VEGETABLE KINGDOM. I9I 



esteemed by the Chinese as an article of food. But they are 

 also considered "heavy/' and if partaken of too freely they 

 are thought to produce jaundice. They are considered to be 

 carminative and deobstruent, and are recommended in ascites. 

 Locally they are applied to smallpox ulcers. The ashes of 

 bean stalks are specially recommended as an application to un- 

 healthy granulations in hemorrhoids (possibly fungous growths 

 of the anus). 



The oil, ^ f^ (Tou-yu), is considered to be very slightly 

 deleterious, and is used as a local application to ulcers and 

 skin diseases, and for removing bandoline from the hair. This 

 oil is maniifactured in large quantities, especially in Manchuria, 

 and is shipped to every part ot China. It is used as food, 

 chiefly by the poorer people, and was formerly used as a burn- 

 ing oil ; but kerosene has now almost superseded it for this 

 latter purpose. It is usually dark colored, and has a not very 

 pleasant odor. 



Bean relish (Salted Beans)^ "5^ % '^ (Ta-tou-shih), 

 1318, is a product much valued by the Chinese. The mean- 

 ing of the character '^ (Shih) is difficult to render in English. 

 It refers to salted and fermented beans, and is applied to both 

 the prepared beans themselves and to other preparations made 

 from them, some of which are in liquid form. For this last 

 reason, this character is sometimes thought to refer to "soy." 

 But the term "relish" will be used for this product to distin- 

 guish it from soy, which will be found described a little later. 

 Tao Hung-ching (V Century) says that Puchou (-^ ]\\) in 

 Shansi and Shenchou (^ jlj) in Honan were places noted for 

 the excellence of this product. He says that at Shenchou 

 there is produced a liquid bean relish which in ten years will 

 not spoil, but for medical purposes it is not so good as other 

 kinds, as no salt was used in its manufacture. On the other 

 hand, Meng Shen (VII Century) says that the Shenchou liquid 

 bean relish is better than the ordinary kind. He gives its 

 composition as follows: "Use Hispidia beans which have 

 been fermented, first steaming them soft. To each peck add 

 of salt four pints, pepper (|^), four ounces. In the spring 

 time, let stand three days ; in summer, two, when it will be 

 half ripe. Then add five ounces of ginger {^ ^), and let 



