366 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



Q. 



QUERCUS. — More than forty species of Qiiercus have 

 been found in China, but identifications of the Chinese names 

 are exceedingly unsatisfactory. %^ (Tso), ^ (Li), \% (Hu), f|t 

 (Chu), and ^ (Hsiang) are all characters specifically applied to 

 this genns ; but they are often used in combination with each 

 other, and with other characters in different parts of the empire, 

 to indicate different species. The first character is generic, 

 but not common. The second is referred to Quercus scrrata ; 

 the third to Qiicrcns dcntata ; the fourth to Quercus scleroph\lla 

 and Quercus glanca ; the fifth is Quercus sinensis^ but is 

 also applied to the acorns of the ^ (Li). Other characters 

 applied to this genus are \^ (Yii), ^^ (P'o), % (Hsii), ft (Chu), 

 \% (Ch'iu), It (Su), S (Chiang), tt (Yu), |^ (Chou), ^ (Fou), 

 and |p[ (Ko). This array of characters indicates a wide range 

 of terminology, if only they were specifically assigned to 

 definite species. Since identifications are so difficult, it will 

 only be possible to follow the Pentsao in its various accounts of 

 the trees of this genus and their products. 



^ ^ (Chu-tzti). This is an evergreen oak, smaller than 

 the ;jf< (Hsiang). There are two kinds, the bitter and the 

 sweet, and the latter is edible. The leaves are like those 

 of the chestnut, pointed, thick, and shining, with deep serra- 

 tions. The sweet acorns are smaller than the bitter, and 

 the o-rain of the wood is fine and the wood white. The 

 acorns are called ^ |g| (Mien-chu), Quercus gla^ica (?). In the 

 case of the bitter variety, the grain of the wood is coarse and 

 red, giving the name j^ ^ (Hsiieh-chu), Quercus actita (?) ; 

 or black, when it is called %% fit (T'ieh-chu). The wood 

 is used for making pillars for houses and coffins, because 

 it does not easily decay. The ingestion of the acorns is con- 

 sidered to be highly beneficial, being nourishing, relieving 

 thirst, and checking diarrhoea. A decoction of the bark and 

 leaves is used to check hemorrhage in puerperal women, 

 and tender, young leaves are applied to chronic ulcers. The 

 sweet acorns are also called |^ |g (Kou-li) and ^ fqj ^ (Ch'ao- 

 kou-tzii). 



