veg?:table kingdom:, 353 



piiinatifida, olibanum, myrrh, and laka wood, all powdered to- 

 gether. This is thought to promote healing in wounds, and 

 is a military men's remedy. 



Tzvo Floivers Poivder; Zl f^ ^ (Erh-hna-san), Take 

 yellow plum flowers in any quantity and peach blossoms dried 

 in the shade ; Crataegus fruits, remove the seeds, roast, and 

 powder ■, a small L,ufFa cyiindrica, dried in the shade and 

 powdered \ orange peel, ginseng, Astragulus hoangtchy, lico- 

 rice, vermilion, Paris polyphylla, Monochasma savatiera, 

 scaly ant eater, a human tooth, piece of skull, all powdered 

 together. This is one of the many remedies used in the 

 treatment of smallpox. 



PREMNA JAPONICA.— If ^ (Fu-pei). This term, 

 ** worthless slave-girl," is applied to the flower of Phaseolus 

 nuDigo^ that of Pachyrizus thuiibeygianus^ and to a small tree 

 which grows near the sea-shore. This last has a crooked stem, 

 bears a yellow flower, and has a fetid smell. It is not quite 

 certain which of these three is the drug mentioned in the 

 Pentsao. Flowers are evidently referred to in the discussion of 

 medicinal uses. Ague, fever, fluxes, alcoholism, and hemor- 

 rhoids are treated with it. 



PRUNELLA VULGARIS,— H % 'W^ (Hsia-ku-ts'ao). 

 See Briuiella vulgaris. 



PRUNUS ARMENIACA.— ^-(Hsing), H fg (T'ien-mei.) 

 The apricot is said to have been indigenous in Sliansi. It is 

 now cultivated in many parts of the country. There are 

 several varieties, as ^ ^ (Chin-hsing), 7^ '^ (Mu-hsing), ^ ^ 

 (Shan-hsing), g ^ (Pai-hsing), ^ ;^- (Sha-hsing), |g ^ (Mei- 

 hsing), * ^ (Lai-hsing), and |^ ^ (Jou-hsing). These are 

 all distinguished from each other in the Pentsao. The fruit 

 is regarded as being somewhat deleterious, and if eaten in 

 excess is thought to harm the bones and sinews, to promote 

 blindness and falling of the hair, including that on the eye- 

 brows and the e\e-lashes, to benumb the mental faculties, and 

 to injure parturient women. It is considered to pertain to the 

 heart, and therefore should be used in cases of heart disease. 

 Dried and eaten, it is thirst-relieving and antifebrile. The 



