392 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



are rounder and shorter than those of the last, and short, stiff 

 branches, with reddish bark and wood that is fit to make 

 arrows. Possibly more than one kind of willow is included 

 under these terms, as the fjff |^ (P'u-yang) is said to have long 

 leaves and pliant branches suitable for making baskets. The 

 twigs and leaves, 746, are used in chronic dysentery, cancerous 

 sores, and as a dressing to smallpox ulcers. The white bark 

 of the tree and the root, 741, is used in similar cases and as 

 a styptic and anodyne in wounds. 



SALVIA JAPONICA.— M Ji ^ (Shu-wei-ts'ao), 1171. 

 This plant takes its name from its flower spikes, which some- 

 what resemble those of Plantago major. It is used for dyeing 

 black, and for that reason is called ^ ^ (Wu-ts'ao). It grows 

 in marshes, and is therefore called 7JC % (Shui-ch'ing). There 

 are two varieties, one with red and the other with white flowers. 

 The flowers and leaves are used in medicine in struma, 

 fluxes, and discharges. "The white-flowered kind is good for 

 colorless discharges, and the red-flowered for red discharges." 

 It is also used in ague and dropsy. 



SALVIA MILTIORRHIZA.— :f5- ^ (Tan-shen), 1246. 

 This labiate plant is grown in Shensi, Shansi, Shantung, and 

 in the Peking mountains it is a common plant. It has from three 

 to seven hirsute leaves and large violet flowers. The root is 

 red externally and purplish internally when fresh. It is sold 

 in short, shrivelled pieces of a bright, brick-red color, some- 

 times branching or twisted, and generally bristling with radi- 

 cles. The interior is soft, and the taste of the whole is 

 sweetish, resembling that of licorice. This root is one of the 

 five astral remedies, 5S. ^ (Wu-sheu'), which are thought to 

 correspond to the five colors — yellow, white, black, purple, and 

 red — and to the five principal viscera — spleen, lungs, kidneys, 

 liver, and heart. This particular one belongs to the heart, and 

 its red color suggests the blood. It is credited with alterative, 

 antispasmodic, arthritic, tonic, sedative, astringent, and vul- 

 nerary properties, and it is highly recommended in all blood 

 difficulties, hemorrhages, menstrual disorders, and miscar- 

 riages. 



