On a medically, economically and vegetable- 

 pathologically interesting fungus chu Hmf 



(Polyporus Chu ling nov. sp.) 

 (Preliminary note.) 



by 

 M. Shirai. 



The chu ling is a kind of Chinese drugs of fungus origin and is known 

 from very ancient times. 



It is already mentioned in the earliest chinese work on Materia Medica, 

 the Shen nung Peng is'ao king 2 ; which is considered to have been compiled 

 in the Han period 3 (B. C. 202-A. D. 221.). The use of this drug was 

 introduced from china to our country in an early period. The ancient 

 Japanese name of this drug as seen in Yasuyori's Wamyo honzo* (dated 

 ahout A. D. 980) is the Kashinohino fusuhe, meaning excrescences on oak, 

 which shows that as if the ancients have had some notion about the para- 

 sitisms of this fungus. 



Since these times until thirty years ago, this drug has been commonly 

 used and highly esteemed of its astringent and diuretic properties. 



It is produced from the mountainous districts of the middle and 

 north japan and is also imported from china. The chinese chu ling is of 

 somewhat different quality and is called Id chord in contradistinction to the 

 Japanese chu ling, which is known among drugists tea no chorei. 



But at present, the use of the chu ling is entirely forgotten in this 

 country and so we find no single lines about this fungus on the recent 

 Japanese works of botany or pharmacology. 



The fact that the chu ling is of fungus origin and indeed of a kind 

 of sclerotium is already known for long times, but the questions to what 

 species it belongs, and on what host plants it grows has not yet been 

 investigated. 



i. » 2. mm*m% 



3. ®k 4. mmmz*-^ 



