Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 2).djvu/461
occasionally used as a snuff in catarrh with headache. (U. C. Dutt.) It is also used by Hindus at the present day, mixed with, ginger, as a rubefacient application in cholera, &c, and according to Irvine, kaiphal and ginger mixed, is the best substance that can be employed for this purpose. Dymock writes, " Muhammadan writers tell us that the bark is resolvent, astringent, carminative and tonic ; that it cures catarrh and headaches; with cinnamon they prescribe it for chronic cough, fever, piles, &c. Compounded with vinegar, it strengthens the gums and cures toothache ; an oil prepared from it is dropped into the ears in earache. A decoction is a valuable remedy in asthma, diarrhœa, and diuresis ; powdered or in the form of lotion, the bark is applied to putrid sores : pessaries made of it promote uterine action. The usual dose for internal administration is about CO grains. Dahn-el-kandul, an oil prepared from the flowers, is said to have much the same properties as the bark."
The ground bark yields a coloring principle, named Myricetin. The yield of coloring matter from 100 grams of bark averaged from 0.23 to 0.27 gram. Its formula is C15H10O8. Its points of similarities to, and differences from, other coloring principles are given in the following table :—
| Chromium. | Aluminium. | Tin. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myricetin | Red brown. | Brown-orange | Bright red-orange. |
| Fisetin | Red brown | Brown-orange inclining to red. | Slightly less red. |
| Quercetin | Red brown | Brown-orange inclining to yellow | Bright orange. |
| Morin | Olive-yellow | Dull yellow | Bright yellow |
| Geutisin | Green-yellow, dull and pale | Bright yellow tint, very pale, scarcely dyed. | Cream colour, scarcely dyed |
| Euxanthone | Dull-brown, yet yellow. | Bright yellow, pale | Bright yellow tint, very pale, scarcely dyed. |
Analysis of the bark : —
Tannin matters absorbed by hide ... ... ... 27.3
Soluble non-tanning substances ... ... ... 7.9
Fibre and insoluble matters ... ... ... 52.3
Moisture... 12.5
(J. Ch. S. T. 1896 p. 1287.)