ASPARAGUS RACEMOSUS, Willd.
Sans. Satávari, Satamuli.
Vern. Satamuli, Beng. Satávari, Hind.
The Sanskrit name satamuli (that is possessing a hundred roots), is in allusion to the numerous fusiform tubers of this plant. These are regarded as cooling, demulcent, diuretic, tonic and aphrodisiac, and are used both internally and in the preparation of several medicated oils. The tubers are candied and taken as a sweet-meat. This preparation however has scarcely any other taste or flavour besides that of the sugar. The fresh juice of the root is given with honey as a demulcent in bilious dyspepsia or diarrhœa. As an aphrodisiac tonic, it is used in a variety of forms. A ghrita is prepared as follows.—
Satávari ghrita. Take of clarified butter four seers, juice of Asparagus racemosus four seers, milk forty seers, boil them together and prepare a ghrita. This is given with the addition of sugar, honey, and long pepper.
Phalaghrita. This is prepared with four seers of clarified butter, and sixteen seers each of the juice of Asparagus racemosus and cow’s milk, with the addition of a number of other medicines in small quantities, in the form of a paste. Its use is said to increase the secretion of semen, to cure barrenness in women and to remove disorders of the female genitals.
Only the part of the article on p. 260 is transcribed; it continues on pp. 261–262. The Sanskrit names in Devanagari and the Sanskrit verses in footnotes 2 and 3 are not transcribed, nor the superscript note numbers. Words hyphenated across a line break are joined.