42 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



drug with the Chinese. In ancient times they wore it, to- 

 gether with other fragrant drugs, in their girdles. It is specially 

 considered to be a woman's drug, and is therefore prescribed 

 in a number of female affections, as well as being a favorite 

 cosmetic substance. In addition to menstrual and other female 

 complaints, it is prescribed in a large number of other disorders, 

 such as urinary difficulties, nasal polypus, various skin 

 affections, cuts and wounds, and certain catarrhal conditions. 

 It is used as a sternutatory, and of the leaves of the plant a 

 wash is made for the relief of pimples and prickly heat. 



ANGELICA DECURSIVA.~-t ^ (Ch'ien-hu). This is 

 a common plrnt, growing in damp soil in Central and North 

 China. The fragrant young sprouts and the leaves are eaten 

 as a vegetable. The drug is met with in brittle, branching, 

 irregular, tapering pieces of a root, resembling that of Angelica 

 qfficuialis. The external surface is brown, much wrinkled, 

 with hairy rootlets at the growing top of the root-stock, to 

 which a portion of the stem is sometimes attached. The 

 interior is of a dirty white color, the taste being bitterish and 

 aromatic, and the odor agreeable, but not very strong. The 

 root is compared in the Phitsao to that of the Bupleiirtwi 

 falcatum. The drug entering foreign commerce comes from 

 Szechuan, Chekiang, and Kuangsi, ii8. Shensi, Hupeh, Hunan, 

 Honan and Anhui are also sources of supply for the native shops. 

 The drug is said to be tonic, stomachic, expectorant, carmina- 

 tive, and lenitive. It is used to quiet nervous irritability, as in 

 asthmatic attacks, fretfulness of children, and irritable uterus. 



APIUM GRAVEOLENS.— ^ ~^ (Han-ch'in), or simply 

 J^- (Ch'in , or j^ 1^ (Ch'in-ts'ai). The character '^ is variously 

 written ^ and f^. This character is also applied to cress and 

 parsley. Unfortunately it is also used for certain Umbellif- 

 erous plants allied to water hemlock. In Japan 7K 1^ (Shui- 

 ch'in) is CEanthe stolomfera. But the plant referred to under 

 this name in the Phiisao is certainly not considered to be at 

 all poisonous. The only poisonous variety there given is the 

 ^ ll (Tzti-chin) or :^, '^ (Ch'ih-ch'in), which is the Corydalis 

 incisa (which see). That 7IC ^ (Shui-ying) is used as a synonym 



