VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 9 



t'ou (^ ^ Ig) : "The leaves and the flowers come at the same 

 time, appearing in the first moon. The leaves are thick, the 

 pedicle square and hollow. They are similar to Artemisia (^) 

 leaves. From the fourth to the eighth moon a juice can be 

 expressed from the stalks, which may be evaporated 'o make 

 anow poison. This, when placed upon arrow tips and used for 

 killing birds, will produce death in a bird so shot in the time it 

 would take one to walk ten steps. If men are shoe with these 

 arrows, they will also die." "^oth the Piivsao and the Customs 

 Reports give the origin of this drug as the province of Szechuan. 

 The drug called Ts'ao-wu (^. ,^) and Ts'ao-wu-t'ouC^ % 

 ^), ns found in the Customs sheds and native drug stores, is 

 somewhat different from that just described. It consists of 

 mixed tuberous roots, evidently of more than one species of 

 Aconitum ; that coming from Manchuria being classified as 

 Aconitiim kusnezowii^ and that from other ports as Aconitu^n 

 volubile and Aconitum iinciatum. It is possible that Aconitum 

 ferox may be included in the list. The specimens, therefore, 

 vary a good deal, being sometimes ovoid, oblong, and tapering 

 to a point, or bifid, or even rounded at the extremities. They 

 vary from three quarters of an inch to one inch and a half in 

 length, are covered with smoothish or wrinkled, dark cuticle, 

 and are frequently worm-eaten. Internally they are whitish and 

 starchy, having very little odor, but the taste is very acrid and 

 benumbing. In Manchuria a sun-dried extract of this aconite 

 is said to be prepared, the deadly properties of which have been 

 confirmed by the experiments of Dr. Christison. Hanbury says 

 that equal parts of Ts'ao-wu ([^ %)^ Ch'uan-wu \]\\ %\ and 

 • Nao-yang-hua (j^J i^ ^), in powder, is used to produce local 

 anaesthesia. The moistened powder is applied to the surface of 

 the part to be operated upon for two hours previous to the 

 operation, by which means, it is alleged, insensibility to pain 

 will be produced. The last substance above named is probably 

 Hyoscyamus niger^ although it may be a Datnra. 



Fu-tzu (jff ^) is probably best classified as Aconitum 

 Jischcri. The Pentsao makes this an inferior or unripe (•^) 

 sort of Wu-t'ou {% pj, which is called f^ -f #• To 

 distinguish it from Pai-fu-tzu {^"^ ■?), a plant of the Atiim 

 family, it is sometimes called Hei-fu-tzu (M ^j ^ ). It is said 



