35^ CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



variety, of excellent flavor and of foreign origin. The peaches 

 of Honan province are especially of fine quality and flavor. 

 The difficnlty is that the Chinese almost never allow the fruit 

 to ripen on the tree, but pluck and eat it quite green. Former- 

 ly a sort of vinegar was made from the pulp of ripe peaches. 



PRUNUS PSEUDO-CERASUS.— ^ f;!lS (Ying-t'ao). 

 This, tiie Chinese or bastard-cherry, is very similar to the 

 European kind, but differs from it in having its flowers grow 

 in racemes, instead of in fascicles, and in the stems being 

 hairy. The classical name is ^ \^]^ (Han-t'ao). The large, 

 sweet cherries are called H ^ (Yai-mi). The fruit is said to 

 harmonize the centers, to benefit the disposition, and to give 

 a good complexion and a hopeful will. It prevents the loss of 

 virility and checks fluxes. The leaves of the tree are bruised 

 and applied in snake bite. The root on the east side of the 

 tree is good in pin worms. The twigs are rubbed together 

 with Sa/viiiia na/ans^ Gleditschia officinalis^ and pickled plums 

 ([^ ;f^), and used as an application for freckles. Tiie flowers 

 are also used as a cosmetic. The fruit of the cherry is often 

 preserved with honey and used as a sweet-meat. 



PRUNUS SPINUL03A.— 11^ zf: (Lin-mu). This is an 

 identification of Faber's ; but upon what authority he does not 

 state. The Pentsao givc^ little description of the tree, except to 

 say that it is a large tree growing in the mountainous districts 

 of Central China, that it bears a white flower, and that its wood 

 is used in dyeing brown, and the leaves are sometimes distilled 

 with spirits. Rice is cooked with the lye from the ashes of 

 this tree, and eaten to cure dyspepsia and intestinal worms, 



PRUNUS TOMENTOSA. — ^J if 'ik (Shan-ying-t'ao\ 

 ^ \% (Chu-t'ao), ^ \% (Li-t'ao), fg fg (Mei-t'ao). This cherry 

 does not have a good taste, so it is not much eaten. It has 

 the same qualities and medicinal uses as the ordinary cherry. 



PRUNUS TRIFLORA, Prumis domcstica.—^ (Li), B M. 

 ^ (Chia-ch'ing-tzu). Although the character for this plum is 

 very old, the tree is not mentioned as being indigenous to 

 China ; but on the other hand the equivalent Sanscrit name of 



