142 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



much in request as a medicament. Stimulant, tonic, sto- 

 machic, sedative, astringent, and other properties are believed 

 by the Chinese to reside in the drug, and it is prescribed for 

 fluxes of all kinds, colds in every organ, post-partuni difficulties, 

 boils, abscesses, felons, and cancers. The shoots and flowers 

 are also used, being regarded as tonic and sedative to the 

 nervous system. The tnbers of the Ching-san-l^ng^ 1062, as 

 they appear in the market, are top-shaped, pointed at one end 

 and hard, and have, apparently, been cut and trimmed with a 

 knife to separate them from the running root which connects 

 them together in the growing state. The internal texture is 

 hard, yellowish, and woody. The taste and smell are, to some 

 extent, aromatic. Emmenagogue, galactagogue, stomachic, 

 tonic, deobstruant, and vulnerary qualities are ascribed to the 

 drug. It is not in as much favor, however, as the Hsiang- 

 fu-tzu. 



CYTISUS SCOPARIUS.— ^ '^ (Chin-ch'iao). It is also 

 called M ^ -j^ (Huang-ch'iao-hua). The papilionaceous flower 

 is aptly compared to a bird by the Chinese botanist. The 

 leaves are said to be salted and made into a tea. The root, 

 which is said to be covered with prickles, is used in medicine. 

 In decoction, it is used as a fomentation for bruises, and it is 

 also extracted with wine for this purpose. It is also prescribed 

 internally in coughs and colds. A decoction of the flowers is 

 said to bring out the eruption in small-pox. 



