MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE. 45 
12.—Jft shu (chu). P., XIIb, 4.—T., CIL 
Comp. Ih ya, 7, 8, 159. 
Pen king :—Shu, also {lj #ij shan ki. The root is officinal. 
Taste sweet. Nature warm. Non-poisonous. 
Pie lu:—The shu is also called |] Fi shan kiang 
(mountain ginger) and lj 342 shan lien. It grows in the 
mountain valleys of Cheng shan and Nan cheng in Han 
chung [in Southern Shen si, App. 16, 226, 54]. The root 
is dug up in the 2nd, 8rd, 8th and 9th months and dried in 
the sun. ; 
Wo. P‘u [8rd cent.]:—The shu is also called Ih) SF 
shan kie (mountain mustard) and KH fill ten ki (heavenly 
thistle). 
T‘ao Hune-Kiye :—Cheng shan and Nan cheng (the 
localities mentioned in the Pie lu) are identical. The shu 
is a common plant. The best drug comes from the mountains 
Tsiang shan [unknown to me. App. 351], Pai shan and 
Mao shan [both in Kiang su, App. 238, 218]. The root is 
dug up in the 11th and 12th months. At this time of the 
year it is very fat (resinous), and sweet. From the leaves 
a pleasant fragrant beverage is made. There are two kinds 
of shu. One of them is the Fy Ji pat shu (white shu or 
shu simply so called). Its leaves are large, covered with 
hair and lobed. Its root is sweet, contains little resin, is _ 
used in the form of pills and powder. The other kind is 
the 3% Ii ch‘ shu or red shu. It has small leaves, not lobed. 
The root is small and of a bitter taste, contains much resin. 
It is used in a fried state. That brought from the eastern 
frontier is large, not strong, and is not much used. 
Su Sone [11th cent.]:—The shu is a common plant. 
The best drug comes from Mao shan [v. supra] and Sung 
shan [in Ho nan, App. 317]. The plant grows from two 
to three feet high. In summer it opens its violet flowers 
