BOTANICON SINICUM. 63 
the drug possesses poisonous properties or not. In the sixth 
paragraph, =f 74, masterly operations, the specific virtues of the 
drug as a medicine are enumerated. In the seventh, #€ Hi, 
is given a clear exposition of its uses. In the eighth, py 7, 
there is a list of recipes, with the names of the maladies for which 
the drug is used as a remedy. : 
It may be well to say here a few words on Chinese names of 
Plants. These names consist generally of one character, but 
frequently of two or three characters. 15 out of the 214 Radicals 
under which all the Chinese characters are grouped in Chinese dic- 
tionaries, denote plants or parts of them; and their combinations 
with other characters form the greatest part of the names of plants 
occurring in Chinese books. These botanical radicals are: 
Wt or it ts‘ao, Herb (140). This has 1428 combinations. For 
instance : 4 ai, Artemisia; 4% ming, the book name of Tea; 7 
ts‘en, Rubia cordifolia. 
AK mu, Wood (75).—1232 combinations. The names of most 
trees are to be found under this radical,— ff tso, Oak; #4 chen, 
Hazelnut. 
The radical characters FE ho, Paddy, Corn (115), 3 mi, Rice, 
(119), HE mai, Wheat (199), and Z shu, Millet (202), and their 
combinations, form the names of most kinds of corn. For instance: 
4G tao, Rice; ¥F su, a kind of Millet; $ mou, Barley. 
The radical x hua (97) and its compositions relate almost ex- 
clusively to Cucurbitaceous Plants, Cucumbers, Melons, Gourds ; 
whilst the radical ® tou (151) is appropriated to Leguminous 
Plants, 
The radical fff ma (202) denotes Hemp; the radical fF chu 
(118) Bamboo; the radical 3 kiu, Leeks; the radical 3% chi, 
Branch; the radical Kl ch‘ang, Fragrant Herbs. 
As has been stated, each plant is usually denoted by a peculiar 
character ; e. g, fii shi, Diospyros Kaki; 3¢ k“en, Euryale ferox ; 
The Shen nung Pen ts‘ao king enumerates also the ei be wu wei, or five tastes 
of drugs, viz. : 
BE suan, sour. Ti ku, bitter. ; 
Wi fien, salt, 3 sin, pungent, — 
sty kan, sweet, 
