MATERIA MEDICA OF THE ANCIENT CHINESE. 437 
292.—JI HE hua ti. P., XXXII,1. 7, XLV. 
Kua is a general term for the fruits of cucurbitaceous 
plants. In the Classies kua generally means gourds, but 
sometimes also melons. See Bot. sin., Il, 382. % is the 
footstalk of a flower or fruit. 
The drug hua ti is noticed in the Pen king. It is stated 
to have a bitter taste and to be poisonous. Subsequent 
writers refute its poisonous properties. Su Sune [11th cent.] 
explains that by hua ti the footstalks of the Alf Dh t‘ien (sweet) 
kua or melon are meant, 
Pie lu:—The kua ti is produced in Sung kao [in Ho 
nan, App. 317] in marshes. It is gathered on the 7th day 
of the 7th month and dried in the shade. 
In the Tang pen ts‘ao [7th cent.] the melon is first 
distinguished by a distinct name—f JI, kan (sweet) hua. 
The name Alf JX tien (sweet) kua, now in general use, 
‘ppears first in the Kia yu Fen ts‘ao [11th cent.]. Wane 
Cuene [13th cent.] says there are two classes of kua. One 
is distineuished by its sweet fruits and termed $% J, kuo hua. 
It comprises the ten kua (melon) and the py J, sx hua 
(water-melon). The other class, called 4 J ts‘az hua, 
produces fruits which are used as vegetables, cucumbers, 
pumpkins and gourds. 
The J 8 ua jang, or pulp of the melon, and the 
TF {= kua tsz' jen, or kernels of melon-seeds, are likewise 
used in medicine. 7 
Cust. Med., p. 48 (42) and 230 (146):—Kua ti noticed 
4s imported to Chefoo and Fu chow from Canton. 
The Hank. Med. [22] mentions J F hua tse‘ (melon- 
Seeds) as exported from Han kow. ‘The seeds are slightly 
fired and eaten for pastime, chiefly in Chinese tea-houses. 
