ALTHAEA OFFICINALIS.

Sunday, 02 July 2006

Home remedy for Cough, Asthma, etc. This is the English marsh-mallow which yields gui-mauve the sweet soft lozenges of which are used for sore-throat. Hind. and Born.----Gulkhairu; Gul-i-khere (flowers). Tam.----Shemaitute. Pers.----Tukm-e-khitame (fruits; carpels) or Reshai-I-Khitame (roots). Eng.----Marsh mallow root. Habitat.----Cashmere, Parts Used.----Flowers, Carpels, Leaves and Root. Constituents.----Ihe root contains a little starch, nearly 20 per cent of gum or mucilage, some uncrystal-lizable sugar and a crystallizable principle and other unimportant constituents. The crystalline principle althaein ?seems to be identical with the asparin? of asparagus. Preparations.----Decoction, powder and syrup. Action & Uses.----The plant is suppurative and em----ollient. The leaves are used for poultice and fomentation. Mixed with oil the leaves and flowers are applied to burns and parts bitten by venomous reptiles. Internally the flowers are expectorant and form an ingredient of various cough mixtures. The carpels are useful in urinary com----plaints and coughs. The root is given as a demulcent in irritable state of the respiratory and digestive passages, and in irritability of the bladder and intestines. Its decoction is used as an emollient enemata in irritability of the vagina or rectum. The following are useful house----hold remedies:---- 1. Take of Marsh mallow root 4, its carpels 4, Bonduc seed 4, Gokharu 4, cubebs 5, rhizome of Iris Pseudocorus (Pakhanabheda lakeri) 2, Sugar 6, Black pepper 1 parts. Mix and make a powder. Dose:----grains 10 to 20; used in urinary complaints, scanty urine, gonorrh?a, etc. 2. Take of Marsh mallow root 4, its carpels 5, Liquorice root 6, the flowers of Viola Odorata (sweet----scented Violet or (Guli----Banaphsha) 4, Figs 5, Black raisins 5 and Trikatu 2 parts. (Trikatu is a compound of equal parts of pipali, miri and sunta). Mix and make a decoction. Dose:---- « to 2 drachms. Used in cough, asthma, etc. 3. Macerate 3 parts of marsh mallow root in 40 parts of water for 12 hours; strain, press, filter, until 32 parts have passed through, To this add 64 parts of sugar dissolve, warm and heat the syrup to boiling; when cold skim and strain through flannel. This syrup is used as a demulcent in irritation or inflammation of mucous membranes.

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