1 Sol
2 Tetranthera apetala — is a bark from the hills, officinal
3 at Lahore and Hindostan ; it is a favorite application to bruises
4 and wounds, and is called meidech ub.
5 *Teucrium Cham^deys, v. Chamcedrys.
6 *Thapsus Verbascum, v. Verbascum.
7 The a — is well known to the natives of Lahore and Cashmere ;
8 but the latter are the more fond of tea, and strange, they prefer
9 the Thibetan product to the English or even Chinese, notwith-
10 standing the absence of aroma and perfume. It occurs in lumps,
11 as cakes of a black appearance. The tea the English prepare
12 under direction of the Chinese at Deyrah Doon and Kemaon
13 seems much better. The green and black teas are both pre-
14 pared from one and the same plant, varying only in the manner
15 of preparation : the former requiring more time, three days, to
16 prepare it, whilst the black tea is made in one day. In China,
17 it is said, they prepare both sorts in one day ; employing a very
18 small quantity of hydrocyanic acid for accelerating the process
19 in the case of green tea. Such an adulteration (?) is however
20 prohibited in the Company’s territory ; as it is preferred to take
21 more time to have a wholesome preparation. I suppose, the
22 very small quantity of hydrocyanic acid which in China is used
23 for the preparation of green tea cannot do more harm than that
24 quantity of hydrocyanic acid, copper, etc. which we almost
25 daily consume in our various and artificially-prepared dishes ;
26 the only difference is, that we often do not know what we eat —
27 it is enough that our food looks well, is palatable and digestible.
28 See Vol. I. p. 162. In the preparation of tea an opium-like sub-
29 stance is formed from the juice of the leaves, which drops
30 through the mats, over which the heated leaves are rolled by the
31 hands. This extract, or inspissated juice, seems to contain the
32 properties of the plant in a concentrated degree, and deserves
33 to be experimented upon ; and the more so, as tea is generally
34 used in domestic life, we should know also its effects. The
35 Bokharians and Russians are also fond of tea, and use generally
36 the genuine Chinese production. The former make a soup of
37 tea, by boiling the leaves, and then adding milk, salt and butter;