76 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



?ti ll ^ (Sliui-chin-hua), or "watered-satin-brocade-flower." 

 It may be that this is identical with Biiddleia neemda of India. 

 It is said to grow in the river valleys of Szechuan, and the 

 commercial product comes from Kansuh and Shensi. The 

 flowers are prepared by being soaked in a mixture of wine and 

 honey for three days, and then dried. They are used almost 

 exclusively for the treatment of diseases of the eye, especially 

 opacities of the cornea. Whether the beauty of the flower 

 determines this use or not, it is hard to say. They are also 

 thought to affect the liver. 



BUDDLEIA CURVIFLORA.— P .« % (Tsui-yii-ts«ao), 

 1357. Also called ^ ^J^ (Nao-yu-hua). As its name implies, 

 it is used for stupifying fish, and in this respect resembles 

 Daphne geiikwa (which see). The flowers and leaves are 

 used in medicine in tbe treatment of catarrhal difficulties, fish 

 poisoning, to dissolve fish bones in the throat, and for chronic 

 malarial poisoning with enlarged spleen. 



BUPLEURUM FALCATUM and BUPLEURUM 

 OCTORADIATUM.— '^^ ^ (Tz'u-hu) or ^ ]^ (Ch'ai-hu), 16. 

 Both species have yellow flowers, go by the same Chinese 

 names, and are not distinguished in the Chinese books. ]^ is 

 said to be an ancient way of writing ^. The plant is found 

 principally in the northern provinces. Young white shoots, 

 which spring up in the spring and autumn, may be eaten. The 

 old plant is used for fire-wood. The root-stock is the part 

 used in medicine. Its medicinal qualities are considered to be 

 essentially febrifuge, deobstruent, and carminative. It is used 

 in flatulence and indigestion, in colds and coughs, muscular 

 pains and cramps, amenorrhoea, thoracic and abdominal 

 inflammations, puerperal fevers, and in acute diarrhoea. 



BUXUS SEMPERVIRENS.— ^ ti % (Huang-yang- 

 mu). This is the ordinary boxwood^ which is used for making 

 combs, wooden bowls, and printing blocks. The tree is of 

 very slow growth, is evergreen, and the wood is so fine grained 

 that it may be considered as almost grainless. It is said not 

 to grow during the intercalary moon of the Chinese year. A 



