210 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



HYDROCHARIS MORSUS RAN^.— ^ ^ (Pai-p'iu). 

 The Pentsao does not distinguish this from the ^ (P'in), 

 Marsilia quadrifolia and 7J1C vi=" (Shui-p'ing), Lcmna minor. 

 It cannot be the former, as it bears small white flowers in 

 summer and antnmn, and Marsilia is a cryptogamons plant. 

 This is a Japanese identification. See Lemna and Marsilia. 



HYDROCOTYLE ASIATICA.— ^ ^ -^ (Chi-hsiieh- 

 ts'ao). This is Faber's identification, after Thunberg. But 

 Bretschneider thinks it is Nepeta glcchoma. Why the 'labiate 

 Nepeia should be confounded with the umbelliferous Hydro- 

 coiyle is difficult to understand. But "when doctors disagree, 

 who shall decide?" In the Pentsao^ under the Chinese 

 name given above, is also discussed ;J^ M ^ (Ti-ch'ien-ts'ao), 

 which Faber makes to be Co7iocephalus conica^ and SS ^ !^ 

 (Lien-ch'ien-ts'ao), which in Japan \s Nepeta glechoma. The 

 medicinal virtues of all three will be discussed under Nepeia 

 (which see). The Customs lists give ^ ;^ ^ (P'eng-ta-wan), 

 looi, as a term for Hydrocotyle^ but this term has not been 

 found in the Chinese books. 



HYDROPYRUM LATIFOLIUM, Zizania aqnatica.^^ 

 (Ku), II ^ (Chiao-ts'ao), ^ % (Chiang-ts'ao). This is a tall 

 grass, much cultivated throughout China on account of its 

 young stalks, called ^ j^ (Chiao-pai), which are eaten as 

 a vegetable. Porter Smith evidently confounded the characters 

 1^ (Chiao) and |= (Ling), and mentions this • under Trapa 

 bicornis. The plant grows commonly in rivers, lakes, and 

 marshes, and the leaves make excellent fodder for horses. The 

 young shoot looks something like a bamboo-shoot, and it 

 is eaten both raw and cooked, having an agreeable, sweet 

 taste. It is called ^ ^ (Ku-sun), ^ ^ (Chiao-sun), ^ ^ 

 (Chiao-pai), and ^ ^ (Ku-ts'ai). The central mass of the 

 shoots, which is likened to a child's arm, is considered separate 

 from the shoots, and in addition to the two last names above 

 given is called ^ :^ (Ku-shou) and ^ fg, (Chiao-pa). These 

 are both considered to be extremely cooling in their nature, 

 and thin blooded people are recommended not to eat of them 

 too freely. They are prescribed in fevers for their diuretic and 



