CHINA. 17^1. 255 



come a great way- off.- Du Halde tells us, that 

 the beft rhubarb grows in Setchuen. The 

 marks of its goodnefs are, that it is dry, old, 

 and as it were marked with oriental chara&ers. 

 The Chine fe doctors never ufe rhubarb by it- 

 felf ', but prefcribe it always frefli, and mixed 

 with other medicines. They cut the root into 

 Alices and put it into a cullender over a 

 boiling kettle, that it may imbibe the 

 ft earn of the boiling water. Thefe flices are 

 then expofed to the fun for fix hours together: 

 this is nine times repeated. The Portuguefe at 

 Macao boil it in water, and drink it as a fto- 

 machic m . 



China root, (Smi/ax China) by the Chinefe 

 Long-fan-tao, ought to be heavy, and not 

 pierced by worms : it is very cheap here. In 

 our fhip we only threw it in between the chefts 

 of tea, and thus brought them to our apothe- 

 caries mops. It grew near the river, on dry 

 hills, where the wind can blow freely. 



1 The Jefuit Martini died of half anoUnceof rhubarb. '' ' 

 See Bayer's Muf. the Preface, p. 23. 



-' - '-'■'■" "' 



01 Bayer's Muf. the Preface, p. 24. 



Galgant, 



