MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE. 317 
Pie lu:—Pei hiai, FR Bi cht (red) tsie (joint). The 
pet hiai grows in Chen ting [in Chi li, App. 11] in mountain- 
valleys. The root is gathered in the 2nd and 8th months 
and dried in the sun. ‘Taste sweet. 
Wu Pu [3rd cent.) calls it FR #e po chi [a name 
likewise applied to the kou tsi, v. 18]; in the Ptao chi lun 
[5th cent.] it is termed 4f Ze chu mu. 
T‘ao Hune-Kixe: —It is a common plant. The root re- 
sembles that of the pa k‘ia [Smilav. See 179] but it is larger, 
has but few excrescences and joints, and the colour is paler. 
Su Kune [7th cent.]:—There are two kinds. One has a 
prickly stem and a white fleshy root; the other, which has no 
prickles, has a hollow, weak root. Climbing plant. Leaves 
like those of the shu yi [Dioscorea. See 262]. 
The Ji hia Pen ts‘ao [10th cent.] says that the popular 
name of this plant is Fy #2 #4 pai (white) pa kia [comp. 179]. 
Su Sune [11th cent.]:—This plant is common in all the 
prefectures of Ho [Shan si and Chih li, App. 72], Shen 
[Shen si, App. 284], Pien tung [in Ho nan, App. 250], 
King [Hu pei, App. 145] and Shu [Sz ch‘uan]. Climbing 
plant, trilobed leaves like those of the shan shu (Dioscorea), 
or the la tou (Phaseolus Mungo). The flowers are yellow, 
red or white. Sometimes the plant does not flower, but 
produces white seeds or frufts [axillar bulbils?]. The root is 
yellowish white, as thick as three fingers, and has many joints. 
It is dug up in spring and in autumn and dried in the 
sun, The sort produced in Ch‘eng te kiin [not ascertained. 
App. 19] has a hard root like the shan shu. It climbs. The 
leaves are like those of buckwheat. Seeds three-edged. 
Li Sur-cuen :—The pei hiat is a climbing plant. Large 
leaves resembling those of the pa kia [v. 179]. The root is 
long and hard, resembling in size the shang lu root [ Phytolacea. 
See 131]. The people confound it sometimes with the t‘u fu 
ling [Smilax pseudo-china. See 179], but that is a quite 
