132 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



and other Western drugs and plants. Another name given 

 is ^ fi ^ (Sa-fa-ang), which is evidently a transliteration 

 of the Arabic name Zafardii. The last character is sometimes 

 written ^ and |p, but this does not have the proper sound, and 

 is probably wrongly written. Still another name is f)^ ^ ^ (Po- 

 fu-lan), which is also probably a transliteration of some foreign 

 term. Saffron is said to be stimulant, carminative, and 

 antispasmodic. It is thought to have a beneficial action upon 

 the blood, and to be quieting in cases of fright. At the time 

 of the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty these flowers were used in 

 cooking. ^ ^I f2 (Tsang-hung-hua), " Thibetan safflower ", 

 is given by some foreign writers as another name for saffron, 

 but this has not been found mentioned by any Chinese writer. 

 However, it may be found in Tibet, although this has not yet 

 been confirmed. 



CROTON TIGLIUM.— E. s (Pa-tou), 933. The first 

 character of this name refers to a country which was included 

 within the boundaries of the present eastern Szechuan. The 

 second character was used because of the resemblance to the 

 soy-bean. This is one of the five principal poisons mentioned 

 by Shen Nung, so the plant is probably indigenous to China. 

 The Arabic name is baioo^ which was probably derived from 

 the Chinese name. One of the Persian names means '•*■ Ricimis 

 from China," so that it is quite possible that the original 

 habitat of this plant was here. The Patoit is properly a fruit. 

 It is oblong, obscurely triangular, about three-quarters of an 

 inch in length, three-celled, and of a yellowish-brown color. 

 Each cell contains an oval, flattened, or imperfectly quadran- 

 gular seed, resembling a coffee bean. The dark brown testa 

 encloses the yellowish albumen, within which is the large 

 dicotyledonous embryo, often much shrunken. The taste is 

 very acrid. The fresh fruits, the oil, the testa, and the root of 

 the tree are all used in medicine. The drug is recommended 

 for a very large number of difficulties, but, generally speaking, 

 the Chinese doctors are afraid to employ it on account of the 

 exaggerated notions of its poisonous properties, which were 

 handed down from very ancient times. It is recommended as 

 a revulsive in colds aud fevers, for obstinate diarrhoea and 



