262 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



an inch in diameter. They contain a stone, furrowed longitu- 

 dinally by five or six ridges. The taste is bitter, and they are, 

 like the leaves, said to be deleterious, but driving away infec- 

 tion. The leaves are used in decoction for the relief of pain in 

 hernia. The flowers are used for prickly heat, and are put 

 under bed mats to destroy fleas and lice. The bark of the root 

 and tree, 633, is anthelmintic and parasiticide. It is highly 

 valued in intestinal worms and parasitic skin diseases. The 

 root, 632, and seeds, 634, are mentioned in the Customs Lists, 

 but are not specially noticed in the Pentsao. 



MELILOTUS ARVENSIS.— i;:f (Hsun-ts'ao), ^g$ ^ 

 (Ling-ling-hsiang). This is thought by several observers to 

 be the labiate Or/>;//^w <^^«7/«/;?;^ / but the weight of authority 

 seems to be in favor of identifying it with this fragrant legum- 

 inous genus. It is quite possible that Chinese botanists often 

 confound it with Odmum^ both on account of its fragrance and 

 of several other resemblances. H (Hsiin), ^ (Lan), and H 

 (Hsieh) are characters which have passed into classical litera- 

 ture as types of fragrance and refinement. The ancients used 

 to burn the Hsi'in plant as incense to make the spirits descend, 

 and when worn in the girdle it is said to dispell noxious in- 

 fluences. The plant seems to have been first grown in ^ |gf 

 (Ling-ling), the present ^^ ^)\\ J^ (Yungchoufu) in southern 

 Hunan. It grows in moist ground, and is found throughout 

 the Yangtse provinces. On account of its fragrance, the plant 

 is used for making mats, pillows, and mattresses. It is also 

 employed in cosmetic applications. Medicinally, it is regarded 

 as carminative, calmative, anodyne, and astringent. It is pre- 

 scribed in flatulence, colds, muscular rheumatism, polypus of 

 the nose, and toothache. When ingested, it is said to have 

 the property of imparting its fragrance to the body, a thing 

 much desired by the Chinese in the absence of soap, as was 

 formerly the case. The fruits are regarded as tonic. The 

 mucoid sap found in the stalk and root is used in colds and 

 influenza, and is regarded as an excellent local application in 

 piles, prolapse of the anus, and seat worms. 



MENISPERMUM DAURICUM.— See Cocculus, 



