VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 37I 



plant seems to be indigenous to China, and to have been 

 cultivated from remote antiquity. Judging from the similarity 

 of the names by which it is known, it seems to have been 

 introduced into adjacent countries from China. In Annam 

 and the Malay peninsula it is called lobac ; in Thibet, lapJing ; 

 and in Mongolia, laopang and lobi)i. In Persia it is called 

 turicp^ and from this our English word turnip is probably 

 derived. The Pentsao gives a good description of the plant, 

 and notes its resemblance to the ^ ^- (Wu-ch'ing), rape. 

 Many varieties are found in China, most of which are sweet, 

 but some are coarse and acrid. The use of the root as food is 

 regarded as carminative and corrective. The Chinese cook 

 radishes with stale meat, and claim that it prevents ptomaine 

 poisoning. Radishes are crushed and applied locally as a 

 dressing or poultice to burns, scalds, fetid feet, ecchymoses, 

 and the like. The seeds, 688, are considered to be expector- 

 ant, peptic, diuretic, carminative, and corrective. A decoction 

 is used to bring out the rash in eruptive fevers. The flowers 

 fermented in wine are taken to produce brilliancy of the eyes. 

 Another kind of sweet radish, which is specially relished in 

 the raw state, is called 7JC || ^§1 (Shui-lo-po), and is found in its 

 best state in the province of Shantung. 



RKHxMANNIA GLUTINOSA.— J^^ ^ (Ti-huang), 1264. 

 This is a common plant in North China, said to resemble 

 Plantago in some respects. It was at first called Digitalis 

 ghitinosa., but was found to represent a different, but related 

 genus. It is probable that the mistaken identity of Digitalis 

 ptirptira as ^ j^ ^ (Mao-ti-huang) arose from this fact. The 

 scapes and leaves are covered with hairs, the flowers red and 

 yellow, the fruit a capsule, the seeds small and greyish-brown, 

 and the root large and juicy, especially in rich soil. The 

 root is prepared for medicine by washing clean and drying 

 in the sun, when it presents the appearance of dark, soft, 

 wrinkled, spindle-shaped masses, sometimes more or less flat- 

 tened, from two to five inches long, black in color, moist in 

 section, and having a sweetish taste. In this state it is known 

 as ^ i^ ^ (Kan-ti-huang). Sometimes part of the juice is 

 first expressed in a wooden mortar, or the root is soaked several 



