When the Pookhnichittur shall happen on a Sunday, take the root,
leaves, flowers, and branches, taking care that your shadow does not
reach them; leave them five nights in the dew, and then dry them
in the shade. Four mashas ate with sugar and honey daily, will be
found aphrodisiac. If it be washed for 21 days in the juice of the
plantain tree, then bruised and washed in the juice of the Moondie,
sugar taken and boiled in the juice of the plantain tree, and a little
of the Roodwunti added to it, then adding cloves and cardamoms one
tolah each, musk and camphor each 1/2 tolah, and the whole made up
into balls of a tolah each, and one eaten daily in boiled milk, it
will be found aphrodisiac. If it is taken simply, mixed with sugar,
it will have an aphrodisiac property.
Another account.
Of the Roodwunti there are four kinds, black, white, red, and yellow,
male and female; the female is distinguished by some of its leaves
dropping water. It grows in a moist or watery soil, near Gwallior;
it is green, and its leaves and branches resemble gram. The leaves
of the male kind are said to transmute metals, and are considered
very valuable on that account. If one part of this, half a part of
Tirphilla, one-fourth part of Tircoota, and the bulk of the whole
of sugar be bruised and sifted, and as much ate with cow's milk,
as may be held in the palm of the hand, it will cure all disorders
to which the human frame is subject, and transmute old age into
youth. Maadentezerrubad.
If the leaves are rubbed on silver, and that put into the fire, it
will become yellow; if the leaves are thrown into melted tin, it will
assume the appearance of gold. If mercury be put into the juice of its
leaves and well stirred about, then boiled in milk or vinegar, it will
become yellow. If the green leaves be dried, pounded, and taken to the
quantity of 9 masha for 14 days, the hair will never become white. If
one direm of this and 14 direms of honey, with 10 direms of cow's ghee,
be well stirred up together and taken every morning, the body will
become strengthened, and the hair remain black. Two direms ate with
sugar, will increase appetite, and cure seminal weakness and pains
in the bowels. If its leaves are used as a cephalic, it will remove
the effects of poisons. Some call it Roowunti; it is hot and dry.
495' Roodraz.--Commonly used in India for making beads which are much
esteemed. It is bitter, pungent, hot, and vermifuge; rectifies an
overflow of blood or a suffusion of bile in the blood; cures mucous
affections and head-aches. Is useful in disorders of children, and
is an antidote to poisons.
496 Ruswut.--"An extract from the root of the Amomum Anthorhizum,
Roxb." Bitter and pungent; hot; beneficial in mucous disorders,
affections of the mouth, eyes, boils, and eruptions. In
A. Huzzood. "Mixed with equal parts of alum and opium, rubbed up
together with a little water, it is perhaps the best application in
ophthalmia ever used, applied all round the eye." Trans.
497 Russ.--In P. called Sheera. When written singly, it means the
juice of the sugar-cane. It is moist, aperient, and promotes digestion,
and removes flatulence.