126 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



of the Croton bean, are said to be antagonized by it. Most 

 midwives insist upon every infant swallowing a dose of this 

 drug, mixed with borax, soon after birth. This is said to 

 prevent apthse and to eliminate or counteract all syphilitic 

 poison. The drug closely resembles the Creyat^ or Kariat of 

 India in its action, which is the same in general character as 

 that of Chiretta. The leaves and stalk are not used. The 

 ^ (Kan) and other infantile disorders are treated both 

 topically and internally by this drug. A tincture may be 

 made to be taken as a "bitter," by digesting three ounces of 

 the sliced root and two ounces of coolie-orange peel for a week 

 in a pint of brandy. This is of some use in indigestion in 

 cases where bitters are sometimes prescribed. 



CORCHORUS PYRIFORMIS.— ^ ^ (T'ang-ti). Dr. 

 Morrison gives this as the name of the Chino-Japanese species 

 of Cor chorus which with Triumfetta^ another Tiliaceous plant, 

 yields the hemp-fiber called Po-lo-ma. The SJmow^n makes 

 the above characters to be only a various writing of J^: ;j^ 

 (T'ang-ti). Chinese writers describe this tree very differently ; 

 some making it out to be a sort of plum or cherry, while 

 others think it to be an aspen or poplar. Li Shih-chen says 

 that it is the same as the ^ \% (Ch'ang-ti), which is identical 

 with the IR ^ (Yii-li), Prunus japonica. ^ ^ (Ti-t'ang) is 

 Kerria japonica. 



CorcJioriis capsiilaHs is also identified by the Japanese as 

 ^ % (Huang-ma). It is cultivated for its fibre (jute) in 

 south China and other parts of tropical Asia. It is not known 

 to be used in medicine. It may be that in the Pentsao 

 and other Chinese medical works it is regarded as identical 

 with j^ %. 



CORDYCEPS SINENSIS. — H ^ ^ ^ (Hsia-ts'ao- 

 tuug-ch'ung), 287. This fungus, described by the Chinese as 

 a plant in summer and an insect in winter, grows upon the 

 pupa of a kind of caterpillar as a parasite. It is said to be 

 common in southern Thibet, but the Pintsao says that it 

 comes from Szechuan, and this is the source of origin given in 

 the Customs lists. It is not so rare nor so much thought of as 



