224 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



tree is said now to grow in nearly all of the northern provinces. 

 The nuts are not regarded as being very wholesome, but this 

 is due to its supposed alchemic relations ; nevertheless, the 

 effects of the nuts when ingested seem to be rather good than 

 otherwise, being said to produce plumpness, strengthening and 

 lubricating the muscles, and increasing the blackness of the 

 hair. They are also considered to be diuretic, antilithic, aud 

 stimulant to the kidneys and lungs. They are recommended 

 in heartburn, colic, dysentery, and intestinal intoxications. 

 The oil of walnut seeds is used as an anthelmintic and as an 

 application to several kinds of skin diseases, including eczema, 

 chancre, and favus, and is applied to the hair as a pomade. 

 The pericarp seems to furnish an oily juice, which is used 

 as a hair and whisker dye. The bark of the tree and root, as 

 well as the hard shell of the nuts, are used as astringent rem- 

 edies, and also for dyeing the hair and whiskers and summer 

 grass-cloth. Another species, called ill ^ ^fe Shau-hu-t'ao), 

 is spoken of under this heading, and is not distinguished from 

 the other in its medical uses. This '\sjuglans sieboldiana. 



JUNCUS COMMUNIS, >««^^ e^usus.—^ ^ -^ (Teug- 

 hsin-ts'ao). This sedge grows plentifully in the marshes of 

 central China, and is used for making mats and lamp wicks. 

 Its appearance when growing gives rise to its common name, 

 J^ ^ :^ (Hu-hsii-ts'ao), "tiger-beard-grass." The stalks are 

 steamed and the cuticle peeled off, leaving the central white 

 pith, which is sometimes used to keep fistulous sores open in 

 order to make them heal from the bottom. It is also much 

 used to prepare a menstruum for other drugs. It is said to be 

 antilithic, diuretic, pectoral, lenitive, sedative, derivative, and 

 discutient. The ashes of a lamp wick are placed upon a 

 mother's nipples, and thus administered to a nursing child for 

 the relief of night crying. The Chinese watch the growth of 

 the flower-like snuff of lamps and caudles, and draw ominous 

 conclusions from its appearance. 



JUNIPERUS CHINENSIS.— ;ft (Kuei). This is a tall, 

 straight tree, very common in the northern provinces of China. 

 A remarkable thing about this tree is the dimorphism of its 



