The ash plantain is another useful plant. Every part of it has some medicinal use. The juice extracted from the yam, the trunk and the flower is used in decoctions for bleeding piles and female disorders. The unripe fruit which is called Mochaka in Sanskrit, has astringent properties and is used in cases of dysentery and diabetes. The juice extracted from the trunk is generally the first thing given in cases of poisonous snake bites. The ripe ash plantain is a sure remedy for constipation. The stem of the fruit burnt down to ash together with slacked - lime is used in the treatment of gangrenous wounds.An old ola manuscript gives tender ash plantains boiled in their skins as a remedy for cancer and stomach ulcers. In the United States a syrup made of plantain is said to be very effective in chronic coughs and bronchitis. Cut the fruit into slices, add an equal weight of sugar and cold water and boil the contents in a closed vessel till reduced to the consistency of a syrup. The dose is one teaspoonful every day. Incidentally, ash plantains should always be cooked in their skin to obtain the best food value.
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