In Sanskrit works this plant is called Brahmi and Mandukaparni Chakradatta directs the fresh juice to be given with milk and liquorice. In the Nighantas it bears many synonyms, and is described as cold, moist, sweet, light and alterative; it is said to improve the memory and understanding, and to cure leprosy, jaundice, gonorrhœa and fever. The plant was known to Rheede by its Malayalim name of Codogam or Kutakan, and also to Rumphius. Ainslie informs us that an infusion of the toasted leaves in conjunction with fenugreek is given to children suffering from bowel complaints and fever in doses of half a teacupful, also that the leaves on the Coromandel Coast are applied to parts that have suffered from blows and bruises, having, it is supposed, the power of keeping off inflammation. In Java, according to Horsfield, they are considered diuretic, and on the Malabar Coast the plant is one of the remedies for leprosy. As a remedy in this disease it was first brought prominently to notice by Boileau, in 1859. Dr. A. Hunter, who tried it in the Madras Leper Hospital, came to the conclusion that it had no claim to consideration as a specific in leprosy, but he found it most useful in ameliorating the symptoms and improving the general health. In the Pharmacopœia of India it has been made official, and is described as an alterative, tonic and local stimulant, more especially useful in syphilitic skin diseases, in which it may be used both as an internal and local remedy. Directions for making a powder and poultice are given. More recent reports from Europe (1885) confirm this statement, and there has been some enquiry for the drug in Bombay which has led to its cultivation on a small scale. In the neighbourhood of Bombay the plant is rare in a wild state, but may often be seen in gardens; it is a popular remedy for the slight dysenteric derangements of the bowels to which children are subject; 3 to 4 leaves are given with cumin and sugar, and the pounded leaves are applied to the navel. In the Concan one or two leaves are given every morning to cure stuttering; and the juice is applied to skin eruptions supposed to arise from heat of blood.
The paragraph continues on p. 108; the transcription stops at “from heat of blood.” A footnote marker and its footnote are left out.