2 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



British Pharmacopceia. The leaves have been found to contain 

 a sweet principle similar to that of licorice. The wood has an 

 excellent grain, but as the plant is small it is not of much value. 



One of the Abrus berries is said by Dr. Williams to be the 

 unit of weight employed by the Burmese. From the fact that 

 these berries are red, and look something like " crab's-eyes " 

 (a concretion found in the stomach of Astacus fluviatilis, and 

 on account of its comparative rarity counted among precious 

 stones), some persons have given them this name. Under the 

 name oi jeqiicrity^ this substance, or its globulin Ab^-iii^ was 

 formerly recommended in Europe and America for the treat- 

 ment of granular lids and corneal opacities ; but on account of 

 its action being beyond the control of the surgeon, it has right- 

 ly fallen into disuse. Abrin is a tox-albumin similar in its action 

 to Ricin and C^-oiin. 



Tatarinov and others have fallen into the error of con- 

 founding Abrus precaiorhis with a genuine species of bean, the 

 Phaseolus radiatus^ perfectly distinct, and separately described 

 under the division of grains as ^ ij> ^a (Ch'ih-hsiao-tou), or 

 "red small bean", 141. Other Chinese names given in 

 various books for the Abrus precatoruts are ;fg ,g, ^ (Hsiang- 

 ssu-tou), 423, and H fij- ^ (Ma-liao-tou), 804 ; but the two 

 given at the head of this article are the only ones authorized by 

 the Pentsao. 



ABUTILON INDICUM.— According to Ford and Crow, 

 the seeds sold at Hongkong as ^ ^ ^ (Tung-k'uei-tzu), 1393, 

 are so identified. But in other parts of China the article so 

 sold seems to be the seeds of a Malva^ which see. 



ACACIA CATECHU.— §i 1^ (Erh-ch'a) ; 288 ; ^ 5i ^ 

 (Hai-erh-ch'a) \ % ^ 'i^ (Wu-tieh-ni). The names given in 

 the Pentsao to this drug are partly founded on the old notion 

 that it was an earth or a preparation of tea, and partly are an 

 imitation of the Bengalese word khaiar and of the Hindu word 

 teni^ by which the drug is known at the place of its origin. 

 The same idea is perpetuated in the old pharmaceutical name, 

 Terra Japonica^ when the "earth " (in Chinese ni') was brought 

 from Japan. The account in the Pentsao is to the effect that 



