VKGKTABT.E KINGDOM. 4OI 



hollow and black within, is sometimes called ^^ ^|f (Tu-fu), 

 "jealous woman;" such a person being supposed by the 

 Chinese to have the typical rotten, black heart. This thing 

 is said to equalize the vital principles, to be tonic to the 

 bladder, quieting to the pregnant uterus, stimulant to the 

 respiratory organs, anodyne, and astringent, and it is prescribed 

 in fevers, jaundice, diarrhoeas, ulcers, colic, amenorrhoea, 

 fluxes, boils, carbuncle, and cancer of the breast. A famous 

 prescription is known as the H ^ A» (San-huang-wan), 

 "three-yellow-pill," and is composed of this root, rhubarb 

 (^ ^), and Cflptis tceta (^ j^). It is regarded as a tonic and 

 reconstructive remedy in weakness of sexual origin in men and 

 women. The seeds are also used to cleanse the bowels of 

 blood and pus. 



SEDUM ERYTHROSTICTUM.— J: ^ (Ching-tMen). 

 It is not certain that this plant in China is not SempervivuTn 

 tectoriini. It has a large number of names meaning "to 

 protect from fire," as it is supposed to have this quality, 

 and is therefore planted in pots on house tops. It is also 

 much cultivated on artificial rocks in gardens for ornament- 

 ation. The stem is tinged with red and yellow, the leaves 

 are pale green, shining, soft, spoon-shaped, thick, and not 

 pointed. They have a bitterish-sweet taste, and can be 

 eaten after scalding. An allied species, called A ^ 52. 

 (Pa-pao-erh), is very beautiful and is commonly cultivated. 

 It is probably Sedinn alboroseiim. The leaves are considered 

 to have antifebrile properties, and are prescribed in all forms 

 of fever, wounds, and inflammations. The flowers are used 

 in fluxes from the vagina, the nervous aflfections of children, 

 in opacity of the cornea, and in prolapse of the genital 

 organs after labor. The juice of the leaves is a common 

 domestic remedy in eruptions, as well as an application 

 to burns. 



SEDUM LINEARE.— f^ f % (Fo-chia-ts*ao). It is 

 said to resemble purslane, to be four or five inches high, and 

 to have a brittle stem with fine linear leaves. It blooms in 

 summer wijth a yellow flower, is cultivated on stony places or 



