280 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



what bitterish and acrid, and it is thought to have special 

 action upon the circulation, and is recommended in hemor- 

 rhages. The ordinary Oii-fen is a reddish-white, glistening, 

 unctuous powder, making a very tenacious jeHy of a dark 

 color when boiled with water. It answers all the purposes of 

 the best arrow-root, and is of great value in the treatment of 

 diarrhoea and dysentery. It is given in diseases of the chest, 

 and is an important ingredient in the article called H '^ ^ 

 (San-ho-fen), used in the rearing of hand-fed infants. It also 

 is a chief ingredient in a nourishing pudding specially prepared 

 for the weak and ill-nourished, and called A jllj ^ '^ (Pa- 

 hsien-ou-fen). This arrow-root, as found in the shops, is so 

 frequently adulterated with leguminous starches that many 

 families endeavor to make it for themselves. The caulicle 

 of the seeds, called j^ ^ (Lien-i) and j^ -^ *C» (Lien-tzii- 

 hsin), 728, is bitter in taste, relieves the sense of thirst after 

 hemorrhages, and is used in the treatment of cholera, he- 

 moptysis, and spermatorrhoea. The stamens of the flowers, 

 called }^ ^ H (Lien-jui-hsii), 721, and fjjj |^ ^ (Fo-tso-hsii), 

 purify the heart, permeate the kidne5's, strengthen the virility, 

 blacken the hair, make joyful the countenance, benefit the 

 blood, and check hemorrhages. The flowers, 722, are recom- 

 mended as a cosmetic application to the face to improve the 

 complexion, and it is said that in cases of difiicult labor a 

 single petal is taken, the father's literary *' style" is inscribed 

 thereon, and then swallowed by the woman, in which case the 

 labor will be made easy. The seed pod or receptacle is called 

 jg % (Lien-fang), 720, or jg ^ f: (Lien-p'eng-fu), 725. After 

 the seeds have been removed, it looks something like the nozzle 

 of a garden sprinkler. Its medicinal action is regarded as anti- 

 hemorrhagic, and it is also employed to promote the expulsion 

 of the afterbirth and in watery decoction to counteract the 

 poison of deleterious fungi. The leaves, |^ ^ (Ho-yeh), re- 

 ceive various names according to their age or position. The 

 very young ones are called ^j^ %% (Ho-ch'ien), those lying upon 

 the water |^ ^ (Ou-ho), and those extending above the 

 water ^ ^- (Chih-ho). The dried leaves are sold to grocers, 

 who use them for wrapping up some of their goods. The leaf 

 stalk is called % ^ (Ho-pi). The medicinal virtues of the 



