150 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



borne in a pod. The leaves, which are said to be slightly 

 poisonous, are recommended in decoction as a wash for viru- 

 lent sores. 



DIGITALIS. — Roots of an unidentified species of this 

 plant are said to be brought from Honan under the name of 

 ^ iife M (Mao-ti-huang). As j^ ^ (Ti-huang) is ReJnnarmia 

 ghitinosa^ and as the leaves of this latter are also downy, identi- 

 fication by this means would be uncertain. It is said that 

 the roots of the former are smaller and more fusiform than 

 those of the latter. But this also would be an unreliable 

 method of identifying so active a drug. It is doubtful if 

 Digitalis purpurea is found in China, or if found it has not 

 yet been identified ; so it is unfortunate that "^ \%'^ (Mao-ti- 

 huang) has been adopted iu pharmacy as a Chinese equivalent 

 of the name of this drug. 



DIGITARIA SANGUINALIS.— (li Yu), Wi M (Ma- 

 t'angi. This is Faber's identification. The Japanese call it 

 Caryopteris divaricata. It is also called ^ )/i| (Yang- ma), 

 since both horses and sheep eat it. It is said to have a 

 very vile and persistent odor, which is mentioned in the 

 Tso-chuan as an illustration of the persistence of evil. It 

 grows in marshes, has long leaves and a jointed stem. It 

 nmch resembles Potomogeton^ and has by some been so 

 identified. The root is the part used iu medicine, and is 

 prescribed in infusion as an eye and ear wash, for fetid feet, in 

 dry coughs, and to relieve thirst. 



DIOSCORRA.— § ^ (Shu-yii), ill % (Shan-yao), 1108, 

 ^ '%. (Pei-hsieh), 988. Shan-yao is nowadays the common 

 name in north China for the cultivated yam, Dioscorea japonica. 

 In Hupeh it is Dioscorea qidnqueloba^ and in other parts 

 of China Dioscorea batatas. The Japanese lists distinguish 

 Dioscojea japonica as ^ llj ^ (Yeh-shan-yao', Dioscorea 

 qninqneloba as ilj ^ ||(Shan-pei-hsieh), and Dioscorea saliva as 

 j\\ ^ ^j| iCh'uan-pei-hsieh). Faber makes the first two names 

 at the head of this article to be identical, and assigns them 

 to Dioscorea qninqneloba^ while the third he assign to Dioscorea 



