■jyg CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



belly of children. A number of remedies for varnish poison 

 are given. A prophylactic is to chew Zanthoxylum piperitinn, 

 and apply the resulting saliva to the face, when the poison 

 will not act on the skin. A decoction of the wood of Cnn- 

 nmghamia sinensis, of Perilla ocymoides, of Sagina maxima, 

 or the broth of crabs, if applied to the inflamed skin, is reputed 

 to be very efficacious. The remedy giving greatest relief, 

 however, is hot camphor water, frequently applied. 



RHYNCHOSIA VOLUBIUS.— j^ ^ (Lu-huo). Also 

 called ^ a (Lu-tou), ^ ^ (Lao-tou), and ^ Ws. (Yeh-lii- 

 tou). It is a wild leguminous plant, found growing in wheat 

 fields. Both the plant and the seeds are eaten either raw or 

 cooked. The latter are sometimes ground into meal, from 

 which cakes are made. They are recommended in the Ku 

 poison, scrofulous glands, backache and abdominal pain in 

 women, and headache. 



RHYNCHOSPERMUM JASMINOIDES.— 3|^ :S (I^o- 

 shih). This is an apocynaceous plant, allied to Nerinm, found 

 clambering over rocks. It has small, thick, firm, green leaves, 

 white flowers, and bears a black fruit. It is evergreen, and 

 therefore is called |jj- ^ (Nai-tung), "enduring the winter." 

 The stalks and leaves are used in medicine, and are non-poison- 

 ous. They are considered to be restorative and tonic, and are 

 a medicine especially adapted to the aged. Gonorrhoea, car- 

 cinomatous growths, sciatica, viper bites, and wounds, are 

 some of the difficulties for which it is recommended. 



RICINUS COMMUNIS.— E ft (Pei-ma). The first 

 character is properly written ^ ; both having the same sound 

 (Pei or Pi). The character is explained by ^ (Pi), a cattle 

 tick, which the seeds are said to resemble. The plant is of 

 foreign origin, having been introduced from Tartary, where 

 it is extensively grown. In China it is cultivated for its 

 shade, as an ornamental plant, and for its seed and leaves 

 which are used in medicine. It grows in a short time to 

 a height of more than ten feet, having a woody stem, 

 which never survives the winter of central and northern 

 China. There is a red-stemmed and a white-stemmed variety, 



