144 CHINESE MATERIA MEDIC A. 



medicine for tlie cure of malaria, especially in its chronic 

 forms, and in mushroom poisoning. The leaves, as well as the 

 flowers and root, are used bruised in the treatment of buboes, 

 ulcers, favus, and other skin diseases. The leaves are said to 

 have a special action on the uterus. They are mixed with salt 

 and used to color preserved eggs a reddish-brown. 



DAPHNE ODORA.— ^ ^ (Shui [Jui]-hsiang). This 

 very fragrant plant grows everywhere throughout the southern 

 provinces. Several varieties are distinguished by the Phiisao^ 

 some of which are cultivated, being dwarfed or deformed by 

 gardeners for the purpose of producing ornamental shrubbery 

 for lawns and conservatories. The root and leaves are both 

 used in decoction in the treatment of sore throat, as a wash for 

 small-pox pustules, and in caked breast. 



DAPHNIDIUM CUBEBA.— it Jg ^ (Pi-ch'eng-ch'ieh), 

 1006. It is probable that the Chinese use this term for the 

 true cubeb (Piper ciibeba) as well as for this article. Loureiro 

 first described the tree, under the name Laurns cubcba. Nees 

 afterwards transferred it to the genus Daphnidwm. The drug 

 consists, according to Hanbury, of "one-seeded globular ber- 

 ries, attached to a pedicel sometimes half an inch long ; at the 

 base of each berry traces of the perianth are visible. The 

 pericarp is thin, fleshy, and in the dried state, corrugated. The 

 seed is globular, with its cartilaginous, shining brown testa 

 surrounded longitudinally by a narrow ridge." The berries, 

 therefore, have only a superficial resemblance to cubebs. The 

 plant is native of Cochin China, and is grown in South China. 

 The product is shipped for the most part to India. The berries 

 are agreeable in odor, and have a warm, aromatic, bitterish 

 taste. Carminative, peptic, stomachic, tonic, and expectorant 

 qualities are reported to reside in the fruit, which is given in 

 cystic, bronchitic, dyspeptic, and choleraic affections. Hanbury 

 quotes Loureiro to the effect that the fresh fruits are used for 

 preserving fish, and that the bark of the tree has properties 

 similar to those of the berries. Another name given in the 

 Pentsao is ffljt |>^ ^q ^ (P'i-ling-ch'ieh-tzu), which is said to be 

 of foreign origin, probably an East Indien term. 



