38 chinksf: materia medica. 



name given is g'f^ ^^ fz (So-sha-jen), in which tliere is a pal- 

 pable mistake made in writing the first character. It is possible 

 that under certain conditions the seeds of Ainojnwn xanthoides 

 are used as a substitute for those of Amo^innn melegzieta^ but 

 they are not the true ''grains of paradise." 



AMOMUM VIIXOSUM. — 11 ^ ^} (Yang-ch'un-sha). 

 This seems to be a Cochin-Chinese species of Amo7mim^ 

 which has been introduced into China, and is largely grown 

 in the district of Yang-ch'nn, in the western part of Kuang- 

 tung province. From this latter fact, and because the Chinese 

 regard this drug as identical with Amomuni xanthoides^ it 

 receives its Chinese name. It is not described in the Pentsao. 

 According to Hanbury's description, the scape, which wheu 

 perfect, is about three inches long and reclinate, bears as many 

 as eight capsules on its superior extremity. The capsules are 

 from six to eight lines in length. In the dried state they are 

 oval, occa-^ionally nearly spherical, more or less three-sided, 

 bluntly pointed, with a scar at the summit, rounded at the base, 

 and attached by a pedicel one to two lines long. The pericarp 

 is externally dark brown, marked with obscure longitudinal 

 striae and covered with asperities, which, after soaking with 

 water, are seen to be short, thick, fleshy, closely-crowded spines. 

 The pericarp and seeds have a warm, bitter, aromatic flavor, 

 tarry or camphoraceous in character. They are usually found 

 on the market admixed with the seeds oi Aniomian xanthoides^ 

 which latter are easily distinguished by their plump and 

 bloomy-white appearance. The same tonic and stomachic 

 properties are ascribed to the seeds of this plant as to those of 

 cardamoms in general. A product found in the Customs Lists, 

 276, known as .§ .|lj; 1^ (Ch'un-sha-hua) and # tl ^ (Sha- 

 jen-hua), is considered to be the product of this plant. 



AMOMUM XANTHOIDES. —^ ^p ^ (So-sha-mi). 

 This is the so-called '-'• Bastard cai'damow.''^ It is a native of 

 Burma, where it was discovered by Wallich in 1827. It was 

 afterwards found by Schomburgh in Siam, and is said by Han- 

 bury to occur in Cambodia and the Laos country. The Pen- 

 tsao says that it originally came from Persia and Asia Minor, 



