312 CHINESE MATERIA MKDICA. 



is not described in the books, and without observation in its 

 habitat nothino^ more definite can be said. For its medical 

 uses, see the article on Muslwooms. 



PATRINIA SCABIOS.EFOLIA.— lit ^ (Pai-chiang.) 

 Faber also gives ^ ^ (K'u-chih), but this term is also applied 

 to Physatis cDigulata and to SopJiora Jiavcsccns. The root of 

 the plant smells like spoiled soy, hence the Chinese name. 

 The plant is quite common, and is sometimes called ^ ^ 

 (K'u-t'u), because the aborigines eat it. In the spring, when 

 the plant first comes up, the leaves lie on the ground. They 

 appear four in a whorl. The stem attains to the height of two 

 or three feet, and is jointed. The white flowers appear on the 

 top of the stem in an umbel. The root is the part used in 

 medicine, and its properties are considered to be counter 

 poison, resolvent, anodyne, and astringent. It is prescribed 

 in abscesses, post-partum pain and other puerperal difficulties, 

 various poisions, and parasitic skin diseases. 



PAULOWNIA IMPERIALIS.— tisl (T'ung). This is also 

 known as ^ \^ (Pai-t'ung), ^ Wi (Huang-t'ung), J^ ^ (P'ao- 

 t'ung), II tisl (I-t'ungj, and :^ ^ (Jung-t'ung). Li Shih-chen 

 gives the following description of the tree : "It has very large 

 leaves, of various shapes. The bark is of a dirty white color, 

 and the wood is light and not attacked by insects. It is used 

 in making various utensils, and is also very good for posts and 

 beams in building houses. It bears flowers in the second 

 month, resembling those of Ipomoea hcderacea^ of a white or 

 purple color. The fruit is more than an inch long and as 

 large as a jujube. Within the capsule are the seeds, which 

 are light, flattened, and winged like the seeds of the elm tree. 

 When ripe, the capsule bursts, and the seeds are carried away 

 by the wind." The leaves are used in decoction as a wash 

 for foul sores, and to promote the growth of the hair and to 

 restore its color. The wood and bark are used as an astringent 

 and vermicide, in ulcers, in falling of the hair, and are admin- 

 istered in the delirium of typhoid fever. The flowers are 

 considered to be a good remedy for skin diseases of swine, and 

 if fed to these animals will fatten them three-fold. They are 



