A Geographka, 
wild Sort thrives every where. The firfl: Sort grows 
out of a Sap or Gum, which adheres to the Root of a 
Pine-tree^ viKich. renders it fuch an excellent and effi- 
cacious Remedy, and fo famous on that Account in all 
Parts of the World. Thefe Roots increafe to an ex- 
traordinary Size, fome of them being as big as a Man’s 
Head, The wild Root, though far ffiort of the Virtue 
of this, is not lefs efteemed. We have already defcri- 
bed the Root Gmfeng^ and its cardiacal Virtues, in our 
Account of the Province of Leaoiung^ where it grows j 
and therefore we refer the Reader thither. 
China abounds with great Quantities of Rhubarb, but 
no Place produces better than the Province of Suchuen^ 
as I have already hinted in the Defcription of that 
Country, 
“ There are two Sorts of Rhaharharum or Rhubarb 
“ fold, an Oriental imported from China \ and this is 
“ ponderous, diftinguiffied by gold coloured and red 
“ Veins, bitterifh and aftringent, fweet fcented, rather 
“ of a yellow Colour, and being moiften’d ftains the 
Hand with a Colour like that of Saffron, and is 
“ much efteemed for its Virtues. The other Sort comes 
from Ruffia^ and is ponderous, and of a darker Yel- 
low, and lefs valued than the other. 
“ Rhubarb is a mild and gentle Purger of yellow 
Bile and vifcous and tartarous Phlegm from the Sco- 
mach and firft Region. It is a Specifick for the Li- 
ver, cures a Jaundice, and for its aftringent Quality 
“ is commended beyond other Medicines ; for all Dif- 
orders proceeding from Relaxation, as a Diarrhea, 
Dyfentery, and the like. 
. “ This Root was unknown to Biofcorides and Galen ; 
“ and therefore fome are very erroneous in conlound- 
ing the Rha or Rheum of the Ancients with our 
“ Rhubarb, for the Rheum of Diofcorides has lefs of a 
cathartick Quality, and wants the Characters of the 
“ true Rhubarb, which is a Compact Subftance, pon- 
“ derous and dry, of a bitter Tafte, and acrid Smell, 
‘‘ of a reddiffi Colour on the Outfide, and of a light 
“ Red inclining to Yellow within, with fome Veins of 
“ deeper Colour, and, being macerated or chew’d, dyes 
“ of a Saffron Colour. Rapontic, on the contrary, is 
“ not of a clofe but thin Subftance, and not pon- 
“ derous, but light, and wants the fweet Scent of 
“ Rhubarb. 
. The Virtue of the Root confifts in the Mixture 
“ (of a fubtle and acrimonious Salt, with mucilaginous 
and earthy Particles ; thofe faline and acrimonious 
Particles, in Proportion as they are more or lefs dif- 
engaged from the Mixture of mucilaginous and 
earthy Particles, in which they ftuck and were en- 
tangled, the more or lefs they exert of their ftimu- 
lating Force. Sometimes they excite lo great a 
Commotion, as to prefs upon the Liver itfelf, and 
‘‘ efpecially the Gall Bladder, whence may follow a 
‘L double Excretion of Bde, which proves the Root of 
extraordinary Efficacy in the Jaundice, as was before 
obferved. Its Cathartic Virtue confifts in its Salt, 
and not at all in its Refin or oleous Particles, as 
appears from its I'infture, which is extraded with 
Water. 
, “ Now it is clearly demonftrafed from Chymiftry, 
“ that Water can never refolve refinous nor oleous 
Subftances ; and befides, the Tindure extraded by 
Spirit of Wine is not fo potent a Cathartick as what 
“ is extraded with Water ; nay, the Water itfelf, after 
“ Mixture,, does not become milky, as it happens iii 
all other Tindures which are extraded from oily 
‘‘ and refinous Subftances ; and it is further to be ob- 
ferved, that the faline Principles may be fo dif- 
“ fipated or diffblved by the Quantity of Liquids, as 
“ to be incapable of exerting their Force. The , Root, 
when it is dried up with Age, lofes its Acrimony, 
and all its Cathartic Virtue, as it does alfo in Boiling, 
The Smell of it, in fome, provokes to Stool. It is 
of Service in a Gonorrhcea^ by allaying the .Heat of 
Urine, expelling the Malignity, and flopping the 
.“ Flux. Itis ufually prefcribed in, Subftance, from half 
« a Dram to two Drams ; the Dofe of the Extrad is 
« two Drams, of the Tindure one Dram. The Root 
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roafted or dried is aftringent, as and effedual in aDy 
fentery as Terra figilkta, and being mixed with Nntl 
meg and Laudanum, proves an excellent Remedy fo- 
an immoderate Flux of the Belly, its aftrino-ent Vir' 
tue diffufing itfelf into all Parts. Pechlius employed k 
for Hemorrhages of the Nofe, and fjch like Cafes 
The Root is fometimes hurtful in a Vertigo; it d-“- 
ftro^ Worms, and is an Ingredient in many offici- 
nal Compofitions. 
