MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE. 241 
136.—K BR ta ki, P., XVla, 17. 7., OLXIL 
Pen king:—Ta ki (great lance). The root is officinal. 
Taste bitter. Nature cold. Slightly poisonous. (Other 
ancient authors say “very poisonous.” 
Comp. Rh ya, 186. 
Pie lu:—The ta ki grows in Ch‘ang shan [in Chi li, 
App. 8]. The root is dug up in the 12th month and dried 
in the shade. 
Hawn Paso-suene [10th cent.]:—The plant in its leaves 
resembles the kan sui [Euphorbia or Passerina. See 138], 
but it grows higher. The leaves contain a white juice. 
Yellow flowers. The root resembles a small k‘u shen root 
[Sophora angustifolia. See 34]. Its skin is yellow, the flesh 
yellowish white. The leaves and the stem are gathered in 
the 2nd month, the root is dug up in the 8th month. 
Su Sune [11th cent.]:—It is a common plant in Mid 
China. The sprouts which appear in spring are of a red 
colour. The plant grows to the height of one foot. Leaves 
like young willow-leaves but smaller and crowded. Yellowish 
purple flowers in the 3rd or 4th month, agglomerated, 
resembling apricot flowers or the wu i [see Rh ya, 57]. 
ere are several sorts. 
Lit Sut-cuen :—The ta ki is a common plant in marshes. 
Tt has an upright stem, from two to three feet high, hollow 
inside. When broken it discharges a white juice. Leaves 
long and narrow like willow-leaves, the upper leaves in 
« whorl. The purple ta ki of Hang chou [in Che kiang, 
App. 58] is the best. The + | | tu (native) ta ki of 
Kiang nan is inferior in quality. There is in the northern 
_Tegions a sort called #4 7 HR mien (floss-like) ta ki, which 
is of a white colour. The skin of the root is soft like floss. 
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