442 CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA. 



four inches in length. In the recent state, the pepo has a 

 yellow rind, and the globular fruits, about the size of a man's 

 fist, hang gracefully from the branches, on long slender 

 pedicels. The seeds are large, flat, and brown. The kernel 

 in the recent state is green and contains much oil, which is 

 sometimes expressed and used as lamp oil. There is little or 

 no difference in the medical action and use of the fruit and 

 seeds. Both are regarded as nutritious, tussic, thirst-relieving, 

 tonic, and astringent in fluxes. They are also administered in 

 jaundice, suppression of urine, relaxation of the mucous mem- 

 branes, retained placenta, agalactia, and syphilitic ulcers. The 

 seeds are found in commerce, under the name of JTCl ^ ^ (Kua- 

 lou-jen), 640. 



The root goes under the name of 5c fC 1^ (T'ien-hua-fen), 

 1292, and 1^ 1^ (Pai-yao), 970. This is found in the shops in 

 irregular pieces, two or three inches in length, and varying in 

 size from that of a little finger to a man's thumb. Externally 

 they are pale yellowish-white in color, usually marked with 

 irregular longitudinal striae, and internally they are hard, 

 amylaceous, and white, with yellowish medullary rays passing 

 from the circumference toward the center. They are very apt 

 to be worm-eaten, when they become reduced to a very fine, 

 white, dry powder, compared to snow. This amylaceous 

 substance is not found in the root of the growing plant, but is 

 deposited as the plant attains maturity, and is therefore ex- 

 tracted from the old root dug up in the autumn. This starch 

 is considered to be cooling, nutritious, quieting to the centers, 

 and healing in the case of wounds. It is also recommended in 

 jaundice, polyuria, amenorrhoea, and abscesses. To the stalk 

 and leaves of the plant are attributed antifebrile properties. 



TRICOSANTHES PALMATA.— ^ ^ ^ (Pai-yao-tzu), 

 970. Such is an identification of Faber. See the last article. 



TRIGONELLA FCENUM-GR^CUM.— ^ ^ E. (Hu- 

 lu-pa), 485, ^ fi. (K'u-tou). These are the small, pale, red- 

 dish-brown seeds of a leguminous plant with small pods, 

 introduced into the southern provinces of China from some 

 foreign country, and at first understood by Chinese writers to be 



