621 Sembill سينبل.—“Bombax Heptaphyllum. Silk-cotton Tree.” A large tree of India; its leaves like the Jamin, but broader and more long, about half the breadth of the peepul and twice the length; in thickness, color, and mark, the same. Its flowers resemble the Bukaen when small, but when more advanced, it becomes more like the goolur, and when full grown, the flowers are as large as a large lime. It then spreads and becomes red; after this it again closes; the flower then falls, and leaves the seed vessel. The capsule is twice as large as that of the Mudar, and when ripe, is filled with cotton. I have ate of the flower when at its middle growth, and found it pleasant to the taste, but it produces flatulence. It is cool and aphrodisiac; induces corpulence; is astringent, and cures boils and eruptions, Juzam, and disorders of the blood and bile: some call its gum Moocherus, the author of the Topha for instance; but Moocherus is the gum or flower of the Phoopul tree. In the opinion of the physicians of India, the Sembill is a powerful medicine as an aphrodisiac. If the juice of the root be made into sherbet with equal part of sugar, it will increase age by restoring the vital energy, increase understanding and semen; the larger and older the tree, and the thicker the root, the greater its strength as a medicine. The small roots are cut into slices, dried on a rope, and sold; in this state, it resembles Bhamun Soorkh.
Ascetics have said, that the perpendicular root of a large full grown Sembill tree, cut in pieces, dried and reduced to a powder is powerfully aphrodisiac, in the quantity of 4 direms daily. I have taken this powder to the quantity of one tolah with sugar, and have also prescribed it with advantage; it strengthens the stomach, and is gently laxative. If given with honey, I conceive that its virtues will be increased. The author of the celebrated work Ahmed Ben Shirazee has told the following story, which I shall relate as nearly as may be in his own words. “I was,” says he, “on a journey, when coming to a village in India, and being very thirsty, I met an old man from whom I requested water to drink; I observed that this old man had a peculiarly healthy appearance, and seemed plump and stout; he had a young woman with him, whom he sent to his house for water, and who brought it me to drink. I then asked him whether that young girl was his daughter; he laughing answered that she was his wife, and that he had three others equally young. I was somewhat surprised at this, and asked him if this was not too many for him; he replied no! More and more astonished, I asked him if this was really the case; he avowed it to be so. I then questioned him how he came to be endowed with so much strength, and how old he was; he told me that his age was 110 years, and related the following facts: That when 50 years’ old he had already become aged and feeble, and was so much decayed in constitution, that he seldom rose from his bed, and when he did so, was obliged to support himself on a crutch. That a fakeer passing that way observed his feeble state, and feeling compassion for his helpless situation, asked him what ailed him: he replied, nothing; but that old age had come upon him. The fakeer then gave him a medicine which he had taken ever since, with an injunction to abstain from all acids: this he had done, and that the effect was such as I saw. He likewise told me that he had a son nearly 80 years of age, who had also used the fakeer’s prescription, and who was much stouter and more healthy in every respect than he.
“Astonished at this relation, I procured the receipt, and thus hand it down to posterity.
“Take the white roots of a full grown, healthy Sembill tree, which is soft; cut them in pieces, dry them in the shade, and reduce them to a powder: sift it very fine, with equal parts of sugar, and over the fire, form it into an electuary: of this 5 direms are to be eaten daily, and no acid to be used.
“To this the old man swore, and brought his son and introduced him to me to prove the truth of his story. The son corroborated the assertion of his father, and added that he had ate the remedy only two years, when he became as he then was; certain it is, he had not a grey hair in his head.”
622 Semb سينب.—also Séme. A common creeper; its leaves very green and small, broad in the centre and pointed: a smaller leaf rising from the same part of the stem; its flower is small and of a yellowish color. Its seed is like the pistachio nut, but more broad and longer in some degree, like the stone of the tamarind; it is called Báklá Hindui; it is cool, astringent, flatulent, and from its astringency strengthens the stomach; is aphrodisiac; cures bilious disorders; increases mucus, and the Hindoos have recommended it for the cure of wind; but in this I do not concur, as it is rather apt to produce wind; they are however in the habit of recommending all medicines that procure a discharge of flatus. One kind is called Golesemb, also called Krishnphilla; its seed is larger and longer than the one now described; it is hot, and cures disorders of wind, bile, and mucus.
623 Sehoond سہوند.—A prickly plant, growing wild. A. Zakoom. It is so called, but the seed of the Zakoom is said to be like the Hurr, whereas the Sehoond has no seed; it is pungent, heavy, laxative; increases appetite, cures dropsy; is an antidote to poison, useful in affections of the spleen, Juzam, idiotism, marasmus, and itchiness of the bowels, flatulent swellings, badgola, swellings in general, and is lithontriptic. The best kind is red or of a rose color; its milk is also red, but if put on a cloth it becomes white. All kinds of it are used in transmutation of metals. There are several kinds in use for various purposes, the juice is an ingredient in many formulæ.
624 Sisoo سيسو or Sishum, and another kind called Rusispa. It is a very common tree of Hindostan, large like the Jamin, and its wood is durable and excellent; it is not readily attacked by insects nor liable to decay. If cut down when the moon is in the wane, no insect will ever touch it; its leaves are small and round, a little inclining to oval, with very little point, like the leaf of the Semb. Its seed-vessel is light, and contains only two or three seeds; it is about half an inch long; both kinds of the tree are hot, and reduce corpulency. It also causes abortions; cures Juzam and white leprosy; is vermifuge; removes pains in the urinary bladder; useful in boils, eruptions, heat of body, disorders of the blood and mucus, and allays vomiting. It is particularly useful in disorders of the blood and cuticular eruptions; this is a favorite wood among Europeans. It is also useful in Lues Venerea, and is thus used: one and half masha of the filings of the centre or dark-colored wood is boiled in 3/4 pound of water, till only one-half shall remain, then strain and drink with the following plain sherbet: the same quantity repeated in the evening, and every five or six days. The sherbet of Morukub mixed or drank with it. This must be repeated for 14, or 21, or 40 days.
Receipt for the plain Sherbet.
Filings of the wood, a pound, infused in 12 lbs. of river water, for 24 hours, then boiled, and when half is evaporated, strain and add to it 3 rittals of sugar (23 ounces), and preserve for use. Six tolahs to be taken morning and evening, with the decoction above specified. If this is required of additional strength, four tolahs of Pitpapra is to be added when the decoction is nearly complete.