VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 41I 



journeys prolonged into the night. It is regarded as tonic, 

 astringent or corrective in diarrhoeas, and curative in ulcers 

 and mercurial sores. But its use par excellence is in syphilitic 

 difficulties, especially the secondary and tertiary manifestations. 

 Dr. Waring found the large tuberous roots of the Burmese 

 variety, the Smilax prolifera of Roxburgh, very useful, in the 

 form of a decoction of the fresh root, in secondary syphilis, 

 cachexia, and chronic skin diseases. The sliced root, i 1^ ^ 

 ^ (T'u-fu-ling-p'ien), 333, 1369, is also found on the market. 



SMILAX SINENSIS.—^ p (Pei-hsieh), 988. Other 

 names are % fg (Ch'ih-chieh), "red-joint," and ^ %% (Pai- 

 pa-ch 'ia), ' 'white smilax. ' ' The root resembles that of Smilax 

 china^ but is larger, is yellowish-white, and has many joints 

 which are purplish in color. The account in the Phitsao is 

 not clear, being confounded on the one hand with Smilax china 

 and on the other with Dioscorea. But it is said to have a hard 

 root with a bitter taste. It is regarded as tonic, and is specially 

 recommended for the aged. It is also warming and quieting, 

 and is used for nocturnal polyuria and all forms of gonorrhoeal 

 difficulty. See Dioscorea. 



SOJA HISPIDIA.— ^ S (Pai-tou). Also called |S S 

 (Fan-tou). This is a small bean, a variety of Glycine hispidia^ 

 the stalks of which, when young, are eaten as a pot-herb. The 

 bean is sometimes used to make soy and bean-curd, and is eaten 

 both boiled and as a congee. It is considered to belong to 

 the kidneys, therefore those suffering from diseases of this organ 

 should use it. The bean is regarded as very nutritious, and 

 both it and the leaves benefit the viscera. 



SOLANUM DULCAMARA.—^ ^[f (K'u-ch'ieh), ^^ 

 ^ (Shu-yang-ch'iian). The former is described as a small, 

 prickly, wild shrub, found in Lingnan. It may be that this is 

 the plant which supplies the ^*q ;^ (Ch'ieh-chih), 100, of the 

 Customs Lists. Its berries are mixed with vinegar and used as 

 a local application to cancerous sores and other swellings. 

 Tiie root is used in decoction for the same purpose, and is also 

 recommended in malarial poisoning. Slm-yang-ch'-iian was 



