with a thin greenish-brown
epidermis, which is rough from wrinkles, &c., but not scaly ; pale-brown
internally, odorless and tasteless. It contains three per cent. of soluble
and insoluble tannin, but no alkaloid or saponin.