“ Alexander Trallianiis, in the Opinion of Dr. AmW 
was the firft Phyfician that mentioned Rhubard who 
recommends it in a Weaknefs of the Liver and a 
Dyfenrery, though Monf. le Clerc tells us, that the 
Arabians indeed, in tranfiating Biofcorides and the 
Greek Phyficians, confound this Root with the Rha^ 
pnticum, and afcribe the Virtues which the An- 
cient have obferved in this latter to what is pi-o- 
perly the Rhaharharum as may be evident to any 
who will Took into the Defcription which A Wi 
gives of _ it. ^ And I believe Alexander himfelf 
though it is plain Rhubarb was known in his Time* 
was in the fame Miftake, for he mentions it only as 
an Aftringent, as the elder Greeks defcribe the Rha- 
ponticum without the leaf!: Hint of its purging Virtue. 
.Paulus feems to be the firft who takes any Notice of 
the Purging Faculty in the Rheum (he calls it fimply ' 
fo) and tells us how we may make fome laxative Me- 
dicines ftronger by the Addition of this. And P. JL 
pinus Lys, that fome have obferved, that even ' tha" 
Rhaponticum would fometimes purge, thoucrh in a- 
lefs Degree than Rhubarb. ° 
“ 1 he modern Greeks gave this Root the Name of 
“ Barbaricurn, not from the Place of its Growth, but 
“ from the Place it was imported to, for the Country 
“ in the Upper Mthiopia, was called Barbaria, as Sal- 
“ mafius well obferves from its lying upon the Sinus Bar- 
baiicus, in which W’ere many great Emporiums, par- 
“ ticularly Rhapta the Metropolis of this Region, 
“ This Gulph upon the Eaft, joins with the Indkn 
“ Ocean, and therefore Aditiarius, and after him 71^^ 
“ repfus, calls this Plant Reon Indicon. No doubt in 
“ thofe Times it was imported this Way to Alexandria, 
“ and fo might be known to thefe WiXtr Greek Phyfici* 
“ ans. However I muft obferve, that Salmafius does 
“ not take Notice of AlexandeP's, mentioning Rhubarb 
but quotes Paulus Aov it, who does not mention if, 
“ but only in general fpeaks of and defer ibes the Rha\ 
Garcias ab Horto, Phyfician to the SpaTJh Viceroy, 
“ cells us, he had learnt in India, that ail the Rhubarb 
“ which was imported thither, and mio Per Ba, grew in 
“ China, that was brought thither by Sea and Land, 
“ but that the latter Way of bringing it over Lartary 
“ to Ormuz, was much the beft, for by Sea Carriaf^e 
“ it was more fubjecl to rot, ° 
15. In Reference to the Animals in China, though 
the Natives relate ftrange Things of them, yet the°e 
are indeed very few fo extraordinary in their Kind, as 
to deferve mentioning. In fome of the moff moun- 
tainous and worfe cultivated Provinces of the .Empire, 
there are Troops of very large Apes that live to a great 
Age, notwithftanding they are often attacked by the Na- 
tives, thefe by obferving frequently the Aftions of Men, 
and imitating them affiduouffy, perform many Things, 
which to Strangers would appear very furprizing. The 
Chinefe call this Animal SinFin,^^ from their Defcrip- 
tion one would imagine, that thefe were a Race of wild 
dumb Men, and that perhaps Pains would not be thrown 
away. in. endeavouring to reclaim them. After all, the 
Truth of the Matter is, that the Chinefe love to mag- 
nify every Thing they defcribe, and above all, , every 
Thing that relates to their own Country, for at the Bot- 
tom, the Chinefe Baboons are as much Brutes, and fenfe- 
lefs Brutes, as any. other Baboons upon the Earth. 
. There are alfo in fome of the Woods, on the Sides 
of high Mountains, a particular Species of Bears, of a 
moft enormous Size, and capable of doing a great deal 
of, Mifchief. Thefe, without any View to Raillery or 
Wit, ..the Chinefe call Men-Bears, to exprefs their Supe- 
riority and Strength, which however .it feems to do but 
obfeureiy.’ As for the Horfe-harr, there is nothing in 
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