97. Stems about three feet long, of the thickness of a goose-quill, round, smooth, pale-brown, branched, branches opposite; flowers small, numerous, panicled; the whole plant intensely bitter. These characters belong to the officinal Chiretta, but there are met with, in almost every part of India, numerous varieties which differ more or less from it in many respects, except in bitterness, which pervades them all. They also partake, for the most part, in the same medicinal properties.
98. Chiretta is a good bitter tonic, and renders the practitioner in India independent of imported articles of the same class. It is best given as follows: take Chiretta, bruised one ounce, Hot Water a pint; infuse for six hours or more and strain. Dose from two to three ounces three times daily. A drachm of bruised Cloves, or Cinnamon, or Cardamom seeds, increases its efficacy and improves its flavour. It may be given in all cases of Debility, especially after Fevers, in Indigestion, Loss of Appetite, &c. It may also be given in mild cases of Ague or Intermittent Fever; but this is spoken of in Art. Galls, q. v.
99. A good form of employing Chiretta as a tonic is to add two ounces of the bruised stems to a bottle of Sherry and let it stand for a week. Of this a wineglassful should be taken once or twice daily, one hour before meals, in Indigestion, Loss of Appetite, and other cases mentioned in the last section.
100.
Cinnamon.
The dried bark of Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, Nees.
Dár-chīnī (Hind., Punj.), Dál-chíní (Duk., Beng., Kash., Guz.), Lavanga-pattai, Karuvá-pattai, (Tam.), Lavanga patta (Mal., Tel.), Dála-chini (Can., Mah.), Kurundo (Cing.), Timbo-tik-yobo (Burm.), Kulit-manis (Malay).
101. The above names belong only to the true Cinnamon, which is procurable in most bazaars; it requires to be distinguished from the country Cinnamon, the bark of Cinnamomum iners (Jangli-dal-chiní, Hind., Kattu-karuvá-pattai, Tam.), which is very inferior. The former occurs in small closely rolled quills, containing several smaller quills within them of a light yellowish-brown colour, fragrant odour, and warm, sweet, aromatic taste; the latter is a much larger and thicker bark, generally curved, but seldom completely quilled, the taste less sweet, with some degree of astringency, and the smell less fragrant.
102. Cinnamon is a pleasant aromatic stimulant and carminative, closely allied in medical properties and uses to Cloves (105), for which it may be substituted when the latter are not available. It is an agreeable adjunct to many other medicines.