CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



,/ -oce). It is doubtless true, however, that some of the Pai-shu 

 which comes from other parts of the empire is Atractylis. 

 According to Hoffman and Schultes, ^ ~f^ (Ts'ang-shu) repre- 

 sents three species of Atr-aetylodes, namely, Atractylodes lyrata^ 

 Atractylodes lancea^ and Atractylodes ovaia. Siebold, as if it 

 were one species, calls this plant Atractylis chinc7isis. The 

 places of origin of this drug are (1330) Manchuria, Chihli, 

 Shantung, Szechuan, Hupeh, Anhui, and Chekiang. The 

 roots are met with in finger-shaped, roughly-moniliform pieces, 

 occasionally branching, and varying from one to three inches 

 In length. The cuticle is rough, brown, or blackish, and 

 sometimes bristled with rootlets. The cut surface is of a dirty 

 white color, with a yellowish cortical layer. The structure is 

 very open, and some of the* interstices are filled with an orange- 

 colored resinous substance, which dissolves in strong spirit, 

 making a yellow tincture. The smell is somewhat aromatic 

 and the taste warm and bitter. The drug is a warm, stomach- 

 ic, stimulant, arthritic, tonic, and diuretic remedy, used in 

 fevers, catarrh, chronic dysentery, general dropsy, rheumatism, 

 profuse sweating, and apoplexy. It enters into the composition 

 of several of the most famous prescriptions in use among the 

 native faculty. Among these may be mentioned the I^ M ^J^J- 

 (Ku-chen-tan), "strengthening virility elixir;" the yf "^ j^ 

 (Pu-lao-tan), "elixir of longevity ;" and the ^ -^ j^ (Ling- 

 chih-tan), "elixir of felicity." To enumerate all of the 

 diseases for which the drug is recommended, would require a 

 tolerably complete Chinese nosology. ^ Tft (P*ing-shu) is a less 

 pungent quality of the drug, but whether this is due to its 

 being a different species, or to a difiereut mode of preparation, 

 does not yet appear. The whole matter of classification of 

 these substances is in a very unsettled state. 



ATROPA. It is exceedingly doubtful whether this genus 

 is found in China. It is introduced here simply to call atten- 

 tion to two substances which may be included under this 

 classification or that of some allied genus. The first is ^ jjn 

 (Tien-ch'ieh), a term used by Dr. Williams in his Syllabic 

 Dictionary for belladonna-like plants of the Solanaccse. It is 

 also said to be written 5; jjn ■? iT'ien ch'ieh-tzii), and this term 



